American Revolutionary War Leaders: A Biographical Dictionary

American Revolutionary War Leaders

ALSO

BY

BUD HANNINGS MCFARLAND

AND FROM

Chronolog y of the American Revolution: Military and Political Actions Day by Day (2008) The Korean War: An Exhaustive Chronolog y (2007) Forts of the United States: An Historical Dictionary, 16th through 19th Centuries (2006)

American Revolutionary War Leaders A Biographical Dictionary BUD HANNINGS

McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers Jefferson, North Carolina, and London

LIBRARY

OF

CONGRESS CATALOGUING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA

Hannings, Bud. American Revolutionary War leaders : a biographical dictionary / Bud Hannings. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-7864-4379-6 illustrated case binding : 50# alkaline paper 1. United States — History — Revolution, 1775–1783 — Biography — Dictionaries. I. Title. E206.H266 2009 973.3092' 2 — dc22 [B] 2009022306 British Library cataloguing data are available ©2009 Bud Hannings. All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. On the cover: Charles Willson Peale painting, George Washington, 1776 ©2008 Pictures Now Manufactured in the United States of America

McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers Box 611, Jefferson, North Carolina 28640 www.mcfarlandpub.com

Contents Preface 1 Introduction 3

The Biographies 5 Signers of the Declaration of Independence and Signers and Framers of the U.S. Constitution 507 Bibliography 509 Index 517

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Preface The primary purpose of this work is to provide for today’s readers and for posterity military and political biographies of the leaders who were responsible for the birth of the United States of America. Whenever possible, the biographies cover their lives from birth to death, and relate many anecdotes that open doorways into their personal lives, including their wives and children and, at times, their parents. The work includes not only the famous but also the unknowns whose experiences have been extricated from the shadows of obscurity thanks to the persistent efforts of reference librarians all across the thirteen original states. Over the course of completing other works, including Forts of the United States (2006) and Chronolog y of the American Revolution (2008), and researching other works in progress, it became apparent that facts relating to the leaders of the American Revolution were not centrally located. Biographies written in the nineteenth century were usually about the general officers of the Continental Army. Acquiring information on general officers of state militia was much more difficult as was tracking down information on legislators: details regarding the more prominent names were more readily available, while the less known required a series of searches. Here readers will find biographies of the Continental Army generals, state militia generals, and other officers of the Continental Army, as well as some Marine, Continental Navy, and state militia officers. Also included are biographies of the men who signed the Declaration of Independence and the men who framed and signed the U.S. Constitution, various diplomats, and war governors. Some of the leaders were doctors; one, Josiah Bartlett, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, found a cure for throat distemper that ended an epidemic that was ravaging New England and killing large numbers of children under the age of ten. The work, however, is not all inclusive. For the duration of the project, it was not uncommon to discover the name of an obscure general for whom a methodical search turned up no details. It seems that there must still remain some general officers (militia) who have truly been lost to history at least for now; there is the possibility that they will be discovered and brought back to the forefront to take their place alongside their fellow patriots in a place of honor for their selfless sacrifices.

The wives of the leaders played an equally important role in the building of the nation, but their deeds were seldom recorded. Therefore this work includes from that scarce supply of information a glance at their experiences and some of their contributions that brought victory and independence to the nation. The wives were one common thread: regardless of the status of the individual, whether an affluent planter in the South, an affluent shipping owner in the North, a prosperous or moderate farmer, a lawyer or soldier, no one appeared to have had a wife who did not fully support his endeavors, no matter the hardships. It is both fair and accurate to describe the wives of the leaders as the unsung heroes of the American Revolution. Through their unwavering support, ordinary men were able to conceal whatever fears they might have held and perform extraordinary tasks against all odds, while faced with nearly every conceivable disadvantage, to prevail in a conflict that raged for about eight years. With the help of reference librarians, historical societies, the National Archives, the National Park Service and the Armed Forces historical divisions, as well as other sources, including state archives, the work unravels some of the conflicting information that in some instances has been handed down since the nineteenth century. The use of the Internet, including the Web and e-mail, along with the use of the fax machine, made the task of confirming facts or invalidating erroneous information through considerable cross checking and research possible. In addition, Internet search engines provided a gateway to many original papers, family Bible records, last wills and testaments, and nineteenth century works on the leaders of the Revolutionary War period. The Internet also provided access to various universities and historical societies where many of the original papers have been preserved. The speed of e-mail and the timely responses from librarians and other historians greatly reduced the time required to acquire answers and fill in blanks. That communication was paramount when conflicting information was uncovered, and it clarified many uncertain items, including mixups in marriages, names and numbers of children, dates of births and deaths, and, at times, even where and when a particular person served or where they were interred. The depth of the individual biographies depended greatly

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Preface upon the amount of information available. Often, particularly with the less well known officers and legislators, the amount of information that was preserved was scattered, with a piece of the puzzle held where the subject was born and other pieces held where the subject relocated or served. Even more difficult was discovering information on the wives and families of the subjects, due to the lack of documentation. Sometimes even the Bibles of a man’s family did not provide the name of his wife. These problems were overcome through the efforts of the many librarians and historians. It would not be an exaggeration to state that librarians in nearly every county in which one of the men included here was born has helped bring to light factual and accurate depictions of the individual military and political leaders of the American Revolution. Many of the names, such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, John Hancock, Alexnder Hamilton and Patrick Henry, will be recognizable to most readers, and of those, countless volumes have been written and more will follow. In this work, the biographies of the more famous are not meant to be as comprehensive as a full book, but the details will provide the reader with a complete picture of the career of the individual. In contrast, there are those, such as Generals Seth Pomeroy, Daniel Roberdeau, Joshua Babcock, John Glover, Peleg Wadsworth and Nathaniel Freeman (who fathered twenty children), who are much less likely to be recognized, yet they too

2 and many others pledged their “lives, fortunes and sacred honor” to the cause of independence and suffered the same deprivations and sacrifices during that turbulent period in our nation’s history. Many of the experiences of the subjects are well known, and yet many others might surprise readers. Examples include General Palmer, who because of a bet with a friend caused his daughter to become fearful of even a thunderstorm for the rest of her life. And another about General Winds, who, through his eccentricities, caused his favorite niece to crippled for life. And yet another about General Roberdeau, who was fearful of no man, yet had trouble with cats and even drew his sword when one blocked his passage. Then there is General Glover, whose regiment of maritime soldiers three times ferried George Washington’s army out of harm’s way or carried the army to victory, and General Nathanael Greene, whose remains were lost for about seventy-five years. Genealogy was not initially intended to play a large part in the work; however, again, thanks to so many librarians and historians, historical societies, special collections and archives, and modern research methods, much more often than not, there is a complete listing of each subject’s parents, siblings, wife or wives and children, and whenever possible, their ancestors, but only when reliable sources were available.

Introduction Over the course of researching the military history of the United States, from its inception, several obstacles impeded progress, and one of those was a constant occurrence: the mention of a name of a high ranking officer with no details and often no first name provided. That sparked curiosity about who the leader was and where he came from, which in turn caused more interest in what type of life he led prior to becoming a soldier or diplomat and whether he had a family. Answers to those questions were reasonably easy to find for the more famous individuals, but for the more obscure individuals, it became a daunting task. Nevertheless, it also became a worthwhile challenge, one that would help complete the history of the American Revolution by placing the individuals responsible for the birth of the nation upon a pedestal of honor. After the quest was initiated, other surprises emerged, but the unexpected revelations seemed to make the challenge more worthwhile. A similarity between the individuals developed almost immediately. As the deeds, skills and virtues of the leaders surfaced, it became apparent that only a small number were professional soldiers. Most were family men leading ordinary civilian lives until they found their families and their liberty at risk. After completing research on a nominal number of the subjects was complete another similarity emerged. Epitaphs and eulogies gave brief biographical sketches and recounted accomplishments. And usually, a eulogy, epitaph and gravestone would state that the actions of the individual in the cause of his country would never be forgotten and that his name would be forever remembered in posterity. In some cases, that was true, but in many others, within a few years after the death of the individual, the place of burial was forgotten and he passed into obscurity, where he remained in solitary exile. In this work, an attempt was made to remove the cobwebs from the tombstones, uncover the long forgotten contributions of those patriots, and honor them for laying the foundation of the nation beginning with the Declaration of Independence and following the framing of the U.S. Constitution. The heroes of the American Revolution profiled here shared many characteristics, including a fervent desire for independence and a noble determination to achieve justice for their families and posterity; however, over and above their

gallantry and heroism, whether by actions in the field of war or in the legislature, most were devoted Christians who held their faith above all earthly treasures. Those same leaders, despite the ravages of the fighting and prolonged absences from home, were able to maintain their responsibilities as husbands and fathers. The fresh glance into the past to experience the sacrifices, trials, and tribulations of the heroic wives of the men who founded the nation adds to the laurels of the founding families, who exceeded the bounds of endurance to prevail and leave a legacy worthy of honor. Those families paid an extraordinary price for their liberty, and it was the wives, the unsung heroes of the American Revolution, who stood behind the patriots, encouraging them in the darkest hours under the dark clouds of war. Their lives speak for themselves and will give readers an introduction to the patriots who risked all to create the United States of America. Some of those most probably would not have been remembered if they had not signed the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution, and others stand out as the nation’s founders, and yet others have been forgotten. The latter is that group that readers can only imagine — the individual infantryman and cavalryman, the crewmen of the warships, the wagoneers, the drummers and fifers, the cannoneers, the farmers, the blacksmiths, the men who rowed the boats, the men who dug the trenches, the cooks, the men who manufactured the powder and ammunition, and the men in the medical field who tended the wounded, and last, but not least, the courageous chaplains who accompanied the troops into battle. Without their untiring efforts and undaunted faith, Congress would have folded soon after it convened, and the American dream as we know it would have been exactly that, a dream, out of reach and never attained. Destiny, however, turned out different than anticipated by the British. Consequently, without the great generation of the Revolutionary War period, no American generations would have been able to carry the legacy forward. This work was written to continue to carry the torch in memory of those long-departed Americans who fought for neither fame nor glory; rather for the preservation of liberty, and to reinstate the intent of those who engraved the tombstones with the words, to paraphrase, “His deeds will never be forgotten and his name will live forever.”

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THE BIOGRAPHIES

Adams, John (Continental Congress, Signer of the Declaration of Independence, President of the United States)

war and to restrict other freedoms. That year, John Adams, Sr., succumbed. Susanna later remarried, to become the wife of John Hall. In England during 1764, Parliament passed legislation that prohibited the colonies from issuing paper money that was legal tender. In March Parliament passed the Stamp Act and made it effective 1 November. Another act that incited the colonists was the Quartering Act. John Adams became one of the initial patriots to raise public opposition. He penned “Es- John Adams (Biographical Sketches of say on the Canon and Feudal the Signers of the Declaration of InLaw Writs” during 1765, dependence, Benson J. Lossing 1854) which essentially focused on the importance of educating the people to prevent tyranny. Other early pieces were penned by Adams under the pseudonym Humphrey Ploughjogger. In addition to his focus on the British actions, John had become interested in Abigail Smith (daughter of the Rev. William and Elizabeth Quincy Smith), whom he married on 25 October 1764. Abigail was one of four children. She had two sisters, Mary and Elizabeth, and one brother, William. John and Abigail had six children, four of whom would reach adulthood. They were: Abigail “Nabby” (1765–1813), John Quincy (1767–1848), Charles (1770–1800) and Thomas Boylston (1772–1832). The other children were Susanna, born December 1768 and died February 1770, and Elizabeth, stillborn in 1777. There was a constant exchange of letters between John and Abigail Adams. Abigail had often been in poor health as a child, and her parents arranged for her to be educated at home. Sensitive as an adult for her lack of mastering writing, particularly punctuation, she remained determined to increase her skills and to learn to speak French. She was extremely intelligent and greatly enjoyed reading. Despite her family’s involvement with high society, Abigail remained unpretentious. In 1768, John and Abigail left their farm in Braintree for a new residence on Brattle Square in Boston. The home became known as the White House. By that time, John found himself more strongly aligned with those in opposition to the king and his policies. That allegiance, combined with his superior skills as a lawyer, propelled him to a position of prominence within the growing numbers of the patriots in Boston. Meanwhile, word of Adams’ reputation had traveled to England,

John Adams was born in Braintree (later Quincy), Massachusetts, on 30 October 1735. His great-grandfather, Henry Adams, a Puritan, emigrated from Devonshire, England (according to the inscription on his tomb, which was written by President John Adams), and arrived in America during 1636. Two of Henry’s grandsons, Joseph of Braintree and John Adams (sea captain) of Boston, were the grandparents of John and Samuel Adams respectively. The Adams family initially settled at Mount Wollaston (Braintree). John’s grandfather was also named Henry; John’s parents were John (Sr.) and Susanna Boylston Adams. There were two other children, both boys, Peter Boylston (1738–1823) and Elihu (1741–1776). John’s early education included attending class in a one-room log cabin school operated by a woman known as Dame Belcher. During his mid-teens, he was accepted at Harvard College, from where he graduated in 1755. John’s consideration of becoming a minister was short-lived, and although he did work on the family farm, the labor in the fields did not entice him to be a farmer. During 1755, still with no particular profession charted, John became master of the grammar school at Worcester, but apparently life as a schoolteacher did not capture his imagination either. By 1756, John began leaning toward the law profession. He began to study law in Worcester under James Putnam. By 1758, through a combination of much studying and persistence, John was prepared to open a law practice. He was introduced to the bar by Jeremiah Gridley (leader of the bar in Boston) and, on 6 November 1758, John was admitted. By that time, he had become accustomed to maintaining a diary, a practice he continued (with some interruption) until 1777. By the early 1760s, his law practice was growing. At about the same time, the throne in England sustained a transition when King George II succumbed and was succeeded by his grandson, King George III, on 25 October 1760. John Adams would become one of the first future American leaders to contest the king’s radical policies that were thrust upon the colonies. Although John was a fervent patriot, he seemed paranoid in his youth due to his perception that his neighbors wished him failure, but he acknowledged his negative traits and in one instance was quoted: “Vanity, I am sensible, is my cardinal vice and cardinal folly.” Meanwhile, complications had developed during the ongoing conflict between Britain and France. Spain declared war against Britain during December 1761, followed by Britain reciprocating during January 1762. To further complicate the crisis, Portugal sided with Britain. Nevertheless, the conflict ended with Britain prevailing and France losing most of her possessions in North America. Britain afterward chose to place excessive taxes on the colonies to help pay the cost of the

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ADAMS and it was thought erroneously that he would become a valuable asset to the crown. Adams, shortly after he was in his new quarters, was offered the position of advocate general (Court of the Admiralty), by Jonathan Sewall (attorney general); however, John was able to see beyond the offer to discern the motives. He declined the appointment. Sewall, on the business of the crown, to eliminate Adams’ agitation, refused to accept John’s negative response. Nonetheless, a second visit had the same resulted: Adams again declined the position. The British remained determined to prevail in the colonies. In October 1768, two British regiments arrived in Boston, marched to the square and commandeered the public buildings. British presence did little to win the hearts of the citizens, but the Adams family became especially annoyed. The parade drilling and other activity of the British troops continued to harass the Adams family for about two years incessantly. In an attempt to negate some of the problems, the Sons of Liberty would arrive at the Adams home during the evening to serenade them in place of the constant daytime blare of British military music. The dangerous situation in the square finally culminated in violence with the Boston Massacre on 5 March 1770. In the meantime, in 1769, through some unfortunate circumstances, Adams found himself heading for the Massachusetts House of Representatives. James Otis, a member of the House, was badly beaten and incapacitated. John Adams was chosen during 1770 to replace him. Adams became involved with the controversial Boston Massacre. He was of the opinion that the British troops that had been charged with firing upon a mob and inflicting casualties (three dead and five wounded) should have proper representation. Adams, along with Josiah Quincy, represented the eight soldiers that had been charged. The prosecution was handled by Robert Treat Paine. Six soldiers, including Captain Preston, were acquitted at the end of the trial (October 24–30) and the remaining two men received minor sentences. Rumors spread that John Adams had accepted a bribe to represent the defendants. John responded in his diary, in which he had been keeping notations since about 1755, that his compensation for handling the case amounted to twenty guineas. The presence of the British in Boston continued to inflame the citizens, and as time passed the intimidation increased steadily, but it only succeeded in galvanizing the opposition. Meanwhile, by the latter part of 1770, John’s health had deteriorated, prompting him to move back to Braintree the following spring. John’s departure prevented him from representing his former Boston constituents in the general court. He later recovered from his poor health, and during fall of 1772, he and his family moved back to Boston and resided in a home on Queen Street near the court house. Determined to remain out of public life, John made a pledge to himself “to meddle not with public affairs of town or province. I am determined my own life and the welfare of my own family, which is much dearer to me, are too great sacrifices for me to make.” On 17 June 1774, the Massachusetts General Court selected five people to represent the colony at the First Continental Congress in what was a memorable meeting; the final vote was 117 yeas and 12 nays terminating the final provincial assembly under royal authority. John Adams, his cousin, Samuel Adams, James Bowdoin (declined), Thomas Cushing and Robert Treat Paine had been chosen. An infuriated governor, General Thomas Gage, sped to the courthouse and adjourned the session. John was stunned by the results, as he had been absent at Faneuil Hall on other business. He became quite concerned that the task was too great, and he made several entries in his diary that detailed his thoughts. One, penned several days after the vote, said: “We have not men fit for the times. We are deficient in genius, in education, in travel, in fortune, in everything. I feel unutterable anxiety. God grant us wisdom and fortitude! Should the opposition be suppressed, should this country submit, what infamy and ruin! God forbid! Death in any form is less terrible.”

6 Nonetheless, the delegates traveled to Philadelphia, where Congress convened from 5 September through 26 October. Just prior to entering the city, a party from the Sons of Liberty intercepted their coach and informed them that word had spread that the delegates were opportunists; the men cautioned Adams and the others about mentioning “independence” because in Pennsylvania and the southern colonies, the word was despised as much as the Stamp Act. The delegates from the respective colonies had no genuine authority to take action, but the Continental Congress did provide the opportunity for the delegates to galvanize. John had come down with a severe fever during spring of 1775 and he was still quite ill when he departed Massachusetts, but he arrived on the day Congress convened. On 10 May 1775, the Second Continental Congress met, again in Philadelphia. In line with the crisis, Congress took time to promote a day of prayer and fasting. John Adams was among those chosen to create a resolution, with the selected day being 20 July 1775. By that time, the conflict had already begun in earnest with the incidents at Lexington and Concord during the previous April. On 8 June, Adams was placed on a committee to examine papers that had been seized from a British major, Philip Skene, the commander at Ticonderoga and Crown Point. On 10 June, John Adams proposed a Continental Army, a follow-up to his call for an American navy during 1755. (He wrote, “It looks likely to me, if we can remove the turbulent Gallics, our people, according to the exactest computation, will, in another century, become more numerous than England herself. Should this be the case, since we have, I may say, all the naval stores of the nation in our hands, it will be easy to obtain the mastery of the seas and then the united force of all Europe will not be able to subdue us.”) Congress adopted Adams’ resolution on 14 June 1775. Patriotism permeated the city and the militia proudly exhibited its skills. The scenes to Adams were both captivating and contagious. After Adams observed the troops and General George Washington in uniform in Congress, he became overcome with enthusiasm, noting: “Oh that I were a soldier! I will be. I am reading military books. Everyone must, and will and shall be a soldier.” Soon after, when he realistically thought of his age and health, he simmered down and found himself where it was that he should be, in Congress. During the Congress, John Dickinson pressed for another attempt at reconciliation. He prevailed by a small margin against John Adams and others, bringing about the “Olive Branch” petition. John Adams’ sentiments about reconciliation were well known. His thoughts were that “powder and artillery are the most efficacious, sure, and infallible conciliatory measures we can adopt.” The debate turned nasty between Dickinson and John Adams, and it continued outside the hall, where Dickinson, uncharacteristically, began yelling some offensive words, which prompted Adams to retort. The two men from that day never again spoke to each other in private, only during debates on the floor. Adams was appointed to many committees; one of those was delegated to arm vessels for the defense of the colonies against the British navy. On 15 June, George Washington was selected as commander-inchief of the Continental Army. He was nominated by John Adams, who took to the floor and made the proposal. The move by Adams was a masterstroke that stunned Congress, but it was planned that way. The motion placed Congress in a position from where it had to be for or against. The idea of Washington, a Virginian, as commander of an army composed primarily of New Englanders, including officers, caused some shock. Those who were reluctant to take action found themselves checked after the formal proposal by Thomas Johnson of Maryland. John Hancock himself had some thoughts of becoming the commander-in-chief, but he, too, voted yea in what became a unanimous vote. During the remainder of 1775 and the first half of 1776, work was exhaustive for Congress, as they discussed and debated all aspects of

7 what the nation might face. During the August recess, John returned to Massachusetts, but the reprieve was not enjoyable. An epidemic of dysentery spread through the Boston region. His brother, Elihu, died from it, and his wife and three children came down with severe cases. In the following September, Abigail’s mother died from the disease. Afterward, on 9 December 1775, John returned to Massachusetts for a short visit. He conferred with General Washington and he ( John) agreed to accept the post of chief justice of Massachusetts, provided that he did not have to be on the bench, except for something extreme. Later on 24 January 1776, John, along with Elbridge Gerry, returned to Philadelphia. John continued to be disgusted with the wavering delegates from the South and with some representatives of the middle states. However, John became invigorated once he discovered that Virginia was prepared to swing toward independence. John wrote to Abigail on 29 May explaining that Maryland had “passed a few eccentric resolves, but these are only flashes which will soon expire.” On 5 June 1776 the subject before Congress was espionage, and John Adams was appointed to the Committee on Spies, which had earlier (November 1775) been delegated to revise the Articles of War due to the rules containing no heavy measures to deal with treason. Soon after, on 7 June, a motion was made by Richard Henry Lee “that these united colonies are, and of right, ought to be free and independent states; that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British crown and that all political connection between them and the state of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved.” The motion was seconded by John Adams and the vote postponed until the following day. Nevertheless, on 11 June, Adams, along with Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Robert Livingston and Roger Sherman were commissioned to draw up a Declaration of Independence. The document upon completion was presented to Congress on 28 June. Afterward, subsequent to some modification by Franklin and John Adams, the motion (Declaration of Independence) was voted upon and passed on 2 July, with one abstention (New York). Adams, also on 28 June, was appointed to the Committee on Correspondence, developed to acquire alliances with foreign nations in the upcoming struggle with Britain. On the day following the vote, 3 July, John Adams wrote to his wife: “Yesterday the greatest Question was decided (Independence from Great Britain), which ever was debated in America, and a greater perhaps, never was or will be decided among Men.” Adams had great concerns for the new republic, but soon after independence was declared, he received distressing news from back home. Due to an outbreak of smallpox, Abigail and his children had to get inoculated. Adams wrote on 16 July: “It is not possible for me to describe, nor for you to conceive my Feelings upon this occasion. Nothing, but the critical state of our Affairs should prevent me from flying to Boston, to your Assistance.... I shall feel like a Savage to be here while my whole family is sick at Boston.” None of his family was struck with the disease. In September of 1776, Adams was one of three men sent to meet with British General William Hull on Staten Island, but no positive results came from the conference. From there, Adams finally got an opportunity to travel home to visit with his family. Meanwhile, during mid–December 1776, Congress was compelled to evacuate Philadelphia and reconvene in Baltimore. It reconvened in Philadelphia March of 1777, subsequent to the British threat having been eliminated by General Washington, who stunned the British with his victory at Trenton on 26 December. The victory at Trenton provided encouragement to the army, which until that time had not fared well against the seasoned British army. In August 1777, Adams was appointed to the committee to investigate the abandonment of Ticonderoga and Fort (Mount) Independence. By the following month, Congress was again compelled to flee Philadelphia. After a short stay in Lancaster, it reconvened in York. At York on 28 November, 1777, Congress appointed John Adams to

ADAMS replace Silas Deane as American agent in France. He and his son John Quincy embarked from Nantucket Roads aboard the Boston on 15 February 1778. During the initial part of the voyage, a terrible storm was encountered and the ship was nearly lost. One of the lightning bolts struck the captain of the mast with a fatal blow that burned a hole into his head. Later, on 11 March, the lookouts spotted a British warship, the Martha, which the Boston captured. Adams arrived in France on 1 April and soon after, on the 8th, his party entered Paris. During May, Adams met with John Paul Jones at L’Orient and reviewed the Marine complement of the Bonhomme Richard. Adams expected to return to the States aboard the Alliance, captained by the Frenchman Pierre Landais, but instead he learned that the Alliance was to join with Jones. Subsequently, during the summer of 1780, Adams departed France for the Netherlands to seek a loan from the Dutch, but although the Dutch would favor the downfall of Britain, they were not anxious to lend the United States money. John arrived back at Boston on 2 August 1779. On 29 December, Congress authorized Adams to negotiate a Treaty of Amity and Commerce with the United Provinces of the low countries. He remained there for about two years, but his efforts finally persuaded the Netherlands to officially acknowledge the United States as a nation in spring 1782. The treaty between the United States and the Netherlands was signed on 8 October 1782. In conjunction, Adams was dispatched to the Netherlands after the first emissary, Henry Laurens, had been seized by the British while he was en route and afterward detained in the Tower of London. After consummating the treaty with the Dutch, Adams returned to Paris. At Paris on 30 November 1782, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin and John Jay signed a preparatory peace treaty with Britain; the representative signing on behalf of Britain was Richard Oswald. The official treaty (Treaty of Paris) terminating the war was consummated by the same American ministers on 3 September 1783. The British representative was David Hartley. By that time John was anxious to return home, and on 4 December of that year he submitted his resignation, with a stipulation that if he was not notified within a “reasonable” time, he would return without authorization. Nonetheless, by spring John realized it would not be practical to depart before autumn. At the time, he had become severely ill from fever and required a long recuperation period in Paris. Afterward, he was appointed minister to Great Britain, further delaying his return to America. By that time his wife, Abigail, had arrived in France. Aboard the vessel Active on her first voyage, she remained seasick for most of the trip, but was relieved after arriving in London on 23 July 1784. John met with King George III during February 1785. The encounter was not too cordial because the king had still not been able to adjust to the loss of his colonies. Adams and the king were unable to come to amicable terms regarding the Treaty of Paris. Adams also encountered a representative from Tripoli who attempted blackmail to permit safe passage of American vessels through the Mediterranean Sea. Adams declined the extortion, but the U.S. was not equipped to actually defend itself at that time. During the summer of 1785, a vessel, the Maris, was seized and the ship and crew were freed after ransom was paid. Adams also worked to settle the matter of English troops remaining in the Great Lakes region, but the king refused to relent. Finally, during November 1794, the Jay Treaty was consummated, but it did not terminate the tension between the English and the Americans; rather it only postponed further conflict. Finally, on 20 April 1794, John and Abigail Adams embarked for the United States. On 30 September 1787, the U.S. Constitution was born. After ratification by nine states it became effective. New Hampshire had been the ninth state to ratify the Constitution on 21 June 1788. Rhode Island entered the union on 29 May to become the thirteenth. George Washington was inaugurated on 30 April 1789 as the first president and John Adams served as his vice president, giving the first presi-

ADAMS dency to the Federalists. Adams, afterward, retained a dislike for Alexander Hamilton, the latter having engaged in holding down the vote for Adams. The mutual dislike between Adams and Hamilton continued to intensify. At the time, the vote was not specifically for vice president, but it was already concluded that Washington would be unanimously elected president. Washington and Adams served a second term, and during the campaign for the latter, the anti–Federalists selected George Clinton as their candidate. Adams received 77 votes and Clinton 50, to make Adams vice president. At the time, the candidate with the most votes became president and the candidate with the second highest number became vice president, with no individual distinction. On 4 March 1797, John Adams was inaugurated as the second president of the United States. Abigail was in Massachusetts taking care of John’s mother, who was seriously ill, unable to attend the inauguration. Nevertheless, she later joined her husband to become the initial First Lady to live in the White House, which at the time did not have many conveniences. The house was not complete, and although in the midst of woods for miles around, there was little firewood. Abigail is known to have mentioned in one of her letters that you couldn’t “see the wood through the forest.” The Federalist party leader, Alexander Hamilton, urged all Federalist votes be cast for Adams, or a lost vote could lose the election. Hamilton’s strategy proved correct, but buried in the plan was a covert operation that would have made Adams again vice president and Thomas Pinckney president. Adams received one more vote than was necessary for the majority (71 for Adams, 68 for Jefferson) and Thomas Jefferson received only three votes less than Adams, leaving Pinckney out of the equation and Thomas Jefferson as Adams’ vice president. Some of the southern voters went for Pinckney rather than Adams, and some New Englanders voted for Adams rather than Pinckney. When news of Adams’ victory reached France, the French Directory showed its disappointment by issuing even more harsh decrees against American maritime commerce. During May, the U.S. Navy, which had disbanded at the end of the American Revolution, was reinitiated with the launching of the United States. By the following month Congress prepared for a possible war with France and called for an army of 89,000 troops. During July 1797, President Adams approved of Marine complements aboard each of five new vessels. Simultaneously, the president authorized the Revenue Cutters (later U.S. Coast Guard). All the while, Congress and the president also focused upon the Barbary pirates that had been ravaging shipping in the Mediterranean. By spring 1798, President Adams authorized the sinking or capturing of French vessels that interfered with American shipping, and by July, the crisis had accelerated to the point where George Washington was recalled as commander-in-chief of the American forces. In the meantime, France essentially had ignored the American ministers and had attempted unsuccessfully to use Elbridge Gerry, one of the ministers, as a pawn. In addition, a clandestine operation known as the XYZ affair, a scheme of the French minister Charles Maurice de Talleyrand, was exposed. Conflict between American and French ships was occurring on the high seas, but war was never declared by either France or the United States. Nevertheless, a rift emerged in the Federalist Party, after Adams decided at a cabinet meeting during October 1799 to send a mission to France. The party departed on 5 November that year, but the rift became unsalvageable and ensured the failure of the Federalist Party in the succeeding election. The aggressions by France remained confined to the sea and the Undeclared War (Quasi War with France) terminated on 30 September 1800, with the Treaty of Morfontaine (Convention of 1800). Also that year, Congress relocated to Washington, D.C. A plan by Hamilton during the succeeding election cycle was exposed when Aaron Burr received a copy of it, sealing the fate of the Federalists, who remained di-

8 vided. Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr, both Democrats, each received 73 votes, while John Adams garnered only 65, with Pinckney receiving 64. A more galvanized Federalist party might have otherwise assured re-election for Adams. On 4 March, 1801, Thomas Jefferson was inaugurated as the third president of the United States. After leaving office, John returned to his residence at Quincy (formerly Braintree), where he and Abigail lived out of the public eye. Abigail, like John, lived pragmatically during their years out of public life, but their true devotion to each other remained strong. In a letter of 26 October 1814 from Abigail to one of her grandchildren, she exclaimed: “Yesterday, completes half a century since I entered the marriage state, then just your age.... The greatest source of unhappiness I have known in that period has arisen from the long and cruel separations which I was called, in a time of war, and with a young family around me to submit to.” Abigail was struck by fever and succumbed on 28 October 1818, leaving John without his most loyal and trusted friend. At the time of her death, after 54 years of marriage, John was about 83 years old. During his remaining years, he was able to witness his son, John Quincy Adams, inaugurated as the 6th president of the United States on 4 March 1825. John Adams died on 4 July 1826, on the fiftieth anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, and on that exact day, Thomas Jefferson also succumbed. John was interred near Abigail in Quincy (Norfolk County) at the First Parish Church (later First Unitarian Church). John Quincy Adams and his wife, Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams, were interred in the same cemetery in 1848 and 1852 respectively. Toward the latter part of his life, through the efforts of some friends, including Benjamin Rush, John Adams and Alexander Hamilton again began to correspond. Also, Adams was responsible for establishing the Marine Corps Band during 1798. The band, known as the President’s Own, made its debut at the White House on New Year’s Day and later at President Thomas Jefferson’s inauguration (1803). The Marine Corps Band has played at every subsequent inauguration and remains active, making it the oldest continuous musical organization in the country. John Quincy Adams had broken away form the Federalist party prior to his election, and his father had also become extremely close with Thomas Jefferson and supported his policies. John Q. Adams picked up one particular trait of his father. He began a diary while he was young and maintained it until 1848.

Adams, Samuel (Signer of the Declaration of Independence) Samuel Adams, one of twelve children, was born in Boston, Massachusetts, at noon on 16 September 1722. Samuel Adams’ father, also named Samuel, was the son of John Adams (great uncle of President John Adams), a sea captain who operated out of the port of Boston. His mother was Mary Fifield. Samuel and Mary invested in an estate on Purchase Street that contained waterfront property along the harbor. Samuel and Mary, both devout Puritans, had twelve children, including Samuel, Jr., but only three reached adulthood: Samuel (1722), Mary (1717) and Joseph (1728). The others, as listed in the Samuel Adams family Bible, were Richard (b. January 1715 or 1716, d. June 1716); Hannah (b. 13 January 1720, date of death unknown); John (b. 4 September 1724, d. 9 August 1725); John II (b. 28 October 1726, d. 15 June 1727); Abigail (b. 20 July 1730, d. 29 August 1730); Thomas (b. 22 December, 1731, d. 16 August 1733); Sarah (b. 18 November 1733, d. 28 February, 1735); Abigail II (b. 22 October, 1735, d. 3 March 1736) and Mehetable (b. 12 April 1740, d. 11 June 1740). Samuel, Sr., was for a while a justice of the peace and for a time a deacon in the Old North Church. In addition, he was a member of the colonial legislature. Samuel, Jr., entered Boston Latin School and then attended Harvard and received a bachelor of arts degree, followed by a master of arts degree in 1743. His thesis was “Whether it be Lawful

9 to Resist the Supreme Magistrate, If the Commonwealth Cannot Otherwise be Preserved.” Samuel lost interest in studying theology and instead studied law, to the disappointment of his mother. His entrance into the business world began with a firm owned by Thomas Cushing, Sr., but he remained there only a short time, having no interest in the business of trading. His father later backed him financially to permit him to establish his own business; however, that endeavor also was unsuccessful. In addition, he made a loan to a friend from the money he received from his father, but the loan was never repaid. Samuel was then made a partner with his father in a malt house established on the family estate. On 8 March 1747, Samuel’s father succumbed and Samuel inherited one third of the estate, which had been divided between himself, his brother and his sister. During the following year, Samuel and some friend established a newspaper, the Public Advertiser. The publication was conspicuously critical of British policies and played a part in planting thoughts of independence into the minds of the colonists. The columnists, known for probing articles, remained anonymous during the year the newspaper remained in circulation. Other types of agitation evolved and, seemingly, Samuel was always at or near the center of the storm. The initial patriots who raised opposition against the crown were forerunners of the Sons of Liberty, who crashed upon the scene soon after the introduction of the Stamp Act of 1765. The organizations included a secret society that became known as the Whipping Post Club, which had been engaged in newspaper attacks, the Caucus Club and another known as Loyal Nine. Adams was attached to each, along with the Sons of Liberty. On 17 October 1749, Samuel married Elizabeth Checkley, the daughter of the Rev. Samuel and Elizabeth Rolfe Checkley. Elizabeth’s father performed the marriage ceremony. Samuel and Elizabeth had five children, but only two, Samuel II and Hannah, survived to adulthood. The others were Samuel I (b. 14 September 1750, d. 2 October 1750) and Mary (b. 23 June 1754, d. 3 October 1754). A third child, an unnamed boy, was stillborn on 6 July 1757. Elizabeth’s mother had barely escaped capture or worse when she was a child at Haverhill. During 1708, the Indians raided the town, scalping and killing the inhabitants. Elizabeth’s mother was hidden in a cellar, along with her sister, Mary, but their father, the Rev. Benjamin Rolfe, was killed. About ten years after his marriage Samuel was confronted with a major problem. The government, without notifying him, set his estate up for public auction due to previous activity of his father, known as the “Land Bank Scheme,” which had occurred about seven years prior to Samuel Sr.’s death. The sheriff arrived at Samuel’s estate, but the sale never occurred due to the opposition of Adams. His various positions included checking chimneys, inspecting to ensure smallpox didn’t spread, and during 1756, he was elected as one of the tax collectors, a position to which he was repeatedly re-elected annually through 1764. By that time his hair began to show signs of graying, but his ability to show a gregarious personality or when necessary a piercing stare had not been Sam Adams (Biographical Sketches of lost with his approach to midthe Signers of the Declaration of Inde- dle age. The Tories tried to blemish pendence, Benson J. Lossing 1854)

ADAMS Adams’ record and impugn his integrity when, due to the financial condition of the citizens, the taxes were in arrears. The circumstances permitted the Tories to lodge charges of mishandling funds against him. Nevertheless, his record and reputation was known to be sterling, but his service as a tax collector was poor, because he was not willing to confiscate from the poor for the purpose of gaining tax revenue. Samuel had a difficult year during 1757. His wife, Elizabeth, died on July 25, soon after the stillbirth of their fifth child on July 6. Samuel noted in his family Bible, “God was pleased to support her under great weakness and continue her life till Lord’s Day.” He also stated that Elizabeth had been “as sincere a friend as she was a faithful wife.” Later in the same entry, he stated: “God grant they [children] may inherit her graces.” Samuel was left to the job of raising their two children. Like his cousin, John Adams, Samuel did not serve in the French and Indian War. During June 1764, two months after the Sugar Act was passed, Adams opposed it as part of a draft he prepared for the General Court of Boston, of which he was a member. His statement included: “For if our Trade may be taxed, why not our Lands, the Produce of our lands, and in short everything we possess or make use of?” He further stated in the same document that taxes without representation would transform “the Character of free Subjects to the miserable State of tributary Slaves.” Adams’ draft was written about one year prior to the “Resolutions” proclaimed by Patrick Henry in Virginia. On 6 December (1764), Samuel married for a second time, and his new wife, Elizabeth Wells, apparently came on the scene in time to maintain much of Samuel’s personal business to keep the family afloat. Samuel was known as an excellent politician and inexhaustible with regard to the nation’s affairs, but he was also known as bordering on incompetence with in his personal business and the welfare of his family. Elizabeth, similarly to his first wife, ignored Samuel’s shortcomings and took command of their personal business without complaint. She was presented with a slave named Surry in 1765 or 1766; however, Elizabeth immediately gave Surry her freedom. Nevertheless, Surry remained with the Adams family for about fifty years. By 1765, when British Parliament passed the Stamp Act, Adams was a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives. The action by Britain infuriated the colonists, and in August in Boston, the assembly resolved to hang the designated stamp distributor, Andrew Oliver, in effigy. A meeting of the assembly was scheduled for the latter part of September 1765. Samuel Adams, a representative of Boston (and clerk of House of Representatives), was assigned the task of drawing up instructions for the “Boston seat.” He, along with his cousin, John Adams, who was occupied with a similar task for Braintree, worked on the separately, and after the document was completed, it spread rapidly. Due in great part to the overwhelming opposition in the colonies, the Stamp Act was repealed. Word of the action arrived at Boston on 16 May 1766 when a vessel, the brigantine Harrison, arrived in the harbor. Nonetheless, Adams continued to oppose Britain’s treatment of the colonies. Adams was in the forefront of the opposition during 1768, when the British naval fleet arrived at Boston and it was he, during May 1769, who wrote the remonstrance to Governor Francis Bernard demanding that British troops be withdrawn from Boston. After Governor Bernard was recalled to England, Samuel Adams renewed his opposition with Bernard’s successor, Governor Thomas Hutchinson. Again, Adams was out in front when a large British fleet and accompanying troops arrived at Boston during August 1771 on the pretense of possible war with Spain. The ruse was not successful; the patriots realized the British were there to suppress the American cause. Adams was also in the center of the activity when the patriots launched the Boston Tea Party during December 1773. The cargoes of tea aboard three ships (Dartmouth, Eleanor and the Beaver) were thrown overboard. Later, when the delegates from Massachusetts were selected

ADAMS to attend the First Continental Congress, Samuel Adams was among them, along with his younger cousin, John Adams. The governor during 1774, after succeeding Hutchinson, General Thomas Gage, attempted to persuade Samuel Adams to quit the patriot cause and to cease “further displeasure of the king.” After hearing the proposal from an emissary, Adams responded: “Sir, I trust I have long made my peace with the King of kings. No personal consideration shall induce me to abandon the righteous cause of my country. Tell Governor Gage it is the advice of Samuel Adams to him no longer to insult the feelings of an exasperated people.” In Philadelphia, on 6 September 1774, the second day in session for Congress, a resolution was passed that mandated that a prayer by a minister, Jacob Duche, be said at the beginning of the next day’s session. The Reverend Duche, nominated by Samuel Adams, was appointed as the first chaplain of the U.S. Congress. Prior to his departure for Philadelphia in August, Samuel’s wardrobe was so deplorable that friends of his moved quickly to provide him with new clothes to ensure that he would be presentable. That same group of friends replaced his dilapidated barn and seriously repaired his worn down house. They even included a new wig, shoes, and silk hose, and one of the men, assuming correctly that he was not holding much currency, convinced Samuel to accept a purse with some money in it to hold him over in Philadelphia. During October 1774, Adams was appointed to the committee designated to draw up a letter to General Gage regarding the “opposition to oppressive acts of parliament, calculated to deprive us of our most sacred rights and privileges.” By spring of the following year, Samuel Adams had been listed as one of the top enemies of the British in Boston. The British also despised another in the Adams family, Sam’s dog, named Queue. The dog had acquired a definite dislike for uniformed British troops and the English on more than one occasion had close encounters with their four-legged nemesis. Apparently, the dog frequently antagonized and bit British troops, and when he died, there were many scars (cuts and a few bullet wounds) to attest to the accuracy of the reports. On 18 April 1775 in Massachusetts, Paul Revere, William Dawes and Doctor Samuel Prescott rode to warn of the British advance against Concord. Revere was intercepted by the British, but he had already warned Samuel Adams, John Hancock and others. Hancock and Adams had been two primary targets during that excursion. Word spread about the British movements and most of the men — including Samuel Adams, Benjamin Lincoln, John Glover and John Hancock — had departed prior to the raid. Nevertheless, Azor Orne, Elbridge Gerry and Colonel Jeremiah Lee of the Massachusetts militia were staying overnight at the Black Horse Tavern. After being roused from their sleep from the noise of the approaching cavalry during the night (18th–19th), they sped to the back of the tavern and fled through the rear door to conceal themselves in a cornfield. None were properly dressed when they fled in their nightclothes. Colonel Lee, having become sick due to the chill while in the field, died not long afterward. In the meantime, while some who lived nearby had gone to their homes, John Hancock made his way to Lexington. The patriots moved to defend against the advance and the two sides clashed at Lexington and Concord. That was followed by the Battle of Bunker Hill during June. Adams grieved greatly when informed of the death of Doctor (General) Joseph Warren at Bunker Hill. He had admired him and they had been close friends. Samuel’s son, also named Samuel, studied medicine under Warren and served with the Continental Army. General Gage declared martial law on 12 June 1775 and offered pardons to all, except Samuel Adams and John Hancock, who would lay their arms down. Shortly thereafter, during the Battle of Breed’s Hill, Samuel wrote to his wife informing her of his concern for the family, being so close

10 to the fighting at Charlestown: “I pray God to cover the heads of our countrymen in every day of battle and over to protect you from Injury in these distracted times.” Meanwhile, the Second Continental Congress remained in session in Philadelphia, and Samuel Adams was one of the delegates who selected George Washington as commander-in-chief. The motion was made by John Adams and seconded by Samuel. Samuel returned to Massachusetts during the August recess and participated in the general assembly. During that session, the body elected Samuel secretary of state. At the time, Elizabeth had already departed Boston and along with her daughter and was living in Cambridge in her father’s house. On 12 September, Samuel departed Massachusetts to return to Philadelphia. He rode on a horse that he borrowed from his cousin, John Adams. In November 1775, Adams was appointed to the Committee of Correspondence (later, Committee of Secret Correspondence), which was the initial foreign intelligence organization. The work of the committee included putting out propaganda, creating secret codes and ciphers, and if deemed necessary, opening private mail. During 1777, when certain patriots moved to oust General Washington, Sam Adams was among Washington’s detractors. The incident is known as “Conway Cabal.” The plot intended to make General Horatio Gates commander-in-chief failed. Adams departed Congress during 1781. Samuel opposed the establishment of a war department and a foreign office as well as a secretary of finance. Nonetheless, he signed his name in acceptance of the Articles of Confederation on 1 March 1781, and that same month, he took leave and returned to Massachusetts. While he was gone, his wife and Hannah kept the house going, despite Elizabeth’s concern of sometimes being “low on cash,” by their sewing and the spectacular quality of Hannah’s embroidery. Samuel was later a prominent member of the Massachusetts convention that formed the state’s constitution. After the war, Samuel Adams became lieutenant governor of Massachusetts (1789), the year after his son, Doctor Samuel Adams, succumbed at about age 37. Samuel, Jr., had served in the war as a surgeon and it is thought that those years played a great part in his demise. Governor Samuel Adams took the loss with great difficulty. During 1793, upon the death of Governor John Hancock, Samuel became governor and remained in that post until 1797, when poor health compelled him to retire. During each of his elections for governor, he was strongly opposed by the Federalists. In the interim, after the war concluded, Adams sided with those who refused to forgive the Tories, whom he said had been traitors. Adams, acting on the authority of the city of Boston, instructed the Committee of Correspondence, Inspection and Safety to resist any attempt to restore the right of those who had participated in “so wicked a conspiracy against these rights and liberties by certain ingrates, most of them natives of these States....” Samuel also opposed the Jay Treaty in alignment with James Madison and others, but in opposition to Alexander Hamilton and other Federalists. During 1797, due to a deterioration of his health, Adams resigned from his governorship at the age of seventy-five. Adams’ skills as a businessman were poor, and he also lacked the credentials to properly perform the duties of a tax collector, but his rhetoric was extraordinary and his mind keen. Adams’ actions against the British oppression played an important role throughout the conflict. He is known to have remained quite religious all his life and frequently attended church. During his public service and afterward, he never acquired wealth. At the time of his death, Samuel would have been in genuine poverty, except for a bequest from his son. The old estate had been sold and he and his wife Elizabeth were living in a house on Winter Street, with his daughter and her children. The old statesman received a pleasant surprise during 1800 while watching a parade pass his home. The governor, Caleb Strong, halted the parade after he noticed Sam Adams watching through a window.

11 The governor graciously moved to the house while the bands remained silent. While the governor clasped Samuel’s hand, the soldiers in the parade presented arms. In the meantime, everyone else in the parade had removed their hats and in total silence stared in the direction of Sam Adams and the governor. It was a moving moment for the great patriot, a Republican, being so honored by the Federalist governor. Samuel’s final years brought a continued deterioration of his health. During the early morning hours of Sunday, 2 October 1803, Samuel Adams, the Father of the American Revolution, succumbed. The people of Boston quickly became aware of their loss when the church bells began to ring to signal his death. Nonetheless, due to politics, there was some confusion regarding his funeral train, but the confusion was eliminated and Samuel’s escort was impressive. He was interred at the Granary Burial Ground in close proximity to where victims of the Boston Massacre had been interred. Two other men who had signed the Declaration of Independence are also buried there, John Hancock and Robert Treat Paine. Another prominent patriot of the American Revolution, Paul Revere, was also interred there, and yet another patriot leader, James Otis. Hannah, the daughter of Samuel Adams, married Captain Thomas Wells, a younger brother of her stepmother. Elizabeth Wells Adams, his second wife, survived Samuel by about five years.

Alexander, Major General William (Lord Stirling) William was born in New York City in 1726 to James and Mary “Polly” Spratt Provoost (widow of David Provoost). James had arrived in America from Scotland during August 1715, after having supported the Stuarts in a failed attempt to regain the throne from the House of Brunswick. He was a surveyor and he practiced law. Mary at the time of her marriage to James in June 1721 had two children, John and David, from her previous marriage. That same year, the Alexanders had a child, Mary (Polly), and her birth was followed by the birth of their oldest son, James, during 1723. Mary would later marry Van Brugh Livingston. James, Jr., was struck by fever during 1731 and soon after died from the disease. The other children born to Polly and James Alexander were Elizabeth (Betsy), Catherine (Kitty), Anne and Susanna. During 1746, the family sustained another loss when Anne, only fourteen years old, succumbed. The region was again struck by an epidemic of fever again the next year; this one took the life of William’s cousin, Doctor William Alexander. His death left the title of Stirling to fall upon James Alexander. Correspondence between William’s father and the authorities in Scotland concluded with a confirmation that James was the rightful heir. During the following year, William married Sarah, known as Sally, Livingston, the sister of Van Brugh and the daughter of Philip (Lord of Livingston Manor) on 29 February 1748. William and Sarah had three children, Catherine, Mary and William. Soon after William’s marriage, his sisters, Betsy and Kitty, got married on the same day to John Stephens and Elisha Parker respectively. William and his mother worked together in the business initially begun by her first husband. This led to contracts with the army, and the association caused the commandeer-in-chief, General WilWilliam Alexander (Pictorial Field liam Shirley, to become Book of the Revolution, Benson J. Los- acquainted with William Alexander. His association with sing, 1860)

ALEXANDER General Shirley brought about military experience, which would later enable him to handle responsibility as a general officer. General Shirley appointed him as aide-de-camp and as his personal secretary. In 1755, William, with a commission as major, traveled to Albany with General Shirley, and that year journeyed to Virginia, where he began a long-lasting friendship with George Washington. Alexander and his mother entered into a business partnership in January 1756 with John Erving, Jr., Lewis Morris, Jr., and his brotherin-law, Van Brugh Livingston. They established the partnership to supply the expeditionary force that was to be sent against Niagara and later to supply the forces in Virginia. The enterprise was opposed by Lt. Governor James DeLancey, who expected the contract to be awarded to his brother Oliver, but General Shirley overruled Delancey. During April 1756, James, a member of council, had been ill from the gout, but he ignored his illness and attended a session. The outing caused him to come down with a miserable cold that essentially cost him his life. He succumbed on 2 April 1756. The New York Mercury on 5 April noted his passing with a long obituary: “To the unspeakable loss of our family and to the public, on Friday evening last, died the Honorable James Alexander, Esq., in the sixty-fourth year of his life...” James had, as one of his final requests, urged his son William to travel to Scotland to pursue his rightful claim to the earldom of Stirling. Also in 1756, General Shirley was recalled to England and William, at that time a major, accompanied the general, who had been recalled and replaced. William vouched for the character and leadership of General Shirley, who had been accused of “incompetency and mismanagement.” Alexander’s testimony played a key part in Shirley’s exoneration on all charges. William, while in England, traveled to Scotland to pursue his quest to gain the earldom of Stirling. He was able to verify his claim to the earldom by proving he was a descendant of John Gogar. William was seated in the House and was able to cast votes. He received the title 6th Earl of Stirling, Viscount Canada etc., and after completing his business in Scotland, he returned to London. Nonetheless, England never finalized his claim, despite the fact that there were no other claimants. While in London, he had his portrait drawn as a gift to his mother; however, she passed away before he returned home. Mary Alexander, known as the last of the Dutch matrons (she was of Dutch extraction and spoke English and Dutch fluently) succumbed on 18 April 1760. She was interred at Trinity Church in Albany alongside her husband and other family members. William returned to New York in 1761. For a while he lived in the house in New York in which his parents had lived, but he set his sights on other property in New Jersey that had also been inherited from his father. After transforming his summer house at New Jersey into his permanent residence about 1768, he became a member of the Provincial Council, a position he held until the war erupted. During the years that the French and Indian War consumed the colonies until to the outbreak of the Revolution, William had become friendly with many prominent Englishmen. In a letter from Lt. Colonel William Amherst during 1763, William was addressed as Lord Stirling, and later correspondence from Lt. General Thomas Gage, his title, Lord Stirling, had also been used. Nonetheless, by 1764, Lord Stirling joined with other prominent Americans to oppose the Stamp Act and the oppressive policies of Britain against the colonies. By September 1775, the governor of New Jersey, William Franklin (son of Benjamin Franklin), was less than pleased when he was informed that Lord Stirling had accepted an appointment as colonel of a patriot militia regiment and summoned Lord Stirling to attend a meeting. Lord Stirling responded by telling Franklin that he was suffering from gout and wouldn’t be able to attend, but he did inform Franklin that he had accepted the appointment. Heated letters were exchanged, but Lord Stirling brushed off Franklin’s arrogance. Lord Stirling, referred to as the “rebellious colonel” by Franklin, began to

ALEXANDER organize his unit immediately. On 18 October, the regiment received orders to shape up for a general review and muster, scheduled for 6 November. In the meantime, Lord Stirling’s plans were interrupted. Prior to the day he established for the review of his regiment, he received word that he had been given command of two regiments of the Continental Army. On November 7, Congress appointed field officers for the two New Jersey battalions. Lord Stirling and William Winds were elected as colonel and lieutenant colonel respectively of the 1st Battalion. Some of the officers and enlisted men from Alexander’s militia regiment joined the regulars to serve with him. After receiving his orders from Congress, he traveled from Philadelphia to nearby Burlington, New Jersey, to arrange for his regiments to receive arms from the New Jersey Committee of Safety. From there he moved to other towns acquire more items for his troops and during the course of the endeavor, more men joined his force. However, there was great apprehension due to the threat of the British arriving in New Jersey. While at Elizabeth, Lord Stirling was asked to provide protection from British incursions. His recruiting efforts had been impeded by local magistrates who were sending out warrants for some of his troops for minor infractions. Lord Stirling corresponded with Congress requesting help on the latter, and he informed the body that unless he was otherwise ordered, he would provide the necessary protection against the British. The communications also requested arms and ammunition. His letter to John Hancock, written on 18 December 1775, received a prompt response. It was read in Congress on 26 December. Congress took action by resolution: “Therefore, That it be recommended to the several legislatures in these colonies, whether assemblies or conventions, to pass acts or ordinances, prohibiting the arrest of continental soldiers for small debts; and in order that the same rule may pervade all the colonies, that no such soldier be arrested at the suit of any of his creditors, unless the said creditor makes oath, that the said soldier is justly indebted to him in the sum of thirty five dollars over and above all discounts....” Hancock also authorized Lord Stirling to confiscate any enemy gunpowder and arms that he could and to maintain it until further orders arrived from Congress. Colonel Lord Stirling seemed well fit for the position Congress awarded him, and his instincts often proved valuable. On 6 January, he dispatched a detachment to intercept what he thought would be enemy intelligence; the mission succeeded. A dispatch rider en route to New York was apprehended and packets intended for the Earl of Dartmouth were confiscated. In addition, letters for General Thomas Gage were also confiscated. More importantly, it was concluded that Governor Franklin was about to flee the colony. Troops were dispatched to his residence and guards were posted there. Eventually, Franklin was transported to Connecticut, where he was held until the hostilities terminated. On 8 January, a frustrated and disgruntled William Franklin, who was being detained, complained by letter to his guard that he had only done his duty as a “faithful servant of the crown.” On the 9th, in another letter he demanded that the guard be removed. Lt. Colonel Winds responded, “So I say, touching the sentinels placed at your gate, I have done nothing, but what was my duty to do as a faithful officer of the Congress.” On 10 January 1776, General Washington wrote to Lord Stirling informing him that General Gates was in the process of moving to New York to fortify the defenses and that he expected to get assistance from Lord Stirling’s command. On 22 January, Lord Stirling mounted a daring raid. His force, including regulars and volunteers, departed Elizabeth aboard a pilot vessel and a few other boats, then embarked for the New York Harbor, where the raiders succeeded in capturing a transport called the Blue Mountain Valley that held supplies intended for the British at Boston, off Sandy Hook.

12 Colonel Lord Stirling wrote to Washington on 24 January informing him of the raid and that the prize was being taken to Amboy, New Jersey. Soon after, orders arrived for Colonel Maxwell to repair to New Albany, and afterward Colonel Lord Stirling also received orders to march to New York. On 1 March, Lord Stirling was among six officers promoted to the rank of brigadier general by Congress. The others were John Armstrong, William Thompson, Andrew Lewis, James Moore and Robert Howe. By that time, General Charles Lee’s orders to move to Canada had been cancelled and he was assigned command in the Department of the South, which left the Middle Department under the command of Lord Stirling. Intelligence dispatched by General Washington reached General Alexander (Lord Stirling) on the 13th of March. The message stated that British forces had embarked from Boston and were most probably en route to New York. Meanwhile, on 10 March, General Alexander wrote to Major General Philip Schuyler informing him that General Charles Lee had departed for the South and that he (Alexander) would require 8,000 troops to prepare to defend New York and Long Island. General Thompson arrived from Philadelphia on the 20th and took command. General Alexander then prepared to return to New Jersey. Nevertheless, General William Thompson received orders instructing him to journey to Canada, which caused Alexander to return to assume command at New York. The Americans continued to build the defenses and by mid–July, the British arrived at Staten Island. On 27 August, General Alexander was cornered during fierce fighting (Battle of Long Island). He surrendered to General De Heister. General Washington, aware of the loss of Alexander, moved to exchange a Tory general, Donald McDonald, for him, but British general Howe declined. However, Howe did accept an exchange of Alexander for Governor Montford Brown of Florida. While Washington was retreating through New Jersey, General Alexander rejoined the Continental Army. Afterward, General Alexander intercepted a large force of British troops en route from Amboy to disperse Washington’s encampment at Morristown and succeeded in foiling the plan. On 19 February 1777, Brigadier General Alexander was promoted to major general. Later, when General William Howe ordered troops from Staten Island to attack Washington, General Alexander again moved to intercept the column, while Washington moved to the vicinity of Middlebrook, New Jersey. Howe forced Alexander to fall back, but the stiff resistance forced Howe to halt the advance and return to Staten Island. General Alexander participated in the fighting south of Philadelphia in 1777 and at the Battle of Germantown in present-day Philadelphia. Afterward, Alexander moved with Washington to Valley Forge, where the winter encampment (1777–1778) was established. General Alexander continued to Reading, Pennsylvania. During June 1778, following the fighting at Monmouth, New Jersey, General Charles Lee requested a court-martial. General Alexander presided and Lee, after the facts had been presented, was suspended from the service. At the time, the British had been heading for New York after evacuating Philadelphia. General Alexander moved to White Plains and established camp. Later, on 15 October, he moved back to New Jersey and established headquarters at Elizabethtown. Spring of 1779 brought orders for General Alexander to advance to Pompton Plains, and from there to cover the area to the Hudson to shadow British movement. During that period and throughout the summer, General Alexander continued to send a constant flow of messages regarding the British to Congress. On 24 September 1779, Congress, subsequent to the successful mission against Paulus Hook, New Jersey, expressed thanks to General Washington for ordering the attack and to Major General Lord Stirling for his strategic part in the operation. Later, while the Continental Army remained at its winter quarters at Morristown, General Alexander on 14 January 1780 attacked the British at Staten Island.

13 The British, however, had been reinforced and Alexander was compelled to retreat. After arriving at Albany, Alexander assumed command of the Northern Department on 15 October 1781. He succeeded General John Stark and held the position until 21 November 1781. During that time, General Alexander was faced with a threatening force under General St. Leger. Alexander deployed a formidable defensive force at Saratoga and on 1 November the defenses were completely prepared, but word of Lord Cornwallis’ surrender at Yorktown reached Alexander and the battle never erupted. The British retired. Subsequent to the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown in October 1781, General Alexander returned to Baskenridge. During January 1782, he moved to Philadelphia, which was included in his department, and established winter headquarters there. On 29 August, 1782, General Alexander again succeeded General Stark and resumed command of the Northern Department to become its final commander. General Alexander retained the post until 15 January 1783, the day of his death. He was interred in a crypt located in the Dutch church at Albany that held the ancestors of his wife. His wife, Sarah, lived until March 1805. William was later re-interred in a family crypt with his father and other family members in the cemetery at the Episcopal Trinity Church in Manhattan, to which he had belonged.

Allen, Ethan Ethan, named after his paternal grandfather, the son of Joseph and Mary Baker Allen of Coventry, Tolland County, Connecticut, was born on 10 January 1738 (some sources say 21 January). Ethan’s parents relocated at Litchfield subsequent to their marriage during 1736 and settled on a farm near the Housatonic River just outside of the town of Ellsworth. It was there that the family began to grow by seven additional children: Heman, Lydia, Heber, Levi, Lucy, Zimri and Ira. Around 1772 or 1773, Ethan moved to nearby Bennington, Vermont. Ethan had married Mary Brownson, with whom he had five children: Loraine (b. 1763, died at age 20); Joseph (b. 1765, died of smallpox, 1777); Lucy Caroline (b. 1768); Mary Ann (b. 1772, died at about age 18); and Pamela (b. 1779). The marriage was apparently less than perfect due in great part to Ethan’s traits; he was cantankerous, an excessive drinker and not untypically for a frontiersman, he was frequently away from the family for prolonged periods of time. During the early 1770s, New York was claiming the New Hampshire Grants, and at Bennington, resistance was quickly raised. Ethan Allen and Seth Warner led the opposition against Governor William Tryon. The group, which opposed the attachment to New York, became known as the “Green Mountain Boys.” In 1771 an Order of Council made Vermont part of New York and the people of Vermont were adamantly opposed to the action. A military organization was later decided upon; Ethan Allen was selected as colonel-commandant. Captains were also appointed: Remember Baker, Robert Cochran, Gideon Warner and Seth Warner. The reaction by Governor William Tryon of New York was swift. He placed a price on their heads, offering a reward for Ethan Allen and the others. Once word arrived of the price of one hundred and fifty pounds for the arrest of Allen and fifty pounds for the others, the Vermonters responded. They offered a reward of five pounds to anyone who would seize and deliver the attorney general of New York to the “Green Mountain Boys.” The dispute continued, and there was no resolution, as those in Vermont refused to submit to New York. By 1774, the imminent conflict with Britain began to overshadow the attempt by New York to dominate Vermont, but still the tension was high. On 13 March, a confrontation occurred at the courthouse when a group of armed men ordered the people to disperse. Later that day, at about midnight, shots were fired, and from that point forward, the Green Mountain Boys received help from many other towns. By

ALLEN the 14th, the leader of the Tories, Squire Patterson, was arrested and held for the murder of William French on the 13th. The ongoing dispute between the Vermonters and New York slipped to the shadows as the greater problem with Britain came to the forefront with the clash that occurred at Lexington and Concord during April 1775. Word of the confrontation with the British at Lexington spread rapidly. The Green Mountain Boys were among the first to react. Allen received orders from the Connecticut Committee of Safety to capture Fort Ticonderoga, New York. On 7 May, a contingent of men under Edward Mott and Noah Phelps, numbering about 250 men, moved through Connecticut en route to Pittsfield, where they were joined by Allen and his contingent. Allen, his Green Mountain Boys and the other patriots reached Castleton, Vermont, within striking distance of the objective on the opposite bank of the lake during the evening of 9 May. The first wave crossed Lake Champlain and afterward, the rear guard under Seth Warner was ferried across. Allen took the objective effortlessly and when asked by the commander, Captain de Place, in whose authority he demanded the surrender, he responded: “In the name of the Great Jehovah and the Continental Congress.” Allen’s contingent, which included a separate group under Benedict Arnold that joined with Allen on the 8th, also secured Crown Point, with its garrison of less than fifteen troops. The fall of the two posts and a sloop, the only naval presence on the lake, gave the Green Mountain Boys domination of the lake. Allen, while at Fort Ticonderoga, although not commissioned by Congress, accompanied General Richard Montgomery on the Canadian Expedition during fall of 1775. On 30 June 1775, the Green Mountain Boys, unwilling to serve under commanders except their own, received permission from Congress to form their own companies and select their own officers. The troops were drawn from the Hampshire Grants (modern-day Vermont) to form seven companies and select their own officers. The Vermonters would not accept officers from outside Vermont. Seth Warner, however, was appointed colonel and Ethan Allen was appointed lieutenant colonel. During the Canadian Campaign, Allen was captured on 25 September 1775 by the British under General Guy Carleton. On 20 November, while still in Canada, Benedict Arnold wrote to General Montgomery and noted that Ethan Allen had been caged and sent to England. He spent about six weeks in leg irons aboard the vessel HMS Gaspee. Allen remained in England until January 1776, when he was transported to Halifax. He was held there until being transferred to New York during October of that same year in the sloop on which he had been held (a floating prison) at Halifax. Allen was paroled during the latter part of November 1776. He was restricted to New York, but later (26 August 1777) he was again imprisoned. While in New York, he was witness to much of the brutality of the British, particularly that doled out by the Hessian troops. Allen noted how the churches were full of starving and dying prisoners who pleaded in vain for food, and how some prisoners were hacked to death. On 2 March 1778, Congress authorized General William Heath to permit Lieutenant Colonel Anstruther, of the 62nd British Regiment, and Lord Napier, lieutenant of the 31st Regiment, to go on his parole to Rhode Island to attempt to bring about an exchange for Colonel Ethan Allen, if the latter had not already been exchanged. Congress learned of Allen’s capture on 2 December 1775 and immediately directed General Washington to contact British General William Howe to attempt to win his freedom through a prisoner exchange. Meanwhile, on 27 December, Allen, the sole American officer seized at Montreal, was transferred to the HMS Solebay, which then transported him and thirty-three other Americans to Boston. From there he was taken to England. On 3 January 1777, the effort to gain freedom for Ethan Allen continued. Congress authorized General Washington to propose exchanging a German officer for him, but no results were forthcoming.

ARMAND Allen was finally exchanged for Colonel Archibald Campbell on 6 May 1778. After his release, he traveled to Valley Forge to meet with General Washington and from there he accompanied the force of General Gates to Fishkill, New York. On 14 May, he was promoted to the rank of brevet colonel by Congress. Allen arrived back at Bennington on 31 May, to the great jubilation of the citizens. He was rewarded by the Vermonters with an appointment as major general of the militia, but his poor health prevented any active participation. Congress, on 24 September 1778, resolved “that 75 dollars per month be allowed to Colonel E. Allen, from the date of his brevet, during the pleasure of Congress, or until he shall be called into actual service.” During the following year, 1779, Allen and other associates received a land grant from the Republic of Vermont. The land known as Two Heroes was later divided into North Hero and South Hero. South Hero was itself divided to create Middle Hero. At North Hero, the British fortified a blockhouse known as Dutchman’s Point (later Blockhouse Point), and when the War for Independence ended, they refused to abandon it. Ethan Allen remained active in politics. During 1780, there was a period of turbulence between Vermont and the United States, regarding Vermont’s quest for independence. Allen informed the U.S. Congress that he would fight for the independence of Vermont with the vigor as that of the U.S. against Britain. Great Britain attempted to interfere and create a wedge between the two parties. The dilemma nearly caused civil war. In 1783–1784, Allen commanded the Vermont military. He called out the militia to quell disturbances in Windham County and proclaimed that he would “make the town as desolate as were the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah” if the citizens of Guilford did not “submit to the authority of Vermont.” Allen’s forces commenced fire on the “Yorkers” and afterward several skirmishes occurred before Allen declared martial law. Ethan also became troubled with a personal family problem. His brother, Levi, sided with the Loyalists and headed for Canada. Ethan moved to confiscate his brother’s property. Levi challenged Ethan to a duel, which Ethan rejected, claiming “it would be disgraceful to fight a tory.” Allen, after the war, lived at Bennington, Tinmouth and Arlington, and finally settled outside of Bennington with his second wife, Fanny Buchanan, whom he married in 1784. Ethan and Fanny had three children: Fanny Margaret (b. 1784); Hannibal (b. about 1785–1786) and Ethan (b. 1787). Ethan’s property was located near the Winooski River. His first wife, Mary, died at her daughter Lucy’s home in Vermont in 1783. During his lifetime, Allen penned “Oracle of Reason” and an account of his time in captivity by the British. Allen assumed there was no revelation and argued against the Christian Revelation as well as against the Old Testament. Allen succumbed on 12 February 1789. At his grave site near Winooski, a marble store was set with the inscription: “The Corporeal Part of General Ethan Allen Rests beneath this stone, the 12th day of February, 1789 Aged 52 years. His spirit tried the mercies of God, In whom he believed, and strongly trusted.”

Armand, Brigadier General Tuffin Charles Marquis de la Rouarie Charles’ actual surname had been Tuffin, but upon his arrival in America, he modified his name due to his perception that his aristocratic birth would prove detrimental to his success in his new land. Sources vary on the exact date of his birth; however, Colonel Charles Armand, as he came to be known, according to the National Park Service, was born during 1750. Little information is available regarding his early life, but he was described as a French gentleman in a sketch written in 1898 by T.G. Lenotre in the Pennsylvania Magazine of History: “Armand de la Rouerie was the complete personification of a gentleman of the ancien regime

14 of the old school of France. He had alike their faults and their virtues, easy morals, carelessness, bravery, pride, imprudence, chivalric heroism, and an absolute contempt of death.” Although the name of Colonel Armand is not very well known and his achievements during the Revolution have been often overlooked, he was considered one of the founders of the United States Cavalry. While still a boy, Charles was accepted into the elite unit (Garde de Corps) that protected the king and served with it for about ten years. The members of the unit were known as the royal household troops. Charles, after a while, found a way to exit from the corps. He engaged in a duel with the Comte de Bourbon Besset and wounded his opponent, who coincidentally was a cousin to the king. The cost of prevailing in the duel was high. It terminated his military career in the French service. For a while after the incident, Charles is thought to have sought refuge in a monastery. Subsequently, he made it to America and once there he moved to reinitiate his service in the military by gaining a commission in the Continental Army. He arrived in America with a literal splash during April 1777, following an uneventful two-month journey. When the vessel carrying Charles and his party (several servants) approached shore, it was intercepted by a British warship that opened fire and sank the ship. Charles and his servants survived and swam to shore, but they lost all of their possessions. On 10 May 1777, Congress resolved that Monsieur Armand receive a commission “with the rank and pay of a major or colonel, and that he be directed to repair to General Washington.” Colonel Armand was authorized to raise a legion of volunteers; however, the effort proved less than successful, but Armand remained undaunted. He made contact with a Swiss officer who had already formed a legion and persuaded the officer to sell him the legion. The volunteers became known as Armand’s Legion. Armand’s contingent participated with Washington in the Northern Theater, including the battles of Brandywine (11 September 1777) and Germantown (4 October 1777) while the British advanced from the Chesapeake to seize Philadelphia. Armand had authorization to act independently and his legion under his leadership played key parts in the northern campaign by launching stinging raids. Similarly to Francis Marion, the Swamp Fox, except for the swamps, Armand’s raiders continued to move about and strike the enemy when they were least expected. On 3 February 1778, Congress, after receiving a report from the Board of War, accepted the resignation of Colonel Armand. However, after considering another report regarding Armand, it resolved on 25 May “that the independent corps raised by Colonel Armand, in consequence of General Washington’s permission, be taken into continental pay; the pay to commence from the time of the respective inlistments of the non-commissioned officers and privates engaged in the same: That General Washington be authorized to officer this corps with such foreign and other officers of merit as at present hold commissions, and who are not already and cannot be annexed to other corps on the proposed arrangement of the army....” Colonel Armand, after being commissioned, worked to gain promotion to brigadier. His first official attempt at promotion was rejected by Congress on 4 February 1779. On 5 February, after considering yet another letter from Armand, in which he requested permission to return to France, Congress resolved that it “extends its thanks for his service and accepts his resignation.” Colonel Armand apparently never left the service. Shortly after his resignation was accepted, Congress, during a Friday session on 12 February, received a letter and a report that dealt with the corps of Armand and Count Casimir Pulaski directing “that the same be returned, and that the Board of War be informed that Congress only means that the infantry of Count Pulaski and Colonel Armand’s corps be recruited to their original establishment, and that the Board be directed to report

15 accordingly.” On the following day, Congress authorized a payment of “$94,000 to the paymaster of the Board of War and Ordnance for Colonel Armand to use in recruiting his corps.” Later, on 6 November 1779, Colonel Armand, while at Peekskill, New York, led an infantry-cavalry contingent to Kingsbridge and succeeded in seizing six British prisoners, including Major Bearmore. During the first part of the following year, Congress received yet another request regarding promotion from Colonel Armand. On 19 January 1780, Congress received a letter from the Board of War dealing with Armand’s request, but no action was taken. On 21 January, Congress referred the matter of Armand’s request to General Washington to seek his counsel. Meanwhile, Colonel Armand took another course of action; rather than offering his resignation, he requested a leave of absence to return to France. On 10 February, Congress took a letter from Armand, dated 9 February, under consideration and afterward resolved “that Congress entertain a high sense of the merit and services of Colonel Armand, and that his application for leave of absence for six months after the end of the next campaign be complied with.” Yet again, Colonel Armand, moved to get a promotion. On 23 February, 1780, Congress received a report from the Board of War regarding the request with a recommendation that his request be rejected because other colonels had collected more time in the service. However, Congress resolved “that the remains of the legion of the late Count Pulaski be incorporated with the corps of Colonel Armand, Marquis de la Rouerie, in such manner as the commander in chief of the southern army shall think proper: the united corps to be formed into a legion to be commanded by Colonel Armand; provided, however, that General Lincoln has not already entered into measures for complying with the resolution of Congress of December 29th, 1779.” After the death of Count Pulaski, who was mortally wounded on 9 October 1779, while defending Savannah, Colonel Armand received command of Pulaski’s Legion. On 16 August 1780, Colonel Armand’s corps participated at the Battle of Camden, where General Gates sustained the defeat that terminated his military career. Armand’s Legion sustained severe casualties during the contest. However, Armand’s corps performed with distinction and, soon after, Congress acknowledged the effort. On 14 October 1780, Congress resolved “that the thanks of Congress be given to Generals Smallwood and Gist, and to the officers and soldiers of the Maryland and Delaware lines; the different corps of artillery; Colonel Porterfield’s and Major Armstrong’s corps of light infantry, and Colonel Armand’s cavalry; for their bravery and good conduct, displayed in the action of the 16th of August last, near Camden....” During the following year on 2 January, Congress, after considering a letter from Colonel Armand, resolved “that General Washington be informed, that Congress consent to his permitting Colonel Armand to take from the line of infantry in the army of the United States, when the state and strength thereof will admit, a sufficient number of volunteers to complete his partizan corps for the next campaign, provided he be not allowed to take more than six men from a regiment.” That same month, on the 23rd, Congress authorized Colonel Armand to travel to France to acquire clothing and equipment for his corps on his personal credit. Congress advanced the money with the stipulation that it get repaid in four years with interest (5 percent per annum). Colonel Armand completed the voyage and returned to America in time to participate in the Yorktown Campaign. Once back in the country, he repaired to Virginia to rejoin his legion, which had earlier been dispatched there. Colonel Armand participated in the fighting against Redoubt 10 and afterward, in appreciation of his contribution, General Washington added fifty volunteers to further augment Armand’s striking power. Subsequent to the defeat and surrender of Lord Charles Cornwallis at Yorktown in October 1781, Colonel Armand was dispatched farther south to support General Nathanael Greene during the campaign

ARMAND to eliminate the remaining forces in the South; however, the tour was short-lived. Armand and his legion were back in the tranquil northern theater by Christmas 1781. Colonel Armand remained in the army for the duration. During 1783, on 23 March, Colonel Armand finally achieved his original goal. His exploits and exemplary service during the war were recognized by Congress, which promoted him to the rank of brigadier general. General Armand retired from the army during November 1783, and afterward embarked for France. Prior to his departure, General Armand became a member of the Society of Cincinnati. When he first arrived in America, he landed with no possessions due to the loss of the vessel that transported him from France, and upon his arrival back in France, he carried with him a huge debt from expenditures accumulated for the upkeep of the legion. An American officer, Major George Shaffner, previously with the German Battalion and a friend of General Armand, accompanied Armand back to France. Congress paid tribute to the French cavalry commander who had served America heroically during the struggle for independence. A resolution of 27 February 1784 said: Whereas, the United States in Congress assembled are well informed, and entertain a just sense of the great bravery, intelligence, zeal and activity manifested during the cause of the late war with Great Britain, by Brigadier General Armand, Marquis de Roueire, in the service of the United States, and, whereas, it also appears by a letter from the late commander-in-chief, dated at Philadelphia, 15th December, 1783, addressed to the said General Armand, that superadded to general merit for good conduct, vigilance, and bravery, General Armand has, in a variety of instances, particularly signalized himself as an excellent officer and great partisan, and frequently rendered the United States very valuable services. Resolved, that the President write a letter to General Armand, Marquis de la Roueire, expressive of the high sense Congress are impressed with, of the services he has rendered the United States in the course of the late war with Great Britain, and of the entire approbation the United States in Congress assembled entertain of his bravery, activity, and zeal so often evidenced in the cause of America.

During 1785 General Armand married an affluent woman; however, the marriage was short lived. His wife succumbed during 1786. After returning to his homeland, General Armand, having become known as a hero for his exploits in America, retired to a quiet life, which he maintained until 1788. At that time, he was one of a group of elected deputies (Ffrom Brittany) charged with persuading King Louis XVI to continue to allow the privileges that his province had enjoyed. The king’s response was less than enthusiastic, and Armand’s efforts caused him to be detained for a short period in the Bastille. After being released several weeks later, he headed back to Brittany. During that period, the peasants were becoming the pawns of instigators that were conspiring to oust the monarchy. Armand was among those who rejected the revolutionaries; he became incensed when the revolutionaries began to liquidate Catholic priests and nuns, while working to eradicate Catholicism and the monarchy. During the latter part of 1791, Armand received official command of the Breton association from the exiled princes, brothers of King Louis XVI. The objective was to advance against Paris to oust the assembly, extricate the royal family from imprisonment and restore the monarchy. A huge number of muskets had been acquired in England and Armand’s chateau became the base of operations. Armand’s force, composed of peasants and aristocrats, was to be bolstered by the Duke of Brunswick, who committed his army to the cause. The plan called for Armand, with about 10,000 men, to strike from the west, while the Duke attacked from the north. The attack to regain Paris by the royalists was scheduled to occur in March 1793. In the meantime, Armand maintained headquarters at his chateau and continued to increase his numbers. However, one of his trusted men, Valentine Chevetel, had been a spy

ARMSTRONG for the republicans and maintained continuous communications with the convention to keep the revolutionaries appraised of Armand’s progress. The convention dispatched troops to seize Armand, but the mission failed and Armand was able to remain concealed by rapidly moving from one sanctuary to another, often finding sleeping quarters in a cave or on open ground. Armand also used disguises, including an eye patch, while he hid at Rennes, a republican stronghold. Although Armand succeeded in evading capture, the Brittany insurrection never materialized. The king, Louis XVI, was executed by guillotine on 21 January 1793. On 30 January, General Armand succumbed from a fatal illness while he was at the castle La Guyomarais. Later that year, the queen, Marie Antoinette, suffered the same fate as her husband, decapitation by guillotine. Following the death of the king an d the leader of the Royalist rebellion, General Armand, the Revolution continued to flourish and the nation was ravaged. Royalist and Catholic clergy were specifically targeted for extinction as the period known as the Reign of Terror emerged to nearly destroy France. The cathedral of Notre Dame was taken over by the convention, stripped of its name and dedication to the Blessed Mother and rededicated as the “Temple of Enlightenment.” General Armand was buried by his supporters, but the spies, Valentine Chevetel and another man, who prevented the planned rebellion, informed the revolutionaries where his body was buried. The two spies arrived at the chateau to arrest the friends and associates of Armand and the family who sheltered Armand during his final illness. Those seized were carried to Paris and executed. The spies, having given away the location of Armand’s burial site on the grounds of the chateau, caused more grief even after the general died. His body was extricated and his head was severed and attached to a stake to mortify and intimidate others. At the time of his death, his friends buried his death certificate in the vicinity of an oak tree. The document was discovered in 1835 and preserved.

Armstrong, Major General John John was born in Northern Ireland about 1717–1720. In the 1740s (About 1745–1748), he emigrated to America and took up residence in Pennsylvania on the frontier where he continued his work as a surveyor. John, the son of James Armstrong, prior to departing for America, according to the papers of John Armstong at Dickinson College in Carlisle, married Rebecca Lyon, the daughter of James Lyon of Enniskillen, County Fermanagh. John settled in the Kittatinny Valley in the area west of the Susquehanna River, where he and Rebecca raised three children — John, Jr., James, and Margaret Rebecca. After a group of settlers from Connecticut acquired land in Pennsylvania from Indians, an agreement deemed illegal by Pennsylvania, Armstrong was dispatched in 1754 to Connecticut to attempt to settle the dispute with the Susquehanna Company. During the following year, Armstrong received another precarious assignment when he was selected to survey roads leading from Carlisle to the town of Confluence and to the town of Will’s Creek in an effort to expedite the transportation of supplies to General Edward Braddock’s army, which was involved with the expedition to seize Fort Duquesne from the French. The English under Braddock sustained a severe defeat, and afterward the frontier was transformed into an inferno as many of the Indians that had been friendly to the English switched their allegiance to the French. John set his surveyor’s equipment to the side and joined the militia as a private, but by January 1756 he was appointed captain and assumed command of a company in the Second Battalion (Provincial troops). Shortly thereafter, he began to rise rapidly in rank. On 11 May, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel. Armstrong’s strategy after taking command was to bolster the defenses against Indian attack by erecting a series of spaced blockhouses that stretched from the Susquehanna River to the border with Maryland. His strategy was linked to offen-

16 sive moves to eradicate the pernicious raids originating in Kittanning, an Indian stronghold that had been unmolested. All the while, the Indians were crossing the mountains and descending upon the settlements in the Juniata and Cumberland Valleys, wreaking havoc and instilling fear into the settlers. Armstrong, after conferring with Governor Morris, assembled a force of about three hundred men at Fort Shirley at Shirleysburg (Huntington County). The region also had been suffering from John Armstrong (Pictorial Field Book a lack of ammunition due to of the Revolution, Benson J. Lossing, the raids, including two 1860) against Fort Granville, which surrendered during early August after being assured of protection by the French, but the French permitted the Indians to massacre the garrison. Colonel Armstrong’s brother was among the troops killed there. The force assembled during late August and marched out of the post on 30 August to spring the surprise raid. The column reached the village by traveling the Kittanning Road without being discovered and devastated the Indians, inflicting many casualties, including Chief Jacobs. The victory by Armstrong brought eventual peace to the area when the Treaty of Eaton was signed the following year. Armstrong, promoted to colonel on 27 May 1758, led a division in General John Forbes’ army that succeeded that same year in wresting Fort Duquesne from the French when the French garrison abandoned the post during November. During the expedition, Colonel George Washington commanded troops from Virginia and Maryland, and during the operation the two men became friends. Colonel Armstrong again faced a hostile enemy during 1763 (Pontiac’s War). At that time, again using Fort Shirley as a base, his forces marched out to attack Indian strongholds at Great Island and Myanquie along the west branch of the Susquehanna. The attack was successful, but only in destruction. Both villages were devastated, but the Indians had abandoned them upon the approach of the column. Following the conclusion of the hostilities with the Indians, John reinitiated his work as a surveyor (he had been appointed deputy-surveyor in Cumberland County in 1762 and he was also a justice of the peace). His office in Carlisle was ruined by fire in 1766. By that time, Britain had initiated the Stamp Act of 1765. Throughout the colonies, the patriots were reacting with opposition of varying degrees. It seems as if John’s initial participation in the opposition to the policies of the king and Parliament began during 1774 when he, along with another prominent patriot, James Wilson (a future signer of the Declaration of Independence), was appointed to the Cumberland County committee of correspondence and that was followed by his later military service. Prior to Congress proclaiming the Declaration of Independence, the citizens of Cumberland County offered to raise a battalion of troops for the Continental Army. On 1 March 1776, Colonel Armstrong, who had become friendly with General Washington during the French and Indian War, was appointed brigadier general in the Continental Army. He was the first of six men selected that day. After the selections, Congress resolved “that General Armstrong be directed to repair to South Carolina, General Andrew Lewis and General (Robert) Howe to Virginia, and General James Moore to North Carolina, there respectively to take the command of the forces until they receive further orders from Congress or a superior officer.”

17 Armstrong arrived in Charleston during April and was there with Colonel William Moultrie when the British fleet appeared off the coast on 31 May, but he relinquished command on 4 June, upon the arrival of General Charles Lee, commander of the Department of the South. Nonetheless, Armstrong remained in the city and commanded the defenses on Haddrell’s Point when the British attacked on 28 June. The fort, which until that time had no official name, became Fort Moultrie in honor of Colonel Moultrie’s heroic actions in defense of Charleston. On 21 December 1776, Congress proclaimed its concurrence with General Washington’s decisions to dispatch General Armstrong from Philadelphia to select a secure location to store the magazines and work on increasing enlistments. Congress, which was in session in Baltimore after fleeing Philadelphia, on 31 January directed the Board of War to meet with General Armstrong, who was in Baltimore on other business. Subsequently, during 1777, General Armstrong resigned his commission (4 April) in the Continental Army; however, Pennsylvania appointed him “first brigadier general” of the state on 5 April. On 5 June he was promoted to the rank of major general and the Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania, at the same time, placed him in command of all Pennsylvania forces. General Armstrong was not an armchair general. While in Philadelphia, he oversaw the work at the forts along the Delaware River, including Fort Mifflin, Fort Billings and Fort Mercer. He commanded troops at Brandywine in September 1777, but his unit was not directly involved in the fighting due to where they were deployed, a point below Chadd’s Ford. After the American loss and during the retreat, Armstrong’s forces were employed in strengthening the defenses along the Schuylkill River. On 18 September 1777, Congress, in Philadelphia for its final session prior to evacuating due to the British thrust to take the city, resolved that “Major General Armstrong be directed, forthwith, to cause all the printing presses and types in this city and Germantown, forthwith to be removed to secure places in the country, excepting Mr. Bradford’s press in this city, with English types.” In October, Armstrong’s force was committed at the Battle of Germantown (present-day Philadelphia) and was directed to command the defenses at Philadelphia to meet the anticipated invasion. In addition, General Armstrong was elected by the Pennsylvania General Assembly on 20 November 1778 as a member of the Continental Congress for the years 1778–1779. After the close of hostilities, Armstrong again served in Congress (1787–1788). He was a Presbyterian and was involved with the other members of his congregation in establishing the initial church in Carlisle during 1757. He succumbed in Carlisle; however, there is some confusion regarding the time of his death. Most sources specify March 1795, and those sources include Dickinson College, which holds many of Armstrong’s papers. However, the date of John’s death marked on his tombstone in the “Old Graveyard” in Carlisle is 8 March 1793. The same gravestone states that his wife, Rebecca (born May 1719), survived him until 16 November 1797. Their three children, John, Jr., James (became a doctor), and Rebecca Margaret (married the Rev. George Duffield, formerly DuField) also survived him. Some years prior to his death, during 1779, troops under Colonel Stephen Bayard established a fort in Kittanning named Fort Armstrong in his honor. Initially, the fort was to be named Fort Brodhead, but General Brodhead forbid the action. General Armstrong’s son John served in the Continental Army as an officer and rose to the rank of brigadier general during the War of 1812. In 1813, John Armstrong, Jr., was appointed secretary of war by President James Madison.

Arnold, Benedict Benedict was a descendent of one of the initial settlers of Rhode Island, and one of the proprietors, William Arnold, who had three sons, one of whom was named Benedict. The latter became the president of

ARNOLD the colony when he succeeded Roger Williams. The Arnold family expanded throughout the colony at places such as Newport. Around 1730, two brothers, Benedict and Oliver, chose to move from Newport to Norwich, with the former arriving there first, followed by Oliver later. In Norwich, Benedict engaged in commerce, but he was not highly thought of; his enterprises fared poorly and his integrity was not above repute. Nevertheless, he married a respectable widow, Hannah WaterBenedict Arnold (National Archives) man King. The Arnolds had six children, but of those only two survived to adulthood, Benedict and his sister Hannah. Benedict was born in Norwich, Connecticut, but historians differ on the date. Some reliable sources claim 3 January 1740, while others sources specify 14 January 1741. As a young boy he was able to attain a good education, as his father’s enterprises had done well since his marriage to Hannah. However, Benedict seemed not to acquire the fine disposition of his mother and was known to be cruel at times and indifferent to the feelings and opinions of others, but one peculiar trait that he had was to maim young birds after taking them from their nests. For a while, he was offered a position at a pharmacy in Norwich, operated by the Lathrop brothers (Daniel and Joshua), distant relatives of his mother. Later he operated a pharmacy and was a bookseller. Afterward, Arnold became involved in shipping, but the endeavor brought him to bankruptcy and with a tarnished reputation. During one incident, a sailor accused Arnold of smuggling. The man was beaten, and several days later, when the sailor reappeared, he was collared by Arnold and others and given forty lashes. By that time, Benedict had settled in New Haven and married Margaret Mansfield (1767). The Arnolds had three children, Benedict, Richard and Henry; however, Margaret succumbed at an early age during 1775. As a young boy of about fifteen, Benedict served for a short while with the militia, but entered his military life during April 1775 when he arrived at Cambridge with the New Haven Militia Company. Arnold presented a plan to seize Fort Ticonderoga; it was approved by the Committee of Safety. On 3 May he received a commission as colonel. The fort was seized on 10 May, but the attack was under the command of Ethan Allen, rather than Arnold, who lacked troops. Shortly thereafter, on 16 May, Arnold, selected during a recent war council, led a thirty-man force (Improvised Marines) from Ticonderoga to seize St. Johns, Canada. The contingent was followed by the captured schooner Liberty with other troops. The post was seized on the 18th and with it the sloop George III, which was renamed the Enterprise and gave Arnold domination of Lake Champlain. Although the fort was seized without casualties on either side, Arnold quickly abandoned it after becoming aware of British reinforcements en route. The Americans moved to Crown Point. On 27 June, Congress, convinced the Canadians would join the cause, authorized an invasion of Canada to intercept a large army being assembled there by General Guy Carleton. The ill-fated Quebec Campaign was initiated on August 28. By the end of the year, it turned into a devastating defeat at Quebec City. On 11 September, General Arnold received command of an elite force, composed of more than 1,000 troops detached from the Main

ARNOLD Army with orders to reinforce Montgomery. Arnold reached the vicinity of Quebec during early November; however, the march was arduous due to snow, ice and high winds. The forces of Montgomery did not meet with Arnold until 3 December at Point aux Trembles. The attack to gain Quebec City on 30–31 December failed; General Montgomery was struck by a fatal wound and Brigadier General Arnold was seriously wounded. Arnold maintained a siege, but his force numbered only about 450 troops. On 5 January, from his bed in a convent hospital, Arnold sent a dispatch to General David Wooster with a request to send all deserters back to Quebec, but he also requested “four hundred pair of snowshoes, sugar for the Hospital and fifty light shovels.” Soon after, on 10 January, Congress promoted Colonel Arnold to the rank of brigadier general. The expected reinforcements from Montreal failed to arrive, although a small contingent did arrive during February. By that time it became inevitable that a retreat was necessary. Prior to withdrawing, Arnold dispatched a contingent, including Canadians loyal to the Americans, to intercept a force of Canadian Loyalists, but the enemy offered little resistance and surrendered on 25 March. By the end of March, Arnold’s force, never more than 700 men since the beginning of the year, was further ravaged by sickness. Arnold notified Silas Deane that the men from New England were of no value due to smallpox, and he informed Deane that the snow stood at about five feet deep. On 31 March the Americans launched an attack against Quebec City. It failed and the contingent was captured. Another attack was launched after reinforcements under General Wooster arrived during April, but it too failed. The Americans suffered another loss at the Ceddars during mid–May. By June, lacking supplies, food and able-bodied troops, the Americans initiated a retreat. Arnold departed Montreal on the 13th. Soon after, he noted the story of how he dealt with his horse that had, as he described, been so loyal upon the approach of the British, stating that he “stripped the poor mare of her saddle and bridle, and then with my own hand shot her, rather than have her fall into the hands of the enemy.” After returning to New York, Arnold on 30 July sent a flotilla down Lake Champlain under a flag to deliver a copy of the Declaration of Independence to British general Sir Guy Carleton. The British responded by preparing to advance. Arnold was ordered by General Horatio Gates on 7 August to use his diminutive fleet to intercept the British on the lake. Arnold’s flotilla sailed on the 24th. The British embarked from St. Johns on the 4th of October. The two fleets clash on the 11th and, despite the massive advantage, the British were unable to destroy Arnold’s fleet. The battered American fleet slipped past the British fleet during the night. On the following day, Arnold continued the struggle despite the loss of several vessels, including the Washington, commanded by General David Waterbury, until forced to abandon the fight. He ordered his ship, the Congress, to be run aground. Nonetheless, the British were stalled long enough to prevent the 13,000 reinforcements from joining with General William Howe. Arnold succeeded in halting the advance. Carleton reached Crown Point, but then withdrew to Canada, sparing Ticonderoga. Having eliminated the threat against Ticonderoga, on the 20th of November, Generals Gates, Schuyler and Arnold decided to let the troops return to their homes for the winter. Arnold returned to Connecticut. During the following spring, he engaged the British at Ridgefield on 27 April and escaped unharmed, although his horse had been hit nine times during the same volley. General David Wooster at that time received a fatal wound. While Arnold was on the ground near his horse, a British soldier attempted to capture him, but Arnold, using his pistol, eliminated him. On 2 May 1777, Congress promoted Arnold to major general. It

18 awarded him a horse on the 20th as a gift for “his gallant conduct in the action against the enemy in their late enterprize to Danbury, in which General Arnold had one horse killed under him, and another wounded.” During the following month, on the 10th, Arnold was directed by Congress to proceed to Trenton and upon arrival to “conduct himself agreeable to the orders of the commander in chief.” Shortly thereafter, on the 14th of June, Congress directed Arnold to assume command of all militia troops in Bristol, Pennsylvania, and “on every other part of the river to the eastward of Philadelphia, which have been called forth into service by a requisition of the twenty-fourth day of April last.” By August 1777, General Arnold volunteered to lead reinforcements to lift the siege of Fort Stanwix (August 3–22). Using a ruse executed by a captured Loyalist in trade for his life, Arnold sent a false message of a large force en route to the fort. It worked, and the Indians had also abandoned St. Leger, the British commander. In the meantime, news of the defeat of British Major General John Burgoyne’s forces at Bennington arrived, prompting St. Leger to abandon the siege on 22 August. The British during their retreat were ambushed by the Indians who had just abandoned them, leaving the Redcoat officers without baggage or supplies. Afterward, using British bayonets, they killed the ambushed troops and stragglers who were unable to maintain the rapid pace. During the following month, under the overall command of General Horatio Gates, General Arnold and Colonel Daniel Morgan engaged Burgoyne at the First Battle of Saratoga. After the battle, Arnold found himself without a command, and it remained so when the Second Battle of Saratoga erupted on 7 October. Arnold, despite having no command, left General Gates’ headquarters for the field. Attempts by Gates to intercept him failed. Joining with Colonel Morgan, Arnold rallied the troops. Meanwhile, Gates and Arnold exchanged words at headquarters, but Arnold ignored Gates and returned to the field, despite Gates saying: “I have nothing for you to do. You have no business here.” On the 17th Arnold and Morgan had outwitted the British, which compelled Burgoyne to surrender his force of just under 6,000 men. Earlier, during 1775, Burgoyne at Boston had boasted: “What, ten thousand peasants keep five thousand king’s troops shut up! Well, let us get in and we’ll soon find elbow room.” During June 1778, General Arnold, renowned for his heroism on the field, arrived at Philadelphia. While recuperating from a wound sustained at Saratoga, he married Peggy Shippen, the daughter of Edward Shippen. He began living well above his means, and soon after, he began his espionage to betray the nation. For a while, he attempted to engage in privateering, but when the endeavor failed, he began to communicate with an agent of Great Britain, which led to Arnold selling himself to the British Crown. On 10 May 1779, Benedict Arnold initiated talks with General Sir Henry Clinton, the British commander in New York. Intelligence was passed from Arnold to Clinton and by 1 June, based on the information, Clinton initiated an offensive to seize West Point; however, the attack failed. While still undiscovered, Arnold received a court-martial regarding charges made against him by Pennsylvania. On 20 January, the court acquitted him of all serious charges, leaving him to receive only a reprimand from General Washington. During the summer of 1780 Arnold remained undiscovered and a trusted officer of Washington, the latter appointing him as commander of West Point (Department of the Highlands) on 3 August. By that time, Arnold had agreed to accept a commission in the British army and cash for his actions to assist the English seizure of West Point. Earlier during 1776, a Prussian officer, Colonel Zedwitz, had commanded the Point and he, too, tried to help the British seize it, but the plan was foiled and Zedwitz was imprisoned. The plot unfolded on 21 September when the HMS Vulture, transporting Major John Andre, arrived at Haverstraw Bay about five miles below King’s Ferry. On the

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19 22nd, Andre and Arnold met at the residence of Joshua Smith and completed the details of the plan. Afterward, Arnold presented Andre with an authorized pass with the alias of Anderson. Nevertheless, later on that same day, Andre was unable to re-board the ship due to American artillery that compelled it to retire. He escaped the scrutiny of sentinels near King’s Ferry, but they insisted that he not travel further at night. On the following day, Arnold’s conspiracy blew up when other militia were less cordial. Andre, still in civilian clothes, was stopped and at first elated when be believed the troops to be Loyalists, but to his surprise, after he identified himself as a British officer, he was seized, along with his secret documents. Andre attempted unsuccessfully to bribe the three troops ( John Paulding, Isaac Van Wart and David Williams). If not for the absolute integrity of those three soldiers, who were willing to turn down a high ransom, the fate of the nation might have turned out much differently; however, they could not be bought at any price and together foiled the grand scheme of Howe and Arnold. The prisoner was taken to the nearest military installation, North Castle, but astonishingly, the commanding officer, Lt. Colonel John Jameson, decided to deliver Andre to Arnold at West Point. However, he also sped a rider to inform General Washington about the treachery of Arnold. Meanwhile, another officer, Major Benjamin Tallmadge, convinced Jameson to hold Andre, but unexplicably he sent a messenger to inform Arnold, giving him time to escape. On the 25th, Arnold, while in conversation with Washington’s advance party at the Robinson House, was informed of Andre’s capture. Before the officers were appraised, he, leaving his wife at his quarters, escaped to the Vulture. Washington arrived shortly after his flight. Arnold later dispatched a letter to Washington claiming that his wife had been totally innocent. Meanwhile, Major Andre, wearing his regimental uniform, was hanged as a spy on 2 October. He had requested a firing squad. Arnold, by December, began to ravage the nation that he had been defending. He led a command that landed in Virginia at Hampton Roads on 30 December, on a mission to seize Richmond. On 3 January, Arnold was aboard one of the boats debarked at Jamestown, but the diminutive force at the battery (Hood’s Point) there withdrew. On the 4th, Arnold reached Westover, about 25 miles outside of Richmond, and entered the capital on the following day. Against nominal opposition at best, due in great part to large numbers of Virginians attached to George Rogers Clark on the frontier, Arnold moved to Portsmouth by the 20th, inflicting much damage along the way. However, the primary goal, capturing Governor Thomas Jefferson, failed, as he escaped. Arnold remained at Portsmouth unscathed and was reinforced on the 6th of March by about 2,000 crack troops under General William Phillips. Upon his arrival, Phillips assumed command of all British troops. In the meantime, General Washington had directed troops from the Northern Theater to move to intercept Arnold. On 18 April, a British force moved up the James River from Portsmouth to wreak more havoc as far as Williamsburg, City Point and Petersburg. Between the 25th and the 28th, the devastation continued without stiff resistance, and on the 27th, the Patriots battled the British at Osborne’s Landing, where the skirmishing continued into the following day. Other towns struck included Manchester and Bermuda Hundred. Finally, General Marquis de Lafayette arrived at Richmond aboard a French warship on the 25th to neutralize the British and if possible seize Arnold. Lafayette anticipated arriving earlier, but the French aborted the voyage. The British lost General Phillips to fever on 25 May, but Arnold resumed command. Nevertheless, shortly after the death of Phillips, Arnold abandoned Virginia for New York, which saved him from being snagged with Cornwallis at Yorktown. From his base in New York, Arnold swept into Connecticut during September and again spread

destruction, striking New London on the 6th. The town was burned, but the 23-man garrison at unfinished Fort Trumbull escaped capture. Another force on that same day massacred many of the garrison, including wounded, at Fort Griswold after the fort was surrendered. In the meantime, General Washington permitted Peggy Shippen Arnold to travel with her baggage to New York. Arnold showed thanks by declaring the Declaration of Independence treasonable, claiming that the rebels were attempting to “enslave the people” and that the American troops were being duped by the French. Subsequent to the end of hostilities, Benedict Arnold publicized his reasons for treason, blaming it on the French, a Catholic monarchy joining the American cause. Although he was considered a hero by many in England, not all Englishmen held that sentiment. One man, Lord Lauderdale, upon noticing Arnold being seated close to King George III at his immediate right, proclaimed, “His majesty is supported by a traitor.” Another, Lord Surry, was preparing to speak in the House of Commons, but upon spotting Arnold, he retook his seat, saying: “I will not speak while that man is in the House.” Back in America, word of Arnold’s treachery spread quickly to Philadelphia. People constructed a life-size effigy of him, with the devil at his side, and had the cart pulled through the streets to exhibit their evil pair with a huge sign that spelled out only two words in capital letters: “TRAITOR ARNOLD.” Benedict Arnold succumbed in 1801 on 14 June, the date set aside as the birthday of the U.S. Army in 1775 and the date he assumed command of all troops at Bristol, Pennsylvania in 1777. Few remember Arnold on that date, but it is grand day in the United States when the nation celebrates Flag Day.

Ashe, General John John was born in England during 1721, but when he was about six years old, his parents, John Baptiste and Elizabeth Swann Ashe, emigrated to America and settled in North Carolina along the Cape Fear River. Elizabeth was the daughter of Major Alexander Lillington and the widow of Samuel Swann. Prior to his departure, he had been a friend of Lord Craven, and it was through the support of the latter that enabled John Baptiste to head for the colonies. After his arrival, John Baptiste served on the council (1733) while Governor George Burrington was the royal governor. John Baptiste and Elizabeth had two other children, Mary (1723) and Samuel 1725). Later, the younger John married his cousin Rebecca Moore, the daughter of Colonel Maurice Moore. With his marriage to Rebecca, he became the brother-in-law of General James Moore and Judge Maurice Moore. Later, John, like his father, entered politics. He was elected to the colonial assembly, where he was speaker from 1762 to 1765. During that same year, parliament passed the Stamp Act, which was staunchly opposed by the patriots, but the North Carolinians also became aggravated due to their mistrust of the government officials. John was one of the patriots who opposed the Stamp Act of 1765, but several years later, he opposed one group, the Regulators, formed during 1768. Nonetheless, as the relations with Britain deteriorated further, John became one of the leaders of the patriots in North Carolina. By 1771, Regulators had included violence in their opposition, ignited because of the taxes and their belief that the officials were embezzling. Governor William Tryon led a militia force, which included John Ashe, during May of 1771, against the settlers, most of whom had no weapons. The settlers lost a few hundred men, killed or wounded. Of the captured, 12 men were tried and convicted of treason and sentenced to death, but only six were executed. The militia force, composed of more than 1,000 men, sustained about 70 casualties. The Regulators by 1771 had become more violent and had intended to terminate all public officers and kill every lawyer. In May 1775, word of the clash at Lexington and Concord reached North Carolina. Patriots gathered in Mecklenburg County and during

ASHLEY the convention, proclaimed independence from the British crown. The resolution (five resolutions) became known as the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence. Soon other patriots at Charlotte concurred with those at Mecklenburg, which signaled danger for the royal governor who had replaced Governor Tryon. He was Josiah Martin, who on 31 May 1775 fled New Bern aboard the HMS Cruzier and headed for Fort Johnston, but soon his sanctuary was lost. On 18 July, a group of patriots led by Colonel (later general) Robert Howe and Colonel John Ashe moved to seize the governor, but again, he escaped aboard the British warship. On the following day, from his position on the Cape Fear River, Martin observed Fort Johnston as it burned. The action against the fort and the royal governor was considered treasonous by the British; however, the patriots were not concerned. Their aggressive move terminated the line of royal governors. After Martin absconded, Cornelius Harnett, Jr., became president of the Council of Safety (government of the province). John was appointed colonel of the New Hanover County militia. The next April he was promoted to brigadier general (Wilmington District). The assembly that promoted Ashe at the same time promoted Richard Caswell to brigadier general (New Bern District). During February 1779, General Ashe, in command of about 1,500 militia troops, moved toward the positions of General Williamson’s force that was opposite Augusta and arrived there on the evening of the 13th. Upon the arrival of Ashe, the British prepared to abandon the city. Ashe was later directed by General Benjamin Lincoln to intercept the retreating columns at Briar (Brier) Creek, Georgia. Ashe arrived at Briar Creek on the 27th and traveled to Twin Sisters to confer with General Lincoln, while Generals Bryan and Elbert deployed at the creek, where they discovered a destroyed bridge. Ashe returned to camp on 2 March and the bridge had still not been repaired. On the following day, British reinforcements under Lt. Colonel James M. Prevost, the brother of British General Augustine Prevost, arrived in the rear of the Americans to bolster Colonel Archibald Campbell. American cavalry returned to camp as British infantry moved to the area and, during the afternoon, the Battle of Briar Creek ignited. General Ashe, lacking confidence after spotting about 500 Redcoats, directed General Samuel Elbert to attack: “Sir, you had better advance and engage them.” Meanwhile, Ashe and his force remained in place and made no attempt to support the Georgians. Elbert’s force, composed of barely 100 Georgians, advanced, while Ashe’s North Carolinians fled. Consequently, the Georgians were surrounded. The Americans lost about 350 men killed or captured, with many of the men drowning while trying to cross the Savannah River. General Elbert was among the captured. The loss gave the British control of Georgia, while costing General Lincoln a large portion of his army. On that same day, General Ashe, at Matthew’s Bluff, after leaving the scene, reported to General Lincoln: “Sir — I am sorry to inform you that at 3 o’clock p.m., the enemy came down upon us in force, what number, I know not. The troops did not stand fire five minutes; many fled without discharging their pieces. I went with the fugitives half a mile, and finding it impossible to rally the troops, I made my escape into the river swamp....” On 9 March, General Lincoln ordered a court-martial at the request of General Ashe. The court was held March 13–16, 1779 and included General William Moultrie as president and General Griffith Rutherford. It ruled “that General Ashe did not take all the necessary precautions to secure his camp, and to obtain timely approach of the enemy,” but the court acquitted him of all imputations as to want of personal courage, and ruled that he remained on the field “as long as prudence and duty required.” Subsequent to the court-martial, Ashe returned to his residence near Wilmington, North Carolina, which at the time was controlled by a British force under Major James Craig. Afterward, one of his servants

20 divulged his presence and location to the British. He was arrested and imprisoned and treated quite harshly. While detained, he came down with smallpox, prompting the British to grant him parole; however, shortly thereafter, her succumbed from the disease in October 1781. General Ashe’s son, Samuel, served for a while as a captain of Light Horse and later resigned, but he then served in the state militia. General Ashe’s brother, Samuel, born in 1725, also served throughout the war in a series of capacities, including military and civilian, and later became the governor of North Carolina. In addition, Samuel’s sons, Colonels John Baptiste and Samuel Ashe also served, adding five officers to the American cause from the Ashe family. Colonel Maurice Moore (father-in-law of General Ashe) and his brothers Nathaniel and Roger, the sons of Governor James Moore, established Brunswick Town along the Cape Fear River. Maurice married Elizabeth Lillington, daughter of Major Alexander Lillington and widow of Colonel John Fendall and Samuel Swann. Maurice and Elizabeth had four daughters, Margaret (married Thomas Jones), Mary (married her cousin John Porter and afterward, her cousin Maurice Moore, son of her uncle Nathaniel Moore), Elizabeth (married a Mr. Brown and afterward, George Minot), and one other daughter, Ann (mentioned in his last will and testament). Following the death of Elizabeth, Maurice married Elizabeth Porter, the daughter of John Porter. Through that marriage three children were born, Maurice (judge), James (general) and Rebecca (Mrs. John Ashe).

Ashley, Major General John John, the only son of Judge John and Hannah Hogaboom Ashley, was born in Sheffield, Massachusetts, on 26 September 1736. Like his father, John entered Yale, graduating in 1756. His father graduated in 1730. John settled in Sheffield and established himself as a merchant. He also served in the General Court and the militia. John married Louisa Ward on 20 May 1782. They had two children, Louisa (b. March 1763) and John (b. January 1767). Two years later, on 2 April 1769, Louisa died, leaving John with two young children. He took Mary Ballantine as his second wife on 17 October. Mary was the daughter of the Rev. John Ballantine (Bollentine) of Westfield, Massachusetts. John and Mary’s children were Ballantine (Bollentine, b. December 1770); William (b. January 1773); Roger (b. March 1775, died young and unmarried); Samuel (b. November 1778, died young and unmarried); Mary (b. March 1781); Hannah (b. September 1782); Jane (b. March 1784) and Ashley (b. November 1788). John was commissioned colonel of the 1st Berkshire Regiment on 4 April 1777. He succeeded Colonel Mark Hopkins, who led the regiment until his death in October 1776. John led his regiment to bolster the forces along the Hudson during July, subsequent to the abandonment of Ticonderoga and Mount Independence. The regiment also arrived at Bennington during the campaign that halted British General John Burgoyne’s advance toward Albany. Subsequent to the close of hostilities, Colonel Ashley participated in the suppression of Shay’s Rebellion (1786–1787), and during the campaign, Ashley’s force engaged the insurrectionists on 27 February 1787 and dispersed them in short order. Prior to the action, Colonel Ashley spoke to his troops and made it clear that he did not want any cowards or weak men in his ranks, then he continued, saying, “I am going to see who are the brave men, and who are the cowards among you. I wish you to give me your attention. When I give the word, shoulder arms, let every brave man bring his musket promptly to his shoulder, and let every coward slink back out of the ranks.” After a brief pause, he added as he drew his sword from its scabbard: “But, remember that I’ll run the first man through the body that leaves the ranks!” He gave his order, “Shoulder arms.” The muskets were snapped into place with no one breaking ranks. During the following year, Colonel Ashley was commissioned as a brigadier general. He was promoted to major general during 1789 and

BAILEY

21 at that time he assumed command of the Massachusetts 9th Division (militia). General Ashley, in addition to serving in the military, was in the Massachusetts legislature subsequent to the close of hostilities with Britain. He died unexpectedly on 5 November 1799.

Babcock, Major General (Doctor) Joshua Joshua Babcock was born in Westerly, Rhode Island, on 17 May 1707. His grandparents had arrived there with the initial settlers. Joshua, the son of James and Elizabeth Babbett Babcock, was raised on the family plantation located on the old country road in Westerly, about one mile from Pawcatuck village. Joshua received an excellent education, which included graduation from Yale during 1724. Subsequent to completion of his studies at Yale, Joshua began to study medicine, including surgery in Boston, and in 1730, he journeyed to England to increase his medical skills in London. Upon his return to the colonies, about 1734, Joshua initiated his medical practice in Westerly, but he also became a merchant by opening a country store. During the following year, Joshua married Hannah Stanton. Joshua owned a vast plantation slightly more than 25 miles west of Newport. From their marriage, nine children were born, four sons and five daughters: Henry (1736, also known as Harry), Luke (1738), Adam (1740), Hannah (about 1741 or 1742), Frances (1745, married), Paul (1748), Amelia (1751), Sally (1753) and Harriet (1756). Later, Joshua entered politics and the judiciary, as well as serving in the military. Joshua’s commercial endeavors brought about financial success, and his participation in the affairs of the colony expanded his reputation throughout the colony and beyond. Joshua’s entry into politics can be traced to his election to the Rhode Island Assembly during 1740. He continued to serve in that body intermittently (including 1747–1749, 1752, and 1758–1759). Before the revolution, Joshua served several terms as a justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court (1747–1749, 1750–1751, and from August 1763 to May 1764). During those terms, twice he sat as chief justice. Joshua did not serve in the French and Indian War, but the Babcock family was represented by his son, Henry (later colonel). Henry Babcock had graduated from Yale in 1752, the same year that Joshua’s step-brother James graduated from the institution. As the relationship between the colonies and Britain began to deteriorate, Joshua stood firmly on the side of the patriots and by that time had become quite friendly with Benjamin Franklin, the latter being a frequent visitor at the Babcocks’ home during his annual visits to Boston. Joshua is known to have personally contributed financially to the cause. During 1774, when the English pressure caused severe hardships to the citizens in Boston, he donated about $100. In addition, he is known to have been involved in acquiring arms, and he also provided cash to be used as bounties for the troops at Westerly. On a larger scale, Joshua lent substantial amounts of money to the state. By April of the following year, conflict was ignited by the clash at Lexington and Concord. During a session of the Rhode Island Assembly (May 1775), a resolution authorizing the raising of an “army of observation” passed, and it was Joshua who carried a copy of it to the Connecticut assembly and requested that the Connecticut assembly forward its “proceedings and transactions” to Rhode Island. Joshua traveled to Massachusetts the following month and while there visited with his step-brother, James, an officer of the Massachusetts militia. His primary purpose of going to Cambridge was to deliver a message from Governor Nicholas Cooke of Rhode Island to the headquarters of the American Army. Joshua also carried an introduction message for General Washington, which read: “This letter waits on you by Joshua Babcock, Esq. He is a gentleman of a genteel fortune, a member of our General Assembly, and hath highly distinguished himself in the glorious cause in which America is embarked.”

Upon his return to Rhode Island, Joshua, although having reached his senior years, remained active. During the following year, the assembly selected Joshua as major general of the “Colony’s Brigade,” which most probably was received as quite an honor to the doctor who was about 70 years old at the time (May 1776). As major general, he commanded the ten regiments designated as the defenders of the state. During September, Joshua and two others traveled to New York to confer with General Washington on the strategy needed to defend Rhode Island. On 13 September 1776, the party arrived at General Putnam’s headquarters (No. 1 Broadway), where they received quarters, and by the following day, the conference began. On 15 September, General Babcock inadvertently became a primary observer of the scene when the city was abandoned that day. Arriving back in Rhode Island, Joshua resumed his military responsibilities. During the following month, the Rhode Island assembly renewed Joshua’s rank as major general. Despite his age, Joshua served in more than a ceremonial role. During December 1776, the situation in Rhode Island changed drastically when the British seized control of Newport. General Babcock was appointed to the state council of war. On 31 December, Joshua, in a letter to General Putnam at New York, stated: “Our small but, in the cause of liberty, loyal colony, approachable by vessels of war by its extent of sea coasts, within twenty miles of any port, have now enlisted, and are spiritedly enlisting above half its militia, and one-fourth the remainder on the Alarm List bound to hold themselves in readiness for action on an emergence of Minute men.” Joshua made known his need for ammunition and included the following: “In nowise do we despair; for as Providence has signally smiled on our attempts, we hope from the justice of our cause, the issue will be crowned with success. Joshua remained on the Board of War through 1778, then during 1779, he became a member of the House of Assistants (assistant to the governor, actually upper house). Joshua’s wife, Hannah, at about age 65, succumbed on 19 September 1778 while on a visit to Greenwich, Connecticut. Joshua later married Anna Maxson. Subsequently, on 1 April 1783, Doctor (and major general) Joshua Babcock succumbed. He was survived by his sons Adam (married Abigail Smith and later Martha Hubbard) and Colonel Henry (also known as Harry, married Mary Stanton, daughter of Robert and Anna Stanton of Stonington), and three daughters, Hannah (married John Bours of Newport), Harriet (married Gilbert Saltonstall, the brother of Commodore Dudley Saltonstall) and Frances (married Commodore Dudley Saltonstall, the son of General Gurdon Saltonstall). Luke, the son who became a minister, was halted by rebels, and when they inquired whether he owed allegiance to the king, he responded in the affirmative, which prompted the interrogators to detain him. His imprisonment took a severe toll on his health. After about four months of confinement, he was released and succumbed at Philipse Manor on the Hudson. The dates of the deaths of Joshua’s other children were not discovered by the author. The epitaph on Joshua’s gravestone read, in part: “The public records of his country testify, as do all who knew him, that as a physician, he was eminent in his profession, As A Christian exemplary, As a gentleman, polite and engaging, As a husband and father, a master and friend, worthy of imitation.” The Babcock House, known later as the Babcock-Smith House, at 124 Granite St., in Westerly has been preserved. The mansion, which was built during the 1730s, contains a museum that is open to the public.

Bailey (Bayley), Brigadier General Jacob Jacob Bailey, the son of Joshua and Sarah Coffin Bailey, was born in Newbury, Massachusetts, in July 1726 (some sources including Appleton’s Encyclopedia and the Bailey genealogy of nineteenth century, state 2 July 1726. Others, including History of Newbury, Vermont by F.P. Wells, 1902, state 19 July). Jacob’s mother was the daughter of Stephen

BAILEY and Sarah Atkinson Coffin. Jacob’s parents had eight other children: Stephen (b. 1708); Joshua (b. 1712); Abner (b. 1715); Enoch (b. 1719), Sarah (b. 1721); Judith a twin to Abigail (b. 1724); Abigail (b. 1724) and John (b. 1729). As a boy, Jacob is thought to have had only a fundamental education. On 15 October 1745 at age 19, Jacob married Prudence Noyes, the daughter of Ephraim and Prudence Stickney Noyes. Jacob and Prudence established residence at Timberland (formerly part of Haverhill, Massachusetts) about 1747. The Timberland part of Haverhill and a sector of Amesbury were involved with the drawing of a state line during 1741, which placed them in New Hampshire. On 12 January 1749, Timberland and that previously mentioned sector of Amesbury became Hampstead, New Hampshire. Jacob and Prudence had a large family that included the following children: Ephraim (b. October 1746, died young); Abigail (b. January 1749, died young); Noyes (b. February 1751, died young); Joshua (b. June 1753, married Anna Fowler, rose to the rank of colonel during the Revolutionary War); Jacob (b. October 1755–56, married Ruth Bedell, daughter of General Timothy Bedell and later married Mary Ladd, daughter of Ezekiel and Mary Hutchens Ladd); James (b. October 1757, twin brother to Ephraim); Ephraim b. October 1757 — twin brother of James) According to church records, Ephraim also married a woman named Anna Fowler and afterward he married Lucy Hodges; Amherst (b. January 1760, married Sally Stevens); Abner (b. December 1762–63, died 1788); John (b. May 1765, married Betsy Bailey and later Hannah Ladd); and Isaac (b. 1767, married Betsey Johnson, daughter of Thomas Johnson). Jacob became a prominent man in the town and he was involved with its governing process. He was among those who constructed the town’s first church (1752), in which he and two others, Jacob Kent and James Abbott, became the church’s initial deacons; he held the position until his death. Later, when war broke out with the French, he was appointed a lieutenant in Captain Alcott’s militia company. During 1756, the same year Joshua served with Alcott, he raised a separate company and was elected as its captain. The unit was attached to a regiment commanded by Colonel Meserve. Jacob’s company was active at Lake George and was part of the defending force at Fort William Henry when it was attacked on 4 August 1757 and forced to capitulate on 9 August. Despite assurances from the French General Montcalm that the garrison would be protected, after the English surrendered their arms, the Indians began to slaughter the garrison, including women and children. At the time, between 3,000 and 4,000 troops were at Fort Edward, but the commander, General Daniel Webb, refused to send help. Some, including Israel Putnam, escaped torture or death. Jacob broke away when the Indians attacked the column on the 10th while it was under French protection. He outdistanced his pursuers and made it to Fort Edward. Afterward, Jacob remained in the militia for most of the remainder of the conflict. He participated in General Jeffrey Amherst’s campaign that began after he replaced General James Abercrombie, who sustained a devastating defeat at Ticonderoga during July 1758. Jacob was at Montreal during September 1760, when the French surrendered to end the war and terminate France’s hold on North America. At that time General Amherst signed the surrender document on behalf of the British. Jacob had served as a lieutenant colonel in Colonel John Goff ’s regiment, until he was promoted to colonel and assumed command of the regiment when he succeeded Goff. While the men in the army were returning to their homes, a small party ( Jacob, Timothy Bedel, John Hazen and Jacob Kent) passed through a tract (later Newbury, Vermont) in the Connecticut Valley that the Abenaki (Abenaqui) Indians called “Co-os,” which translated meant “pines.” Upon their arrival back in Massachusetts, the men immediately set a plan in motion to acquire the land and establish two towns, Newbury and Haverhill, on opposite sides (east and west) of the

22 Connecticut River. In an effort to expedite the complicated endeavor, two others were sought out for help, General Moses Hazen, the brother of John Hazen and Colonel Moses Little, who was Jacob’s brother-inlaw (married Jacob’s sister, Abigail). Through the cooperation of Governor Benning Wentworth, charters for the towns of Newbury and Haverhill were issued on 18 May 1763. Jacob Bailey, Timothy Bedel, John Hazen, Jacob Kent and more than seventy others received the charter for Newbury. John Hazen and a group of about equal size received the charter for Haverhill, Vermont. Jacob relocated his family in Vermont and by the following year, 1765, the colonies were about to be burdened by the Stamp Act, followed by other taxes that ignited opposition to the crown’s policies, perceived by the colonists to overtax them to pay for the costs of the late war. Although the war with France had ended, the region remained turbulent due to difficulties with the Indians. The newly settled towns wasted no time establishing militia units, which remained in service until the opening of hostilities with Britain. At the time the charters were issued, the colonists had not given much thought to the location of their towns, which stood as a gateway between Massachusetts and Canada, but later, it became apparent that any invasion by the British from Canada would place them in jeopardy. During the transition period between the end of the late war and the ignition of the Revolution, additional colonists continued to move into the region. Among those were Scotsmen who settled at a place called Ryegate, but they too were staunchly committed to the Patriot cause rather than that of the Loyalists. During 1766, the New York Assembly appointed Jacob as justice of the peace and quorum (New Hampshire Grants). Later, during 1772, he was appointed as a judge of the Court of Common Pleas, a position he retained until 1777. In the meantime, as the colonies steadily moved away from the mother country and slipped closer to open hostilities, Jacob remained a staunch Patriot. Following the outbreak of hostilities, Jacob was again in the forefront as a leader. During 1775, he was elected as a delegate to the New York Congress, and in May of the following year he was nominated to receive a commission as brigadier general (militia of Cumberland and Gloucester counties). On 1 August 1776, he was commissioned brigadier by the New York Provincial Congress. While Jacob was at Boston, after deliberation with General George Washington on the ill-fated Canadian Campaign, he suggested and Washington authorized cutting a road to expedite the flow of reinforcements to cover the retreat of the American expeditionary force and shorten the distance of the arduous route. The mission was given to Captain Thomas Johnson and others from Newbury, Jacob Bailey, Frye Bailey ( Jacob’s nephew), and the Chamberlain brothers, Abial and Silas. The party was also accompanied by an Indian guide as they hacked their way forward, marking trees as they advanced to St. John’s, Canada, a journey of more than 90 miles that began on 26 March 1776 and ended on 1 April. Bailey’s route, as Washington had hoped, cut the distance by about 73 miles. From Boston to St. John’s on the new route through Newbury, the distance was 237 miles, while from Boston to Charlestown and Crown Point to St. John’s it was about 310 miles. The route was afterward used by reinforcements speeding to aid the beleaguered force; their journey was cut by about ten days, despite the necessity of using snowshoes through the wilderness. By spring of 1776, when the inclement weather ended, surveyors moved to begin establishing a road from Newbury to St. John’s, and as planned General Bailey led a large force to construct the highway. The British interfered with the project by moving down from Canada to destroy the markings along the route. Scouts returned to camp and informed General Bailey that a formidable force of British troops were en route to terminate the construction and they were following the route earlier marked on the trees. General Bailey’s progress by that

23 time had advanced beyond Peacham, but the enemy compelled him to order an expeditious retreat. Subsequently, the highway (Bailey-Hazen Military Road) was completed by Colonel (later general) Moses Hazen. The next year, General Bailey was one of a group of delegates appointed to deliver a remonstrance and petition from Vermont to the Continental Congress. On 2–8 July 1777, General Bailey was a delegate at the Windsor Convention, which drew up the state constitution. He was appointed to the Vermont Council of Safety. Also in 1777, he was also appointed as an agent to the Continental Congress. Despite the accumulation of various responsibilities that give the appearance of non-eventful duty, the general was often in danger, and the enemy had a price on his head. Although General Bailey is not among the more famous leaders who served the country during the war, at the time, he was well known by the British, particularly those in Canada, who were anxious to nab him for his repeated acts of sending spies to monitor British movements across the border. The British sent scouts, Tories and Indians to capture or kill the general, but despite several close calls, General Bailey was able to evade his enemies, preventing them from being awarded the 500 guineas offered for his capture or death. During the campaign in New York against General John Burgoyne, General Bailey was a participant as both commissary general of the Northern Department and as the commander of a militia brigade, in which several of his sons served. Once the supplies had been attended and distributed, General Bailey took command of the troops from western New Hampshire and eastern Vermont. During that time, General Bailey contributed much of his personal funds to the cause to support the campaign, and by the end of the conflict, Jacob had lost his fortune. Another of General Bailey’s notable accomplishments was his ability to befriend the St. Francis Indians and consummate a treaty of friendship. Their trust in Bailey persuaded them to support the Patriots against the French. During June of 1782, the British again attempted to snatch General Bailey. On the 17th of that month, only the timely message on a paper dropped off in front of the general at his residence prevented him from being captured. The succinct message from Colonel Thomas Johnson (on parole as a prisoner of the British) penned the letter after being informed by British spies and gave it to his brother-in-law, Dudley Carleton. Johnson was sworn by the parole not to inform of any British contact. Nevertheless, he instructed Carleton to inconspicuously drop the letter without saying a word. The message, “The Philistines be upon thee, Sampson,” was warning enough from his friend to allow Jacob to make a hurried exit. General Bailey slipped away and made it across the river to Haverhill. Seven guards, including Captain Frye Bailey, were on duty at his house, but they were too few to engage the enemy. They scattered into the woods, with one man being wounded, while Mrs. Bailey took cover in a concealed place under their noses in the garden, hoping the darkness would prevent the British from discovering her. Meanwhile, a servant, Sarah Fowler, remained in the home with one of the children in her arms. She annoyed the British intruders and even extinguished the candle several times to infuriate the search party. She was threatened with certain death if she persisted, prompting her not to again interrupt their candlelight, but the British inflicted no harm to her and to their dismay missed catching the general. The raiding party returned to Canada empty-handed and while on the property, they were not able to even intimidate the lone defender, Sarah, who ignored their loaded weapons and threats to prevail and be there to greet the guards when they returned. General Bailey was also involved in government. He was a member of the first state council (1778), and he served as a member during 1779 and yet again from 1784 to 1794. Nevertheless, the financial burden of General Bailey could not be overcome after the conclusion of the war.

BALDWIN His appeals to General Washington, with whom he remained friends after the war, had no effect upon Congress, and his applications to Congress for reimbursement were never approved. Consequently, what General Bailey still had as his estate had to be liquidated to pay his debts, causing him to live out his last years in poverty; however, he was not an isolated case. Congress often fell short of its responsibilities to the warriors who preserved their institution. General Bailey retained his faculties until the moment of his death, which occurred on 1 March 1816, while he was living with Isaac, one of his sons. General Bailey’s wife, Prudence, had succumbed on 1 June 1808.

Baldwin, Abraham (Signer of the U.S. Constitution) Abraham Baldwin, the son of Michael and Lucy Dudley Baldwin, was born in Guilford, Connecticut, on 23 November 1754. His family was not affluent or prominent. His father was a blacksmith, but despite his position in life regarding wealth, he was acutely aware of the necessity of receiving a good education to get ahead in the world. Consequently, Abraham’s father committed his total efforts to assure that Abraham attended college. Abraham entered and graduated from Yale through the resourcefulness and determination of his father, who went deeply into debt to borrow the money needed to pay the college expenses. During 1772, Abraham re-entered as a graduate student to further his education and prepare himself for life as a minister. By 1775, after the three additional years at Yale, he received a license to preach. Nevertheless, full time duty as a minister was postponed while he accepted a position as a tutor at Yale. Although in his early twenties, he was an accredited minister and due to the heavy emphasis on faith in the military, it was not unusual that he also served as a chaplain for Connecticut forces. Yale was considered a major source of chaplains for the army, and a high number of graduates scheduled for the ministry joined the army with the blessing and encouragement of the institution. At the time, patriotism was considered a natural part of the curriculum and the college’s reputation for producing Christian ministers was renowned. Initially, Baldwin’s commitment as a chaplain was on a part-time basis, but by 1779, as the Reverend Baldwin, he succeeded the Rev. Timothy Dwight as a brigade chaplain in General Samuel Holden Parsons’ brigade. The Reverend Baldwin held the post as chaplain until 1783, when the army was essentially disbanded, except for one artillery unit and one infantry unit. By the time Baldwin succeeded Dwight, the major fighting in the northern states had ended. Consequently, he was not present at any major battles; however, his task as spiritual director of the brigade remained heavy and constant while the brigade was deployed at West Point and other places along the Hudson River to deter the British from attempting a major advance from New York. The Reverend Baldwin, similarly to the other chaplains, also tended to the personal needs of the troops. He played a part in maintaining their understanding of morality, during and after his sermons. While serving as a chaplain, Baldwin began to study law, and prior to being released from the army, he gained admittance to the Connecticut bar, which permitted him to practice law. Duty in the Northern Department for the Connecticut brigades was often tedious and boring, but their mission was of great importance and defended Albany and the frontier from the British. Plans were set to launch an attack against the British in New York and the brigades practiced for the anticipated amphibious invasion; however, circumstances changed in the South, making the invasion unnecessary. General Lord Cornwallis had departed the Carolinas for Virginia, but he was outfoxed by General George Washington, who had successfully moved the main body of his army from the north, and from Philadelphia, the force was transported to join with Lafayette, who led the vanguard to oppose the British in Virginia. In October 1781, Cornwallis surrendered his entire army at Yorktown.

BARNEY Although the Reverend Baldwin’s participation was centered around spirituality, he became acquainted with many of the military leaders and he shared their devotion to the nation. The new relationships that he developed played a part in his life after the war and increased his awareness of new opportunities. After his separation from the service, Baldwin declined an offer accept the post at Yale as professor of divinity. He remained in Connecticut for a short while, and then he relocated in Georgia, where he established his law practice. Baldwin was apparently drawn to Georgia from separate directions. He had become familiar with General Nathanael Greene during the war and it was common conversation that Greene was working to get other retired officers to make the move to Georgia, where he intended to relocate. But also, Governor Lyman Hall (signer of the Declaration of Independence and a Yale graduate) had been interested in expanding the educational opportunities in Georgia, and he was in search of a man to take responsibility for the oversight of the program. As a Yale graduate, he sought counsel with Ezra Stiles, the president of Yale, and it was Stiles who spoke with Baldwin about the position and convinced him it would be a great opportunity. Consequently, Baldwin operated his law practice outside of Augusta, and he worked with the governor to improve education in the state. While in Georgia, Alexander was elected to the state legislature during 1794 and held the seat until 1789. He immediately injected his weight into the education agenda and succeeded in getting approval of a detailed plan that he had authored to advance the secondary educational system, but the plan also included institutions of higher education. He also proposed making land available for Franklin College (later University of Georgia). Although the execution was not immediate, it was carried out over prolonged period of time. His service in the legislature was a launching pad for utilizing his abilities as a minister and a lawyer. Abraham’s skills allowed him to accomplish more for education in the state, and he was elevated to chairman on a series of committees. The gentleman from Connecticut mixed well with the adventuresome frontiersman and a mutual respect grew between them. Alexander was an example of a colonial boy who moved from rags to riches while retaining his roots, his character and his piety. By 1785, he had become well known and his accomplishments in the legislature paid dividends when he was elected to the Continental Congress. Two years later, Baldwin was selected as a delegate from Georgia to attend the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia for the purpose of restructuring the government. He initially supported the proposal that representation would be distributed in relationship with property, but that idea had great opposition, particularly from the smaller states. After considering the opposition’s position and becoming aware that some states would not cooperate with such a proposal, Alexander shifted his stance and supported the proposal that passed, a House of Representatives with representation based on population and the U.S. Senate that gave each state equal representation regardless of size. During the deliberations, Baldwin’s vote, after changing his opinion, threw the vote into a tie, which interrupted the momentum that had been behind the original proposal. Afterward, the item was handed to a committee, which led to what became known as the “Great Compromise.” Had the former been adopted, small states among the original thirteen—like Delaware, Connecticut and Rhode Island — would have been left in the dust. Legislation would have been tilted toward the bigger states like New York and Pennsylvania. Alexander Baldwin was instrumental in drawing up the compromise, and he considered it as “his most important public service.” The U.S. Constitution was adopted in Philadelphia on 17 September 1787. Following adoption by nine of the thirteen states, the Constitution became effective. That occurred on 21 June 1788 when New Hampshire became the 9th state to ratify the Constitution.

24 Baldwin had completed his service in the Continental Congress when the Constitution took effect; however, his service was not terminated. Under the Constitution he was elected to the House of Representatives and served there for five terms. Afterward, he was elected to the U.S. Senate for two terms. During his service in the Senate he was president pro tem. While in Congress, Alexander aligned himself with the Democratic-Republicans (present-day Democrats). Alexander Baldwin died while serving in the Senate on 4 March 1807. His funeral was held two days after the Senate adjourned; however, many of his colleagues remained in town to attend his interment. He was interred in the Congressional burying ground next to one of his close friends, General James Jackson, who had died the previous year while serving in the Senate. Baldwin never married. His father, who died during 1787, left six orphaned children from the marriage with his second wife. Alexander is known to have greatly aided his half brother and half sisters after the death of his father. The children were all well educated and Alexander cared for them as if they were his own children. Also, through his philanthropic activities, he often provided financial aid to help young men receive an education.

Barney, Joshua Joshua Barney was born in Baltimore, Maryland, on 6 July 1759. He received experience on the sea while still a teenager, and by the time hostilities broke out with Britain, Joshua sided with the Patriots. He became a crew member of the Hornet and participated in the mission of invading New Providence during February–March 1776, when Marines landed and confiscated military stores. Later, on his birthday, 6 July, he was appointed a lieutenant in the Continental Navy, following his actions while engaged against the British in Delaware Bay. He became executive officer on the captured vessel Sachem (formerly HMS Edward ). In spring 1777 he was stationed on the Andrew Doria, one of the vessels assigned to defending Philadelphia. He sailed on 23 October, en route to St. Eustatius to pick up military supplies, and on the return trip, the Andrew Doria seized the 12-gun HMS Racehorse and a British snow, the Thomas. Barney was placed aboard the Thomas as prize master, but it never reached port. The British recaptured it on 4 January 1777. After being exchanged (October 20, 1777), Barney transferred to the Virginia, but almost immediately he was captured for the second time when the vessel ran aground in Chesapeake Bay near Annapolis on March 30–31, 1778. The captain of the Virginia, James Nicholson, abandoned the ship so fast that he left his trousers behind. Joshua Barney attempted to control the ship and maintain order among the crew, but many of them had become inebriated and Barney was overpowered by them before the ship was seized. Nicholson actually returned to the captured vessel under a white flag to request that his trousers be returned. During August, Barney was again exchanged. Undaunted, he again went to sea, but yet again, while serving on a privateer in 1779, he became a temporary guest of the British. After being exchanged during that same year, he resumed his naval career. He served aboard the Saratoga, which was launched in 1780. During that tour of duty, while in charge of a prize, Barney had the dubious honor of being captured for yet a fourth time; however, in retrospect, serving in a British prison saved his life. The Saratoga disappeared without a trace at some point beyond 18 March 1781. The British, after seizing Barney, chose no exchange. He was transported to New York and for a while received good treatment, including being permitted to venture ashore with the stipulation that he had to return to the Ardent at night. But the British officer responsible for his fair treatment was transferred, leaving Barney to a different fate. He, seventy other officers and some enlisted men were squeezed aboard the Yarmouth during December 1780 and taken to England. During the voyage the officers were held in dungeon-like conditions, cramped in

25 a space with a height of only three feet, and given putrid water and terrible food. No doctors were permitted to check on them, and before the ship reached England, following fifty-three days at sea, eleven officers had perished after losing their senses. One of the officers who survived along with Barney was Silas Talbot. And for the others, the conditions were equally deplorable. The British informed them that they were to be hanged. About eleven men died en route to Mill prison in Plymouth. Nonetheless, the young and agile naval officer began to plan a daring escape. The British suspected Barney as a high risk and for some time he was placed in solitary confinement, but rather than break his spirit, he became more determined to break out, despite a double wall and high security. Barney faked an injury and began to use crutches to lessen the scrutiny placed upon him. His ruse worked to perfection. While he hobbled about, he detailed in his mind how the security worked and in the process, by some luck, he encountered a British guard who had earlier been a captive of the Americans and, having been treated well, he naturally reciprocated, giving Barney the opportunity to befriend him. The guard condoned the escape and with the help of a few other Americans, the escape plan unfolded on 18 March 1781, while the guard had duty at the spot between the double wall. The guard signaled “Dinner,” meaning the jailers would be at dinner at 1300, leaving only sentinels on guard. While a few prisoners distracted the other guards in the yard, Barney passed by the friendly guard, then bolted upon a very tall American at the wall and catapulted to the top and from there landed to begin the great escape in the clothes of a British officer. An Englishman, known to be an American sympathizer, was stunned to answer a knock at his door and discover a British officer, and he was more startled when he found out the Barney was an American escapee, knowing that harboring a prisoner could have gotten him hanged. Nevertheless, arrangements were made to conceal him temporarily, and then Barney was hurried to the man’s father, a minister and friend of the Americans. All the while, the British had not yet discovered that Barney had been gone for a second day. Under the pretense of being a fisherman, Barney was put aboard a vessel and still no alarm had been sounded as the craft moved past the British fleet. However, after the vessel reached the open sea, a privateer pulled alongside to question the men on the fishing boat. Barney discarded his fishing attire, donned his British uniform and met the officer from the privateer with great authority, demanding that the privateer let him pass due to a secret mission that could not be interrupted without great peril. The astute officer required proof and Barney continued his rant, exclaiming that he could not expose the mission, but he would be glad to head back to Admiral Digby for him to explain. The officer was not too keen about that idea for fear the British Navy would press some of his crew in to service. Nonetheless, the officer insisted that they return to Plymouth. Still showing no signs of stress and continuing his impersonation of a British officer, Barney agreed, and both vessels moved toward Joshua Barney (Pictorial Field Book of port, reaching shore on the the Revolution, Benson J. Lossing, following morning. With Barney remaining aboard, still 1860)

BARNEY thought to be a British officer on a secret mission, the officer headed for Admiral Digby’s fleet. In the meantime, Barney was able to grab a rope and slide down the vessel and into a boat, injuring himself in the process, but he made it to shore and after a precarious encounter with a British customs officer made it safely back to the house of the minister, where he met two other former prisoners (Colonel Richardson and Doctor Hindman). At about that time, Barney’s ruse was discovered and the alarm was sounded. Barney remained at the minister’s home without being discovered for several days, and from there he was again given assistance. Having changed his appearance and dress, his coach was permitted to pass through the gate of the town and proceed to Exeter. From there, Barney continued his escape by riding a public stagecoach to Bristol and, still without being discovered, he was able to travel to London, bid it a fond farewell and sailed to France. From there he went to Holland and boarded the privateer South Carolina. After a turbulent voyage, Barney and some others boarded the privateer Cicero, out of Beverly, Massachusetts. Finally, Barney completed his bold escape and reached America. At Boston, he met other Americans who had also escaped from Mill prison. After his return to the U.S., Barney married (1781) Ann Bedford (sister of Gunning Bedford). Barney declined offers to command a privateer and traveled to Philadelphia where he took command of the 16gun Hydor Alley (armed by Pennsylvania) during March 1782. Although Lord Cornwallis had surrendered at Yorktown, Virginia, during the previous October and the major fighting in the North had ended, Pennsylvania was concentrating on terminating the British privateers that had been operating on the Delaware River. On 8 April Barney vanquished the HMS General Monk (formerly the George Washington) in Delaware Bay following a brief but tenacious battle that compelled the British to strike the colors. An accompanying privateer, the Fair American, offered no assistance to the General Monk. Lieutenant Barney was promoted to captain by Congress following the victory. The General Monk, operating in the vicinity of the Delaware Capes since 1780, had devastated or captured about sixty vessels while under command of Captain Rogers, until Barney knocked her from the British service. Barney became the commander of the prize, renamed the General Washington, and sailed for France during November 1782. Upon his return, he carried dispatches from Benjamin Franklin indicating the imminent termination of hostilities, following the recent signing of preliminary peace terms. Nonetheless, Barney seemed unable to lose his propensity for capture. During 1793, he again spent some time in captivity after being seized by the British on charges of piracy. Subsequently, Barney served as a captain in the service of France, coincidentally during the Quasi War with France, but he returned to the United States during 1800. When war again erupted with England in 1812, Joshua Barney spent time as a privateer. His exploits in the Rossie, beginning on 15 July 1812 when he sailed from Chesapeake Bay, resulted in the seizure of eighteen vessels; one was the HMS Princess Amelia. The successful cruise ended on the 21 November 1812. Barney, after becoming aware of the British warships in the Chesapeake, proposed (4 July 1813) constructing a small fleet of gunboats that could be flexible enough to take on the Royal Navy’s blockade of Chesapeake Bay. His blueprint included gunboats that could also be rowed, to permit his men to navigate the rivers and outmaneuver the large warships. His blueprint was approved by William Jones, the secretary of the navy, making Barney’s fleet a temporary part of the U.S. Navy. Consequently, Barney, who had retired after the War for Independence, was reactivated. He received the rank of commodore. A naval battery at St. Leonard’s Creek, Maryland, was established to provide protection of the gunboats on the Patuxent River. The fleet was constructed and was activated at Baltimore during May 1814. The following month, Barney’s squadron of eighteen light-draft gunboats

BARNWELL engaged the British, but soon after, the outmatched Americans disengaged and broke for the Patuxent River. On 8–10 June, the British, having failed to destroy Barney’s squadron on Chesapeake Bay, moved to destroy it at Leonard’s Creek. Despite the unyielding pounding, Barney’s squadron refused to capitulate and the British once again failed to eliminate the threat. Barney broke through the blockade and headed farther up the Patuxent River. At Pig’s Point on 22 August, Barney ordered the squadron (16 gunboats and 13 schooners, including Barney’s sloop Scorpion) destroyed to prevent capture by the British. Barney afterward moved with his force to the defense of Bladensburg, where the British were pressing toward Washington. At Bladensburg, the British introduced a new and mysterious weapon — rockets — that caused panic among the American defenders, most of whom were fresh troops with no experience. The Americans, numbering about 6,000 men against 2,600 of the enemy, deserted their positions and headed back to Washington, but without pause they kept moving into Virginia, leaving the capital without defense except for one battalion of U.S. Marines, who held their ground at Bladensburg, and the contingent of sailors under Captain Joshua Barney, which also was prepared to fight. As it turned out, the British had not introduced a pernicious weapon; rather, they had catapulted pyrotechnics (fireworks) that exploded in midair, but caused no harm. The ruse had not fooled either the Marines or Barney’s men. The British attempted to overrun the thin line of Americans, but Captain Samuel Miller USMC and his force held the line and inflicted more than 225 casualties upon the British. Finally, after two hours of preventing passage, the Marines and Barney’s force withdrew. However, the time bought allowed President James Madison to get back to the White House and get his wife to safety. British General Robert Ross was able to move into Washington, but he failed to nab the president. During the attack at Bladensburg, Captain Barney was wounded in the thigh, making it difficult to escape. He once again became a reluctant guest of the British, but he was soon after released. The fighting at Bladensburg ended Captain Barney’s service in the field; however, following his recuperation, Barney again took command of his squadron during October of 1814 and retained it until October of 1815, when it was deactivated. Although the British took Washington in the War of 1812 and burned parts of it, they were driven from the town, not by the American army; rather by a tremendous storm that terrified the British as much as their rockets had scared the Americans. Captain Barney carried the ball that struck him in the thigh until his death. During 1815, he traveled to Europe, but he was compelled to cut his mission short due to his health. During 1818, Captain Barney had been in the process of relocating from Elkridge, Maryland, to Kentucky, but while traveling, he became seriously ill at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He succumbed there on 1 December 1818.

Barnwell, Brigadier General John John Barnwell, the son of Nathaniel and Mary Gibbes Barnwell, was born in Charleston, South Carolina, during July 1748. He was one of ten children. John’s mother was the daughter of Colonel John and Mary Woodward Gibbes and the granddaughter of Governor Robert Gibbes. John’s father was the son of Colonel John Barnwell, known as “Tuscarora” from his exploits against the Indians. The other children of Nathaniel and Mary were Nathaniel (b. August 1739); John (b. May 1741, died October 1748); Anne (b. September 1743, married Colonel Thomas Middleton to become his second wife, afterward married Colonel (later General) Stephen Bull of Sheldon); Mary (b. April 1745, married William Elliott); Nathaniel (b. February 1746); Robert (b. August 1749, died September 1749); Bridget (b. October 1750, died May 1751); Robert (b. March 1752, died July 1752); Elizabeth (b. 1753, married Richard Gough); Richard (b. January 1755, died October 1766);

26 Edward (b. November 1757, died 1808); Robert Gibbes (b. 1761, died 1814) and Sarah (b. 1764, married James Hazzard Cuthbert). At about age eighteen, John married Elizabeth Fenwick, the only child of Edward and Martha Izard Fenwick, during early 1766. Elizabeth succumbed that same year. By that time, Elizabeth’s mother had succumbed and her father had remarried in 1753 to Mary Drayton, the daughter of Thomas Drayton. Elizabeth’s father and her step-mother had a large family, including Edward, John, Martha, Mary and Sarah. Following Elizabeth’s death, John remained a widower for about ten years before he remarried, taking Ann Hutson, the daughter of the Rev. William Hutson, as his second wife. In the meantime, the colonies remained on a collision course with Britain. Soon after the clash at Lexington and Concord during April 1775, John was among those in Charleston who took up arms to support the Patriots’ cause. On 17 June 1775, he received his commission as captain of the 1st South Carolina Regiment. As the conflict was unfolding on a larger scale, the South Carolina Secret Committee, informed of the imminent arrival of an English transport laden with powder, sprang into action. The committee expeditiously communicated with Patriots in Georgia and armed a vessel to intercept the armed escort sent out by Governor James Wright. The two colonies coordinated, and the Georgia provincial government commissioned an armed schooner. Two Georgians, Captains Oliver Bowen and Joseph Habersham, along with Captain John Barnwell and Captain John Joyner, both South Carolinians, led the mission. The vessel embarked in timely fashion and Wright’s vessel chose not to fight. It took flight, leaving the hefty cargo on the transport to its fate. The munitions were taken and divided in such fashion that a fair portion was sent to Massachusetts. The vessel and cargo were taken to North Edisto Inlet, where the Georgians re-packed a liberal supply of the gunpowder, then camouflaged it by covering the powder with sacks of rice. Barnwell’s initial mission in the conflict ended with spectacular success, although it was not generally known at the time. The floating powder keg embarked and safely reached its destination. The cargo was desperately needed and was jubilantly welcomed upon its arrival subsequent to the Battle of Bunker Hill. Unknown to John Barnwell and the others aboard the ship that seized the powder, their daring raid enabled the Patriots at Boston to maintain the siege and their captured powder paved the way for the invasion of Canada. Later that same year, John resigned his commission (December 1775), but afterward he served first as captain in Colonel Benjamin Garden’s regiment (Granville County militia) and then as major. On 3 February 1779, a British contingent of about 200 troops under Major Gardener clashed with Colonel William Moultrie’s forces at Beaufort (Battle of Port Royal). The British dispatched by General Augustine Prevost were repelled and driven back to Georgia. John Barnwell participated in the action and two other prominent leaders also fought in the battle, Captains Thomas Heyward and Edward Rutledge (both were signers of the Declaration of Independence). The victory by Moultrie’s militia deterred Prevost from initiating any further action into South Carolina for a long time. The militia afterward focused on defending Charleston. John Barnwell also participated in the defense of Charleston during 1780. He and his brothers Edward and Robert were among the thousands captured when the city fell on 12 May 1780. The British restricted their hospitality for Major Barnwell and his brothers to the prison ship PackHorse. During that period, the British, without justification, executed Colonel Isaac Hayne, and the action caused General Nathanael Greene to retaliate. At Charleston, John Barnwell and his two brothers were informed they could be among other prisoners to be executed if Greene carried out his threat. In reaction, John, Edward and Robert as well as other captives signed a message to Greene (that was forwarded to the general)

27 that they should not interfere with his actions and that “they were ready to die in the cause of their country.” Greene’s intent was taken seriously and no harm came to the Barnwells. John’s release occurred during June of the following year as part of a large prisoner exchange. Soon after his exchange, Barnwell was appointed brigadier general by Governor John Rutledge, and with his appointment he received command of a recently raised militia brigade (4th). After the close of hostilities, General Barnwell was promoted to major general with command of the 2nd South Carolina Division. Rutledge selected Barnwell over another officer, Colonel William Harden. General Barnwell also served in the South Carolina Senate. John Barnwell succumbed during August 1800 and was interred at St. Helena’s Episcopal Church in Beaufort, S.C. General Barnwell and his second wife, Anne Hutson, had eight children: John Gibbes Barnwell (b. February 1778, died 1828); Nathaniel (b. May 1779, died 1795); Mary Hutson (b. 1781, married Robert Means); Anne Middleton (b. December 1783, married John Habersham); Elizabeth (b. March 1786, married James Cuthbery); Sarah (b. April 1788, died unmarried); Esther Wigg (b. 1790, died in infancy) and William Washington (b. 1793, died in infancy).

Barry, Commodore John John Barry was born in Ballysampson in County Wexford, Northern Ireland, about 1746 and was raised in Rostoonstown, parish of Tachmshin, Barony of Forth, Leinster Province. Barry’s father was also named John. His mother, Catherine, married twice more during her lifetime; however, her marriage to John Barry, Sr., resulted in the births of three other children, Peter, Thomas and Catherine. During 1760, John immigrated to America. He settled in Philadelphia, where he initially lived with Thomas Willing (a merchant), and afterward, General John Cadwalader, prior to acquiring his own residence, where he settled with his first wife (name uncertain), who died during the war. He remarried in 1777, but neither marriage brought about children. Barry’s second wife was Sarah Austin, a Protestant who converted to Catholicism during 1779. One of Sarah’s two brothers, William Austin, became a Loyalist and was renounced as a traitor. By the time Barry arrived in America he had already acquired experience on the seas as a captain of a merchant ship. One of the vessels under his command was the Barbadoes, and after relinquishing command in 1771, he commanded the schooner Patty and Polly. Others included the schooner Industry, the Frugality, the Peggy and, during 1774, the Black Prince (later the Alfred ), the latter owned by John Nixon. During the initial days of the conflict with Britain, prior to the Declaration of Independence, Congress appointed Barry as commander of the first ship of the Continental Navy, the Wild Duck, an armed brigantine that had arrived at Maryland with a cargo of gunpowder. The ship, acquired by Congress, was renamed the Lexington, and on 13 March 1776, Barry received command. He actually received his commission on 7 December 1775, two weeks prior to the formal organization of the Continental Navy. The move was unusual for the time and a testament to Barry’s skills. On 28 March, Congress John Barry (Pictorial Field Book of the took action to bolster Barry, who had been assigned duty Revolution, Benson J. Lossing, 1860)

BARRY on the Delaware River, by resolving “that the Marine Committee be empowered to purchase, on the most reasonable terms, for the use of the continent, the ship, Molly [renamed the Reprisal and commanded by Lambert Wickes], and to fit her out, with all possible expedition, to join Captain Barry, on his cruize along the coast, between New York and Virginia.” Off the coast of Cape Charles, Virginia, on 7 April, Barry engaged and seized the HMS Edward, tender to the HMS Liverpool. Congress was elated with Barry’s success and awarded him (6 June) the yet unfinished Effingham, named in honor of Lord Effingham, who resigned his commission in the British army rather than take up arms against the Americans. However, the Effingham was never completed and the Americans destroyed it in May 1778. In the meantime, the Edward, renamed the Sachem, began its service in the Continental Navy by accompanying the Lexington. On the 9th of April 1776, while at Egg Harbor, New Jersey, Barry was directed to move to Cape May to rendezvous with the sloop Betsy and accompany it to France for the purpose of transporting Silas Deane, the American minister, to the French court. Upon arrival, Barry found that the Betsy had sailed alone. Following some action along the Delaware, he returned to Philadelphia aboard the Lexington on the 26th of September, and at that time, relinquished his command of the Lexington. During December 1777, Barry was summoned to appear before Congress at York, Pennsylvania, to respond to charges of disrespect to a member (Francis Hopkinson) of the Navy Board at Bordentown, New Jersey. On 29 January 1778, Congress resolved that “Captain Barry be not employed on the expedition assigned to his conduct by the Marine Committee, till further orders of Congress.” In February 1778, Barry, using boats, descended the Delaware to harass the British at Philadelphia and destroy their vessels. The mission succeeded and in addition, Barry’s party aided General Anthony Wayne’s army by ferrying contingents across from Delaware and aiding them during a cattle roundup to provide food for the troops at Valley Forge. Wayne, like Barry, was a member of the Friendly Sons of Saint Patrick. Apparently, General George Washington, although not a member, had good feelings for the saint. On St. Patrick’s Day 1778, Washington proclaimed: “I too, am a lover of St. Patrick.” He authorized distribution of extra grog as a friendly gesture to the Irish in response to the ones responsible for constructing a “Stuffed Paddy.” During March of 1778, Barry encountered British warships. In the meantime, the Marine Committee, on 21 February, reported that “Captain Barry hath treated the said board [navy], in the person Mr. Hopkinson, one of that board, with indecency and disrespect, and that he ought, within twenty days after this resolve shall have been notified to him by the said board, make such acknowledgment as shall be satisfactory to them.” On the 7th of March, Barry, still operating south of Philadelphia, captured three British vessels, but two days later, more British warships arrived, and during an attempt to escape, one of the captured vessels was not fast enough, compelling Barry to beach it. Barry and his contingent escaped capture, but they were forced to remain in Delaware until May. During September 1778, Barry, having never gained command of the Effingham due to the British occupation of Philadelphia and the selfdestruction of the warship, received command of the Raleigh at Boston on 25 September. Part of Barry’s crew was composed of fifty British captives who served as Marines. During the Raleigh’s first day at sea it encountered warships, the 50-gun HMS Experiment and the 22-gun Unicorn, off the coast of Maine. On the 26th, after having evaded the two stronger ships on the previous day, contact was again made. During the battle the Raleigh grounded near the mouth of the Penobscot River and came under bombardment by both British ships. Barry and the crew, following nine hours of combat, made it to dry land, but the ship was not destroyed as ordered. Just as the British begin the bombardment at dawn on the 26th, Midshipman Jeacocks,

BARTLETT in defiance of orders, struck the colors and failed to burn the ship. The British dispatched a boat under a white flag and took possession of the Raleigh and the crew members who had not yet made it to the mainland. On 10 November 1778, Congress authorized an expedition to seize East Florida and, as part of the resolution, officers of the Continental Army who served until the seizure of St. Augustine were to receive land grants. Congress also selected Captain John Barry to command all vessels involved with the expedition, “pursuant to the orders of General Washington.” Barry was not jubilant about his selection; however, the expedition never occurred. Barry, without a command, took command of a privateer, the Delaware, with a commission from Congress of February 15, 1779. During August 1780, the Frenchman, Captain Pierre Landais, serving in the Continental Navy, was forcefully removed from the Alliance after it arrived back from France. Captain John Barry was appointed the Alliance’s new commander. Landais, accused of being insane, received a court-martial and was dismissed from the service. In February 1781 the Alliance departed for France with passengers Colonel John Laurens, Thomas Paine and the Viscount de Noailles (Lafayette’s cousin). On the 4th of March it seized a British privateer, the Alert. After delivering the passengers, Barry embarked for the United States on 29 March. A mutiny was planned by some of the British crew members soon after the Alliance departed, but Barry was informed and was able to quickly suppress it. Soon after, on 2 April, the Alliance, accompanied by a French warship, the Marquis de la Lafayette, spotted two British warships and the British chose to fight rather than run. Both vessels were captured, but the French captain disobeyed Barry’s orders and sailed the prizes (Mars and Minerva) to France rather than Philadelphia. In the latter part of March, the Alliance encountered the British vessels Atlanta and Trepassy off Nova Scotia, but prior to reaching Boston, the Atlanta was recaptured by the British. The Alliance reached port at Boston on 6 June. During December 1781, Captain Barry left Boston aboard the Alliance en route to France to deliver the Marquis de Lafayette, returning to the United States on 16 March with dispatches from Benjamin Franklin. The voyage remained uneventful until it reached the Delaware Capes on the 10th of May. After spotting British warships, Barry took a circuitous route to avoid a contest with the more powerful squadron and arrived at New London instead of Philadelphia on the 13th of May. Three days later, a mutiny occurred, due to orders forbidding liberty, but Barry returned to the ship and it was subdued. The Alliance once again departed on 4 August, en route to Bermuda in search of prizes. From there the vessel moved to Newfoundland and arrived on 10 September. From there, Barry sailed to France and remained there until 13 January 1783, when he embarked for Havana, Cuba. He arrived there on 31 January, but his orders were changed and he was stuck there until the 6 March. En route to the United States, the Alliance and the Duc de Luzon encountered the HMS Alarm, the HMS Sybil and the HMS Tobago in the Straits of Florida. Within a short while another vessel arrived, but it was French. The Alliance and the Sybil pounded each other, but the other British ships failed to enter the fight. The Sybil then disengaged and headed north while the Alliance continued to sail toward Philadelphia. Upon discovering a British squadron there, Barry switched course and sailed to Rhode Island, reaching it on 20 March. On the 31st, Barry and the crew were informed that the war had ended. Consequently, the Alliance had engaged in the final naval confrontation of the conflict. En route to Philadelphia, the Alliance paused at New York and Barry had a cordial visit with the captain of the Sybil. During the Constitutional Convention of 1787 in Philadelphia, Barry became involved with some who were attempting to delay action on forming the new government. The body lacked a quorum. Consequently, Barry and others sought out those who tried to cause the delay and compelled them to attend the meeting at the State House (In-

28 dependence Hall). Action was pending against Barry, but nothing came of it. Captain Barry sailed to China as captain of a merchant ship, the Asia, during January 1788. Then, on 5 June, 1794, in conjunction with the re-establishment of the U.S. Navy, John Barry was appointed the first captain, followed by Samuel Nicholson, Silas Talbot, Joshua Barney, Richard Dale and Thomas Truxton. Barry, who was the first to receive command of a ship during the Revolution, was also the first to get command of a ship in the new navy. Barry commanded the United States at a time when war with France seemed inevitable. John Barry succumbed at Philadelphia on 30 September 1803 and was interred in the cemetery at St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church. The name of his first wife is uncertain and records are unclear; however, on 31 October 1767, a marriage license, according to the Pennsylvania Archives, was issued to a John Barry and Mary Farrell. On 10 October 1777, a marriage license was issued to a John Barry and Mary Cleary. Nonetheless, a relative of Barry claimed he married Mary Burns. The exact date of the death of his first wife is also uncertain, and the markings on the grave site are missing a number, but it is thought that the year 1774, supplied by the Sons of St. Patrick, is accurate. Captain Barry’s second wife, and his widow, Sarah, converted to Catholicism during 1779. Both of his wives were interred at St. Mary’s. The Alliance was sold after the close of hostilities, but her total destruction did not occur until 1901, when the American Dredging Company destroyed the ruins of the ship to widen the channel at Petty’s Island, across the Delaware from Philadelphia.

Bartlett, Josiah (Signer of the Declaration of Independence) Josiah Bartlett was born in Massachusetts on 21 November 1729. His parents were Stephen and Hannah Webster Bartlett, who settled in the town of Amesbury (Essex County). The Bartletts had four other sons and one daughter: Joseph, Stephen, Simon, Levi and Hannah. As a youngster, Josiah, having been blessed with a superior mind and an excellent memory, effortlessly mastered several languages in addition to English. He became fluent in Greek and Latin, which seemed to place him on a path toward medicine. At about age sixteen, Josiah’s interest in medicine became serious; however, he did not enter college. Rather, he studied medicine in Amesbury under the tutorship of a relative, Doctor James Ordway. The doctor had married Tirzah Titcomb Bartlett, the widow of Thomas Bartlett. By the time Josiah reached his twentyfirst birthday, he had initiated his own medical practice in Kingston, New Hampshire. He resided with a cleric, the Rev. Joseph Secumbe. During 1752, Josiah was struck down with fever and the medications he received from his doctor apparently caused his condition to worsen. For a while, the prognosis suggested Josiah’s sickness was fatal. Nevertheless, from his deathbed, Josiah startled the two men who had been keeping vigil with him through the night, when he sent them to acquire cider and further directed them to follow his instructions in feeding the cider to him in increments. Surprisingly, to the astonishment of all, the cider broke the fever and by dawn, Bartlett was in the process of making a remarkable recovery. Josiah Bartlett (Biographical Sketches After his brush with death, of the Signers of the Declaration of Bartlett found his practice Independence, Benson J. Lossing, 1854)

29 expanding, and at about the same time, he was moving closer to ending his bachelorhood. Josiah Bartlett married a cousin, Mary Bartlett, the daughter of his father’s brother, Joseph Bartlett of Newton, during 1754. Josiah and Mary had a large family. As listed in “Forefathers and Defendants of Willard and Genevieve Bartlett” (by Genevieve W. Bartlett, 1952) eight of their children survived infancy. They were Levi (b. 15 September 15 1763, d. 1828), Josiah II (b. 29 August 1768, d. 1838), Ezra (b. 13 September 1770, d. 1848), Mary (b. 2 December 1754), Miriam (b. 19 June 1758), Rhoda (b. 22 May 1760), Sarah (b. 29 July 1773) and Lois (b. 2 June, 1756). In the same years that Josiah and Sarah were born, Josiah Sr. lost his mother (1768) and father (1773). In the meantime, Josiah’s practice continued to flourish. All the while, he continued his investigative work and later his perseverance paid a huge dividend. A reappearance (1754–1755) of an epidemic known as “throat distemper” was rapidly wiping out children under ten years of age, and there was no cure. After one of Doctor Bartlett’s own children came down with the disease and known remedies failed to cure his child, he discovered an antidote using Peruvian bark. Josiah, a skilled physician, was held in high esteem in the province, both as a physician and as a leader. He was called upon to command a regiment (militia) as tensions grew between the colonists and the English. Having been elected as a selectman in 1757, Josiah entered politics on a higher scale during 1765, when he was elected as the Kingston delegate to the provincial legislature, during the term of Governor Benning Wentworth, the latter being succeeded by his nephew, John Wentworth, two years later. John Wentworth attempted to bring Bartlett into his circle; however, Doctor Bartlett, despite his appointment as magistrate (1767), was not fooled nor swayed by the attempts to gain his sympathies. He remained adamantly opposed to the practices of the royal governors, who had favored their friends with grants and other perks. The royal governors also favored the Episcopal Church (Church of England), while many of the inhabitants, including Bartlett were Calvinists. The tension between Britain and the colonies intensified. By spring of 1774, the gap was rapidly widening and reaching a point from where there was no path left to lead toward reconciliation. The New Hampshire legislature assembled and established a committee of correspondence, of which Josiah became a member. The action incited the governor, prompting him to resort to swift retaliation. He dissolved the body, but to no avail. The patriots ignored the governor and his directives. They defiantly assembled at Exeter on 21 July to chart their destiny. With eighty-one patriots in attendance, Josiah Bartlett and John Pickering were selected as delegates to the Continental Congress in Philadelphia. However, Pickering declined the appointment, and Bartlett had just lost his home to fire, prompting him to also decline. The fire followed coercion by the governor and some Loyalists to compel Josiah to stop his activity with the patriots. Their actions, however, intensified Josiah’s opposition and increased the fire in his heart. In their stead, Nathaniel Folsom and John Sullivan were appointed. Bartlett’s public career came to a halt during 1775, when he was notified that the governor rescinded his commission and he lost his position as justice of the peace (magistrate). Following the loss of their home, Mary encouraged Josiah to press forward. She and the children sought temporary shelter and then removed to their small farm, which she tended while Josiah tended to the patriots’ cause. Other American patriots were tossed out of the militia. On 11 July 1774, the governor suspended the legislature until September, but afterward, he postponed it until the following April, in what became his final act as royal governor. At the time of the governor’s action, he had already fled to a British warship in Portsmouth Harbor and from there, he moved to the Island of Shoals. Shortly after the governor’s hurried departure, a provincial congress assembled, with Matthew Thornton

BARTLETT sitting as president. Without delay, a new government was established and as part of its formation, each member was required to take an oath of allegiance. This permanently terminated the governing of New Hampshire by royal governors, who had been in place for about ninety years. In the meantime, other Patriots across the land had been assembling in reaction to the skirmishes at Lexington, Concord and Bunker Hill, essentially severing any remaining chances of reconciliation with Britain. Bartlett was appointed as a delegate to the Continental Congress (August 1775) in place of John Sullivan, who by that time had become a general officer in the Continental Army. Soon after, during September, Bartlett was back with military duty after being appointed colonel of a militia regiment by the New Hampshire Provincial Congress. Bartlett, however, had no available time to serve in the field. He arrived in Philadelphia to represent New Hampshire on 16 September 1775. During January 1776, Bartlett again was elected as a delegate to the Continental Congress, along with John Langdon and William Whipple; however, Langdon, due to another appointment, although a strong proponent of independence, had to decline to accept the position as naval agent. As the major break became more imminent, Bartlett, on February 19, noted in a letter to his family: “We have nothing to expect from Britain but war and bloodshed.... Indeed it seems very hard that Britain is seizing all American vessels, and the Americans are not permitted to return the compliment.” On July 2, upon agreement that the northernmost colony was to begin the vote, New Hampshire was the first called upon to finalize the break. The first New Hampshire delegate to vote was Doctor Bartlett, who voted “Yea and Amen!” His vote started the tumultuous and unanimous decision to declare independence. During that stressful year, Bartlett’s health began to deteriorate, and although he was re-elected to Congress on Christmas Eve 1776, he was compelled to return to his home prior to the end of 1777 and was unable to return to Congress until 1778, after being elected yet again on 14 March 1778, along with John Wentworth, a son of the former lieutenant governor also named John. Soon after arriving at York, Pennsylvania, where Congress was in session, John again became ill. He was forced to return to his home and family, ending his congressional service. Although Bartlett was absent when the Articles of Confederation were adopted on 15 November 1777, he did support and later sign them. Each of the states later ratified the articles, and the confederation became effective on 1 March 1781. On that day, the Congressional Journal listed the signers. When the articles were adopted in 1777, the Congress was meeting in York because the British controlled Philadelphia. Following the British evacuation, Congress returned to Philadelphia in groups rather than as a whole body, and by that time Bartlett had arrived in York. En route to Philadelphia, he traveled only with a servant, and at a stop along the way, he was warned of the dangers due to robbers. Josiah was warned that the bandits had recently held up a paymaster who was transporting Continental currency (paper) to General George Washington, but the paymaster successfully posed as a “poor Quaker” and was allowed to continue his journey. Josiah disregarded the danger and after a short pause continued his journey, which he completed without harm. After his arrival in Philadelphia, Josiah noted in his letters home that the state house (Independence Hall) had been left in uninhabitable condition and that the British had also destroyed many of the finer homes in the city. In August 1778, Bartlett yet again was elected to Congress, but his contribution to the American cause had cost him a great deal in his private affairs and carried his family close to financial ruin. He was compelled to return home to attend to his affairs. He took a leave of absence, departed Congress on 31 October 1778, and never returned. Doctor Bartlett remained active in New Hampshire and was quite aware of the dire circumstances of the army and of the citizens. In his state, prices skyrocketed, troops were in short supply and Loyalists and

BARTLETT others were circulating counterfeit money. Bartlett’s emotions were clearly stated in a letter written on 13 March 1779: “I grow perfectly weary of the war; it is enough to make one sick of human nature, to think mankind should be such fools as to distress, wound, maim, kill, and destroy one another, for no other reason but to gratify the will and pleasure of tyrants, who will take care to remain in a whole skin themselves.” During that same year, 1779, Doctor Bartlett was appointed chief justice in the Court of Common Pleas, and during the following year, he was appointed muster-master of the troops being raised in New Hampshire. In 1782 Bartlett was raised to a justice of the Superior Court to succeed Judge Matthew Thornton and later, during 1788, he became chief justice of New Hampshire. He was one of the prominent men of New Hampshire who attended the convention in New Hampshire at Concord to ratify the Constitution on 21 June 1788 and cause New Hampshire to become the ninth state in the union. Nevertheless, Doctor Bartlett’s contribution to the nation did not end with ratification of the Constitution. He was selected as a member of the U.S. Senate (1789), but his poor health at the age of sixty years compelled him to decline the position. His wife, Mary, died that year, increasing the burden he was carrying. Mary hardly had time to enjoy her new house, which had finally been constructed. During the following year, 1790, Josiah was selected as the president of New Hampshire, a post he accepted and retained until June 1793, when he was elected governor just as the post was renamed from president to governor. That same year, Dartmouth awarded Bartlett an honorary doctor of medicine degree. In 1794 Bartlett persuaded the legislature to grant a charter for the New Hampshire Medical Society, of which he became its initial president. Despite his eagerness to serve, his health continued to deteriorate and on the 29 January 1794, he resigned his office as governor. His resignation letter to the legislature said: “After having served the public for a number of years, to the best of my ability, in the various offices to which I have had the honour to be appointed, I think it proper, before your adjournment, to signify to you, and through you to my fellow citizens at large, that I now find myself so far advanced in age, that it will be expedient for me, at the close of the session, to retire from the cares and fatigue of public business, to the repose of a private life.” Doctor Josiah Bartlett, who had been among that select few who formally declared independence on the Fourth of July, 1776, and offered their lives, fortunes and sacred honor, succumbed at the age of 66 on 19 May 1795. He was interred at the Plains Cemetery in Kingston, alongside his wife, Mary. A statue dedicated to Bartlett was later erected in the town square of Kingston. Josiah was survived by six of his children, including his three sons, Levi (married Sarah Hook, November 1781, and Abigail Stevens, April 1807), Josiah (married Miss E. Wingate in 1792 and Hannah Weeks during 1812), and Ezra (married Hannah Gale in April 1796). In addition, he was survived by his daughters Mary (married Jonathan Greeley, March 1780), a widow since the death of her husband during 1789, Sarah (married Doctor Amos Gale, April 1796) and Lois (unmarried, date of death uncertain). His daughters, Rhoda (married Reuben True, February 1789) and Miriam (married Joseph Calef, June 1781), predeceased him, succumbing during 1784 and 1785 respectively. Hannah had died prior to reaching maturity. At the time of his death, Doctor Josiah Bartlett was also survived by five grandchildren, Polly and Josiah Greeley, Josiah and Miriam Calef and Josiah Bartlett True. The “Josiah Bartlett House” in Kingston was designated a National Historic Landmark during 1971.

Bartlett, Brigadier General Thomas Thomas Bartlett, the son of Israel and Love Hall Bartlett, was born in Nottingham, New Hampshire, on 22 October 1745. Israel and Love had five other children: Joseph Hall (named after Love’s father); Sarah (b. November 1741); Israel (b. 1748); Mary (b. August 1751) and Josiah

30 (b. March 1753). Thomas later married Sarah, a daughter of General Joseph Cilley. Together, Thomas and Sarah had the following children: Israel (married a sister of General Butler of Deerfield); Joseph; Thomas of Nottingham; Jonathan of Mt. Vernon; Bradbury of Nottingham (later New Hampshire senator and representative and brigadier general of militia) and Josiah of Lee (served as U.S. Army officer during War of 1812). Thomas served during the revolution and rose to the rank of colonel by 1778, when he participated in the Rhode Island Campaign. During that same year, Colonel Bartlett served on the New Hampshire Committee of Safety. In 1780, Colonel Bartlett and his regiment were deployed at West Point. After the war Colonel Bartlett became a major general of militia and succeeded his father-in-law, Major General Joseph Cilley. During 1790, Thomas was appointed as a judge on the Court of Common Pleas, a position he retained until his death in 1805. Thomas’ son, Bradbury, also became a judge of the Court of Common Pleas.

Bassett, Richard The son of Arnold and Judith Thompson Bassett, Richard Bassett was born in Cecil County, Maryland, on 2 April 1745. Richard’s early life became complicated after his father, who was a farmer and the operator of a tavern, abandoned the family. Richard fared well because of the generosity of a relative, Peter Lawson, who ensured that the family was not further damaged. Through the support of Lawson, Richard received an excellent education, and upon the death of his benefactor, he inherited his estate, “Bohemia Manor.” By 1770, Richard had completed his studies and gained admittance to the bar at Dover, Delaware. (At that time the state of Delaware was considered the lower part of Pennsylvania.) Richard’s law practice continued to grow, which elevated him to a position of prominence. As his law practice prospered, he acquired more land in the vicinity of Dover and at Wilmington, Delaware. Richard also engaged in farming, but while accumulating his wealth, he possessed philanthropic tendencies and frequently helped others in need. Bassett served in the militia during the Revolutionary War, but his service was confined to Delaware. With the rank of captain, he commanded a contingent of cavalry (Dover militia) and was a member of the Delaware Committee of Safety. Nevertheless, through his military service, Captain Bassett gained valuable experience; the perils of the war actually affected his lifestyle. He became much more conservative with his spending and his days of entertaining were curtailed. The severity of the crisis that overcame the nation transformed Bassett into a much more serious man. His military service focused primarily on mobilizing troops and logistics to maintain the units that were in the field. He was involved in communicating with the other nearby militias and civil leaders in Maryland and Pennsylvania. In addition, he was often in communication with the Continental Army, particularly during that dark period, the summer of 1777, when the British landed at the Head of the Elk and advanced toward Philadelphia. Regarding travels, he would be considered as a recluse, with only infrequent trips out of Delaware. The experiences of the war and as a lawyer-farmer further Richard Bassett (National Archives)

BAXTER

31 expanded his abilities. Following the close of the war he became a political leader, concerned about the state and the nation. During 1786, Bartlett was a delegate representing Delaware at the Annapolis Convention, which convened during September to discuss interstate trade and navigation on the Potomac River. Representatives from all states were invited, but only delegates from Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia attended. It was agreed that a convention in Philadelphia during the following year would be held to design a blueprint for a new government in place of that which was operating under the Articles of Confederation. Bartlett was selected as one of the three delegates from Delaware, along with John Dickinson and Jacob Broom. At the convention, remembered as “The Miracle in Philadelphia,” Bartlett, aligned with John Dickinson and others, considered maintaining equality for Delaware and other small states paramount, to prevent the larger states from gaining advantage. Richard was not among the orators who took to the floor to press for their agendas to gain acceptance; however, he was diligent in his efforts to come up with an outstanding blueprint for the infant republic. A compromise intended to level the field proposed by John Dickinson and his supporters to guarantee equal status for the smaller states prevailed. It was agreed that the national government would consist of a House of Representatives in which population of the respective states would dictate the number of representatives, but that inequality was to be offset by the Senate, which was to consist of two senators per state regardless of population. The compromise assured states like Delaware and Rhode Island that they would not be overpowered by states such as New York and Pennsylvania. The U.S. Constitution was adopted on 17 September 1787, to take effect upon ratification by nine states. New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify on 21 June 1778. Objections by some, including delegates who voted yea and others who voted nay, were later addressed in the Bill of Rights, which was ratified by Congress on 15 December 1791 with the creation of the original ten amendments. Richard Bassett, while low key during the convention, exerted all of his energy upon his return to Delaware to assure ratification by his home state. His efforts proved successful in a short span of time. Delaware unanimously ratified the Constitution on 7 December 1787, to become the first state in the union. Afterward, Bassett was elected to the first United States Senate and served from 1789 to 1793. While in the Senate, he supported President George Washington and his executive powers within the executive branch of the government, but his insistence on states’ rights placed him as an opponent of expanding the powers of the president too much, such as Alexander Hamilton, the secretary of the treasury, advocated. Another of Hamilton’s proposals, that the federal government have the authority to assume state debts, was adamantly opposed by Bassett. As a Federalist, Bassett was aligned with John Adams and, although a firm believer in a strong, effective federal government, he was especially anxious to remove the capital to neutral ground, outside the boundaries of both New York and Pennsylvania. Land was donated from Maryland and Virginia to accommodate the seat of government on federal ground, unaffiliated with any state. That land donation included a stipulation that it remain under the jurisdiction of the federal government and at such time that those circumstance would change, that the land would revert back to the respective states. The caveat ensured that the land could never become a state, nor could it have representation in the House of Representatives or the U.S. Senate. Richard Bassett became the first senator to cast the vote to relocate the capital to the tracts along the Potomac River that became Washington, D.C. While Richard served in the Senate, he also remained close to the affairs of Delaware. He was involved with others in the state government, including John Dickinson, in establishing a new state constitution. Subsequent to his service in the Senate, Richard returned to

Delaware. He was elected to the Court Of Common Pleas during 1793 to become its initial chief justice, a post he held for six years. Meanwhile, during 1796, he was selected as a member of the Electoral College when John Adams, a Federalist, was elected president. In 1799, Bassett was elected governor of Delaware. His prior service in Congress and before that in the military became solid assets as he took the reins of the state government. Bassett, as governor, became commander-in-chief of the state’s militia. He retained a close association with the militia and maintained good communications with the neighboring states. His term as governor ended during 1801. That year, President John Adams appointed Bassett as a justice to the U.S. Circuit Court in what was known as Adams’ “Midnight Appointments” during the waning days of his term. Richard got caught between the animosity that arose between two old allies, Adams and Jefferson. Adams refused to attend the inauguration. Once in office, Jefferson, a Democratic-Republican (present-day Democrat), invalidated some of the last-minute appointments, which had been authorized by the Federalist majority in Congress with passage of a rushed Judiciary Act. Richard Bassett was one of those affected. His judgeship was eliminated by the Jefferson Democratic-Republicans. Another appointment, that of John Marshall, escaped elimination. Marshall moved on to become a prominent Supreme Court judge. In his private life, Richard Bassett had married twice, first to Ann Ennals, and from that marriage four children were born. Afterward, he married Betsey Garnett, but no children were born during the second marriage. Bassett was a practicing Methodist and the church at Bohemia Manor was a recipient of his philanthropy. The governor also held prayer meetings at the manor. Through his relationship with Joshua Clayton (later the first president/governor of Delaware), the two combined to expand Bohemia Manor to about 20,000 acres spread across the Maryland-Delaware state line slightly northwest of Middletown, Delaware. Joshua Clayton also served during the war, but he was a doctor and it is thought that he was with General George Washington at the time of the Battle of Brandywine (September 1777) in his capacity as a surgeon. About 1765, Joshua married Rachael McCleary, the adopted daughter of Governor Bassett, and they settled at Bohemia Manor on the Delaware sector of the estate in a section known as Locust Grove Farm. Richard Bassett died in 1815 and was interred on the grounds of the Wilmington and Brandywine Cemetery in Wilmington, Delaware.

Baxter, Captain Seth Seth Baxter, the son of John and Mehitable Willard Baxter, was born in Braintree (later Quincy), Massachusetts, in 1732. In addition to Seth, his parents had eleven other children. He married Elenor (daughter of Jonathan Allen) on 26 October 1758 and together they had three children. Subsequently, he married Mary Saunders on 20 December 1767, and from that marriage, four children were born. After the Revolutionary War began, Seth, during 1776, joined the Marines. He was commissioned a captain on 10 October 1776; however, he was in Boston and unattached to a ship until late 1776 or early 1777, when he was appointed as senior Marine officer aboard the Hancock (commanded by Captain John Manley), launched in June 1776 and commissioned on 23 June 1777. In the meantime, the Hancock left Boston with the frigate Boston during May 1777. Later, while off Nova Scotia, they ran across a British warship, the HMS Fox, and seized it on 7 June. While sailing toward Massachusetts, the Hancock, Boston and the prize encountered a British squadron — HMS Rainbow, HMS Flora and HMS Victor— on 7 July. The American squadron fled, each moving in separate directions, and by the following day, the Boston had safely escaped, but the captured Fox was seized by the Flora, while the

BAYLOR Hancock was intercepted by the Rainbow and forced to lower the colors. Captain Baxter was captured along with the remainder of the crew and sent to Halifax, where he was held until exchanged on 9 November for a British officer, Captain John Aire. During February 1779, Captain Baxter was attached to the frigate Boston, commanded by Captain John Tucker. Baxter succeeded Richard Palmes as captain of Marines aboard the Boston. Details of Captain Baxter’s service in the Marines beyond his service on the Boston remains unknown. Captain Baxter, at age 74, died on 8 August 1805.

Baylor, Brigadier General George George Baylor, the second son of Colonel John and Frances (Lucy) Walker Baylor, was born in Newmarket, Virginia, on 12 January 1752. George’s father was the 3rd John in line from John Baylor (Elder) of Tiverton. John the Elder had a son also named John (b. 1650) who immigrated to America. Afterward, John the Elder, by then in his later years, followed and resided in Virginia too. John (2) married Lucy Todd O’Brien and they had two children; however, the name of only one, John (3), George’s grandfather, who was born during May 1705, remains known. George Baylor’s parents married on 2 January 1744 in Yorktown, Virginia. On that same day and in the same place, Lucy’s sister married John Norton of London. John and Frances (Lucy) had twelve children: John (b. August 1744, died that same year); Elizabeth (b. October 1745, twin of Frances, died that year); Frances (twin of Elizabeth, b. October 1745, died that year); Lucy (b. October 1746, married John Armistead and became the mother of Colonel George Armistead, who received fame at Fort McHenry during the War of 1812); John (4) (b. September 1750); George Walker (b. January 1752); Robert A. (b. January 1754); Frances Courtenay (b. July 1756); Courtenay (b. April 1758); Bernard (b. June 1759, died that year); Walker Keith (b. October 1762) and Elizabeth (b. December 1766). George’s father, Colonel John Baylor, served in the militia with George Washington and was a member of the House of Burgesses for a long time, thought to have been from about 1740 through 1760. About 1726, John relocated to Newmarket, where George and his older brother John (4) were born. George later married Lucy Page, the daughter of Mann Page and his second wife, Anne Corbin Tayloe. The relationship between Colonel John Baylor and Colonel George Washington most probably had been influential in George Baylor becoming an aide to Washington during those first trying days of the revolution. George’s military service began when he was appointed aide-de-camp to General George Washington during 1775. Baylor remained with Washington through the days leading up to the eviction of the British from Boston and from there he served alongside Washington through the desperate campaigns in New York and New Jersey, when the British forced Washington to move across the Delaware River into Pennsylvania. At the time, Congress was preparing to abandon Philadelphia, as the British under General William Howe were threatening the capital. However, General Washington outmaneuvered the British, prevented annihilation of his army and when least expected, re-crossed the Delaware on Christmas night 1776, then surprised the British at Trenton on the following day. It was a turning point for the Continental Army, but for George Baylor, it was also a day of jubilation. Washington chose Baylor to carry a captured flag and word about the success at Trenton to Congress, which was prompted to celebrate the victory. There was no longer any necessity to abandon the city, because of the victory, which would soon be followed by another stunning victory over the British at Princeton on 3 January 1777. On 1 January, after hearing from Baylor, Congress presented him with a horse and a promotion. He was also promoted to the rank of colonel and given command of the 3rd Continental Dragoons on 9 January. Colonel Baylor’s good fortune ended the following year when his forces were deployed in the vicinity of Tappan (Bergen County,

32 New Jersey) during the latter part of the summer. At about midnight on 17 September 1778, while the main body of the Continental Army was at Fredericksburg (New York) slightly more than 25 miles from West Point, a British force under General Charles Grey launched a raid and caught one contingent, that under Colonel Baylor, by total surprise. Baylor had moved from Paramus, New Jersey, on the 27th to River Vale the vicinity of Tappan, where General Anthony Wayne’s militia was deployed. Lord Cornwallis and Patrick Ferguson moved against the militia, while Baylor at Harrington (Herrington), later River Vale in Bergen County, New Jersey, was the objective of General Grey. At Baylor’s positions, the Redcoats unleashed their bayonets and the regiment was devastated. Sixty-seven troopers were killed, wounded or missing, and Baylor, who sustained a bayonet wound, was among the captured. The incident is remembered as the Baylor Massacre. A marker stands at Rivervale Road and Red Oak Drive in River Vale to commemorate the incident. Command of Baylor’s regiment was afterward assumed by Colonel William Washington. While under Baylor’s command, the dragoons were depended upon by General Washington to escort and defend his wife while moving from place to place. The unit was sometimes referred to as “Lady Washington’s Guards.” After taking a letter dated 2 December from General Washington under consideration, Congress resolved on 6 December that “General Washington be informed that Congress approve of Colonel Baylor’s regiment of dragoons, at present commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Washington, being sent to South Carolina, and that the Board of War order them to proceed immediately to join Major General Lincoln.” Colonel Baylor was later exchanged and afterward he rejoined the army and served for the duration; however, he had sustained a severe bayonet wound to the lungs when his command was attacked, and he never fully recovered. On 9 November 1782, Baylor’s regiment was merged with the 1st Continental Dragoons and he commanded it for the duration. On 30 September 1783, Colonel Baylor was promoted to the rank of brevet brigadier general. That year he also sailed to the West Indies in an attempt to improve his health, but to no avail. He succumbed while there during March of 1784. His widow, Lucy Page Baylor, later married Colonel Nathaniel Burwell. During the 20th century, when municipal plans in New Jersey were underway to construct housing in the area where the Baylor Massacre occurred, a move was started to suspend the project until the area could be examined, due to the handed-down story of American troops being buried there by Bergen County militia. In 1967, based on the tales that had remained fresh in the memories of some, a man named Thomas Demarest was convinced he knew where the soldiers were interred. His instincts were correct and the remains of a soldier were discovered, followed by the discovery of others, and the searchers found artifacts of the period. In 1970 the burial site was transformed into a memorial park and afterward, in spring of 1973, the fallen soldiers were re-interred. Some nineteenth century sources indicate that General George Baylor and his wife Lucy had more than one child; however, according to the records of the accounting offices of the treasury (1832), while attempting to settle his affairs, the action was listed as follows: “Be it enacted, That the accounting officers of the Treasury be, and they hereby are, authorized, directed, and required to settle the account of Ann D. Baylor, widow of John Walker Baylor, Esq., deceased, who was only son and heir at law of Colonel George Baylor, late of the army of the United States in the revolutionary war, deceased, for all such loan office certificates as were issued from the loan office of the United States, in Virginia, in the name of the said George Baylor, payable to him, and now remain on the books of the Treasury outstanding and unpaid, and not transferred to any other person by him; and that they pay to her, the said Ann D. Baylor, as trustee for the heirs at law and

33 distributees of the said John Walker Baylor....” Ann D. Baylor was entitled to “five years’ full pay as a colonel of cavalry in the war of the Revolution, together with such interest as would have accrued on said five years’ full pay, if a certificate for that amount had been issued by the United States on the fifteenth of November, seventeen hundred and eighty-three.”

Beall, Brigadier General Rezin (Reazin) Rezin Beall, the son of William and Elizabeth Stockett Beall, was born in the vicinity of Frederick, Maryland, in 1723. Rezin married Amelia Beall in 1763; she was the daughter of Colonel Joshua and Elinor Greenfield Beall and about age fifteen at the time of their marriage. Rezin and Amelia had the following children: Aletha Elizabeth (b. 1764); Eleanor (b. 1766); Rezin (b. 1768); Thomas (b. 1778); Elinor (b. 1770); John (b. 1772); Elizabeth (b. 1772); Martha Jane (b. 1774); Mary (b. 1774); Elinor (b. 1776); Althea (b. 1776); Rachel (b. 1778); Charles (b. 1780) and Ellen (b. 1782). After the outbreak of war with Britain, Beall was appointed captain of a Maryland militia company on 14 January 1776. On 16 August, he was appointed brigadier general of the 1st Maryland Battalion section of the Flying Camp, a position he held until 1 December that year. Charles G. Griffith was appointed colonel of Beall’s battalion of the Flying Camp and Henry Shrycock was appointed lieutenant colonel. General Beall commanded his forces in the campaign of 1776 and participated in the battle of Long Island and White Plains. His forces, while in Maryland, defended the region near Drum’s Point in Calvert County at the convergence of the Patuxent River and the Chesapeake. General Beall was credited with preventing a British landing there, and he was credited with Maryland being spared from a major battle during the Revolution. General Beall succumbed during October 1809. One of his sons, also named Rezin, became a brigadier general during the War of 1812 era.

Bedel, Brigadier General Timothy The son of Robert and Anna Carr Bedel, Timothy Bedel was born in Amesbury, Massachusetts, on 21 July 1724, but by 1757, according to tax records, Timothy was a resident of Salem, New Hampshire. He served in the militia as early as 1745, when he participated in the mission under Captain (later Colonel) John Goff that scouted terrain along the Connecticut and Merrimack Rivers. Also that year, Bedel served with Colonel Joseph Blanchard’s regiment, which was part of General Benjamin Bellows’ command. Early in the French and Indian War, Bedel was attached to General Johnson’s command during the campaign against Crown Point. Afterward, during 1756, Bedel was attached to a ranger company led by William Stark during a second operation against Crown Point. His service during the French and Indian War also included participation with Colonel Nathaniel Meserve when the English moved against Halifax (1757), with General Jeffrey Amherst on the campaign that seized Louisbourg. Bedel also participated as a lieutenant in the campaign of General James Wolfe, in which the general lost his life, but Quebec was seized, which led to the surrender of the French at Montreal during September 1760. At that time Bedel was attached to Captain John Hazen’s company (Goff ’s regiment). In 1762, Bedel was commissioned as captain by the provincial governor, Benning Wentworth. That same year, he participated in the British invasion of Havana, Cuba, where the occupation force sustained heavy losses from sickness, which forced them to abandon the island of Cuba. During his return home from Canada, Bedel was accompanying a small group that included Colonel Hazen and Jacob Bailey. The men paused in the vicinity of present-day Newbury, Vermont, and after returning home, they acquired grants that led to new settlements there

BEDFORD (Newbury and Haverhill during 1763) along the Connecticut River (see also, Bailey [Bayley], Brigadier General Jacob). Subsequent to the close of hostilities with France, Britain started to implement policies that the colonists saw as an overburden of taxes and restrictions. They objected, but their petitions were ignored until eventually, the calls for independence rang from town to town. During 1766, John Wentworth became the final royal governor of New Hampshire. In 1775, Bedel participated in the Provincial Congress held at Exeter. During May of that year, following the clashes at Lexington and Concord, he was appointed captain and soon colonel of a regiment of rangers. Colonel Bedel’s rangers participated in the Canadian Campaign. On 15 May 1776, a British force of about 600, commanded by Captain George Foster, moved against American positions near Montreal. Major Isaac Butterfield, the commander in the absence of Colonel Bedel, surrendered without a fight. Reports regarding Bedel’s absence vary between sickness including smallpox and that he moved to Montreal to get reinforcements. Other nineteenth century sources place him at a parley with friendly Indians at Caughnawaga to seek their support. A relief force under Major Henry Sherburne was dispatched from Montreal by Benedict Arnold, but Bedel was not among the contingent. The British-Indian force ambushed the reinforcements, overwhelmed it and afterward, once disarmed, Indians, using tomahawks and knives, mutilated about twenty soldiers. Subsequent to the capitulation of Butterfield and the massacre, Colonel Bedel and Major Butterfield each received a court-martial and both were dismissed from the service. Colonel Bedel was later reinstated. Despite being dismissed from service, Bedel continued to support the cause, without rank, while back in Haverhill. Later, during 1777, Timothy Bedel, with a rank of lieutenant, joined a company under Colonel Joseph Hutchins (who served as a captain) that served with General John Stark’s force during the Saratoga Campaign. Bedel was again commissioned as a colonel on November 10. It was reported that he was appointed brigadier general later; however, no official reports on this promotion exist. After rejoining the military, Colonel Bedel participated in the defense of the frontier, and his command assisted in the construction of the Bailey-Hazen Military Road. On 13 April 1781, Timothy was appointed to the Vermont Board of War along with Captain Ebenezer Brewster. After the war, Bedel served in the New Hampshire House of Representatives (1784). General Bedel succumbed during February 1787. He was interred in Haverhill. Colonel Bedel married Elizabeth Merrill, and after her death in August 1779 he married Mary Johnson, the daughter of Captain James and Susanna Johnson. Timothy and Elizabeth had seven children: Cyrus, Moody (later lieutenant colonel, 11th U.S. Infantry, and brigadier general, Vermont militia), Ruth, Anna, Mary and two other daughters who died young. Timothy and his second wife, Susanna, had two children, Hazen and Abigail. Susanna succumbed during 1789.

Bedford, Gunning, Jr. (Signer of the U.S. Constitution) Gunning Bedford, the son of Gunning and Susanna Jacquett Bedford, was born in Philadelphia during 1747, but the exact date is unknown. Gunning’s father and grandfather were also named Gunning; however, Gunning, the subject usually preferred Jr., due to having a cousin also named Gunning Bedford who lived in the same state at the same time, served in the Revolution, reaching the rank of colonel and later became governor of Delaware. In addition, their wives are often confused. It was Colonel Gunning Bedford (the son of William Bedford, a farmer) who married Mary Read, the sister of George Read (signer of the Declaration of Independence), not Gunning Bedford, Jr. Gunning, Sr., and Susanna also had the following children: Mary

BEDFORD Ann (b. 1744, married John Young); Susannah; William; Catherine; Elizabeth (b. April 1744, married Jacob Bankson) Ann (sometimes erroneously listed as marrying Commodore Joshua Barney); Peter (b. 1759); Joseph (b. 1766); Martha (b. 1766, married John Stricker); and Benoi (died young). Gunning received an excellent education, including graduation from the College of New Jersey (later Princeton) during 1771 in the days just prior to the Revolutionary War. He was valedictorian of his class. While he attended college, other future prominent leaders of the American cause were enrolled there. The school was known for graduating many to the ministry promoting the military through its strong sense of patriotism. One of Bedford’s friends and classmates was James Madison, a future president of the United States. Following graduation, Bedford pursued a career as a lawyer by studying under yet another prominent Patriot, Joseph Read, a general during the war, who also became the president (governor) of Pennsylvania during the conflict. The details of Bedford’s early life have not been well preserved until his post-college days. He established his law practice in Dover, Delaware, about 1779. In the meantime, Gunning married Jane Ballaroux Parker, the daughter of James Parker (editor of a New York publication, the Post Boy). Bedford’s father-in-law was also a friend of Benjamin Franklin and the two men worked together as printers in Boston. Gunning, Jr., and Jane had two children, Gunning James and Henrietta Jane. Their son Gunning James never advanced mentally and spent his entire life with that disability. Gunning, Jr., quickly tired of Dover and became anxious to leave the city, primarily because he was not fond of the climate there. He later relocated in Wilmington, Delaware, at 606 Market Street. He continued to expand his practice and became interested in entering politics. Following the close of hostilities, during 1783, Bedford was elected to the Delaware state legislature; however, he retained his seat only for a short while due to being elected to the Continental Congress in 1783. He served in Congress until 1785, but during his final term, he was appointed (1784) as the attorney general, and for the duration of his congressional term, he served concurrently in both offices. Then from 1785 through 1789, he held the post of state attorney general. In the meantime, a meeting was called requesting delegates to converge on Annapolis to discuss navigation and interstate commerce, but only Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia sent delegates. Bedford, who was appointed as a delegate, did not attend any sessions. General George Washington, although not a delegate, did attend the convention. The convention’s primary achievement was the decision to call for a constitutional convention to be held during the following year to form a new government from the existing government that operated under the Articles of Confederation. The convention was held May through September 1787 in Philadelphia and 59 delegates attended, but some frequently missed sessions, some because of dual responsibilities with other posts. Of the attendees, thirty-nine members, including Gunning Bedford, signed the Constitution upon its adoption on 17 September 1787. Bedford was a supporter of the new federal government, but he cautiously followed the procedures with a focus on working to prevent the central government from acquiring too much power and authority, which would lead to a weakening of state’s rights. And he remained concerned about equal treatment and authority for the smaller states, of which Delaware led the list. As negotiations and debates stalled progress, Bedford leaned toward the “Great Compromise,” bringing population representation into a House of Representatives and equal representation into the Senate, with the latter mandating two senators per state regardless of size or other measures that had been previously discussed, such as the amount of representatives being apportioned according to wealth. It was not unusual for Bedford to have strong disagreements with

34 other members, including James Madison and Alexander Hamilton. Initially he was prepared to merely modify the Articles of Confederation to strengthen them, but as the blueprint of a new Constitution emerged in place of the articles, Bedford altered some of his positions. He participated as a member of the committee that drew up the “Great Compromise.” Consequently, with adoption of the plan (New Jersey plan), Delaware and the other small states like Rhode Island and Connecticut could not be overshadowed by states like Pennsylvania or New York. Another opinion of Bedford’s was unabashedly presented to the delegates when he informed the convention of a possibility that the smaller states could face alternatives such as seeking out foreign assistance to ensure their protection. Bedford was not shy about speaking his mind, nor did he participate without taking the floor; rather, he was among those who made speeches to impress upon the other delegates which ideas he believed to be the best for the nation. The Constitution was adopted on 17 September 1787 and required ratification by nine states to become effective. Gunning Bedford was also a delegate to the Delaware state convention. His efforts to achieve ratification were bolstered by John Dickinson, a Patriot who as a delegate to the Continental Congress refused to support the Declaration of Independence, but immediately thereafter resolved to fight for the cause. Other delegates, Richard Bassett and Jacob Broom, both signers of the Constitution, also strongly supported ratification, which brought about quick results. Before the end of the year, on 7 December, 1787, Delaware ratified the Constitution to become the first state in the union. Bedford is known for remarking that he believed that “ratification was legal emancipation,” as he proclaimed that “as the foundation is laid so must the superstructure be built.” On 21 June 1778, New Hampshire ratified the Constitution to become the ninth state in the union. Also in 1788, Bedford was elected to the state council (New Castle County) and he held that post for one year. Afterward, he became a presidential elector and was among those who elected George Washington as the first president by unanimous vote. Washington was inaugurated on 1 April 1789. Four years later Bedford again became a presidential elector and cast his vote once again for President Washington, who was re-elected unanimously. In September 1789, Washington appointed Gunning Bedford as a federal judge (Delaware district), a post that Bedford held for the remainder of his life. In addition to his professional career, Bedford also devoted time to his belief in education by working to improve the state’s educational system, particularly in Wilmington. He served as president of the Board of Trustees of Wilmington Academy and when it was transformed into Wilmington College, he became its first president. Gunning Bedford, Jr., succumbed on 30 March 1812 in Wilmington. He was interred in the cemetery of the First Presbyterian Church in Wilmington, but later, he was in re-interred in Christiana Hundred at the cemetery of the Masonic Home. Some sources list Commodore Joshua Barney as the husband of a daughter (Ann) of Gunning Bedford, Jr., but as noted above, Gunning, Jr., only had two children. Joshua Barney married Ann Bedford, the sister of Gunning Bedford, Jr., making Joshua the brother-in-law of Gunning, not his son-in-law. Gunning’s daughter later directed the erection of a marble monument over his grave, which stated in part: “In hope of a joyful resurrection through faith in Jesus Christ, here rests the mortal part of gunning bedford. Born in Philadelphia, A.D. 1747. Graduated at Nassau Hall, New Jersey. A.D. 1771, with great distinction.” His widow, Jane Bedford, lived until 1831, about nineteen years as a widow, and for about her final three years she was blind. Her son, Gunning James, lived until 1845. Daughter Henrietta succumbed in 1871. In her last will and testament, she stipulated that a portrait of her father was to be given to the

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35 capital to hang near that of her father’s classmate and roommate, President James Madison, and it did occur. She will also bequeathed a pair of “pocket pistols” to be given to the Smithsonian Institution or, if that wasn’t possible, to the Delaware Historical Society; they were given to the latter. The will detailed the origin of the pistols as follows: “During the Revolutionary war General Washington, desiring my father to go from Trenton to New York on some important secret embassy at night, and fearing that he was not sufficiently armed with the pistols in his holsters, presented him with a pair of pocket-pistols with a view to his protection and greater security.” There is no precise evidence to validate Gunning Bedford’s service in the army during the war, but it is thought that he might have served for a time as an aide to General Washington, but most probably if he did, it would have been while he was still a resident of Pennsylvania. Bedford did not arrive in Delaware until about 1779.

Bellows, Brigadier General Benjamin Benjamin Bellows (3), the son of Colonel Benjamin (2) and Abigail Stearns Bellows, was born in Walpole, Cheshire County, New Hampshire, on 6 October 1740. Benjamin’s (2) grandfather, Benjamin (1), was the son of John and Mary Wood Bellows of Concord and later Marlborough. John Bellows was the first of the family to arrive in the colonies from Britain; he was aboard the Hopewell during 1635. In 1655 he married Mary. Together they had ten children, one of whom was Benjamin (1), the grandfather of the subject. Benjamin (1) married Dorcas Cutler Willard, the widow of Henry Willard, who had been a son of Major Simon Willard. Benjamin (1) and Dorcas had one son (Benjamin 2) and three daughters; however, Dorcas had one son, Colonel Josiah Willard, from her first marriage. Benjamin (2), the subject’s father, was born in Lancaster in May 1712 and later became well known in the colony, particularly in Lunenburg, Massachusetts, as Colonel Benjamin Bellows. In 1752, Benjamin (2) and his wife Abigail, whom he married during 1735, relocated in Walpole, New Hampshire, the town he founded. Colonel Bellows and Abigail had four other children: Abigail (b. December 1736); Peter (b. January 1739); John (b. November 1743); and Joseph (b. June 6, 1744). Abigail, the daughter of John and Abigail Fiske Stearns, succumbed during November 1757 when the future brigadier general was seventeen years old. Benjamin’s mother became the first person to be interred in the old burial ground in Walpole. Colonel Bellows remarried by spring of the following year, taking Mary Hubbard Jennison, the widow of John Jennison, as his second wife during April 1758. She was the daughter of Major Jonathan and Rebecca Brown Hubbard. Mary Jennison, at the time of her first husband’s death, had six children, four girls and two boys ( John and Jonathan Jennison), all of whom were taken into the family of Colonel Bellows. After the marriage, Colonel Bellows and Mary had five additional children: Abigail, Theodore; Mary; Thomas and Josiah. Benjamin (3) later married Phoebe Strong, the sister of Governor Caleb Strong of Northampton, Massachusetts. Benjamin and Phoebe had five children: Caleb (b. July 1767, married Maria Hartwell); Phebe (b. August 1770); Mary (b. April 1774); Esther (b. December 1775); and George (b. October 1779). During 1759, Benjamin, having succeeded his father, became the town clerk of Walpole prior to his 20th birthday, and he held the position for about seventeen years, relinquishing the post at about the same time the country was declaring independence from Britain. Benjamin Bellows initially served in the militia as a corporal, and he, like thousands of others, sped toward Boston as soon as he received news of the clashes at Lexington and Concord on 19 April 1775. Corporal Bellows advanced to the rank of colonel. During October Colonel Bellows moved his regiment to Ticonderoga, but only for a short time, remaining there for about 25 days. He again moved to Ticonderoga during June 1776, but after another short stay, his command was

sent to Saratoga during September of that year to bolster the forces under General Horatio Gates against British General John Burgoyne. During that campaign, while Burgoyne was attempting to retreat, his passage to the Hudson was blocked by New Hampshire militia, including the regiments under Colonels Bellows and John Ashley. On 9 November, General Gates dispatched a congratulatory letter to Ashley and Bellows for the actions of their respective regiments and dismissed them from duty at Saratoga. Later, during 1780, Benjamin Bellows was appointed as a brigadier general. Bellows spent little time in the field as a general officer and devoted most of his service to recruiting. In addition, he served in the colonial and state legislatures. In 1781 he was elected to the Continental Congress but declined the post. Following his military career, the townspeople always referred to Bellows as “the general.” He was highly respected and a man of high standards. Once, a man in town who had only one cow, was losing it to a sheriff ’s sale. General Bellows bid highest on the cow and after accepting it, he gave it back to the owner. General Bellows also had a low tolerance for ungentlemanly behavior and, upon his approach, any such activity usually halted immediately. General Bellows was a delegate to the state convention during 1788 in which the federal Constitution was ratified. Afterward, he served as the president of the New Hampshire for the Electoral College that selected George Washington as president of the United States. General Benjamin Bellows succumbed on 4 June 1802. His father, according to his great-grandson, the Rev. Henry W. Bellows, recorded in his “Memorial Monograph” that Colonel Benjamin (2) Bellows departed Lunenburg hurriedly with the sheriff in pursuit. Henry Bellows described the incident as follows: “The immediate cause of my great-grandfather’s leaving Lunenburg was that he had become embarrassed in pecuniary matters, by being bound for others, and, in the great scarcity of money, was unable to meet the demands of his credits. That he was pursued by the sheriff to the state line, and, once fairly over it, stopped and held a parley with the sheriff, stating that he had no disposition to avoid his obligations, but that a jail was a poor place to find means to pay debts; that he would soon return and liquidate all his obligations.” It is most certain that Benjamin (2) lived up to his word, for he soon returned to Lunenburg.

Biddle, Captain Nicholas Nicholas Biddle, a descendant of William Biddle of New Jersey, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on 10 September 1750. His maternal grandfather was Nicholas Scull (surveyor-general of Pennsylvania). Nicholas received a fine education, but his goal was to go to sea. Prior to his fifteenth birthday, Nicholas ventured on his initial voyage, which took him to Quebec, and afterward, during 1765, he sailed to Jamaica and the Bay of Honduras. Later Nicholas sailed from the Bay of Honduras toward Antigua and encountered a horrific storm that brought the vessel to the brink of destruction on 2 January 1766 at the Northern Triangles shoal. Only the skill of the crew preserved their lives. After spending about three days in the precarious reef in Nicholas Biddle (Pictorial Field Book the shattered vessel, the men of the Revolution, Benson J. Lossing, made it to shore. They lacked 1860)

BIDDLE proper amounts of food and supplies after being marooned. Due to having only a yawl, and after drawing lots, Nicholas and three others remained on the deserted island while the others attempted to return to England and then back for a rescue. Biddle and the others were stranded for about two months and nearly perished while awaiting rescue; however, finally, a ship arrived and they were saved. Despite the life-threatening experience, Nicholas lost none of his love for the sea. He later made voyages to Europe. In 1770 he sailed to London in an attempt to join the Royal Navy, which at the time was preparing for a possible conflict with Spain over the Falkland Islands off Argentina. Nicholas sought out Captain Sterling, the brother-inlaw of Thomas Willing of Philadelphia. The introductory letter from Willing succeeded in helping Biddle acquire his goal. He was accepted as a midshipman. The Falkland Islands mission was aborted when the dispute was settled amicably. Instead, Biddle served as a coxswain on a mission by the HMS Carcase (Carcass) to attempt to find the Northwest Passage; however, it was without Sterling’s permission, because he wanted to keep Biddle with his ship. Nevertheless, Biddle, without mentioning his officer status, went aboard as a seaman. The mission carried them to a point within nine degrees (about 1,150 miles) of the North Pole. The Carcase and Racehorse reached 81° 39" (Eighty-one degrees and thirtynine minutes) north latitude. Coincidentally, during this tour, Biddle was with another young officer, Horatio Nelson, who also sailed as a coxswain. Nelson, later a renowned British naval officer, spent the years during the American Revolution in Jamaica preparing to defend against an invasion from the French, which never materialized. Meanwhile, Biddle, who had already suffered the hardships of being marooned, soon discovered the cruelty of sailing northward. At times the vessels in the squadron were caught within a ring of icebergs from which they were unable to break out for about five days. While on the dangerous voyage, they reached a northward point where the sun never set, yet the temperatures remained frigid. Nonetheless, the squadron, commanded by Captain Phipps (later Lord Musgrave) survived its frequent brushes with death and returned safely to England. Biddle’s service in the Royal Navy soon terminated, as the tension continued to rise between the Crown and the colonies. Biddle’s patriotism remained with the Americans. He arrived back in Philadelphia during 1775. Shortly after he returned home, he was appointed by Pennsylvania to command a galley, the Camden, as part of the defensive area to protect the city, which was the provisional capital. Biddle, however, sought a larger role than operating on a river. His quest was soon achieved. Congress, on Friday, 13 October 1775, resolved that “a swift sailing vessel, to carry ten carriage guns, and a proportionable number of swivels, with eighty men, be fitted, with all possible despatch, for a cruize of three months, and that the commander be instructed to cruize eastward, for intercepting such transports as may be laden with warlike stores and other supplies for our enemies, and for such other purposes as the Congress shall direct.” And another in line with the first: “Resolved, That another vessel be fitted out for the same purposes, and that the said committee report their opinion of a proper vessel, and also an estimate of the expence.” Congress also authorized the purchase of five ships from merchants, to be transformed into warships. One of those, the Andrew Doria, formerly the transport Defiance, a brigantine, would be commanded by Biddle. Congress appointed him on 22 December that year. Without waiting for spring, a daring operation was executed. Esek Hopkins was acting under secret orders from Congress to attack the British at a target of opportunity in Virginia, the Carolinas or the Bahamas. Hopkins departed from the vicinity of Henlopen Bay for the Bahamas on 14 February 1776. He issued orders to Nicholas Biddle on the Andrew Doria that if separated from the Alfred, wait four days and then head for Great Abaca Island (Bahamas) to await the main body.

36 The squadron, composed of eight ships that were the initial element of the U.S. Navy, entered the Atlantic Ocean. After two days out at sea a storm caused some trepidation and two of the ships, the Fly and the Hornet, collided and all sight of them vanished. They were thought lost for a while, but both had safely returned to port. Later, the Wasp rejoined the squadron in the Bahamas. In the interim, Hopkins’ main body seized two vessels, which prevented the British at New Providence from becoming aware of the approaching fleet. On 1 March, the American fleet debarked Marines and sailors who seized Fort Montagu without opposition, then the remainder of New Providence. Governor Monfort Browne was captured and the military stores were seized. Captain Biddle had participated in the operation in which the American flag was for the first time unfurled in a foreign land, and it was the mission that internationalized the war. The invasion succeeded, but the fleet had embarked during winter weather. By the time of the attack, the troops found themselves suffering under a tropical sun, and outbreaks of smallpox and fever overshadowed the fact that no casualties occurred in the victory. The crew aboard the Andrew Doria, nearly all from Philadelphia, had been inoculated against the smallpox, but the others, from New England, were susceptible. Captain Biddle took many of the sick sailors aboard his vessel and even abandoned his bed, which he gave to one of the sick men, but by the time the departure, many of Biddle’s crew also became sick. By 16 March 1776, the loading of supplies and ammunition ended. The fleet departed on the 17th. Two days later, Captain Biddle’s Andrew Doria and the Cabot embarked on a one-month cruise. The Andrew Doria, which carried only 12 Marines under Lieutenant Isaac Craig, received Lt. Trevett and 17 additional Marines drawn from the Alfred. Shortly after the two ships departed, the frigate HMS Cerberus spotted and chased the Andrew Doria, but Biddle evaded it. On the 20th, he sailed toward Nantucket Island. On 21 March, Biddle’s crew seized a sloop that was carrying a varied cargo including desperately needed salt. Afterward, Biddle cruised toward Halifax, and on the 29th of May, south of Boston, the Andrew Doria spotted two British transports, neither being armed and each carrying British troops to Halifax. Both vessels, the Crawford, transporting about 100 men (42nd Royal Highlanders) and the Oxford, transporting an equal number, attached to the British 71st Regiment, were seized. Biddle had a genuine problem, having a small contingent of Marines to deal with the large number of prisoners. He examined his options and came up with what could be described as one of the earliest examples of American naval ingenuity. He ordered the British arms transferred to the Andrew Doria to eliminate one problem, and then he ordered all officers, Navy and Army, to be confined on the Crawford, leaving the troops to the custody of the Americans on the Oxford. The segregation worked well as the three ships sailed for Providence. In the meantime, on 6 June, Congress awarded Captain Biddle one of the new warships being built at Philadelphia, the Randolph, which was launched on the 10th; however, Biddle did not assume command of the ship until mid–October. On 11 June 1776, five British warships appeared at a point about sixty miles south of Martha’s Vineyard. The Andrew Doria was able to outrun the British, but the Oxford, which broke southward, was seized and later, the Crawford, which headed west, was recaptured. However, on the 19th, the Schuyler intercepted the British prior to making it to port at Long Island and the Crawford was yet again seized off Fire Island, saving the American prize crew from a British prison. In another extraordinary event, the Oxford headed for Virginia to join with the royal governor, John Murray, Earl of Dunmore, and after arriving unharmed on 20 June, the crew inquired as to the whereabouts of Dunmore. The men received erroneous directions that led them into a trap on the James River. Thanks to the earlier actions of Biddle,

37 the several hundred troops aboard the Oxford had no arms and no officers among them. During the following month, Biddle encountered a British merchant ship, the Nathaniel and Elizabeth, and seized it, then after an uneventful period, he returned to Newport and received the news that he was to command the frigate Randolph. By early August 1776, Biddle again initiated a cruise in company with the Columbus. Prior to departing, Biddle became ecstatic when his two lieutenants, John McDougal of the Navy and John Trevett, a Marine, rejoined the ship following their temporary capture while aboard the Oxford. The two ships separated after getting to sea and shortly thereafter, the Andrew Doria spotted and captured a British merchant vessel, the Molly, then it seized the Lawrence, also a brigantine, on the following day. Those captures were followed within twenty-four hours by two other seizures. En route to Philadelphia, the Andrew Doria on 17 September captured two ships on the Delaware River near Chester. Soon after, Captain Biddle sailed his ship to the Philadelphia Navy Yard for repairs and relinquished his command, then prepared to command the 32-gun Randolph. Congress added some incentive to increase Biddle’s crew on the 2nd of December when it resolved “that the Marine Committee be empowered to advance 20 dollars to each seaman who will enter to serve on board the Randolph, Captain Biddle, the same to be deducted out of their share of the prize money.” Nonetheless, the Randolph did not leave port until February 1777, and at that time the crew was composed primarily of captured British seamen, which had been authorized by Congress during December 1776. Congress also authorized Captain Biddle to use imprisoned American sailors as part of his crew. Congress remained pressed with the major problems facing the Continental Army and the emerging navy. But all the while, Philadelphia remained a precarious place for the cause. On 12 December, Congress directed Captain Biddle to keep the Randolph prepared to defend the city; the same directive included the sloop Hornet. Ships were ordered to the Delaware Capes to intercept the British, but Biddle was ordered to remain on the Delaware and defend as long as possible, but to destroy the ship if near capture. For the feat, Congress resolved to make a payment of $10,000 to Captain Biddle and his crew if they were captured. On 14 December, the Randolph was ordered to break out of the Delaware Capes and search for enemy transports en route to New York, but on the 15th, Biddle was advised to hold at Chester due to a British blockade. Meanwhile, at Philadelphia the situation had become more desperate, but all that changed after Washington executed the stunning victory at Trenton on 26 December, which postponed British plans to seize the city. On 3 February 1777, Captain Biddle finally sailed, with the company of the Raleigh on its initial cruise in escort of a merchant convoy. On 15 February the convoy separated, with the Randolph staying with the vessels sailing to France. It later separated in search of the HMS Milford, but due to a storm, which inflicted heavy damage to the mainmast and foremast, the Randolph was compelled to head for South Carolina. En route, problems developed when fever erupted among the crew and that was followed by a mutiny by the British crew members. Biddle’s complement of Marines quickly terminated the mutiny, permitting the voyage to continue. The ship arrived at Charleston on 11 March, accompanied by the Polly, which the Randolph seized on 4 March when it strayed from a British convoy. Subsequently, on 3–4 September, the Randolph intercepted a convoy that scattered, but Biddle ordered pursuit and the Randolph seized the privateer True Briton. After firing only one warning shot, the crew saw the British colors being lowered. Afterward, Captain Biddle reinitiated pursuit and seized three more vessels from the convoy. One of the captured ships had been the Severn, earlier captured by the British. Two others, the Charming Peggy and L’Assumption,

BLAIR both brigantines, had also been earlier seized by the True Briton. The Randolph returned to Charleston for repairs. During December 1777, John Rutledge, the president of South Carolina, persuaded Biddle to lead a squadron to break the blockade of Charleston by two British frigates (24-gun Perseus and 16-gun Hinchinbrook) and a privateer. The fleet sailed on 12 February 1778; however, no blockade ships were encountered. On the 14th, Biddle, unable to discover the British warships, changed plans and sailed to the West Indies. The squadron — composed of the Randolph, General Moultrie (Captain Philip Sullivan), Fair American (Captain Morgan), Notre Dame (Captain Hall) and the Polly (Captain Anthony)— encountered the mammoth double-decked 64-gun HMS Yarmouth on 7 March at a point about 120 miles east of Barbados just before dark. The Yarmouth, out of Antigua, had been ordered to locate and destroy Biddle’s squadron, however, the British were unaware of their discovery until Captain Biddle ordered the flag hoisted after the Yarmouth demanded identification. At about the same time, Captain Biddle ordered a broadside be delivered to the monstrous warship to ignite a ferocious contest, which quickly rolled into close-quartered fighting, which permitted both ides to lob hand grenades. The outgunned Americans leveled the field by extraordinary marksmanship. They bludgeoned the Yarmouth, tearing away its topmast, and destroyed its rigging, while the Marines and elements of the 1st South Carolina Regiment, serving aboard as Marines, maintained incessant fire to prevent effective return fire. Within fifteen minutes of the tenacious exchange, both ships had sustained damage and Captain Biddle suffered a severe leg wound, but Biddle refused to leave the deck. Initially, word began to spread that Captain Biddle had been killed, but the rumor was soon quelled as Biddle, despite his condition, remained in command. He ordered the crew to provide him with a chair from which he could continue to lead. Shortly thereafter, while the crew continued to pummel the British vessel with cannon fire and the Marines plastered both decks. The Yarmouth found the battle more difficult than anticipated. The General Moultrie was able to provide some support, but its fire also struck the Randolph. And then, suddenly, the raging battle came to an unexpected and succinct end as the magazine on the Randolph exploded with devastating effects. It and the Yarmouth were so close that some believed it had been the Yarmouth that sustained the fatal blow. Soon after, it was clear. Captain Biddle and nearly the entire complement of sailors and Marines were killed in the explosion. Only four seamen of the crew of 315 men survived. The shock was not confined to the Randolph due to the positioning of the ships and the fiery debris that descended with equal fury upon the sail and atop the decks of the Yarmouth. All hands were forced to fight the fires or face the same fate as the Randolph, which bought time for the four South Carolina vessels to escape unscathed. The survivors, hanging on a section of the ship’s debris, were rescued several days later. It is thought that the explosion was caused by a spark in the magazine; however, the exact cause was never determined. Captain Nicholas Biddle was not married; however, prior to departure from Charleston, he had become engaged. He had been known as a fervent Christian with an excellent disposition as a man and as an officer in the United States Navy. His reputation was such that even though he died at the young age of twenty-seven, he had been well respected by his men and throughout his career, his leadership was considered superlative.

Blair, John Dan of Jenifer (Signer of the U.S. Constitution) John Blair, the son of John (member of the Virginia Council and, for a while, acting royal governor) and Mary Munro Blair was born in Virginia at Williamsburg during 1732. Having been born into an influential family, he was assured of an excellent education. He attended and graduated from William and Mary, the institution founded

BLOUNT by his great uncle, James Blair. After graduating from college, John was sent overseas to England to further his studies in London at the Middle Temple. After completing his studies, he embarked for home, prepared to gain admittance to the bar and pursue a career as a lawyer. During 1766, the year the Stamp Act was repealed, Blair entered politics as a member of the House of Burgesses and served there until 1770. By that time he was aligned with the Patriots’ cause, but his opposition to the Crown and Parliament because of their oppressive actions against the colonies was much less aggressive than some of the more radical opponents such as Patrick Henry. At the end of his term in the House of Burgesses during 1770, Blair was appointed clerk to the upper house (Royal Governor’s Council). During 1770 and afterward, during 1774, he aligned himself with the more radical Patriots in support of the non-importation agreements, the pacts created in the colonies to refuse to import British goods until tax relief was gained. Nevertheless, Parliament snapped back into aggressive activity during 1774 when it passed the Intolerable Acts, further accelerating the dissension in the colonies. One piece of legislation, the Port Act, closed the port of Boston and isolated the Bostonians, but that galvanized the other colonies. Throughout the nation groups met to find ways to support Massachusetts and devise ways to get needed supplies into the beleaguered city. Blair was in his forties when hostilities erupted at Lexington and Concord on 19 April 1775. He did not enter the military; however, he was a major participant in the resistance as leader in the Virginia government. In 1776, John was on the committee that created the state constitution, and he was a member of the Committee of Twenty-eight, which designed the blueprint for the provincial government and the state’s Declaration of Rights. That same year, subsequent to the Declaration of Independence and the selection of Patrick Henry as governor, Blair was appointed to the Privy Council, which was formed as an advisory group to the governor. As the war continued and the situation in Virginia remained grave, Blair continued to be involved in the state. In 1780, the legislature appointed him to a judicial position, the High Court of Chancery, where he served with George Wythe (signer of the Declaration of Independence). Another Virginian, Thomas Jefferson, was a member of a committee charged with revising the laws of the Commonwealth, and upon his departure from the committee during 1786, the Virginia legislature appointed Blair as his replacement. When Virginia agreed to send delegates to the Constitutional Convention to be held in Philadelphia during 1787, John Blair was appointed along with George Washington (president of the convention) and James Madison (future president of the U.S.). Blair remained aligned with Washington and Madison during the convention. The Constitution was adopted on 17 September 1787 and became effective on 21 June 1778 when New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify it. Four days later, on 25 June, Virginia ratified the Constitution to become the tenth state in the union. Nonetheless, there was heated opposition to the Constitution, but John Blair staunchly supported ratification. He and the other proponents prevailed. SubseJohn Blair (National Archives)

38 quently, Blair served on the Court of Appeals in Virginia and was elevated by presidential appointment to the United States Supreme Court during 1789. He remained on the court until 1796. Blair was a Federalist who was described as a “strict constructionist.” In addition, he held the opinion that the federal government “had precedence over the governments of the states.” An example of his position was displayed when his opinion stated that the federal circuit courts had authority to overrule decisions that were made by the state maritime courts. John Blair died in Williamsburg on 31 August 1800. He was interred in the cemetery of the of the Bruton Parish church in Williamsburg. John’s wife, Jean Balfour Blair, predeceased him. She succumbed during 1792.

Blount, Major General William (Signer of the U.S. Constitution) William Blount, the son of Colonel Jacob and Barbara Gray Blount, was born on 6 April 1749 in Bertie County, North Carolina, at Rosefield. William’s father, the son of Thomas and Elizabeth Reading Blount, was a prominent merchant, assuring William an excellent education. William was a descendant of Sir Walter Blount. Three of Walter’s sons arrived in America about 1669. One of his sons, Thomas, and another son, James, both left Virginia and settled in North Carolina. Subsequent to the death of William’s mother, his father, Jacob, remarried, taking Hannah Baker, the daughter of Edward Salten, as his second wife, and from that marriage, five children were born. Of the thirteen children, nine, including William, reached adulthood. The others were Anne (married James Harvey); John Gray; Louisa (married Richard Blackledge); Reading; Thomas; Jacob; Willie (later governor of Tennessee) and Sharpe. William was tutored privately. When North Carolina was rocked by a group of anti-government men known as Regulators, William along with many other men who later became Patriots joined with the governor, William Tryon, to suppress the insurrection. The Regulators initially opposed the royal government peaceably, but their movement escalated into violence in reaction to oppressive taxes, bribery and government corruption. During May 1771, Tryon, in command of a disciplined force, engaged the Regulators in a confrontation known as the Battle of Alamance. As later events unfolded, Tryon was sent to New York to become royal governor there, while Josiah Martin succeeded him as governor of North Carolina. Subsequently, various acts passed by Parliament increased opposition among the colonists on a steep path that began during 1765 with passage of the Stamp Act, which was repealed during the following year but replaced with more oppressive legislation as time passed. By 1775, all chances of reconciliation were lost when the British clashed with the Minute Men at Lexington and Concord on 19 April 1775. During the first year of the war, in December, Blount became paymaster of the 3rd North Carolina Regiment. As paymaster, he did not hold official rank in the Continen- William Blount (Life and Services of tal Army; however, his pay William Blount, Marcus J. Wright, grade was equal to that of a 1884)

39 commissioned captain. In early 1776, the Patriots intercepted a large force of Highlanders en route to Cape Fear to join with a British invasion force. The plan got aborted after the Highlanders were thrashed at Moore’s Creek bridge. Afterward, the British, unable to meet with the loyalists, sailed from North Carolina to attempt a landing at Charleston, but there, too, the British were repelled during June 1776. Meanwhile, the Moore’s Creek and the area remained tranquil for several years. During 1777, Blount accompanied the 3rd North Carolina when it moved north to bolster General Washington in the defense of Philadelphia. At the Battle of Germantown, the North Carolinians were a reserve force that acted as a cover when confusion during the battle forced the Americans to retreat. Afterward, Washington established winter quarters at Valley Forge. The North Carolinians, however, had been greatly reduced in numbers due to sickness and returned to their home state. Upon his return home, Blount was appointed paymaster general for the state. He also became involved in recruiting and logistics. Later, following the collapse of the defenders at Charleston on 12 May 1780, again North Carolina forces were thinned when those defending at Charleston were surrendered by General Benjamin Lincoln. During the summer of 1780, Blount participated in the field under General Horatio Gates at the disastrous Battle of Camden. The defeat cost Gates his military career. He was succeeded by General Nathanael Greene. Blount retired from the military following the debacle at Camden, but his pubic service was not terminated. That year, he was elected to the lower house and served there from 1780 through 1784. During 1781, General Lord Cornwallis abandoned the Carolinas and moved to Virginia, where he was engaged by troops under Lafayette and later by Washington and the French, who moved south to entrap Cornwallis. The campaign ended with the siege of Yorktown, where Cornwallis surrendered his army in October 1781. Some skirmishing continued in the Carolinas, but hostilities continued with Indians on the frontier, including Kentucky and Tennessee. Meanwhile, Blount had become more adventurous and interested in land on the frontier, but his intent of acquiring land did not interfere with his public service. He remained in North Carolina and during 1782, he was elected to the Continental Congress. He served as a congressman until 1784, but later, during 1786, he was re-elected and served until the following year. He was also selected in 1787 as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention that convened in Philadelphia for the purpose of establishing a new government with an effective central (federal) government. Blount missed some of the convention due to commitments in Congress that dealt with his home state, but he arrived, and although he was not overly supportive of the Constitution, he did sign it to assure unanimity. Following debate and a compromise of enormous proportion, remembered as the “Great Compromise”— which assured the smaller states equal representation through the Senate, and the House of Representatives with delegates based upon population—all parties agreed with the move. The United States Constitution was adopted on 17 September 1787, effective upon ratification by nine states. On 21 June 1788, New Hampshire became the ninth state. In North Carolina, the Constitution was ratified on 21 November 1789, to become the twelfth state. William Blount, who essentially was a passive delegate during the Constitutional Convention, fully supported ratification by his state. His tireless efforts made him the indefatigable engine behind the ratification movement in North Carolina. In the meantime, Blount was elected to the state Senate during 1788. He held the seat until 1790. In 1790, William was propelled into a governorship by presidential appointment. President Washington named Blount the territorial governor of the region referred to as the Territory Southwest of the River Ohio (Northwest Territory). President Washington also commissioned Blount as a brigadier general, and during the following year,

BLOUNT again by presidential authority, Blount was commissioned as a major general. It was at that time that Governor Blount’s life took a drastic change, including much more than just his lifestyle. The territory (Kentucky and Tennessee) was still the wilderness, but in addition to unending Indian attacks, the situation became more dire due to interference from the English and French as well as the Spanish. The Indians were incited by the foreign powers, and at the same time, the Spanish blocked passage of the Mississippi River to American vessels attempting to get their produce to market. Blount was so involved with those and other problems, he had little time to dwell on the fact that in his past, he lived in a world of luxury and for the immediate future there would be none. The intrigues of the foreigners prompted some to form a country separate from the United States by carving out some of Tennessee and joining with the Spaniards. In December 1784, John Sevier, a leader of the short-lived state of Franklin, tried to terminate the problem existing between Franklin and North Carolina, stating: “Our grievances are redressed, and we have nothing more to complain of; my advice is to cease all efforts to separate from North Carolina, but remain firm and faithful to her laws.” However, his words were ignored. Nevertheless, when Blount became governor, Sevier for a time was arrested and held by North Carolina, but soon after he was freed. Meanwhile the ravaging raids by the Indians continued and the settlers were infuriated because neither Blount nor the U.S. Army came to their aid. Eventually, the Tennesseans took action on their own and the Indian raids were terminated. The Cherokee Indians were compelled to agree to the Treaty of Holston in July 1791. Although the treaty was ratified during November 1781 by the Senate, the frontier did not become tranquil. In present-day Indiana, the Indians inflicted a defeat upon Governor (General) Arthur St. Clair on 4 November 1791, which became the worst defeat ever sustained by the United States Army. In addition to the catastrophic losses, the Indians seized the artillery. At the time the frontier settlements were imperiled due to a shortage of troops. The terror across the frontier was finally terminated when General Anthony Wayne led a seasoned army against the Indians during 1794 and vanquished them at the Battle of Fallen Timbers, bringing peace to the region, but not permanently. Later, on 1 June 1796, Tennessee became the 16th state due in great part to the efforts of Governor Blount (for more details on the period of turbulence, see Brigadier General James Robertson and Brigadier General John Sevier). Afterward, Blount was a member and chairman of the state’s constitutional convention. He was also elected to the United States Senate during 1796, and he took his seat during December of that year. During the following year, 1797, Blount became snarled in personal troubles that multiplied after a letter written by him found itself in the possession of President John Adams. The letter implicated Blount (in his own handwriting) in a scheme involving a British agent ( James Carey) in a plan that included Indians, to seize Spanish possessions in Louisiana and Florida. Blount was shown a copy of the letter and asked if he wrote it, then Blount responded that he had written to Carey, but couldn’t immediately state if that was the letter. Adams transferred the letter to Congress and shortly thereafter, Blount was officially accused of being “guilty of high misdemeanor.” The Senate, on 8 July, five days after receiving the letter from President Adams, passed the following resolution: “Resolved, That William Blount, Esq., one of the Senators of the United States, having been guilty of a high misdemeanor, entirely inconsistent with his public trust and duty as a Senator, be, and he hereby is, expelled from the Senate of the United States.” The vote to expel Senator Blount was 25 to 1, with the sole dissenter being Senator Littleton Waller Tazewell of Virginia. Back in Tennessee, the people were unfazed by the proceeding against their senator by the Congress. Blount remained highly regarded throughout the state and his character and reputation remained

BOONE unscathed. On 5 July, Blount, while in Philadelphia, penned a letter to the citizens of Tennessee stating: “In a few days you will see published by order of Congress a letter said to have been written by me to James Carey. It makes quite a fuss here. The people upon the Western waters will see nothing but good in it, for so I intended it, especially for Tennessee.” The issue never was settled definitively and no evidence other than the letter ever surfaced. A newspaper item published upon his arrival stated: On Saturday last returned to this town the Hon. William Blount. As soon as his approach was made known the volunteer troop of cavalry, commanded by John Lavender, Esq., and a large concourse of citizens, hastened to receive him, and met him eight miles from this place, where, after refreshments, he was conducted into town in the following order, viz: A detachment of the troop of cavalry. The Hon. Wm. Blountt accompanied by General White and the Hon. William Stuartt late Speaker of the House of Representatives; the troop of cavalry; citizens in files. We are happy to say that Mr. Blount has received on his journey through this State the most flattering and hearty welcome from every description of citizens, a welcome justly due from a grateful people to the father, friend, and protector of their State.

Another letter was not so complimentary: “In the new State his influence was overwhelming. On his return to Tennessee, so far from being shunned as a disgraced man, he was received with triumph; was elected to the State Senate, it is said, and made Speaker thereof, and was only prevented by his sudden death from mounting, as if in defiance to the Federal Government, the gubernatorial chair.” Blount was elected to the Tennessee Senate during 1798 and served diligently as speaker with an unblemished record. His term ended when he died in the capital, Knoxville, on 1 March 1800. He was interred in the cemetery of the First Presbyterian Church. His wife, Mary Grainger Blount, and six children survived him. Mary died on 7 October 1802 and was buried alongside her husband. The children were Ann (married Henry I. Toole and afterward Mr. Hadley of North Carolina); Louisa (married Pleasant M. Miller, who was elected to Congress and later expelled; Louisa became the mother of nine children including Major Albert S. Miller of the U.S. Army, General William B. Miller, and a daughter, Dorthula, who married General Alexander B. Bradford); William Grainger (died unmarried); Richard Blackledge, married Catherine Miner); Barbara (married Major General Edmund Gaines) and Eliza (married Doctor Edward Wyatt, a surgeon in the U.S. Army). Also, William’s father served during the war as a member of the War Council of 1775 and 1776. He died in 1789 at his estate, Blount Hall. Williams’ brothers Thomas, Reading and John Gray also participated in the service during the war. Thomas was captured by the British during the initial part of the conflict, shipped to England and confined for a prolonged period of time. Subsequently, Thomas was elected to the U.S. Congress and served there until his death during 1812. Willie later followed his brother and became the governor of Tennessee. The state of Tennessee honored the memory of Governor Blount by naming Blount County and the town of Blountville after him. In addition, Maryville, Tennessee, and Grainger County were named in honor of Mary Grainger Blount.

Boone, Daniel Daniel Boone, the son of Squire and Sarah Morgan Boone, was born in Pennsylvania on 2 November 1734. The family initially lived in Gwynedd Township, but later, prior to the birth of Daniel, relocated to Oley, above Exeter and less than ten miles below Reading, Pennsylvania. Daniel’s paternal grandparents, both Quakers, were George and Mary Maugridge Boone. Daniel’s grandparents emigrated from Devonshire, England. George and Mary had nine children, each born in England: George, Sarah, Squire (Daniel’s father), Mary, John, Joseph, Benjamin, James, and Samuel. In addition to Daniel, Squire and Sarah

40 had the following children: Sarah (b. 1724), Israel (b. 1726), Samuel (b. 1728), Jonathan (b. 1730), Elizabeth (b. 1732), Mary (b. 1736), George (b. 1739), Edward (b. 1744), Squire (birth date unknown) and Hannah (birth date unknown). As a youth, Daniel received no formal education; however, he worked the farm. At the time, the location of the farm was considered to be the wilderness, which brought the family into constant contact with local Indians, giving Daniel an additional ed- Daniel Boone (Pictorial Field Book of ucation regarding the ways of the Revolution, Benson J. Lossing, 1860) the Indians, a knowledge that later paid him great dividends. Daniel also became an expert with a rifle, another trait that was helpful as he later ventured farther into the wilderness as an explorer and hunter. When Daniel was about fourteen, he was fortunate in being taught the fundamentals by his sister-in-law, Sarah Day, the wife of his brother Samuel. Sarah was a well educated Quaker, somewhat unusual for Quaker women of the period, and she was a welcome addition to the family. Nevertheless, Daniel’s brother Israel and his sister Sarah both married outside the Quaker faith and both were expelled from the community. Their father, Squire, who supported Israel’s marriage, which occurred after Sarah’s, was also expelled during 1748. By 1750, the Boone family, except for some who had gotten married and lived elsewhere, began a trek to the Yadkin Valley, about 500 miles from their residence in Pennsylvania. The party set out with Daniel as their hunter to secure food en route. They traveled to Harpers Ferry and from there moved through the Shenandoah Valley into Kentucky, but the final leg of the journey did not begin for a while, as the party halted at Linville Creek and remained there until autumn of 1751. During the French and Indian war, Daniel Boone participated as a “wagoneer.” He was with the illfated Braddock expedition during 1755 and it is thought that he also participated with General Forbes during 1758 when Fort Du Quesne was seized. Following his time in the service, Daniel returned to the settlement. He then married Rebecca, the daughter of Joseph Bryan, a Pennsylvanian (after having emigrated from Ireland) who relocated in Virginia. Daniel and Rebecca had the following children: James (b. 1757, killed by Indians); Israel (b. 1759, killed by Indians); Susannah (b. 1760); Jemima (b. 1762); Lavinia (b. 1766); Rebecca (b. 1768), Daniel Morgan (b. 1769); John (b. 1773) and Nathan (1780). Daniel’s daughters each got married and settled in Kentucky. Daniel Morgan and Nathan relocated to Missouri. In 1764, Daniel and Samuel Calloway entered Tennessee on a short exploratory trip, but Boone returned later, during 1771. Later that same year, Daniel and others, a party of eight, rode into Florida to explore it, but the trek was difficult and at times they had no food. A band of friendly Seminoles came to their aid and provided them with food to forestall starvation. The expedition to examine the land between St. Augustine and Pensacola did not persuade them to leave Kentucky. And if Daniel did think about it, Rebecca Boone quashed the idea, stating that she did not want to move where there was no game. During May 1769, Daniel Boone and several other frontiersmen, including John Finlay (Findley), William Cooley, Joseph Holden, James Mooney and John Stuart, ventured farther into the wilderness.

41 During the trip, the hunters worked usually in pairs and at the end of the day, gathered their pelts and skins together at the camp site. During December, Boone and John Stuart were intercepted by Shawnee, and they were forced to lead the Indians to their camp. Afterward, the Shawnee took all their pelts and warned them not to return to the Indian hunting lands. The party except Stuart and Boone were prepared to head for home, but neither Boone nor Stuart wanted to let the Indians keep their property. The two men soon after concealed themselves and prepared to retrieve some of their horses, which were carrying their pelts and skins. They succeeded in regaining some of their property, but the Indians gave pursuit, and within two days they were again intercepted and captured. They were not treated harshly, and after about a week of being in captivity, both escaped and eventually caught up with the others. In addition, Daniel encountered his brother Squire, who had remained behind to tend the crops before joining the party. Squire Boone had brought fresh horses and a supply of ammunition. Daniel once again decided that he wanted his pelts. John Stuart, Squire and another, Alexander Neely, remained, while the rest continued to head for the settlement. About the end of January or early February 1770, Boone’s partner got separated and did not return to camp that night. On the following day, Boone found a camp fire, but John Stuart was not in sight. Five years later, Daniel came across the bones of someone in a hollow sycamore tree along the Rockcastle River. Daniel knew he found his friend because he also found a powder horn that had Stuart’s name inscribed on it. The cause of his death was never discovered. Upon learning of the death of Stuart, Alexander Neely chose to depart for home, but Daniel and his brother Squire remained. When the supplies were nearly exhausted, Squire set out to get fresh supplies, leaving Daniel by himself. Squire returned and the hunt resumed. During their trip, they encountered a group of long hunters and spent time with them. After being away for about two years, Daniel and his brother separated from the long hunters and headed back to the Yadkin Valley, anxious to exchange their pelts and skins to settle their debts. However, once again, they encountered Indians in Powell’s Valley. The war party (Northern Indians) seized them and their pelts and skins. They did however, escape with their lives. During 1773, Boone led a party from the upper Yadkin to the southwest frontier on the Yadkin and was to meet another party (Bryan’s) in Powell’s Valley. Boone encountered also another party, that of William Russell, who was heading for Kentucky. Warnings of hostile Indians were heard and the Russell party halted at the Clinch River, but Russell’s son Henry went ahead with Boone to scout the region where the Russells intended to relocate in Kentucky. Boone’s party was attacked after it advanced about forty miles from Castle Woods on the Clinch. William’s son Henry was killed and one of Daniel Boone’s sons (Israel) was also killed. During March 1775, Daniel, Colonel Richard Henderson and others met with Cherokee chiefs and persuaded the Cherokee to sell them the tract lying between the Cumberland, Kentucky and Ohio rivers, a massive amount of land encompassing about 15 million acres. The pact is known as the “Transylvania Purchase, brought about by the Treaty of Sycamore Shoals.” Richard Henderson and others formed the Transylvania Company to complete the transaction, but it was later ruled invalid by Virginia, which had claims on the Cumberland Valley. During that period, Boone and his party carved out what became known as the “Wilderness Road,” which terminated where Boone founded Boonesborough, Kentucky. In early 1776, Daniel and his brother Squire were hired by surveyors of the Transylvania Company to handle the hunting for the party. By spring large numbers of settlers arrived in the area from various places, including Virginia and Pennsylvania. At about that same time, the British were inciting the Cherokees in the south and the Shawnees

BOONE and Mingos in the north to initiate open hostilities against the settlers. Meanwhile, in Kentucky, Harrodsburg sent delegates to Virginia to make Kentucky a county of Virginia, in direct opposition what Henderson and the proprietors wanted. On the Fourth of July, 1776, Congress declared independence. By autumn, Harrodsburg settlers got their way when the Virginia legislature declared Kentucky a county and authorized the forming of a government. David Robinson was appointed county lieutenant, while John Bowman was appointed colonel. Other officers included George Rogers Clark as a major and Daniel Boone and James Harrod as lieutenants. By that time, the Kentuckians had become aware of an Indian war that had been ongoing. Colonel William Russell, commandant of the southwestern Virginia militia, urged abandonment of Kentucky, but few were anxious to leave. On 17 July, Indians raided Boonesborough and intercepted a canoe in which three teenage girls were paddling. One of the girls was Jemima Boone, about fourteen at the time, and the other two were sisters, Betsey and Fanny Calloway. The current in the stream caused the girls to be swept toward shore where five Shawnee were posted in the brush. The girls began to scream, alerting the settlers. The Indians carried all three of the girls away, but Boone, Calloway and others gave chase, with Calloway’s force mounted and Boone’s force on foot. The settlers decided the Indians would head for the Licking River. The girls, however, had the presence of mind to mark their route by dropping pieces of clothing and fragments of broken limbs. The chase succeeded and two days later, Boone’s party caught up with the captors and rescued all three of the girls about thirty-five miles from the settlement of Boonesborough. Two of the Indians were killed and the others vanished in the woods. During the latter part of 1777, the government of Virginia delivered some salt boiling kettles to the Kentucky settlements for the various militia units as well as the settlers charged with making salt in sufficient amounts to last the settlements for about one year. Daniel Boone led the first party to Lower Blue Licks during early January. During that month, some of the salt was carried back to the settlement, while the contingent continued to make more, waiting for a relief unit. On 7 February, while Daniel was returning to camp with buffalo meat and beaver skins, he was surprised by a group of four Shawnee braves who seized him after he first attempted to break for safety. Daniel was taken to their camp, where he encountered about 120 other braves under Chief Black Fish and two reprobates, the brothers of Simon Girty, James and George. Daniel also was greeted by some familiar Indians, those who had captured him earlier. Daniel was greeted as an old friend and as they called him brother, they also informed Daniel that they were about to attack Boonesborough. With that intelligence, he initiated his ruse to gain their confidence. The Indians then requested that Daniel lead the attack. Daniel was also told that he would have to get the rest of his men to surrender. Daniel agreed in order to buy time and find a way to warn the settlement after gaining the confidence of the Shawnee. He was also aware that the palisade at the fort had not yet been completed. The other men in his party were persuaded to surrender and they were then taken to the Shawnee territory beyond the Ohio. Boone had convinced the Indians to suspend the attack until spring, buying more time for the settlers to complete the fort. The plan nearly failed completely when the Indians voted upon whether to kill the prisoners or show mercy. By one vote, their lives were spared. After a grueling trip though harsh winter weather, the prisoners arrived at the Shawnee towns on the Little Chillicothe (present-day Xenia, Ohio). Boone and sixteen of the others were adopted, with Boone being adopted by Black Fish. He received the Indian name of Sheltowee (Big Turtle). Black Fish and his squaw accepted Daniel as their own son and, Daniel, aware of Indian habits, realized that once

BOONE they had full confidence in him, their eyes would not be watching him closely. Meanwhile, his family at Boonesborough believed Daniel to be dead and Rebecca and the children returned to Virginia. Black Fish led a large group to Detroit to meet with Governor Henry Hamilton (derisively called The Hairbuyer) to collect a bounty of the men that had been captured. Daniel accompanied him on the trip. Hamilton was anxious to see Boone. And Boone was prepared for the encounter. He continued his ruse by pulling his old captain’s commission, which had been signed by Lord Dunmore, then brashly informed Hamilton that he would persuade Boonesborough to surrender and move to Detroit to come under his (Hamilton’s) protection. Hamilton was so impressed he tried to buy Daniel from Black Fish, but the latter claimed he loved Daniel too much to be parted. Nonetheless, thanks in part to Lord Dunmore, Hamilton gave Boone a pony, saddle and other items with his compliments and a reminder to maintain his loyalty to the king. Upon Boone’s return to the Shawnee towns, more Indians had arrived. The time of the spring attack was imminent and apparently it was to be rushes, as one of the captives, who feigned being an idiot, escaped and was able to forewarn the Kentuckians and alert them of the locations of the Indian strongholds. On 16 June, Boone made his escape while a pack of wild turkeys distracted Black Fish and the other Indians. He traveled about 160 miles in four days and had only one meal during that time. On 7 September, the Indians, about four hundred warriors, were at the gates of the fort. About forty Frenchmen accompanied the Indians and Black Fish commanded all, including the Cherokee, Delawares and Wyandots who bolstered the Shawnee. The encounter between the chief and his adopted son was less than joyful. Black Fish cried from disappointment and he was not cheered up when he was told the Kentuckians would fight to the last man. Talks occurred, but Black Fish was unable to persuade the fort’s defenders to capitulate or make a treaty. At the final talks, guns commenced firing and the Indians began slashing with their tomahawks. Daniel and his brother Squire were wounded, but all of those involved in the talks got back into the fort. The siege lasted from the eighth until the 17th of September, when the Indians abandoned the siege. After the siege was lifted, Boone came under fire for his action at and after the time of his capture. Charges were lodged by Colonel Calloway, but Boone defended himself at his court-martial held in Logan’s Fort and was acquitted of any wrongdoing. He was promoted to the rank of major. Afterward, Boone returned to the Yadkin and rejoined his startled wife at Bryan’s settlement. In October 1779, Daniel returned to Kentucky, but he only stayed in Boonesborough for a short while. He moved to a new location and established Boone’s Station (Fayette County) on the other side of the Kentucky River about five miles northwest of his initial settlement. After Kentucky was divided his station was located in Athens, Fayette County. John Todd became colonel and Boone was appointed lieutenant colonel of the county. By 1780, the number of settlers in Tennessee had been reduced to slightly more than 125, due to the incessant Indian raids. They were short of ammunition and food, prompting parties to speed to Kentucky to get ammunition. At Harrod’s Station, there was none to spare; however, Daniel Boone was able to supply the Tennesseans with some powder. During October 1780, Daniel and his brother Edward were at Grassy Lick boiling salt when they were attacked by a band of Indians. Edward was killed, but Daniel returned fire and killed one of the attackers before trying to evade capture. The Indians pursued Boone, but he killed another during the chase and made it back to the fort. He gathered a force and chased after the foe, but the Indians made their escape. Later, during April 1781, Boone arrived in Richmond as one of the initial representatives from Fayette County to sit in the legislature. Richmond

42 became jeopardized by British General Lord Cornwallis. The small American force under Lafayette at Richmond retired and the legislature reconvened at Charlottesville. But there, the British also threatened, and a force under Colonel Banastre Tarleton arrived and was intent on seizing Governor Thomas Jefferson and others. Jefferson was not seized, but Daniel Boone was among the few legislators captured when the cavalry arrived on 4 June. Boone and the others were taken to Cornwallis’ camp, but within a few days they were paroled. The legislature afterward reconvened at Staunton, but Boone’s name was not listed among those attending, indicating that his parole probably prevented his attendance. After his parole Boone is thought to have returned to Kentucky. In September 1781, Daniel traveled to Pittsburgh and from there headed back to his original hometown in Pennsylvania to visit relatives and some of his old friends and acquaintances. By that time, Cornwallis had been defeated and forced to capitulate at Yorktown in October 1781. Following his journey to Pennsylvania, Boone returned to Virginia and resumed his service in the Virginia legislature. After the close of hostilities, Kentucky still suffered much from hostile Indians. A preliminary treaty of peace between the United States and Britain was signed during November 1782 and the official end to hostilities occurred during the following year with the Treaty of Paris. Boone, having learned the profession of a surveyor during his youth, by that time was the deputy surveyor and held the posts of sheriff (Fayette County) and lieutenant of the county. Later, about 1786, Boone relocated at Maysville (Limestone). He operated a tavern and his wife, Rebecca, operated a small store. Daniel also continued as a surveyor and he had never given up his hunting, which supplemented his income. Daniel and his sons, using pack horses, moved eastward to sell their pelts and furs. During that period, the Mississippi was still controlled by the Spanish and the entire region remained a danger zone due to the constant interference of the British, still holding posts in the northwest, who continued to incite the Indians. Congress paid little attention to the problems in Kentucky and Tennessee and there were no troops available to be sent to the frontier. All the while, the region suffered from internal squabbles, with some willing to separate from the United States and join with a foreign power, while others wanted Kentucky to be a free and independent state. Daniel had acquired large tracts of land, but he never covered himself with proper registration. Consequently, much of his lands were lost to swindlers who took advantage of his lack of proper registration. By autumn of 1788, Boone moved form Kentucky and for a while resettled in western Virginia at Point Pleasant near the convergence of the Great Kanawha and Ohio Rivers. Daniel opened a small store at Point Pleasant and maintained it until he later moved to Charleston, where he again acted as a surveyor and was involved with calling out the militia when the town was threatened by hostile Indians. In addition, he continued his hunting trips, when he ventured across the Ohio into Indian territory, but despite some harrowing incidents, he escaped harm and capture. During 1789, Boone was appointed lieutenant colonel of Kanawha County. The next year he represented Kanawha County in the Virginia legislature when it convened during October 1780 and remained in session until 20 December. Subsequently, during 1794, General Anthony Wayne finally ended the Indian hostilities when his force was victorious on 20 August at the Battle of Fallen Timbers in the Northwest Territory. Afterward, the Treaty of Greenville (summer 1795) officially brought peace to the frontier. Daniel Boone resumed his hunting trips without fear of attack. He also had a few remaining claims on his land in Kentucky, but each case was decided against him and Boone lost everything, rendering him unable to leave anything to his children. Those that he still had were lost to sheriffs’ sales for taxes. By 1798, his final tract in Kentucky was gone.

43 In the meantime, during 1796, Daniel Morgan Boone, his son, traveled to eastern Missouri to St. Charles County and acquired land from the Spanish lieutenant governor of Upper Louisiana, Charles Dehault Delassus. Daniel Morgan and the other four families that accompanied him settled near the Femme Osage Creek slightly more than five miles from where it converged with the Missouri River. During the spring of the following year, Daniel, his wife Rebecca and the younger children joined him. Although the government gave him no support in saving his land, people from all over the region converged on Charleston to say goodbye to the family. Boone’s reputation had preceded him in the west and he was well known for his many exploits. At a stop in Ohio, he was asked why he was again heading for a frontier at his advanced age and Boone, always a kind hearted gentleman, responded: “It’s too crowded. I want more elbow room.” The Spanish government had given Boone a small parcel of land next to that of his son, Daniel Morgan. He built a small log cabin and lived there in Missouri (at the time, Louisiana Territory) until his death during 1820.

Boudinot, Elias Elias Boudinot, the son of Elias, Sr., and Catherine Williams Boudinot, was born in Philadelphia during 1740. Elias was a descendant of French Huguenots that fled the country following the revocation of the Edict of Nantes during 1685. Elias’s parents got married in Antigua, where their first child, John, was born. Elias, Sr., and Catherine had the following children: John (b. in Antigua in January 1734, married Catherine Van Norden); Tobias; Jane; Annis (b. July 1736, married Richard Stockton, signer Declaration of Independence); and Julia (married Doctor Benjamin Rush, Signer of Declaration of Independence). Elias received an excellent education, which was classical, but he did not travel to Europe to further his studies. Instead he turned to the study of law. He studied under Richard Stockton (later a signer of the Declaration of Independence) and, after being admitted to the bar, he established his practice in New Jersey. Elias married Hannah Stockton, the sister of Richard Stockton. In turn, Richard married Annis, the sister of Elias. Elias was aligned with the Patriots, but his military service was minimal. During 1777, Boudinot, by congressional appointment, was made commissary general of prisoners of war, a post he retained until 20 April 1778. It included the pay equal to that of a colonel. Also that year, Boudinot was elected to the Continental Congress as a representative of New Jersey. Congress, pursuant to consideration of a letter dated 18 April from General George Washington regarding British peace commissioners, acted with the following resolution: “Resolved, That Congress approve of the conduct of Colonel Grayson, Lieutenant Colonel Harrison, and Lieutenant Colonel Hamilton, and Elias Boudinot, Esqr. commissioners appointed by General Washington to meet the commissioners appointed by General Sir William Howe, and with them to confer, determine and agree upon a treaty and convention for the exchange of prisoners of war, and for all matters whatsoever which may be properly contained therein, in the several meetings held at Germantown and Newton, with the commissioners of General Howe.” On 24 October, subsequent to the surrender of General Lord Charles Cornwallis at Yorktown on 19 October 1781, Congress appointed a committee to draw up a proper way of communicating “the thanks of the United States in Congress assembled, to General Washington, Count de Rochambeau and Count de Grasse, for their effectual exertions in accomplishing this illustrious work; and of paying respect to the merit of Lieutenant Colonel Tilghman, aid-de-camp of General Washington, and the bearer of his despatches announcing this happy event.” Boudinot was appointed to the committee along with

BRAXTON Edmund Randolph, James Mitchell Varnum and Daniel Carroll. In November of 1782, Boudinot was elected president of the Continental Congress. He held the post from 4 November 1782 until 2 November 1783. He succeeded John Hanson and was succeeded by Thomas Mifflin. Subsequent to his service as president of Congress, Elias Boudinot re-established his law practice. After the U.S. Constitution was adopted on 17 September 1777 and ratified by nine states, Boudinot was again elected to Congress, the U.S. Congress, which operated under the authority of the Constitution. He was president of the Continental Congress in 1782–1783. In 1796, by presidential appointment, he was made director of the U.S. mint in Philadelphia, succeeding David Rittenhouse. During 1805, Elias retired from public life and focused afterward on his personal affairs. Much of his time was spent studying the Bible and on other endeavors, including philanthropic causes. In addition, Boudinot became a trustee of Princeton. In 1812, he was elected a member of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions. Boudinot was instrumental during 1816 in the founding of the American Bible Society and was elected as its initial president. Elias also entered into the literary world when, also in 1816, he published Star in the West, a work in which he proposed that the Indians were the lost tribe of Israel. The Bible Society was one of his philanthropic interests, prompting Elias to donate $10,000 to the organization. Elias Boudinot died on 24 October 1821. On his deathbed, Elias’ last prayer was recorded as “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Elias’ wife, Hannah Stockton Boudinot, predeceased him in 1808. Elias and Hannah had two children, Maria and Susan, but Maria died very young. Elias’s surviving daughter, Susan Boudinot Bradford, the widow of Colonel William Bradford (Continental Army and U.S. attorney general during President Washington’s administration) received a large part of Elias’ estate, including his residence and other property; however, he also left gifts for others: “Four thousand acres of land were left to the Society for the Benefit of the Jews, five thousand dollars to the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church, four thousand and eighty acres for theological students at Princeton, four thousand acres to the college of New Jersey for the establishment of fellowships, three thousand two hundred and seventy acres to the Hospital of Philadelphia, thirteen thousand acres to the mayor and corporation of Philadelphia for the supply of the poor with wood.” Susan continued to reside on the estate and became a prominent woman in the area. Her closest friends included Elizabeth Hamilton, the widow of Alexander Hamilton, and Dolley Madison, the wife of President James Madison.

Braxton, Carter (Signer of the Declaration of Independence) Carter Braxton was born into a wealthy family on 10 September 1736. His parents were George and Mary Carter Braxton; however, Mary succumbed soon after the birth of Carter, her second child, leaving George to raise Carter and his older brother George, the latter being about two years old. Carter lived on the family plantation (Newington Plantation) along the Mattaponi River in King and Queen County, Virginia. Carter’s father was a member of the House of Burgesses during 1748. His mother was the daughter of Robert Carter, a prominent Virginian and a member of the king’s council, who during 1726 had also been president of the council. Carter and his brother George each inherited a large fortune that included parcels of land, some money, and slaves, but the exact date of their father’s death remains unknown. Carter received his college education at William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia At the age of nineteen, Braxton married, taking Judith Robinson as his wife. Judith Robinson Braxton was the daughter of another plantation owner, Christopher Robinson of Middlesex County, who was a descendant of Colonel Christopher Robinson of Hewick, the latter having arrived in Virginia during 1666. After receiving his inheritance,

BRAXTON Braxton built a mansion (Elsin Green) along the Pamonkey River and later, he built another mansion at Chericoke, which was also located along the Pamonkey. Carter and Judith had two children, both daughters, Mary and Judith. In a tragic irony, similarly to Carter’s mother, Judith succumbed during birth of their second child on 13 December 1757. At the time, Judith was only 21 years old. Subsequent to the death of his wife, Carter embarked for England, while his brother, George, managed Carter’s affairs until his return to Virginia during 1760. In 1761, Carter married Elizabeth Corbin, the daughter of Richard and Elizabeth Tayloe Corbin. Carter and Elizabeth had sixteen children, and of those, six died while infants. Prior to the American Revolution, Braxton had been affluent, which allowed him to build his two mansions, but the one at Chericko was destroyed by fire. The loss of the mansion also included the destruction of nearly all of Braxton’s personal documents. He entered the political life, but the exact time remains uncertain; however, it is thought that he became a member of the House of Burgesses soon after his arrival back from England during 1761, as recorded in The History of the Colony and Ancient Dominion of Virginia (1860). He was in attendance during 1765, when the Virginia Resolutions were brought to the floor by Patrick Henry in response to the Stamp Act and adopted, making it clear to all Virginians and the crown that there was great dissatisfaction with Parliament’s actions regarding taxation. On 16 May 1769, the House of Burgesses, of which Braxton was a member, declared that only the House of Burgesses held the right to tax the colony, and at that same time, the House denounced the practice of Britain seizing Patriots accused of treason and carrying them off to London. When word of the Virginians’ action reached the new governor, Lord Botetourt, he dissolved the House on 17 May. The Patriots considered Botetourt’s retaliation insignificant. The delegates switched their meeting place to Williamsburg. Carter Braxton, Patrick Henry, Thomas Jefferson, Peyton Randolph, George Washington and other Patriots met at the new location in secret, and at the meeting, the Patriots adopted the Non-importation Agreements. From that point forward, although there were attempts to bring about reconciliation with the Crown, the difference continued to widen, surely leading to conflict. During 1771, Governor Dunmore, who succeeded Botetourt after his death, dissolved the assembly on 11 October 1771; writs were published for a new assembly, which convened in February 1772. At that time, Braxton held a position as high county sheriff, a post which made him ineligible to be a member. During 1774, Dunmore abolished the assembly on 27 May. Nonetheless, the Patriots, numbering eighty-nine members, established an association immediately following the governor’s action. When the body convened in Williamsburg on 1 August of that year, Braxton was a member as a representative of King William County. He and the other delegates cast a vote to proclaim that they held a common cause with the people in Boston. Seven members were selected as delegates to the First Continental Congress. Later, during March 1775, the same convention met again, at Richmond. Governor Dunmore, on 20 April, incited the Virginians when he confiscated the powder in the magazine at Williamsburg and ordered it loaded upon a British vessel moored on the James River at Burwell’s Ferry. Most of the Virginians at Williamsburg were prepared for violence to regain the powder, but Dunmore’s fraudulent explanation — that it was moved for security purposes due to rumors of a rebellion by the slaves—was believed by some leaders, postponing a fight. Nonetheless, others like Patrick Henry were adamantly against non-violence and insisted that action was required to reclaim the powder. On 3 May, Patrick Henry led about 150 men toward Williamsburg. In the meantime, Dunmore acquired about forty Royal marines from the HMS Fowey to defend his governor’s mansion. To bolster his cause, the captain of the warship proclaimed that if an attack commenced, he

44 would bombard Yorktown. Although the British threat did not deter the Patriots, violence was avoided. Carter Braxton’s intervention succeeded in persuading Henry to halt the assault. Patrick Henry, at Doncastle’s Tavern, about sixteen miles from Williamsburg, refused to disband his force unless he received either the powder or its equivalent in cash. Braxton negotiated and acquired the money from his father-in-law, Richard Corbin, the receiver-general for the royal government at Williamsburg. The payment Carter Braxton (Virginia and Virginiprompted Henry to suspend ans, Vol. 2, R.A. Brock, 1888) the attack. In two days, Patrick Henry and others were denounced by Dunmore for “extortion.” On the night of the 7th–8th, Dunmore fled from Williamsburg. He boarded the HMS Fowey. Meanwhile, during July, Carter Braxton and others, following the abdication of the governor, met in general convention at Richmond until August 26. Afterward, the convention again met at Richmond on 1 December 1775, but it adjourned and moved to back Williamsburg. At that time, Carter Braxton was elected to represent Virginia at the Continental Congress in place of Peyton Randolph, who had unexpectedly died while in Philadelphia. Braxton at the time was unaware that he would soon be among that select group of 56 men who mutually pledged their “lives, fortunes and sacred honor” as they voted unanimously to adopt the Declaration of Independence. Meanwhile, back in Virginia, the convention, on the 26th of June, decided to cut their delegates to the Continental Congress from seven to five. Consequently, Carter Braxton and Benjamin Harrison were eliminated. Later, Braxton returned to Virginia and was elected to the first Virginia legislature. During October 1776, the Virginia convention paid tribute to Carter Braxton and Thomas Jefferson. Both received the unanimous approbation of the body in appreciation of their service in the Continental Congress. Braxton was appointed chairman of the Committee on Religion. He served during 1777, 1779, 1780, 1781, 1783 and 1785. When the conflict began, Carter Braxton was still able to afford a high style of living for his family, and he was able to contribute a large sum of his personal money to the cause. However, as the war continued, his fortunes changed. Various commercial endeavors failed. His finances were ruined and all the ships he had sent to sea were captured. He eventually lost his personal property to the sheriff and much of his vast land holdings had been sold to support his wartime ventures. Despite all his personal problems, he remained solidly behind the American cause. The lands he had not sold off were mortgaged in an attempt to repay his creditors, but he was never able to extricate himself from ruin. He was able to convince some friends to assist him, but their support was unable to save him from financial disaster. Consequently, Carter was never again in a position to compensate them for their losses. During his final year in the Virginia legislature, Carter Braxton was one of those responsible for the act, signed by Governor Thomas Jefferson, that guaranteed religious freedom in the state. Another strong proponent was Alexander Hamilton. During 1786, Braxton was appointed as a member of the privy council (Council of State), a position he retained until March 1791. Subsequently, after moving to

45 Richmond, Carter was elected by the citizens of Henrico as a member of the House of Delegates. During 1793 (Winter session), the General Assembly elected him into the executive council, a position he assumed on 31 May 1794 and retained until 6 October 1797, four days prior to his death, caused by a second attack of paralysis. Carter Braxton succumbed in Richmond, but he was interred in the family cemetery near Chericoke. His widow, Elizabeth, was able to salvage enough of his estate to exist without being in poverty. Elizabeth succumbed during 1814. Of the ten children of Carter and Elizabeth Corbin Braxton who survived to adulthood, the author could only verify eight names, with the primary source being the History of the Blair, Banister and Braxton Families (by Frederick Horner, 1898). They are Fitzhugh (married Elizabeth Wallace Ewing, widow of William Ewing, of Philadelphia); George (1762–1801, married Mary Carter; they were the parents of General Corbin Braxton); Carter (1765–1809, married Miss Moore); Taylor (died in Richmond fire of 1811, along with his wife Anna); Nancy (unmarried); Elizabeth (married Samuel Griffin of Williamsburg); Carter (3rd son of Carter, Sr.); and William Fitzhugh (1783–1820).

Brearly (Brearley), David (Signer of the U.S. Constitution) David Brearly, the son of David and Mary Clark Brearly, was born on 11 June 1745 in Spring Grove, New Jersey. David’s ancestors originated in England and immigrated to America during 1680. David’s parents also had the following children: Joseph (later general of militia, married Rachael McClarey); Esther (died unmarried); Abijah (died unmarried) and Jerusha (married a Mr. Pierson). David received an education that included attendance at the College of New Jersey (later Princeton), but he left school prior to graduation. Afterward, he studied law and was admitted to the bar. Brearly established himself in Allentown, New Jersey, in Monmouth County. He married Elizabeth Mullen about 1767. In 1783, following the death of Elizabeth, David remarried, taking Elizabeth Higbee, the daughter of Joseph and Rachel Higbee, as his second wife. From David’s second marriage, the following children were born: David (died unmarried); George (died young); and Joseph (died during 1805 at about age 20). Allentown, at the time of the outbreak of war, was not far from a direct line of march from New York to the Philadelphia area, and it was near Trenton, which later became a turning point during the early days of the Revolution. By the time the war erupted, Brearly was about thirty years old, but he was a conspicuous Patriot, and he was known to the royal governor, William Franklin, the son of Benjamin Franklin, because of his outspokenness regarding the policies of the Crown and the king that the Patriots saw as oppressive. During 1776, Brearly’s voice continued to ring out opposition to the British, and he fully supported independence, infuriating Franklin, who had already tried to coerce Brearly with threats of arresting him on charges of treason against the Crown. He was detained for a short while, but other Patriots, armed with various weapons including clubs, rescued him. Meanwhile, William Franklin got a taste of his own tactics. He was arrested, detained, then sent to Connecticut, ending the rule of royal governors, just prior to the Declaration of Independence. Despite his unpopularity with the governor, Brearly had risen to a position of prominence among his Monmouth County neighbors and had gained their respect. He was appointed colonel in the Monmouth County militia, but the appointment was made by fellow Patriots, not a provisional government. Brearly initiated action to build up the militia through recruiting, and he operated in conjunction with the Committee of Safety. Once his force was molded and armed, he began to seek out and disarm Loyalists in the region during the uncertain period when the royal government still held some power. Farther north, in New York, a British armada confidently sailed into New York harbor, fully ware that the rebels had no navy and only some

BREARLY rag-tag farmers and peasants standing by to oppose them. Having been embarrassed in Boston and forced to abandon the city on 17 March 1776, the Redcoats and their Hessian allies were anxious to regain their honor by extinguishing the fires in New York, then marching through New Jersey to snag the leaders in Philadelphia. The British landed about ten thousand men on Staten Island on 2 July, two days before the Continental Congress officially declared independence (4 July 1776). Colonel Brearly, attached to the regiment of Colonel Philip Van Cortlandt’s regiment, had been deployed along the coast of New Jersey, but the emerging crisis caused Van Cortlandt to repair to New York to bolster Washington’s forces. The militia afterward fought to preserve New York, but without success. Several major clashes occurred, including the Battles of Long Island in August; however, during September, the English controlled New York. Afterward, another major clash occurred at White Plains and from there, the British forced Washington to take flight to preserve what remained in his army, while the other states continued to build forces to bolster Washington. Meanwhile, Colonel Brearly was commissioned as a lieutenant colonel by congressional action and served with the 4th New Jersey Regiment; however, shortly thereafter, he was transferred to the 1st New Jersey Regiment, a seasoned but beleaguered unit commanded by Colonel Matthias Ogden that had only recently completed a one-year tour as a participant in the ill-fated Canadian Campaign. After victorious Battles of Trenton and Princeton on 26 December 1776 and 3 January 1777 respectively, Ogden and Brearly were compelled to focus on rebuilding the regiment, which required not only recruits but also arms and equipment. Patrols remained constant in the areas around Amboy and New Brunswick. During spring of 1777, the New Jersey brigade, under command of Lord Stirling (Major General William Alexander, captured at Long Island and exchanged) hooked up with General Washington’s main body, but at the time, it was unclear whether the British would launch an offensive against Albany or try again to seize Philadelphia. Actually, the British launched a three-pronged attack. General William Howe sailed to the Chesapeake, then advanced north to Philadelphia. Meanwhile, another army under General John Burgoyne would advance from Canada toward Albany, while British General Henry Clinton moved from New York toward Albany to link up with Burgoyne. Colonel Brearly’s regiment participated in the defense of Philadelphia, including the Battle of Brandywine (September 1777). The New Jersey Brigade was involved in covering the retreat of the Continental Army as the British seized Philadelphia. Later Brearly participated at the Battle of Germantown (October 1777); however the New Jersey brigade was held in reserve. The battles of Brandywine and Germantown were essentially defeats; however, at the latter victory was at hand until fog caused an American unit to fire upon friendly troops (Nathanael Greene’s column). Due to the confusion, the Americans were compelled to retire. Nevertheless, it was a pivotal battle and when linked with the Battles of Saratoga and the surrender of Burgoyne’s army as well as the inability of Clinton to break through to Albany, the campaigns were successful. The British, although holding Philadelphia, were not able to dominate the entire Delaware River, which forced them to abandon Philadelphia during June of 1778, with the Continental Army at Valley Forge in pursuit of the columns as they headed back to New York. Colonel Brearly’s regiment encamped at Valley Forge during that grueling winter (1777–1778) and the brigade participated in the Battle of Monmouth, the final major contest in the northern states. With New Jersey then considered safe, changes were made and officers were offered an opportunity to retire. Colonel Brearly retired from the Continental Army in August 1779. Although he resumed his private life and again concentrated on his law practice, David retained

BREARLY his command (2nd Regiment, Monmouth County militia). Also in 1779, David was appointed successor to Robert Morris as chief justice of New Jersey, a post he held until 1789. Yale, the college from which he dropped out before graduation, awarded him an honorary degree during 1780. Brearly was a delegate representing New Jersey at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia when the U.S. Constitution, later referred to as the “Miracle in Philadelphia,” was adopted on 17 September 1787. Brearly favored the concept of a central (federal) government, but he was strongly in favor of equality for the states regardless of population. That stumbling block, to protect small states against overwhelming power of the larger states, led to the “Great Compromise.” It provided equal representation in the Senate with each state receiving two senators, while in the House of Representatives, representation was to be according to population. At the conclusion of the convention, David returned to his home and added an effort to get the Constitution ratified to his other responsibilities. When the New Jersey state convention met to debate ratification, Brearly chaired the convention. The Constitution had to be ratified by nine of the thirteen states to become effective. On 21 June 1778, New Hampshire ratified the Constitution to become the ninth state. New Jersey had ratified the Constitution at Trenton on 18 December 1787 to become the third state in the union. Subsequently, Brearly was named a member of the Electoral College and was among the men who elected George Washington as the first president by a unanimous vote. Afterward, President Washington appointed David Brearly to a position of federal district judge (New Jersey). David Brearly’s career as a federal judge lasted less than one year. He died on 16 August 1790 and was interred in the cemetery of St. Michael’s Episcopal church in Trenton. In addition to his military, judicial and legal profession endeavors, David was also deeply involved with his church and was considered a devout Christian. He participated in the Episcopal General Conference that convened during 1786 and contributed to the writing of the church’s prayer book. He also became a member of the Society of the Cincinnati, formed by former Continental Army officers, and served as vice president.

Brearly (Brearley and Brierly), General Joseph Joseph Brearly, the son of David and Mary Clark Brearly, was born in New Jersey. He was the brother of Colonel David Brearly, a signer of the U.S. Constitution. Joseph joined the Continental Army and served as captain of the 2nd New Jersey Regiment from 20 November 1775 until 5 February 1777, when he resigned from the service. While in the service, he participated in the Canadian Campaign during the latter part, subsequent to the disastrous defeat of the American expeditionary force at Quebec on 31 December 1775. Afterward he served as major of the 1st Hunterdon Regiment (militia). Some nineteenth century sources say Joseph attained the rank of general (militia) in the post-war era, but no documentation of a commission was discovered. Records indicate that he did not serve in the U.S. Army subsequent to the close of hostilities. Joseph married Rachael McClarey and together they had the following children: Charles; David (later served during the War of 1812 with General Winfield Scott); Joseph; Benjamin; and Eliza. Joseph died during 1805. (See also, Brearly [Brearley] David.)

Brickett, General James S. James (3) Brickett, the son of James and Susanna Pillsbury Brickett, was born in Newbury, Massachusetts, on 16 February 1738. James’ father engaged in farming; however, he apparently was also a skilled carpenter. James’ mother was the daughter of Moses and Abigail Rolf Pillsbury. James, Sr., and Abigail, according to The Descendants of Nathaniel Brickett by Claire and Richard Hubley, had ten other chil-

46 dren: Nathaniel (b. May 1731); James (2) (b. December 1733, died young); Abigail (b. October 1735, died young); John (b. March 1740); Moses (b. May 1742); Susanna (b. January 1745, died young); Susanna (2) (b. January 1747); Mary (b. August 1749); Barnard (b. July 1751) and Abigail (2 — b. July 1753). James attended Harvard, and after graduation, he became a physician and established a medical practice in Haverhill, Massachusetts. During 1759, while the French and Indian War was ongoing, Brickett served in Colonel Joseph Frye’s regiment, and during the following year, he participated in the fighting around Ticonderoga. In October 1760, James married Ednah Merrill, the daughter of Roger and Mary Hall Merrill. They had the following children: Daniel (b. August 1761); James (b. January 17663, d. September 1775); Mary (Polly, b. March 1765); Moses (b. November 1766); Sarah (b. December 1768, d. November 1775); Theodore (b. January 1771) and John (b. 1774). In summer 1774, an artillery company was formed in Haverhill. Brickett was appointed captain and Israel Bartlett was appointed lieutenant. Joshua B. Osgood served as ensign. By the following year, the British smashed the ongoing line that languished between passive resistance and open rebellion when they moved to confiscate powder, igniting confrontations at Lexington and Concord on 19 April 1775. At that time, James was attached to Colonel Frye’s regiment when it advanced from Haverhill with the companies of Captain James Sawyer, Captain Ebenezer Colby and Lieutenant Samuel Clement. The total strength numbered about 105 men; however, as the column moved toward Cambridge, others (one company) remained behind to defend the town if necessary. Two of the companies participated at the Battle of Breed’s Hill (Bunker Hill) on 17 June, and during that heated battle in which the British lost nearly twenty percent of their officer corps, Brickett, after being wounded in the leg, was among the American casualties. A story has been passed down from generation to generation that General Joseph Warren was at Bunker Hill and that he had no weapon, but after Brickett was wounded, he passed his weapon to Warren as he was being carried from the field. During the following month, Brickett was promoted to lieutenant colonel in an order signed by Joseph Warren and Samuel Freeman. Subsequently, during June of 1776, he was promoted to brigadier general of militia and afterward dispatched to Ticonderoga to bolster the forces there in conjunction with the retreat of the American expeditionary from Canada. The following year, General Brickett returned to New York during the campaign against General John Burgoyne. After the British under General John Burgoyne surrendered in October, General Brickett’s command escorted British prisoners back to Boston. After the war he returned home and resumed his medical practice. Although known as general, he was more often referred to as Doctor Brickett. He served several terms as a selectman, and at times was chairman of the body. He also was a delegate to the Constitutional Convention at Boston during 1780. James’ wife Ednah succumbed during September 1802. The following year, General Brickett remarried, taking Abigail Peaslee as his second wife. Two of General Brickett’s children, Daniel and John, also became doctors. He was interred in Haverhill at the Pentuckett Cemetery.

Broad, Major Hezekiah The son of Hezekiah and Rebecca Burrage Broad, Hezekiah Broad was born on 29 September 1746 in Grafton, Massachusetts. Afterward, when Hezekiah’s parents moved back to Natick, his birth was also recorded in Natick. Hezekiah and Rebecca also had a daughter, Rebecca, born in 1743. She later married Joseph Morse. Hezekiah’s grandfather, also named Hezekiah, born about 1675, immigrated to America and settled in Dedham. He and his wife, Abigail, (maiden name unknown) lived later in the vicinity of Broad’s Hill in Needham Leg (later Natick). In 1710, Hezekiah (1) was part of a group that petitioned

47 to have the town of Needham incorporated. Although a clothier by profession, this Hezekiah was also a surveyor. He acquired land in South Natick about 1733 and once there he purchased a sawmill and a dam from John Sawin. In addition, Hezekiah (1) acquired more land in the vicinity from Oliver Peabody. The sawmill and property was inherited by Hezekiah (2), and upon his death, the property was inherited by Major Broad, whose father died prior to 1755. Afterward, his mother, Rebecca, remarried to become the wife of Captain David Morse. During 1770, Hezekiah Broad married Lydia Bacon, and subsequent to her death, it is thought that he remarried, but his second wife’s name remains unknown and no children were born during either marriage. Much later in life, in December 1814, he married yet a third time; his bride was Miriam Sawin, a woman of about age 23. As the colonies began to separate from Britain, Broad remained loyal to the Patriots’ cause. During 1774, he was a member of the Provincial Congress and served in the militia. Broad first served as a sergeant in a company led by Captain Joseph Morse (Colonel Samuel Bullard’s regiment). He participated during the period surrounding the clashes at Lexington and Concord (April 1775) and later, during 1776, he served as captain of the 5th Company in Colonel Thatcher’s regiment. In 1777, Captain Hezekiah Broad was again attached to Bullard’s regiment. Afterward, with the rank of major, he served in Colonel Abner Perry’s regiment and then was attached to a regiment commanded by Colonel Samuel Denny in 1779. During 1780, Broad, serving again as major in Abner Perry’s regiment, participated in the Rhode Island campaign commanded by General John Sullivan. Broad has been referred to as colonel and brigadier general in some historical accounts, but the author was unable to discover any records of an appointment to either rank. After the close of hostilities, he returned to his home and resumed his personal life. During the conflict, Broad was a delegate to the convention that convened to draw up a state Constitution in 1779. He also was a delegate to the constitutional convention held in Massachusetts during 1787, and at that time, he voted against the adoption of the federal Constitution. Hezekiah Broad succumbed on 17 March 1824. He was interred in the South Natick Burial Ground. From his marriage to Miriam Sawin (1814), two children were born, Fannie ( January 1816, baptized February 1816) and Hezekiah (4) (born March 1817 and baptized May 1817). The Broad House still stands in Natick.

Brodhead, Brevet Brigadier General Daniel Daniel Brodhead was born in Marblestown, Ulster County, New York, during 1736. He was the great grandson of Captain Daniel Brodhead (Grenadiers) of Yorkshire, England, who arrived in America during 1664 as an officer with the expedition under Captain Richard Nicholson (later governor New York) that seized New Netherlands (New York) from the Dutch under Director-general Peter Stuyvesant. Captain Brodhead was appointed commander of the troops at Ulster by King Charles during 1665, and it was there that he settled. Daniel’s grandfather, Richard Brodhead, and his father, also named Daniel, and the latter’s wife, Hester, relocated to Danville in the vicinity of Brodhead’s Creek (near Stroudsburg, Monroe County, Pennsylvania) about 1737. It was there that Daniel and his brothers ( John, Charles and Garret) were raised. Later, the Brodheads had two additional children, Luke and Ann. Daniel Brodhead participated in the Borders Wars with the Indians that preceded the Revolution. His father died during the summer of 1755 and by that time other settlers had moved into the area. In November 1755, the settlement came under attack by Indians, but by that time Brodhead was about age nineteen and able to assist in the defense of the colonists. During 1774, when nine counties from Pennsylvania sent delegates to Philadelphia for the purpose of establishing a continental congress, Daniel represented Berks County, where he

BRODHEAD and his wife, Elizabeth Depue Brodhead, the daughter of Samuel Depue, had relocated during 1770 and established a grist mill on their farm. During 1776, he was appointed a lieutenant colonel by Pennsylvania. Initially he served in the vicinity of Philadelphia, but later that year he was taken into the Continental Army and headed north to meet the British threat at New York. Brodhead led his troops during the Battle of Long Island on 27–29 August 1776. His commanding officer, Samuel Miles, was captured, and he found himself in command of all the Pennsylvania troops. About 1,150 men, including General John Sullivan, were captured and another 500 were killed, but Colonel Brodhead was among those who were able to avoid capture and reach Manhattan on the night of the 29th. Colonel Brodhead had become commander of the 8th Pennsylvania Regiment following the death of its initial commander, Colonel Aeneas Mackey (MacKay), who succumbed unexpectedly en route to New York. Brodhead and his regiment, attached to General Anthony Wayne’s command, also participated at the fighting outside of Philadelphia at Brandywine and other places during the defense of the city, including the Battle of Germantown. He then headed to Valley Forge with General George Washington, who proposed Brodhead for the rank of colonel, which Congress approved. During the summer of 1778, Brodhead was ordered to frontier duty. The regiment arrived in September following several actions against Indians who had been raiding the settlers. As the column moved west, it paused at Carlisle, which was along the route to the distant outpost. Brodhead arrived at the time when General Lachlan McIntosh was replacing General Edward Hand as commander of the Western Department at Fort Pitt. Afterward, the regiment moved out with General McIntosh heading toward Detroit, but the expedition never reached its destination. During the expedition, Fort Laurens was built, the sole fort built in Ohio by the Continental Army during the Revolution. On 5 March 1779, Colonel Brodhead was appointed commander of the Western Department by General Washington. He succeeded General Lachlan McIntosh, leaving Brodhead with the task of maintaining the vast area under the fort’s jurisdiction. Fort Pitt stood at about 300 miles from Philadelphia, which caused a perpetual supply problem, hindering operations, particularly during inclement weather. The average time for a supply train to reach the fort from the capital ran nearly one month, and at times, the weather would bar passage through the mountains. Brodhead initiated a spring campaign at the same time Colonel George Rogers Clark was advancing against the British positions and the Indian strongholds north of the Ohio River. Colonel Brodhead departed Fort Pitt, Pennsylvania, to initiate a major offensive against the Indians in Ohio; however, the campaign did not result in any major actions. The Indians continued to launch attacks against the settlers and the troops. The devastating raids began to increase during March 1779. On 31 July 1779, Brodhead wrote to General Washington informing him of the loss of two troops from Fort Laurens who had been killed, and in the same message he mentioned two boys killed at Wheeling Creek and yet another two boys seized at Raccoon Creek from Wheeling also killed. Brodhead also said one man was wounded, one soldier killed and another wounded during an attack on the 30th at Fort McIntosh. During early summer that year, Colonel Stephen Bayard was dispatched by Brodhead pursuant to an order from General Washington to establish a fort at Kittanning. Bayard became somewhat upset when Colonel Brodhead refused his request to name the post Fort Brodhead. It was instead named in honor of General John Armstrong. During August 1779, Colonel Brodhead departed Fort Pitt to eliminate the hostile Indians (Mingo Seneca and Munsey Nations) that had been terrorizing his region (Allegheny River Expedition).

BROOKS On 8 November, Congress was advised by Colonel Brodhead that settlers had moved from Yoghiagania and Ohio counties (Virginia) and had advanced beyond the Ohio River into Indian territory, and that he had directed troops to take action to seize the settlers and destroy their quarters. By the following spring, Colonel Brodhead prepared to initiate an offensive to attack the British stronghold at Detroit, a position too strong for Colonel George Rogers Clark’s forces to reduce, but the attack never materialized. Meanwhile, the Indians initiated attacks against the settlers. On 18 April, Congress was informed of the atrocities, when a letter from Brodhead dated 18 March was read. Congress reacted by directing that Colonel Brodhead was to be given blank commissions, which he was to award to friendly Delaware Indians. In January 1781, orders arrived at Fort Pitt directing Colonel Brodhead to reinforce Colonel George Rogers Clark and his force of Virginians; however, Brodhead maintained his focus on Indians who continued to attack the settlements. At the same time, there was growing controversy between Virginia and Pennsylvania regarding the border between them, giving the Pennsylvania troops little enthusiasm for moving to aid the Virginians. Clark had only about 400 troops under his command, despite being promised reinforcements by Governor Thomas Jefferson during the previous year. Clark’s lack of troops compelled him to return to Fort Henry, where the column arrived during July. In the meantime, in April 1781, Colonel Brodhead departed Fort Henry at Wheeling and advanced toward the Indian stronghold at Coshoctonan. The village was destroyed. Also, another stronghold, Buckaloon, located near the mouth of Broken-straw Creek, was also attacked and after a siege was destroyed. Following the success, Brodhead returned to Fort Henry. In September of that year, Colonel Brodhead lost his command. He was initially relieved by Colonel John Gibson, the officer who accused him of misusing public money. While in command at Fort Pitt, Brodhead also negotiated a treaty with the Cherokee Nation that was consummated on 22 July 1779. Meanwhile, General William Irwine was appointed permanent commander of the Western Department in place of Colonel Brodhead, who had been relieved due to the charges lodged against him. General Irwine arrived in November and was appalled at what he saw. He could hardly believe the fort was defended by soldiers. He described in a letter to General Washington: “I never saw troops cut so truly deplorable, and at the same time despicable a figure. Indeed, when I arrived, no man would believe from their appearance that they were soldiers.” The post and others in the region were plagued by desertions. At Fort McIntosh, despite orders against it, some deserters were executed by a firing squad. In February 1782, Brodhead received a court-martial and was acquitted of all charges. He was then promoted to the rank of brevet brigadier general, with command of the 1st Pennsylvania Regiment until 1783, when it was disbanded. General Brodhead received several thousand acres of land in Pennsylvania for his service during the war; however, he acquired additional property in the same region (Western Pennsylvania) and other property farther out on the frontier in Virginia and Kentucky. Following his military service, Brodhead returned to civilian life. He was elected in 1787 to a two-year term in the state legislature. Earlier, during 1783, Brodhead had managed to become involved in commerce. He arranged for merchandise to be shipped from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh by wagon trains and from there he was able to transport the goods by flat boats down to Lexington, Kentucky, to sell to the settlers, who were quite stunned to see the goods, including wool hats, suddenly arriving by water. In 1789 he was appointed surveyor general of the state, a position he held until 1800. During that time he resided in Philadelphia and, while there, his wife, Elizabeth, died. He was married a second time during 1788, to Rebecca Edgehill Mifflin, the widow of Samuel Mifflin, the brother of General (later governor) Thomas Mifflin. Daniel and his

48 new wife departed Philadelphia and relocated in Milton, Pennsylvania, where he died on 18 November 1809. The initial grave site of General Brodhead remains unknown. In 1872, the citizens of Milford erected a monument in his honor at Milford Cemetery.

Brooks, Brigadier General John John Brooks, the son of Caleb and his second wife, Ruth Albree Brooks, was born in Medford, Massachusetts, during 1752. John’s father was first married to Mary Wyer, and together they had five sons and five daughters. Caleb and Ruth then had five children, including John. The others were: Theodore (b. January 1761); Joseph (birth date unknown, died as infant); Elizabeth (b. June 1757) and Hannah (b. February 1760). While still a young teenager of about fourteen, John began to think less of becoming a farmer like his father and began to study medicine under Doctor Simon Tufts. Upon completion of his studies, when he was about twenty-one, John Brooks established a practice in Reading, Massachusetts. His father died in 1766. In 1774, John married Lucy Smith, also of Reading. Despite his deep interest in becoming a doctor, Brooks also had a long-standing interest in the military. He became a commander of a militia company in 1774. The next year, Brooks was among the many Minute Men who were posted along the route from Concord to Boston to receive the British during their retirement following the clashes on 19 April at Lexington and Concord. At sunrise on that day, the Reverend Foster asked Brooks if the Minute Men were going to Concord. Brooks responded: “Immediately!” The men were hurriedly formed and advanced in time to harass the British as they returned to Boston. Brooks’ force was among those that shadowed the British all the way back to Charlestown. Afterward, Brooks received a commission as major (Colonel Bridges’ regiment from May 1775 to December 1775), and he participated in establishing the American defenses at Bunker Hill; however, he did not participate in the Battle of Bunker Hill. On 16 June, Colonel William Prescott dispatched Brooks to deliver communications to General Artemus Ward regarding the activity of the British. Nevertheless, Brooks participated in the siege of British-held Boston and remained with the army. On 1 January 1776, Brooks was promoted to major. The resolution of Congress said: “We, reposing special trust in your patriotism, valor, conduct and fidelity, do, by these presents, constitute and appoint you to be Major of the 19th regiment of foot, commanded by Col. Charles Webb. By order of Congress. Signed John Hancock.” Major Brooks participated with General George Washington’s forces at the Battle of Long Island and at the Battle of White Plains. On 1 November 1776, John was promoted to lieutenant colonel and attached to the 8th Massachusetts Regiment, known as “Jackson’s Regiment,” and it was dubbed the “Bloody 8th” due to its extraordinary heroism in the face of enemy fire. In addition, Brooks participated in several other actions in New York, including accompanying Benedict Arnold when he moved to lift the siege of Fort Stanwix (Fort Schuyler) during the Saratoga Campaign of 1777. The campaign succeeded in defeating General John Burgoyne’s forces at the first and second battles of Saratoga during September and October respectively, and compelled Burgoyne to surrender his entire army to General Horatio Gates during October 1777. Nineteenth century historians credit Brooks with playing a pivotal part in the fighting on 7 October when his regiment, operating on Arnold’s left, succeeded in overwhelming the Hessian reserve positions. As Brooks initiated the charge up the slope, he raised his sword and bellowed: “Follow your colonel at double quick.” Colonel Brooks was one of the conspicuous subjects in the famous painting of Burgoyne’s surrender done by John Trumbull, the renowned painter of early America. Following the victory at Saratoga, which occurred while the British controlled Philadelphia, the main

BROOM

49 army under George Washington was at Philadelphia preparing to establish winter quarters at Valley Forge. Colonel Brooks was selected by Washington to be a sub-inspector under Von Steuben and accepted the position. During June 1778, the British evacuated Philadelphia and retired toward New York with the Americans at Valley Forge in hot pursuit. Colonel Brooks was acting adjutant general when the major battle erupted at Monmouth, the final major battle in the northern states. During November 1778, on the 11th, John was promoted to lieutenant colonel commandant and attached to the 7th Massachusetts Regiment. During Colonel Brooks’ service he had also served as an assistant inspector under Baron von Steuben, and he became a trusted friend and confidant of General Washington. Washington made good use of Brooks’ abilities during spring of 1783, when mutiny was beginning to erupt at Newburg, New York. Colonel Brooks retired from the Continental Army on 12 June 1783; however, his military service did not terminate; rather it existed along with his medical practice, which he resumed while serving as a major general in the militia. General Brooks was a supporter of the federal Constitution, and his relationship with George Washington continued after the latter’s election to the presidency. Brooks was appointed a brigadier general in the United States Army on 11 April 1792, a position he held until honorably discharged on 1 November 1796. When war with Britain (War of 1812) again erupted, Governor Caleb Strong appointed Brooks adjutant general of Massachusetts. In 1816, General Brooks succeeded Strong as governor of Massachusetts. Governor Brooks declined re-election and brought his public life to a close in 1823. However, having succeeded in the field of medicine, in the military and in public service, he remained active and devoted time to the Massachusetts Medical Society until his death on 1 March 1825. Just prior to his death, General Brooks attended the funeral of his successor, Governor William Eustis. It is thought that General Brooks came down with an illness from the elements while attending the funeral and that was what caused his demise. General Brooks anticipated his fate and is known to have stated: “My case is beyond physicians. I have received my orders: I am ready to march.” His funeral was well attended and included an honor guard that numbered nearly 100 members of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company. Several of his swords were preserved. They included the sword he carried during the Battle of Saratoga. It was later presented to the Massachusetts Historical Society. General Brooks’ wife, Lucy, predeceased him on 26 September 1791. John and Lucy had three children, including two sons, Alexander (b. October 1781) and John (b. May 1783). Their daughter, Lucy, was born during June 1776. She later married the Rev. O’Kill Stuart. Son John was killed while in the service during the War of 1812 at the Battle of Lake Erie (September 1813). He was with Commodore Perry when he was hit by a British cannonball that literally severed his leg at the hip, inflicting a mortal wound. John succumbed within a few hours after being wounded. Alexander was killed during 1836 when a steamboat he was aboard exploded. Harvard University awarded Governor Brooks an honorary doctor of law degree in (1817). He received from Harvard an honorary M.D. degree during 1810 as well as an earlier master of arts degree (1787). General Brooks also received an honorary master of arts degree from Yale in 1781. Organizations to which General Brooks belonged included the Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Washington Monument Association and the Bunker Hill Monument Association. Still other organizations including the Bible Society of Massachusetts, and upon its re-establishment during 1786, he became a member of the Ancient Artillery Company, serving twice as its commander (1787 and 1784).

Broom, Jacob (Signer of the U.S. Constitution) Jacob Broom, the son of James and Esther Willis Broom (daughter of John and Mary Willis of Thombury, Chester County, Pennsylvania), was born in Delaware during 1752, but the exact date is unknown. Jacob’s father, a Quaker, was a blacksmith by profession; however, he also became a planter and that endeavor was successful, which turned his father into an affluent farmer. Jacob received his education at the “Old Academy” in Wilmington. Afterward, like his father, he pursued farming; however, Jacob had also become a surveyor, and he entered the business world. He too became prosperous due to his enterprises, which included importing and shipping, along with what apparently involved successful investments in real estate. Jacob and his father both rented property and they acted as lenders of gold and silver. Later, Jacob established a cotton mill, and he speculated in other ventures, including construction of canal that could be used by barges to transport goods along the Brandywine to the mouth of the river. Yet another business venture was a machine shop that specialized in manufacturing and repairing equipment used in the milling industry. One of his ventures was quite unsuccessful—his attempt to “mine bog iron ore.” The project, which occurred along the main branch of the Motherkill Creek (later Murderkill Creek) in Kent County was authorized by the Delaware legislature on 2 February 1793. Meanwhile, Broom was becoming a prominent citizen in Wilmington, which placed him in position to enter politics on a local level. He held several positions, including borough assessor and president of the “streets regulators,” which in modern-day terms would be equivalent to the Department of Public Works. Broom was also appointed a justice of the peace for New Castle County. In 1773, Jacob married Rachel Pierce, the daughter of Robert and Elizabeth Pierce of Christiana Hundred, and together they had eight children: Nicholas Way (baptized 1793); Jacob Pierce; James Madison (later a member of Congress); Ann (married John Littler); Elizabeth (married John Roberts); Sarah (married Jacob Brinton and later James Roberts); Rachel (married Samuel Henry); and Esther Willis (married Samuel Lyon). Due to Broom’s family ties to the Quaker faith, he faced a personal dilemma, although he was not of that faith. According to records, he waited about twelve years before his children were baptized. Initially, Broom received much of his religious teachings from Old Swedes Church, but he eventually became a member of the Episcopal Church. Broom did not join the armed forces when war erupted with Britain after the clashes at Lexington and Concord on 19 April 1775. However, he remained in government. During 1776, he served as assistant burgess (the vice-mayor or second burgess) of Wilmington. He was re-elected five other times, and of those, he served four times as chief burgess. During 1777, when the British were on the move en route to seize Philadelphia and quash the rebellion by capturing the rebel leaders, Broom’s surveying skills were offered to General George Washington. Without hesitation, Washington accepted Broom’s assistance, and the Continental Army received accurate maps of the region in and around Brandywine, where a major confrontation ignited during September 1777. In 1784, after hostilities had ceased, Broom was elected to the Delaware state legislature and held the seat until 1786 and again in 1788. Meanwhile, during 1786, he was appointed as a justice of the peace by “our President Captain, General and Commander in Chief, Nicholas Van Dyke, Esqr., April 12, 1786, being the l0th year of our Independence.” That same year, Broom, along with Richard Bassett (another signer of the Constitution), was selected as a delegate of Delaware at the Annapolis Convention, called to discuss navigation on the Potomac and to plan on a cohesive plan for interstate commerce. In 1787, Broom was a delegate to the Constitutional Convention

BRYAN that adopted the U.S. Constitution. Other delegates from Delaware were Richard Bassett, Gunning Bedford, John Dickinson and George Read. Broom’s initial interaction with politics on a national scale first occurred in Philadelphia during that historic convention, but by that time, he had acquired sufficient experience to ensure that his positions were clear. His intent was to support his belief that a strong effective government was required to ensure that the republic survived. Broom steadfastly remained aligned with those, including George Washington, who favored an effective constitution, and he frequently offered his opinions from the floor, but he did not take the floor to give speeches. Nevertheless, some of his opinions were not shared by a majority, including his opinion that a president “should hold office for life.” He was diligent in his attendance at the sessions, but he also left the speeches to those whom he considered more experienced in such matters. Subsequent to the close of the Constitutional Convention, upon adoption of the U.S. Constitution on 17 September 1787, Broom returned to Delaware and resumed his normal life with no thoughts of re-entering national politics. However, he did remain active locally. In 1795, using plans that he had drawn, Jacob had a mansion built just outside Wilmington along the Brandywine River. During 1790, he became postmaster at Wilmington and held that post until 1792. He also devoted time to the institution that educated him; he was involved with the reorganization of the “Old Academy,” which became the College of Wilmington. Broom was one of the first trustees appointed to the college’s board. He also remained a devout Christian throughout his life and his membership in the Old Swedes Church included his position as a lay leader. He was also known for his philanthropy in the secular world. Brooms was instrumental in the establishment Wilmington’s first library. Jacob Broom died while in Philadelphia on a business trip during 1810, but the exact date is unknown. He was interred at the Christ Church Burial Ground in Philadelphia. Other prominent Revolutionary War leaders buried there include Benjamin Franklin, George Ross, Joseph Hewes, James Wilson, Francis Hopkinson, Peyton Randolph and others.

Bryan, Brigadier General William William Bryan, the son of Hardy and Sarah Bonner Bryan, was born in Craven County, North Carolina, in the vicinity of Fort Barnwell, but his exact birth date is unknown. William’s ancestry goes back to ancient Ireland and Brian Born, who was the monarch of Ireland during the early part of the eleventh century. The original name underwent variations, including O’Brian and O’Bryan. In the latter part of the seventeenth century, five sons of John O’Bryan, subsequent to the death of their father, immigrated to America. His sons were Council, Edward, Hardy, John and William. Four of the brothers reached their destination; Council died at sea before the vessel reached North Carolina. William’s mother, Sarah, was the daughter of Sheriff Thomas Bonner. In 1775, William attended a council meeting at New Bern on 3–4 April, the first time that he appeared to become involved in politics. On the second day of the council, brigadier generals were appointed. They were Edward Vail (Edenton District); Allen Jones (Halifax District); John Ashe (Wilmington District); Griffith Rutherford (Salisbury District); Thomas Person (Hillsborough District); and William Bryan (New Bern District). Bryan was a representative of Craven County. Later that year, as a delegate from his county, William attended the assembly held at Hillsborough. The assembly, called by Samuel Johnson, dealt with the threat to the colony by the British following the battles of Lexington and Concord on 19 April 1775, and it focused on the defenses of North Carolina. On 9 September, William was commissioned as lieutenant colonel of the New Bern District.

50 Colonel Bryan’s command of North Carolina Minute Men participated in the Battle of Moore’s Creek Bridge on 27 February 1776. That skirmish foiled a major operation of the British and secured North Carolina from a British invasion. The Patriots intercepted a large force of Highlanders that were en route to join with the British at Cape Fear. The Americans under Colonel James Moore devastated the Highlanders. The British aborted their plan and sailed toward Charleston, where Patriots there repelled the attack. Meanwhile, the Loyalists in North Carolina, having sustained the loss by the Highlanders, were not able to raise organized resistance for a long time. Shortly thereafter, on 4 May 1776, William, by act of the Continental Congress, was commissioned as brigadier general of North Carolina militia (New Bern District). In the meantime, General Bryan, on 13 April 1776, as a member of the congress that convened at Halifax, was appointed to the committee charged with coming up with a draft for the state’s constitution. He was elected to the North Carolina House of Commons in 1780. He served through 1781, then was again elected and served during 1782–1783. During the conflict, General Bryan’s militia force frequently engaged British units when they raided Craven County. His plantation, located in the vicinity of Core Creek, was plundered and his family threatened, but British efforts to seize the general failed. A large British contingent overpowered Bryan’s militia, but he escaped capture and was concealed in the woods by one of his slaves, named York. York made frequent trips after dusk to bring him food, while Bryan was hiding on an obscure island near his plantation. The British searched in vain and, after not being able to find Bryan, they chased his family from the home before setting it afire. From tradition, York was pressed by the British to surrender General Bryan, first by bribe and afterward by threatening his life. York refused the bribe and when he life was threatened, he still refused to inform on Bryan. Afterward, York was a hero in the family and was an honored guest at Bryan’s home. In addition, York received a tract for life from the general, know as York Field. The British, after arriving in New Bern (1781), departed after a few days, but as they moved, they burned many homes. The Patriots retaliated. Forces under General Bryan and others moved about and destroyed the homes of the Loyalists. Although William Bryan seems to have been actively engaged during 1781, records indicate that he resigned his commission as brigadier general in 1779. Some accounts say he was killed at the Battle of Alamance during 1761 when Governor William Tryon defeated the Regulators, but he was not killed at that time. In addition to having served in the military and the legislature, General Bryan had accumulated a large amount of land, and he operated two successful grist mills. He was also active locally. He was appointed as one of the trustees of the schoolhouse ordered established in New Bern by the assembly during 1781. Other trustees included Richard Caswell and Abner Nash. William was also involved with his church and he was a warden (Episcopal Church) of Christ Parish. General Bryan died in 1791, but the exact date is unknown. His will was completed on 8 January 1791 and probated during March that year. William Bryan married three times during his life, to a Miss Green (daughter of Colonel James Green), Mrs. Repsas, and a Miss (or Mrs.) McKay. William’s children from those marriages were Holland (married a Mr. Mastin); Sarah (married a Mr. Green); Nancy (married twice); Elizabeth (married Frederick Lane); Green (married Nancy Blackledge); Hardy (married Mrs. Swan); Eleanor (married Mr. Wadsworth); Susan (married twice); Margaret (died unmarried) and John (married Elizabeth Oliver).

Buchanan, Brigadier General Andrew Andrew Buchanan, the son of Doctor George and Eleanor Rogers Buchanan, was born at Druid Hill on 22 October 1734. Andrew’s

51 parents were the great-grandparents of Admiral Franklin Buchanan (of the U.S. Navy and later Confederate Civil War hero). During July 1760, Andrew married Susan Lawson. He later became a prominent member of the Patriots in Baltimore when the colonies were joining together against the policies of the Crown. On 12 November 1774, the citizens of Baltimore appointed a popular committee, later referred to as the Revolutionary Fathers of Baltimore. The members were Andrew Buchanan, Robert Alexander, D. John Boyd, William Buchanan, Jeremiah Townly Chase, William Lux, John Moale, and Samuel Purviance, Jr. Prior to the establishment of the committee, the chosen men had been on the Baltimore Committee of Correspondence, which was formed during May of 1774. Andrew served during the Revolution as a brigadier general, and he was a member of the Committee of Observation; however, no major battles were fought in Maryland. Nevertheless, the militia stood ready and responded to a large number of threats that usually were erroneous. The enemy did on occasion stage small-scale raids on Maryland’s eastern shore, and they continued into 1780. One false threat occurred during 1779, when a French flotilla en route to Baltimore was detected as it arrived at the mouth of the Patuxent River and was misidentified as an enemy fleet. During November 1780, the Committee of Correspondence informed General Buchanan of concerns in Vienna, along the Nanticoke River, that the British would be launching raids against the town, which was undefended. The communication also expressed some urgency because of Loyalists in the region who would support the enemy. A raid was launched on 5 November 1780 when several enemy armed schooners proceeded up the Patuxent, set fire to two homes and seized several Negroes and carried them off. The militia responded by dispatching a contingent to prevent any further attacks in the area. General Buchanan succumbed on 12 March 1786. Letitia, the daughter of Thomas McKean, married Doctor George Buchanan, the son of General Andrew Buchanan, and Letitia’s sister Anne married Andrew Buchanan (April 1797), another son of the general. Anne succumbed during May 1804. Afterward, Andrew married Carolina Virginia Marylander Johnson, a niece of Thomas Johnson (first elected governor of Maryland) and the sister-in-law of John Quincy Adams, who married Louisa Catherine Johnson.

Bull, Brigadier General Stephen (of Sheldon) Stephen Bull, son of Stephen and Martha Godin Bull, was born about 1733 in South Carolina. He was a descendant of Stephen Bull, who arrived in America from England about 1669 or 1670. He settled in South Carolina as one of its initial colonists. The Bull and Barnwell families each became prominent resident families. Stephen (1) acquired land grants along the Ashley River and St. Helena and at the former he established the Ashley Hall Plantation. Stephen was also among the men who established Charleston. Stephen succumbed about 1706 and was interred at his plantation. His children, including William, John, and a third son, possibly name Burnaby after a relative who arrived in America with Stephen and his wife Catherine, survived him. His son William of Ashley Hall and of Sheldon served in the military and held public office. He married Mary Quintyne, the daughter of Richard and Elizabeth Quintyne. It was William who drew up the plan for the town of Savannah, Georgia. William overcame all obstacles, including the hostilities with the Indians and smallpox and yellow fever epidemics, and was able to raise sufficient forces to neutralize the Spanish raids. William inherited much property and increased his holdings to include the Sheldon plantation; however, he resided in a mansion in Charleston until his death during 1755. William and Mary had five children, including Stephen, the father of the subject. According to the church register of St. Andrew’s, the children were Stephen (1) (b. 18 March 1707) served in the military, participated in the campaign against the Spanish at St. Augustine, and

BULL served several terms in the Commons House of Assembly; William (2) (b. 24 September 1710); Elizabeth (b. 9 March 1712, married Thomas Drayton); Charlotte (b. 15 August 1719, married John Drayton); Mary Henrietta (b. 16 February, 1722, married Henry Middleton). During August 1731, Stephen married Martha Godin, the daughter of Benjamin Godin, a merchant who operated in Charleston. They had two children, William, who was born on 19 February 1731 and died shortly thereafter, and Stephen (2). Martha died and Stephen (1) again married, taking Judith Mayrant as his second wife in May 1747. They had one child, William, the half-brother of Stephen (2). William served in the House of Commons and as a Justice of the Peace. During 1774, he was a member of the royal council, but that same year, he was elected to the Provincial Congress and held that position until 1776. He remained staunchly on the side of the Patriots’ cause, but evidently he did not serve in the military. Upon the death of Lt. Governor William Bull, the uncle of Stephen (2) and William, the governor left the Ashley Plantation to William. During December 1755, Stephen (2), known as Stephen of Sheldon, married Elizabeth Woodward, who succumbed in June 1771. In May 1772 Stephen married Anne Barnwell Middleton, the daughter of Colonel Nathaniel and Mary Gibbes Barnwell and widow of Colonel Thomas Middleton. Elizabeth Bull had no children. However, Stephen and his second wife had three children, Charlotte, Mary and Sarah. Mary later married Nathaniel Barnwell. Sarah married John Barnwell and Charlotte never married. During Stephen Bull’s first marriage, he had entered politics and served in the South Carolina House of Commons for several years beginning in 1757. He was elected in 1774 to serve in the state’s Provincial Congress. During June 1775, on the 18th, Lord William Campbell arrived in Charleston and succeeded Lt. Governor William Bull (Stephen Bull’s uncle) as royal governor. Campbell’s arrival coincided with the Patriots’ actions under the provisional government, and he would become the final royal governor in the colony. Also that year, Bull again was elected to the Provincial Congress, and he was appointed as a colonel of militia (Granville County). Benjamin Garden was appointed lieutenant colonel and John Lewis Bourquin was appointed major. In August 1775, a vessel, the Commerce, was returning from Florida with a cargo of confiscated powder that had been seized from a British vessel, the Betsy. News arrived in Charleston that the Commerce was being chased by a British naval force. Colonel Bull’s regiment was ordered to speed to Beaufort to protect the ship and its precious cargo. The cargo arrived safely and no British warships arrived. During November 1775, the council convened on the 12th and decided to put a merchant ship, the Prosper, into service and fit it out with arms and a crew to neutralize British sloops in the area. Patriot militia was called upon to deal with the Loyalists in the backcountry. Militia units under Colonels Stephen Bull, Powell, Rothmaler and Roberts under Colonel (later brigadier general) Richard Richardson were ordered into action. The Prosper was captained by William H. Drayton, the recently appointed (16 November) president of the Council of Safety. A confrontation occurred on 22 December and the Loyalists scattered. By 25 December 1775, the militia, having accomplished its mission (Snow Campaign) against the Loyalists, returned to their homes. Many of the Loyalist leaders had been captured and taken to Charleston. The mission to disarm the Loyalists ended in February. During the following month, nearly all the Loyalists were offered amnesty. Also during March 1776, a report on a state government and constitution was presented by John Rutledge and adopted. Thomas Rutledge was elected president. Stephen was elected as a member of the legislative council along with others, including Charles Pinckney, Henry Middleton, Richard Richardson and Henry Laurens. The government began to function with complete disregard to the royal governor.

BURR During that same period, Colonel Bull, leading about 500 militia troops, was in Georgia supporting Patriots there. The British launched an operation during June 1776 to seize Charleston, but they were repelled by the extraordinary defenders under Colonel William Moultrie and compelled to return to New York. South Carolina remained relatively tranquil for several years afterward. Nevertheless, the Patriots had little time for rest. Defenses were strengthened and troops were sent into other areas, including Georgia, where the British and Loyalists made inroads. During March 1778, South Carolina’s militia was split into three brigades. At that time, Colonel Stephen Bull was appointed a brigadier general with command of one of the brigades. Andrew Richardson and Richard Richardson, Sr., became commanders of the other two regiments. Bull’s militia participated in the ill-fated Second Invasion of Florida as part of General Robert Howe’s expeditionary force. General Bull also participated in the Battle of Port Royal on 3 February 1779, the contest that slowed British General Prevost’s plans against Charleston; however, by early the following year, the British were moving once again to seize the city and gain domination of South Carolina. A force under General Henry Clinton and Lord Charles Cornwallis laid siege and the city fell on 12 May 1780. General Benjamin Lincoln and his entire force, including a naval squadron under Captain Abraham Whipple, capitulated. On 4 June, General Clinton at his headquarters in Charleston wrote to Lord Germain, exclaiming: “I may venture to assert that there are few men in South Carolina who are not either our prisoners or in arms with us.” Clinton’s communication was not an overstatement. The Continental Army officers, including William Moultrie and General Benjamin Lincoln, had been in custody at Haddrell’s Point, while troops were held on prison ships. General Richard Richardson had resigned from the service prior to the siege. General Bull had retired from the field and the militia was disbanded. One Continental Army officer, Francis Marion, had been sent out of the city, permitting him to escape capture to the later dismay of Cornwallis, who soon found Marion, the Swamp Fox, as his nemesis. While Congress worked to replace Lincoln and field a new army to oppose Cornwallis, Colonel Marion and his band along with some other militia were compelled to hold the line. General Bull, subsequent to the fall of Charleston, never returned to the field. After the war and a period of absence from the state, he returned to his plantation and re-entered public life, serving in the South Carolina legislature. He succumbed during 1800 and was interred at his plantation.

Burr, Aaron Aaron Burr, the son of the Reverend Aaron and Esther Edwards Burr, was born on 6 February 1756 at Newark, New Jersey. Aaron’s father was a graduate of Yale and the first president of Nassau Hall (later Princeton). Aaron’s mother was the daughter of Jonathan Edwards, the second president of Princeton. Aaron became an orphan when he was three years old. His father died of smallpox during August 1757, before Aaron had reached the age of two, and his mother died the following year at the age of twenty-six. Aaron had one sister, Sarah, who later married Judge Tappan Reeve. Upon the death of his father, Aaron inherited a substantial fortune. In 1760 he was taken to Philadelphia, where he was to be under the care of one of his aunts and Doctor Shippen. After a disagreement when he was only four years old, he ran away and was not located for about four days. During 1761, Aaron, still quite undisciplined, along with his sister Sarah, was sent to Stockbridge, Massachusetts, to be cared for by his uncle Timothy Edwards, the brother of his late mother. During the following year, Timothy relocated in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Aaron got an idea in his head to take a sea voyage, prompting him, at the age of

52 about ten, to ran away again. He found his way to New York and signed on as a cabin boy; however, his uncle Timothy was alerted and Aaron was caught before the ship sailed. Nevertheless, Aaron was not quite ready to surrender; rather, he climbed to the top-mast and refused to come down. Eventually, he did relent, but his attitude did not change. During 1769, Aaron entered Princeton and did quite Aaron Burr (Memoirs of Aaron Burr, well. He graduated during 1772 and afterward he inMatthew L. Davis, 1837) tended to pursue a career as a lawyer. The pan was altered when hostilities with Britain erupted. Aaron traveled to Cambridge and joined the Continental Army as a volunteer, just after the clash at Lexington and Concord on 19 April, 1775. During the Canadian Campaign, Aaron served as an aide to General Montgomery and he was with the latter when he was killed during the attack against Quebec City on 31 December, 1775. During the following year, Aaron was made aide-de-camp to General Israel Putnam on 22 June, a post he retained until 4 January 1777, when he was appointed as Lt. Colonel of Colonel William Malcolm’s regiment, one of the additional Continental Regiments. He later resigned from the service on 3 March, 1779, due to a deterioration of his health. During the time in the Continental Army, he had become part of General Washington’s military family, but prior to his promotion to Lt. Colonel, he was dismissed due to an unknown act of “immoral conduct” that infuriated General Washington. Washington was not alone is being less than impressed with Burr’s activities. Burr gained a reputation of being a woman chaser. Burr afterward resumed his pursuit of a law career and after completing his studies and gaining admittance to the bar, he established his law practice at Albany, New York during 1782. That same year, 1782, Aaron married Theodosia Prevost, the widow of a British officer, Colonel James Marcus Prevost. Colonel Prevost was the brother of British General Augustine Prevost, who seized Savannah during December 1779. James Prevost died in 1781 in the West Indies. Mrs. Prevost had known Burr since 1777, when he began to frequently visit the family near Paramus. At the time of their marriage, Theodosia had two children from her marriage with Colonel Prevost. Aaron Burr raised her two children as if they were his own. Theodosia was the daughter of Theodosius Bartow of Shrewsbury, New Jersey. Burr later relocated in New York and was able to expand his law practice, but he was known as an “expert in all the trickery of the courts.” In a dispute on ownership of a tract of land, Burr pulled out phony evidence that showed the deed of the other lawyer’s client was a forgery. Burr won the case; the wrong man got title to the land and lived until his death, but eventually, it was proven that the original owner was cheated and the land was returned to the rightful owner. Burr’s unscrupulous traits remained with him throughout his life. In 1789, Burr became attorney general of the state of New York. He was elected to the U.S. Senate, where he served from 1791 to 1797 as an anti–Federalist. Burr was a manipulator who nearly worked his way up to becoming the president of the United States. During 1800, Aaron received an equal amount of votes as those cast for Thomas Jefferson. At the time of the election there was turbulence within the Federalist Party, but Burr by that time had been despised by both parties and there was high tension and a possibility of civil war. Congress finally settled the election and Jefferson became the third president of the

BUTLER

53 United States after thirty-six ballots. Jefferson served from 1801 through 1809. Burr served as Jefferson’s vice president during his first term. Burr, always opposed to the Federalists, became a more fervent enemy. Aware that Alexander Hamilton was able to swing votes to Jefferson during the presidential election, he retained strong resentment. The ongoing political differences swelled over rhetoric and turned into deadly violence during 1804 when Burr attempted to gain the governorship of New York. Burr was again defeated through the efforts of Alexander Hamilton. Burr accused Hamilton of making derogatory remarks about him and challenged Hamilton to a duel. Burr had actually known Hamilton prior to the Revolutionary War, as they attended Princeton at the same time (another of their classmates was Jonathan Dayton, who like Hamilton was a signer of the U.S. Constitution). Hamilton and Burr met at Weehawken, New Jersey, on 11 July 1804. Hamilton fired in the air, but it was never discovered whether it was intentional or if the shot occurred after he was hit. Nevertheless, Hamilton sustained a fatal wound and died on the following day. New York later indicted Burr for the crime of murder. Burr had also planned a scheme to acquire land in the northwest. He borrowed money from Jonathan Dayton to acquire the Spanish lands west of the Mississippi. Dayton did not make the trip to the territory due to illness. Another co-conspirator was General James Wilkinson (acquitted). Burr at one point visualized himself as the president of a new nation, and he had plans for a possible invasion of Mexico. Burr and Dayton were later seized and charged with high treason. Jonathan Dayton, however, was never tried. Burr was tried during 1807 in Richmond, Virginia, and acquitted, thanks in great part to his lawyers, Edmund Randolph and Luther Martin (both framers of the Constitution). Burr was also to be tried for murder by New York state, but after his acquittal, he fled the country and the case never went to trial. In 1812, Burr returned to New York. It was Burr who cared for his former brilliant attorney, Luther Martin, after he had lost his fortune and some of his faculties. Martin died at Burr’s residence during 1826. Aaron Burr lived the remainder of his life in isolation, having never recovered from killing Alexander Hamilton. He died on 14 September 1836 on Staten Island, New York.

(b. April 1787); Samuel Abbot (b. July 1789); and Ward Cotton (b. January 1795). Henry and Isabella also had twins in June 1792; however, both died and either remained unnamed or the family records did not record their names. Following the close of hostilities with Britain, Captain Henry Butler was appointed major general of New Hampshire militia. General Butler also served as Nottingham’s first postmaster. Isabella Butler succumbed during January 1808. General Butler remarried, taking Ruth Parsons as his second wife in March 1810. About three years later, on 20 July 1813, General Butler succumbed. General Butler’s daughter, Elizabeth Butler Norris, succumbed during July 1908. Benjamin married Hannah Hilton. Ebenezer married Sarah Hersey of Sanbornton. Henry married Abigail Lord, and after her death, he married Nancy Hersey. Sarah Cotta married John Haley of Lee, New Hampshire, and the marriage lasted more than 63 years. Samuel served in a cavalry unit (Captain John Butler’s company) during the War of 1812 and was mortally wounded while engaged at Highgate, Vermont. Samuel, as part of a contingent of eighteen men, engaged smugglers who were moving cattle into Canada. Samuel refused to surrender and used his pistols to eliminate two enemy troops who moved to seize him. Despite the severity of his wound, Samuel declined help from a British surgeon and died of his wounds. Ward Cotton married Margaret Anderson and the couple relocated in Philadelphia. General Henry Butler’s family line linked him with several other prominent military leaders of later generations. Henry’s uncle, Zephaniah, was the grandfather of General Benjamin F. Butler (Civil War era). Zephaniah was also the grandfather of John Simpson, the soldier who fired (against orders) the first shot against the British at Breed’s Hill (Battle of Bunker Hill) on 17 June 1775. John’s brother, Robert Simpson, who also served in the military during the Revolution, was the grandfather of General (and president of the United States) Ulysses Simpson Grant, the latter being the son of Jesse and Hannah Simpson Grant. The Rev. Benjamin Butler was the grandfather of General James H. Butler (of Bangor, Maine) also of the Civil War era; James was the son of Henry Butler, Jr.

Butler, General Henry

John Butler, the son of Edmund and Frances Butler, was born in Virginia about 1727–1728 and lived with his family in Goochland County. Later, he married Anne Armstrong. John, like his brother William, relocated to North Carolina in Orange County; however, they took separate positions when an anti-government organization, the Regulators, emerged. John has been described occasionally as one of the Regulators, but he was aligned with the government of the time. Despite his brother’s membership in the group, he and William remained close. The Regulators formed initially during the late 1760s, had become incensed by the action of government officials and, for a while, had suspended activity. However, John Butler, sheriff of Orange County, urged the governor during 1770 to take action. By that time, the Regulators had plans to liquidate all government officials. During 1771, the level of violence was rapidly rising. Royal Governor William Tryon raised a force, drawn from Orange County and from forces raised by sheriffs in neighboring areas. Tryon’s forces ended the insurrection at the Battle of Alamance, which erupted on 16 May. The poorly armed Regulators were no match for the militia. Many prisoners and some leaders were seized. Most were later pardoned, but seven of the instigators were hanged. Subsequent to the devastation of the Regulators as an organized group, many fled from the colony. Meanwhile, John Butler was among those who sought leniency, and he even worked to broker pardons for those imprisoned. During the years following the insurrection, John’s loyalty to the Crown shifted with others who became staunch Patriots. During 1775, John was appointed to the Hillsborough district Committee of Safety. By that time,

Henry Butler, the son of the Rev. Benjamin and Dorcas Abbott Butler, was born on 27 November 1754 at Nottingham, New Hampshire. Henry’s father, originally from Windham, Connecticut, graduated from Harvard during 1752 and became the second minister of the Congressional Church in Nottingham in 1758. He resigned after serving about twelve years and afterward became a justice of the peace. Henry’s mother, Dorcas (b. May 1729, d. April 1790), was the daughter of Lieutenant Henry and Mary Platts Abbott and a descendant of George Abbott of Yorkshire, who arrived in the colonies about 1640. Benjamin and Dorcas had seven other children: Benjamin (b. February 1757, d. April 1757); Benjamin (2) (b. June 1758, d. August 1759); Mary (b. March 1760, married Abraham Brown of Epping, New Hampshire); Elizabeth (b. August 1762, d. October 1761) and then during October 1766, the family increased by three with the birth of triplets on 9 October, Dorcas, Jemima and James Platts. Dorcas married Jonathan Cilley and moved to Ohio. Jemima and James Platt both died on 19 October 1766. Henry, the oldest child, was born during the opening of the French and Indian War and reached maturity during the first days of the Revolution. Henry Butler entered the New Hampshire militia and served at West Point along the Hudson River. During 1776, Captain Butler married Isabella Fisk, the daughter of Doctor Ebenezer Fisk of Epping, New Hampshire. Together they had eight children: Isabella (b. July 1777, married William Norris); Benjamin (b. April 1779); Ebenezer (b. March 1781); Henry, Jr. (b. June 1783); Sarah Cotta (b. August 1785); Dorcas

Butler, Brigadier General John

BUTLER Governor Josiah Martin, successor to Governor Tryon, had lost control. Meanwhile, the Patriots escalated their work to increase defenses. The British plans included the arrival of the crack Highlanders at the Cape Fear River to link up with a British fleet that was transporting ground forces, and the latter was anticipating a second fleet which was en route from Ireland with a new force under Lord General Charles Cornwallis. John Butler was appointed lieutenant colonel during 1775 and promoted to colonel the next year. However, thanks to the actions of Colonel (later brigadier general) James Moore, Butler’s region remained tranquil for some time. During February 1776, the Highlanders moved toward Cape Fear, and at Moore’s Creek Bridge they encountered a blockage which they believed penetrable. Nevertheless, Colonel James Moore’s plan was unleashed flawlessly. Two of the leaders were instantly killed and the commanding general was captured. The Loyalists were unable after the devastating blow to raise any formidable forces. The British fleet was forced to sail off and a campaign in North Carolina was forestalled. The fleet was urgently requested by Virginia’s royal governor, Lord Dunmore, but the British instead sailed to Charleston, where General Henry Clinton was later joined by General Charles Cornwallis. In the meantime, John Butler was elected as a representative of Orange County to the congress set to convene at Halifax during April and again during November of 1776. Butler was to participate in the process of taking an inventory of the property seized from Loyalists. During the latter convention, the state constitution had been adopted prior to Butler taking his seat due to political problems. The convention proclaimed the election fraudulent and ordered a new election. Butler was elected and then took his seat. During 1777, Brigadier General Thomas Person (appointed 1776 for Hillsborough district) resigned and was succeeded by Colonel John Butler. A British army under General John Burgoyne was defeated at Saratoga, New York, during October, but by that time the British had occupied Philadelphia. At the same time, the British remained focused on the South. Philadelphia was abandoned by General Clinton during June 1778 and a major battle followed at Monmouth, New Jersey, toward the latter part of the month. It became the final major battle in the northern states. In the meantime, the commander in the south, Major General Robert Howe, was unable to offset the British strength, and pressure built in Congress to replace him. On 24 September 1778, Congress appointed General Benjamin Lincoln successor to Howe and directed him to repair to the Department of the South to assume command. In November 1778, Lincoln was in North Carolina en route to the department. Governor Richard Caswell had earlier directed General Butler to raise a force in his district and prepare to dispatch the contingent to bolster General Lincoln. Prior to the end of the year, a force under Anthony Lytle departed Hillsborough to join with Lincoln; Butler was scheduled to follow. Other North Carolina militia, about 2,000 strong under General John Ashe, also moved to augment Lincoln’s army. About 700 Loyalists departed North Carolina to aid the British in the defense of Augusta, Georgia. General Butler departed Charlotte with his column on 11 April 1779, unaware that General Ashe’s force had been routed at Briar Creek on 3 March. While Lincoln’s army moved against Augusta, the British abandoned the city. Ashe’s militia was ordered to intercept Augustine Prevost’s force on 2 March, but on the following day, the British attacked. Ashe, upon sight of the British, declined taking action and informed General Samuel Elbert to take on the British. The small contingent of Georgians became surrounded and still Ashe failed to move. Ashe fled and Elbert was captured. Butler joined with General Lincoln on 26 April and afterward, Lincoln was faced with a British threat against Charleston, forcing him to return to South Carolina, leaving Georgia to the British. Butler’s con-

54 tingent accompanied Lincoln’s column and the British in turn were compelled to abort the planned assault against Charleston. The Americans pursued the British, and a clash occurred at Stono Ferry on 20 June 1779. Butler’s militia and other North Carolinians under General Jethro Sumner performed meritoriously during the contest. Following the fighting at Stono River, the enlistments of Butler’s command were ending, and the militia on 15 July 1779 returned to North Carolina. By that time, the British returned to Georgia and combat in the region subsided due in great part to the torrid heat. Later that year, General Butler dispatched fresh troops to support General Lincoln, but he remained in North Carolina. During the following year, on 12 May 1780, Charleston fell to the British and North Carolina continentals and militia there became part of the massive army that surrendered. General Horatio Gates was sent south by Congress to replace Lincoln, who was captured at Charleston. Meanwhile, Richard Caswell, having ended his term as governor, became commander of North Carolina militia with the forces of Generals John Butler, Isaac Gregory and Griffith Rutherford as his commanders in the central, eastern and western sectors respectively. During August the combined forces converged at Caswell’s headquarters at Cheraw to join with Gates’ army. Gates, however, was too eager to attack, and he was advancing despite the lack of cavalry. On the 27th of July he had ordered an attack against General Charles Cornwallis at Camden. The British mauled Gates at Camden on 16 August. The North Carolina militia was advancing to the rear of the Virginia militia. The Virginians broke ranks and fled, with the North Carolinians close behind. General Gregory was among the captured, while he and a part of his brigade stood and fought well, alongside of Virginia continentals. General Gates’ left flank, held primarily by militia, collapsed within about fifteen minutes. The rout caused Gates’ military career to terminate. Subsequently, Congress named General Nathanael Greene as Gates’ successor, the latter having been overlooked for Gates despite Washington’s strong recommendation. General Butler, while heading back to North Carolina, was halted by renegade militia who suddenly became “friends of the victors” and relieved Butler of his sword, proclaiming: “You’ll have no further use of this.” Undaunted, General Butler, by the following month, was in the field with fresh militia and operating between Charlotte and Salisbury, with part of his responsibility being the guardian of provisions coming into the area from the Moravian settlements. Butler coordinated with General Sumner and together they patrolled along the Yadkin River. Butler’s militia acted with precision when it involved their enlistment commitments. But his militia disappeared at the minute their enlistments terminated, leaving Butler without a force. Butler again raised fresh militia. In the meantime, Cornwallis moved back into South Carolina following the Battle of Kings Mountain (7 October 1780), and during January, General Daniel Morgan thumped Cornwallis at Cowpens (17 January 1781), a totally unexpected setback for the British. By February 1781, General Butler was directed to move to the vicinity of Wilmington to observe the British who had taken the city on 29 January 1781. Cornwallis, jolted by his defeat at Cowpens, was in pursuit of Morgan. Butler was diverted from Wilmington to join with General Greene at Hillsborough. Butler’s militia and that of General Thomas Eaton formed the left sector of Greene’s line at Guilford Court House (15 March 1781), bolstered by Virginian militia to their immediate rear. Once the British commenced fire, the militia again collapsed. Butler attempted to halt the stampede, but to no avail. Most of the North Carolinians remained in motion until they reached their homes. Cornwallis claimed victory; however, General Greene was more than pleased with the performance of his force, which inflicted heavy casualties, about 25 percent of Cornwallis’ army made the casualty list. Cornwallis was unable to pursue Greene. Afterward, Cornwallis moved to Wilmington. Greene directed Butler

55 to deploy in the vicinity of Ramsey’s Mill, from where he could monitor enemy movements. By 11 April 1781, 240 of the men under Butler who ran at Guilford Court House had rejoined him. By 27 March, Cornwallis departed North Carolina for Virginia. During the campaign in North Carolina, Cornwallis destroyed General Butler’s plantation. Nineteenth century biographers believed that the name of Butler’s plantation might have been Mt. Pleasant, and the name continues to frequently be attributed to Butler. A British force under David Fanning planned to strike Butler’s encampment, but Butler was forewarned by Governor Thomas Burke. Meanwhile, Loyalists under Fanning moved against Hillsborough on 12 September 1781, killed fifteen defenders, wounding about 20 others and capturing Governor Burke. About 70 continental troops were captured in a church. The British were also able to rescue about thirty British troops (Loyalists and regulars). That same day, Fanning, marched about 200 prisoners (including officers) toward Wilmington, with Butler in pursuit. On the 13th, Butler’s brigade engaged the Loyalists at Lindsay’s Mill at Cane Creek. Butler’s militia held concealed positions and were able to surprise the Loyalist vanguard under Colonel Hector McNeal. Afterward, David Fanning secured the prisoners captured at Hillsborough and launched an attack which remained heated for about four hours before General Butler was compelled to retreat. Nonetheless, Fanning received a severe wound. He sent word to his main body about the clash and to inform them that he was incapacitated due to a wound to his arm that shattered several bones. The Loyalists lost eight killed, including Colonel McNeal, and they sustained sixty seriously wounded that had to be left behind. Another 30 troops were wounded but able to remain with the column. Butler was not rescued. Later, Butler fought minor engagements at Hammond’s Creek and at Brown Marsh, the latter at Bladen. General Butler remained in command of militia through 1782 and, despite the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown and eventual formal end of the war during 1783, friction between the Loyalists and Patriots continued for years in certain areas of North Carolina. During 1784 while a member of the General Assembly, Butler became chairman of the committee of grievances, which placed him in the forefront of the difficult task of re-establishing and stabilizing the state government. In November of that year, General Butler resigned his commission and was excused from attending future assembly sessions. General Butler was succeeded by Ambrose Ramsey, who was appointed brigadier general in his place. General Butler and his wife had no children. He succumbed during autumn 1786 and his will was probated during January 1787. His widow, Anne (Ann or Annie), afterward married Richard Christmas of Orange County, North Carolina.

Butler, Pierce (Signer of the U.S. Constitution) Pierce Butler, a son of Sir Richard Butler (5th Baronet of Cloughgrenan), was born in County Carlow, Ireland, on 11 July 1744 while his father was a member of the Irish Parliament. In accordance with an English custom of the period, although not mandatory, it was usual for the son of a British aristocrat to enter the king’s service in the military or in the ministry, which also was under the king since the breakaway from the Catholic Church during the reign of King Henry VIII, who brought about the establishment of the Anglican Church (known in America as the Episcopalian Church). Pierce followed in the tradition. His father acquired a commission and after purchasing it, Pierce joined the British 22d Regiment of Foot (later Cheshire Regiment). During the Seven Years’ War (known as French and Indian War in America), Butler arrived in America with his regiment during 1758 and participated in various campaigns, including the final one under General Jeffrey Amherst that brought about the surrender of the French and the conquest of Canada to terminate the war and leave Britain as

BUTLER the dominant force in North America. While still in America, Butler transferred to another regiment, the 29th Regiment of Foot. He remained in the country after the war until he returned to Ireland in 1762. In conjunction with Britain’s decision to deploy troops in the colonies against the will of the colonists (other than those considered to be Loyalists), Pierce returned to the colony during 1768, and it was his regiment that caused one of the first sparks that led to the open hostilities. During 1770, on 5 March, an altercation occurred in Boston between a contingent of the regiment and civilians. The incident, later called the Boston Massacre, caused civilian casualties after the British fired upon a mob that was harassing the troops. Butler was not involved in exchange. During the following year, Butler, a major in the army, married a woman from South Carolina, Mary Middleton, the daughter of Henry Middleton, the first president of the Continental Congress, and the sister of Arthur Middleton, signer of the Declaration of Independence. The period following the Boston Massacre remained turbulent as the anger of the colonists continued to intensify and the determination of the British to maintain their domination in the colonies remained steadfast. At the time, the colonists still considered themselves loyal subjects, but they also believed they were being treated unfairly by the Crown. During 1773, the British 29th Regiment finished its tour in America and received orders to return to England; however, by that time, Butler had decided to remain in America. He sold his commission for about fifteen thousand pounds and retired from the army, then relocated in South Carolina. He purchased a plantation and settled into the life of a southern gentleman. He soon after began to acquire more land and at some point invested in vessels which he utilized as a coastal fleet to transport his goods. As he became more acclimated to his new life as a planter-merchant, Butler was becoming a more prominent citizen. He also re-entered the military, but by that time, his Red Coat had been permanently retired. He became an officer in the South Carolina militia during 1775. As a former English officer, Butler brought upon himself additional problems by becoming a supporter of the Patriots’ cause, but only if he fell into the hands of the British. By the time he joined the forces of the Patriots, his health had deteriorated sufficiently to prevent him from actively performing in the field, but he was still able to rely upon his former military experience to contribute. In addition, Butler entered politics and was elected to the state assembly during 1776, a position he retained until 1789. During 1779, he concentrated on recruiting, but in addition, he was solicited by John Rutledge to become involved in bolstering the defenses of Charleston. Rutlege appointed Butler as adjutant general; however, Butler continued to refer to himself as a major. The British had attempted to take Charleston during June 1776, but failed. In December 1778, Savannah fell to the British, making Charleston again a primary objective. Nonetheless, on 12 May 1780, Charleston fell to the British, and with the loss of the city, the Americans also lost an entire army under General Benjamin Lincoln. Some of the leaders, including Governor John Rutledge, were not in the city when it fell. Butler was among the officers who escaped capture. He continued to work with the government in exile, while efforts were made to rebuild a force to evict the British. General Horatio Gates arrived in the south as successor to General Lincoln, who was among the captured. However, Gates discarded advice from the militia and attempted to launch an offensive, lacking artillery and sufficient food. Consequently, Gates sustained a disastrous defeat at the Battle of Camden during August 1780. Gates in turn lost his military career. Meanwhile, Butler continued to contribute to the war effort as adjutant general during that period when only militia stood between the British and their quest for total victory in South Carolina. Other

BUTLER leaders, such as Francis Marion and Thomas Sumter, worked to neutralize the British gains by harassing British columns and positions. Later, General Nathanael Greene arrived as successor to Gates. The Continental Army under Greene and General Daniel Morgan, bolstered by militia, eventually prevailed in the South. The British under Lt. Colonel Banastre Tarleton (Tarleton’s Legion) repeatedly launched attacks to destroy the militia and capture the leaders, but were unable to eliminate the Patriots. Nevertheless, the Patriots did sustain high losses while engaged against the British. In addition, the British, who controlled Charleston from May 1780 until December 1782, inflicted enormous damage to the property of various Patriots and of those, Pierce Butler’s estate had become a victim. He essentially lost his fortune before the war terminated, and the fleet that he had earlier built was lost, which cost him his ability to resume his trading business. Butler, apparently unable to acquire a loan in South Carolina, sailed to Europe in an attempt to find a source to acquire a loan. Upon his return to South Carolina during 1785, Butler worked with others of the same mind to bring about reconciliation with the Loyalists. He also expressed great interest for those who resided in the back county, far from the region that had been dominated by the Rice Kings prior to the Revolution, and he became an advocate for those to gain equality with the low country (essentially Charleston). Despite his empathy for the citizens in the back country and his advocacy for the poor, there remained great conflict in his position due to his support for slavery. Butler served in the Continental Congress during 1777–1778. He was selected as a delegate to represent South Carolina in Philadelphia at the Constitution Convention held during 1787. While in attendance at the convention, Butler remained a staunch advocate of a strong central government; however, he maintained positions that also were favorable to his home state, which clashed with his former position. Nevertheless, the U.S. Constitution was adopted on 17 September 1787 and Butler was among those who signed it. Other delegates from South Carolina who signed were John Rutledge (general and governor); Charles Coatesworth Pinckney (general) and another Charles Pinckney. During the convention, Pierce Butler often spoke from the floor regarding his positions on the various items up for discussion and debate. Some of the articles that Butler opposed included the election of a president by Congress, and he did not favor frequent elections of a president, favoring instead seven-year terms. He supported a president holding the power to declare war, and he favored state legislatures electing representatives to congress. He supported the two houses system (Senate and House of Representatives). Butler also held a position regarding senators that would not be popular during contemporary times: the concept that senators should serve without compensation. Others supported that too, including John Rutledge. Both South Carolina and Connecticut voted for the article. He also supported the concept “that the several States should be represented in the Senate in proportion to their wealth.” Butler held a similar position on the House, but he held yet another position that would be unacceptable during contemporary times. Butler believed that members of Congress should be restrained during their term in office, “excluding members of Congress from holding office during the term for which they were elected, and for one year afterwards.” Butler believed that the restrictions would eliminate someone who entered Congress to “obtain office for themselves or their friends.” South Carolina ratified the Constitution on 23 May 1788, to become the eighth state to join the union. However, Pierce Butler never attended the convention. Afterward, he was elected to the United States Senate, where he served three terms, but his positions continued to sometimes collide, as he was prone to change his mind and perplex his fellow senators. When Butler initially arrived in the Senate, he served as a Federal-

56 ist, but during 1795 (administration of John Adams), Butler switched allegiance to become aligned with the Democratic-Republicans (present day Democrats). Later, during the administration of James Madison, Butler again changed his affiliation and proclaimed that he was an independent. In addition, he and others raised adamant opposition to the Jay Treaty, negotiated by John Jay during the postwar period when Britain rejected demands that they abandon the forts on the frontier and the British still pressed Americans into Royal service. Others, including the president, George Washington, supported Senate ratification, which occurred during June 1795. Washington prevailed, but the treaty only postponed an inevitable conflict. During 1802, upon the death of John Ewing Calhoun, Butler was returned to the Senate to fill the unexpired term. He retired during 1805 and was succeeded by John Gaillard. Meanwhile, Butler had acquired a summer home in the vicinity of Philadelphia while he was a member of the Continental Army, but subsequent to the end of his political career, he relocated in Philadelphia, reportedly to be close to his daughter, who had married a doctor who practiced in Philadelphia. Pierce Butler, officer in the British Army and officer in the American militia, was described by some of his peers as an “eccentric.” He remained in Philadelphia for the remainder of his life and continued to expand his wealth. He died during 1822 and was interred there in the cemetery of Christ Church. Pierce Butler and is wife, Mary Middleton Butler, had several children, all daughters. Lacking a male heir to carry on the family name, Butler concocted a way to carry his name forward. His daughter who married a physician resided in Philadelphia. Pierce stipulated in his will that her children would assume their grandfather’s name (Butler), to ensure the family name would be carried forward through the generations. Pierce Butler was godfather, while Sarah Purcell stood as godmother, at the Baptism of the child of a family friend, Alexander Gillon, who was baptized on 21 May 1795. The Rev. Henry Purcell baptized the baby and also stood as his godfather.

Butler, Brigadier General Richard Richard Butler was the oldest son of Thomas and Eliner Butler. There is some confusion as to his place of birth. Richard’s parents were from Ireland and married there in 1742. Some nineteenth century historians, such as F.P. Blair, stated that three of Thomas’ children — Richard, William and Thomas—were born in Ireland prior to the family establishing residence in the vicinity of Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Another author of that time, the Rev. Doctor J.A. Murray, stated in the Historical Register of January 1883, “The Butlers of Cumberland Valley,” that all five brothers were born in America. The Reverend Murray, apparently referring to the family Bible, related that “Richard began taking up land near Conewago, May 17, 1743.” From there, according to the same author, the family moved to West Pennsboro, in Cumberland County, and each son was born in Pennsylvania: Richard (b. 1 April 1743); William (b. 6 January 1745); Thomas (b. 28 May 1748); Eleanor (b. about 1754); Percival (b. 6 April 1760) and Edward (b. 20 March 1762). About 1770, Richard and his Richard Butler (Hidden Phase of Amerbrother William established a ican History, Michael J. O’Brien 1919)

CADWALADER

57 trading business near Fort Pitt in present-day Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. During 1774, Virginia and Pennsylvania began to squabble over where the border was to be drawn, with the Virginia claiming territory that eventually remained as part of Pennsylvania. Lord Dunmore, governor of Virginia, claimed the region and actually seized Fort Pitt and renamed it Fort Dunmore. Richard Butler was among those Pennsylvanians who raised troops in opposition to a force of Virginians under John Connolly, who became temporary commandant of the fort. When war with Britain erupted, Richard’s experience with the Indians, gained by his years of trading among them, aided him as Indian commissioner and as captain of a Pennsylvania regiment. On 20 May 1776, Congress acknowledged his service and recognized the conflict of his position as commissioner with the following resolution: “Whereas Captain Richard Butler, by accepting the office of Agent in the Middle Department of Indians, has lost the opportunity of being appointed a Captain in the Continental service; Resolved, That Congress will, as soon as possible, compensate for that disappointment to him, by some promotion in their service.” Shortly thereafter, on 20 July, Congress, at the behest of the Pennsylvania convention, appointed Richard Butler as major of a battalion to be raised in western Pennsylvania for the defense of the frontier. On 12 March 1777 he was promoted to lieutenant colonel. Also in 1777, Butler served in Daniel Morgan’s rifle corps in New Jersey and afterward at Saratoga, the latter during the campaign against General John Burgoyne, who surrendered his army in October. During the following month, Butler was advanced to the rank of colonel and directed to repair to New Jersey. Afterward, he received command of the 9th Pennsylvania Regiment. Colonel Butler was with the army when General Anthony Wayne stormed Stony Point, and he was with Wayne when some instigators in the Pennsylvania Line caused a shortlived mutiny. Wayne was aided by Butler during the incident. Both officers were highly respected by the troops of the Pennsylvania Line. Colonel Butler also served in the 5th Pennsylvania Regiment (1781) and the 3rd Pennsylvania (1783). During the Yorktown Campaign, Colonel Butler was a participant, and after Cornwallis surrendered, a dispute developed when General Steuben was reluctant to be relieved by Lafayette’s division because Steuben wanted to plant the flag. George Washington and Lafayette, having decided that they would not raise the flag, gave the honor to a Pennsylvanian, Ebenezer Denny. At the appointed time, as the ensign moved to plant the flag, Steuben moved ahead and clasped the flag and planted it, to the dismay of Colonel Butler, who considered Steuben’s actions insulting to his Pennsylvania troops. The quarrel nearly turned into a duel, but intervention by Washington and others, the duel was prevented. Colonel Butler received the rank of brevet brigadier general during September 1783 in accordance with a resolution which directed that officers under the rank of major general, as of 1777, be advanced one rank by brevet. Subsequent to the close of hostilities, General Butler was appointed as a commissioner (one of six) charged with negotiating a treaty with some Indian tribes, including the Six Nations. Following that successful assignment, General Butler received another congressional appointment. He became superintendent of Indian Affairs (Northern District). The Pennsylvania government also made use of Butler’s skills. During 1788, the Supreme Executive Council selected him as lieutenant of Allegheny County. Later, General Butler was appointed a justice of the Court of Common Pleas (Allegheny County) and at that time, he resigned his post as lieutenant. During 1791, General Butler was recalled to federal service and awarded the rank of major general. He was selected as second in command to General St. Clair for the campaign against the Indians on the western frontier. General Butler was among the fatalities when Arthur St. Clair’s army was devastated on 4 November 1791 in the vicinity of Fort Recovery

in Ohio. General Butler was constantly at the forefront of the combat and led successive charges, but he became wounded multiple times while commanding the right wing of the army. General Butler took time to receive medical aid, but while he was being treated, an Indian closed upon him and crashed his head with a tomahawk. Butler was able to liquidate the attacker; however, the tomahawk inflicted a mortal blow. Another army under General Anthony Wayne moved against the Indians and terminated the threat. The Indians were thrashed at the Battle of Fallen Timbers, and the frontier became more tranquil. Years later, one of the chiefs at the battle visited General Butler’s widow and handed her a medal (Society of the Cincinnati) that was on General Butler when he was killed. The chief also informed Mrs. Butler that the general was neither scalped nor desecrated, despite stories to the contrary. The location of the general’s burial place remains unknown. Stories have been handed down that told of General Butler’s body being later identified, then removed to a location near Fort Recovery and interred there. All four of General Butler’s brothers — William, Thomas, Percival and Edward — served during the Revolution, with the youngest, Edward, bringing up the rear when he entered service during 1778 as an ensign in the 9th Pennsylvania Regiment. The five Butlers received high praises from General Washington and others for their meritorious service for their country. Thomas was studying law with James Wilson at the time war broke out, but he dropped his law books and picked up a sword. By war’s end he had risen to the rank of captain in command of a company. Thomas and Edward were both in St. Clair’s campaign of 1791, when Richard was killed. Thomas had his leg shattered, but still mounted his horse and led a charge. Edward narrowly escaped injury as he struggled to get his wounded brother off the field on that fateful day, 4 November 1791. Subsequently, Thomas commanded Fort Pitt during the time of the Whiskey Rebellion, and his leadership prevented the insurgents from gaining the fort. Lt. Colonel Thomas Butler was charged by enemies of wrongdoing and received a court-martial, but the charges were proven erroneous and he was acquitted, to keep the family honor sterling.

Cadwalader, Major General John John Cadwalader, the son of Doctor Thomas and Hannah Lambert Cadwalader, was born in Trenton, New Jersey, during 1742. John’s parents, who were married in Europe while Thomas was furthering his studies in medicine, had seven other children: Anne (died young); Martha; Lambert; Mary (married General Philemon Dickinson); Rebecca (became second wife of General Philemon Dickinson); Margaret; and Elizabeth. The Cadwaladers, originally from Philadelphia, moved to New Jersey about 1739 and remained there until John was about eight years old, then returned to Philadelphia. John attended Philadelphia Academy and College beginning in 1760, but according to the school (University of Pennsylvania), John did not graduate. He entered the importing business with his brother Lambert and in 1768 married Elizabeth Lloyd, the daughter of Colonel Edward Lloyd of Talbot, Maryland, an affluent Marylander and the son of the seventh royal governor of Maryland, Edward Lloyd. Shortly thereafter, the business was closed. John and Elizabeth resided in a home in the vicinity of 2nd and Spruce Streets, which was purchased by Elizabeth’s father. They had three children, Anne, Elizabeth and Maria. Shortly after the birth of her third child, Maria, in February 1776, Elizabeth succumbed. In the meantime, the colonies were challenged by policies of the Crown and Parliament, and the relationship had been on a rapid decline since the enactment of the Stamp Act and others that followed, including the Boston Port Act. By about 1774, Cadwalader had been in preparation for whatever course was taken by the colonies. He raised a unit, known by several names, including Philadelphia Troop, the “Greens” and the “Silk Stocking Company.” The company was built

CAMPBELL into a formidable unit of highly skilled troops that Cadwalader trained at his residence. The spark that ignited open rebellion occurred in battles at Lexington and Concord on 19 April 1775. Shortly after word reached Philadelphia, Cadwalader was appointed colonel of the 3rd Battalion of Volunteers (Philadelphia Associators). By that time, John had also, through his father-in-law, become a close friend of General George Washington. During January 1776, the Pennsylvania council directed Cadwalader to gather and distribute arms to the Marines with the fleet. On 29 October, Congress directed Colonels Cadwalader and Bayard to provide a military escort for a congressional committee charged with investigating an incident in Bristol in which secret papers were stolen. Later, on 16 November at the Battle of Fort Washington, a contingent of Colonel Cadwalader’s command was holding steadfastly against a Hessian force, but the overwhelming numbers of the enemy took the advantage and many of the Patriots were bayoneted, despite attempts to surrender. On 3 December 1776, the militia in Philadelphia was split into three battalions, with John Cadwalader in command of one of the battalions and the other two placed under the command of Colonels John Bayard and Lt. Colonel John Nixon. Two days later, Cadwalader advanced with the vanguard of his force to bolster General Washington, who at the time was being bulldozed in New Jersey and pressured to hurriedly march toward Pennsylvania to avoid destruction. On 7 December, a dispatch intercepted Cadwalader with orders from Washington that instructed Cadwalader to pause at Trenton to await the arrival of the trailing elements of his brigade. Afterward, Cadwalader dispatched a contingent to protect the crossing at Dunks Ferry and another unit was sent to Bordentown, New Jersey. By that time the British had repaired bridges that spanned the Delaware, and Washington was convinced the British were en route to seize Philadelphia. Cadwalader established headquarters at Bristol, Pennsylvania. While there, Washington sent word to Cadwalader requesting that Marines supporting him be dispatched back to Philadelphia to enable the Delaware to move to open seas. On Christmas Day, during the evening, Washington crossed the Delaware to surprise the British at Trenton, but some of his contributing forces (Cadwalader’s and James Ewing’s) failed to cross. Cadwalader made an attempt, but the chance of losing the artillery in the unruly river prompted him to pull back, but Ewing did not attempt to cross. Nevertheless, Washington scored a spectacular victory at Trenton and followed that with another success at Princeton on 3 January 1777. Meanwhile, Colonel Cadwalader was with Washington at the Second Battle of Trenton on 2 January, and he participated at Princeton. At the latter, Cadwalader’s force was composed of militia, Marines and Pennsylvania riflemen assigned the area along Quaker Road in the vicinity of a bridge that dominated the main route running from Trenton to Princeton. During February 1777, Cadwalader, who had been previously appointed brigadier general of militia, was one of ten men appointed by Congress as brigadier general; however, Cadwalader declined the appointment. He preferred to remain with his militia. General Cadwalader, as commander of Pennsylvania militia, participated in the defense of Philadelphia during 1777, including the Battle of Brandywine and others that occurred prior to the continental Army establishing winter headquarters at Valley Forge. During the following year, on 28 June, General Cadwalader participated in the Battle of Monmouth. On 10 September, General Cadwalader was again promoted by Congress, which resolved “that a commission be granted to John Cadwalader, Esq. appointing him brigadier and commander of the cavalry in the service of the United States.” Cadwalader, in a letter to Congress, dated 9 September, again declined the appointment, explaining that he thought the war would soon be terminated.

58 John’s brother, Lambert, also served during the war, but he was a colonel in the continental service. Nevertheless, when he offered his resignation on 22 January 1779, Congress accepted it. Earlier, in July 1778, General Cadwalader, who supported General Washington during the conspiracy (Conway Cabal) designed to replace him, engaged in a duel (4 July 1778) with General Thomas Conway and prevailed. Conway, believing he was near death, contacted Washington by letter to apologize for anything he (Conway) had “done, written or said any thing disagreeable to your excellency. My career will soon be over, therefore justice and truth prompt me to declare my last sentiments....” Subsequent to declining the appointment as brigadier general of cavalry, General Cadwalader essentially terminated his field duty. He again married, taking Williamina Bond as his wife, and from that marriage, three children were born, John, Thomas and Frances. General Cadwalader also moved to Maryland, where he served several terms in legislature. He died on 10 February 1786 after coming down with pneumonia while hunting in Shrewsbury, Maryland. Some sources list his death as 11 February, but most nineteenth century sources, including a Baltimore paper published just after his death, give the date as 10 February. A death notice was published in a Baltimore paper on the 24th described General Cadwalader’s character and what a terrible loss the community suffered at his passing. He was interred in Shrewsbury Cemetery (Kent County), Maryland. John’s widow and his two surviving children from his second marriage, Thomas and Frances, returned to Philadelphia. Also, Anne, a child from John’s first marriage, married Robert Kemble, and their only child married General William Sumner (Massachusetts). Elizabeth became the wife of Archibald McCall of Philadelphia. Their son, George, later became General George A. McCall. Maria, the youngest, married General Samuel Ringgold of Maryland. From John’s second marriage, his daughter Frances (Fanny) married David Montague, the son of Lord Erskine. Thomas later married Mary Biddle.

Campbell, Brigadier General William William Campbell, the son of Charles and Margaret Buchanan Campbell, was born in Augusta County (previously Orange County), Virginia, in 1745. William’s father, Charles Campbell, arrived in the colonies from Ireland with his father, John Campbell, about 1726. His mother was the daughter of John Buchanan, Sr. At the time, John Campbell, with a large family of about five boys and a few girls, settled in the vicinity of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, but later John and some members of his family relocated in Virginia. Among those who moved to Virginia were David, Patrick and Robert, with Patrick becoming the father of Charles, who in turn was the father of General William Campbell. William’s father died on 17 March 1767 and his will (dated August 1761) provided for his widow, his daughters and William, the latter receiving 1,000 acres along the Holston River. Charles’ daughters were: Elizabeth (married John Taylor); Jane (married Thomas Tate); Margaret (married her second cousin, Colonel Arthur Campbell) and Ann (married Richard Poston). Subsequent to the passing of Charles, his only son, William, and the family moved to the plantation on the river in Augusta County (later Washington County). Later, William married Elizabeth Henry, the sister of Patrick Henry. During 1774, William Campbell was a participant in the campaign against the Indians in the Ohio Valley that included the Battle of Point Pleasant, in which the militia prevailed without the help of Lord Dunmore, who never arrived to bolster General Andrew Lewis. Campbell commanded a company during the campaign, known as Dunmore’s War. Lord Dunmore was able to consummate a treaty (Treaty of Camp Charlotte) to end the hostilities. Lord Dunmore found himself without authority following the battles of Lexington and Concord during April 1775. Campbell was with the Patriot forces that prevailed at Great Bridge on 9 December 1775. With the rank of captain, he was involved that

59 year in raising the initial troops for the Virginia regulars. During 1776, Campbell was appointed lieutenant colonel of militia (Washington County). Later, Evan Shelby resigned and Campbell was promoted to colonel in his place. Colonel Campbell led a contingent (the Overmountain Men) which was part of the force under Colonel Isaac Shelby and Colonel Elijah Clark that sped to support General Nathanael Greene against Cornwallis. On September 30, 1780, the column arrived at Quaker Meadows (home of Charles McDowell’s brother Joseph) on the Catawba near Morgantown, North Carolina. The force of about 700 men and some additional militia participated at the Battle of Kings Mountain and at Guilford Court House. Shelby, Campbell and Clarke engaged the Loyalists under Major Patrick Ferguson at Kings Mountain on 7 October. Ferguson had recently issued an ultimatum to Shelby, threatening that if the Overmountain Men “did not desist to the opposition to the British arms, he would march his army over the mountains, hang their leaders, and lay their country to waste, with fire and sword.” Shelby and the others made the trip unnecessary, once they arrived at Kings Mountain, which is near the North Carolina and South Carolina border. The patriots gained a decisive victory and Ferguson (“Bull Dog”), who had described the mountain men as “mongrel back-water men,” was killed at the battle. The victory prevented General Lord Charles Cornwallis from launching an invasion into North Carolina. Ferguson, known for his trait of using a silver whistle, died while leaning against a tree, with his whistle dangling. The main American commanders in addition to Campbell were Colonels Isaac Shelby, John Sevier, Benjamin Cleveland, Charles McDowell, Joseph Winston, William Hill, Edward Lacey and Brigadier General James Williams. On 3 November 1780, Congress, having been informed of the victory at Kings Mountain, stated that it entertained “a high sense of the bravery spirited and good military conduct of Colonels Campbell, Shelby, Cleveland, Williams, Sevier and McDowell and Major Winston. Colonel Campbell and the officers and privates of the militia under their command, in the displayed action of the 7 of October, in which a compleat victory was obtained over superior numbers of the enemy, advantageously posted on King’s Mountain, in the State of North Carolina; and that this resolution be published by the commanding officer of the southern army, in general orders.” During the following month, the Virginia legislature, in recognition of the extraordinary actions of Colonel Campbell, promoted him to the rank of brigadier general of militia. Colonel Campbell was also given a horse, saddle, and a sword from the Virginia legislature. Nevertheless, Colonel Campbell resigned his commission on 20 March 1781. Afterward, for a short while, Campbell served in the House of Delegates representing Washington County. Later, due to the threat of Cornwallis in Virginia, General Campbell, greatly respected for his skill as a military officer, was recalled into the service to support the Marquis de Lafayette. Cornwallis was also respectful of Campbell’s abilities. Earlier, during the southern campaign, Cornwallis put a price on his head. General Campbell participated in the Yorktown Campaign, but for a short period. He became ill and was taken to Lafayette’s headquarters, where he died of natural causes on 22 August 1781. Lafayette announced Colonel Campbell’s death and stated that he was “an officer whose services must have endeared him to every citizen, and in particular to every American soldier. The glory which General Campbell acquired in the battles of King’s Mountain and Guilford Court House will do his memory an everlasting honor, and insure him a high rank among the defenders of liberty in the American cause.” General Campbell was initially interred at Rocky Mills in Hanover County, Virginia. In 1823, his remains were re-interred at the family plantation, Aspenvale. General Campbell was survived by his widow, Elizabeth, and their two children, Sarah Buchanan (b. 1778, married

CARROLL General Francis Preston) and Charles Henry (b. February 1780, d. October, 1785). Elizabeth Campbell remarried (General William Russell) during 1783.

Carroll, Charles of Carrollton (Signer of the Declaration of Independence) Charles Carroll was born at Annapolis, Maryland on 8 September 1737 (the date of birth is listed in a letter from Charles of Annapolis to his son, dated 10 October, 1753). Charles Carroll’s ancestors, initially O’Connor, originated in Ireland and formed part of the royalty that comprised the lords and princes of Ely and the kings of Munster. Charles’ ancestors also married into the prominent Irish Houses of Ormond and Desmond, as well as Argyll in Scotland. Carroll’s paternal grandfather, also named Charles, immigrated to Maryland in 1689, after William and Mary ascended to the throne to terminate the reign of James II. Charles departed England after having lost his property (Ballymacadam Castle) near the monastery of Leitir Luna. He arrived in the colonies during October that year and afterward prospered. Charles, known as Charles the immigrant or the settler, was the first attorney general of Maryland, commissioned by Lord Baltimore. However, afterward Maryland underwent a transformation. Puritans who were driven out of Virginia settled in Maryland and other Puritans from New England joined them. Consequently, by 1680, the Catholic population was outnumbered by Protestants by about thirty to one. The Puritans who had been driven to Maryland to avoid persecution gained power and began to persecute the Catholics. Charles (settler) married a twice widowed woman, Martha Ridgely Underwood (St. Mary’s County), who at the time of the marriage had become quite wealthy. Martha succumbed during November 1690 during childbirth and the baby died several days later. Charles married Mary Darnall, the young teenage daughter of Colonel Henry Darnall of Portland Manor on the Eastern Shore near St. Mary’s. Charles and Mary had ten children; five did not survive. During 1691 Charles was appointed as judge and as register of the land office as well as being Charles Calvert’s (3rd Lord Baltimore) agent, with authority to collect the rents. Charles (settler), again permitted to own land, received a grant known as Carroll’s Forest in Prince George County and later acquired another grant (Ely O’Connor) in Baltimore County during 1689. In addition, he received two other grants, Leitir Luna, also in Baltimore County, during 1695, and soon after, a large estate in Elk Ridge, Maryland (Anne Arundel County). Nonetheless, fortunes for the Carrolls and all the other Catholics in Maryland became bleak during 1689, when the Protestants overthrew Lord Baltimore’s government. During 1702, Charles (of Annapolis), the father of Charles of Carrollton, was born. He married a close relative, Elizabeth Brook (Brooke), the daughter Clement Brooke and Jane Sewall. Of the three sons, Henry, the oldest, lost his life at sea (10 April 1719) while en route back to America after going there to receive his education. Their two other sons were Charles, Jr. (of Annapolis), born on 2 April 1702, Charles Carroll (Biographical Sketches and Daniel, born 30 October of the Signers of the Declaration of 1707. By 1704, it became proIndependence, Benson J. Lossing, 1854)

CARROLL hibitive for a Catholic priest to celebrate Mass, and a reward of 100 pounds was offered to anyone who caught a priest celebrating a Mass and such priest was convicted. The penalty was death. Catholics were also forbidden from educating the youth, from owning property or sending their children to Europe for an education. If they already owned property, they were forced to pay double taxes. The vast holdings of the Carroll family expanded his property, including Clynmalyra and Doughoregan Manor. During 1715, the 3rd Lord Baltimore succumbed and afterward the province reverted back to the proprietary government under his successor, Benedict Leonard Calvert, 4th Lord Baltimore, who relinquished his Catholicism for the Church of England. Charles’ commission, dated 1716, included the post of naval officer, which permitted him to appoint naval officers and land surveyors, but during 1717, the government prohibited any remaining privileges of Catholics. Charles (settler) succumbed during 1720, leaving a huge estate that included property in the Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Charles, Kent, Prince George’s, St. Mary’s and Somerset counties in Maryland and other property in Westmoreland County, Virginia. At the time, his son, Charles of Annapolis, was still in Europe continuing his education. He returned during 1723 and his brother Daniel (of Duddington) returned the following year. Daniel died in 1734, the same year his sister Eleanor died. Charles of Annapolis, like his father, was able to prosper in property and other ventures. Charles rarely felt the wrath of the Protestant laws due to his high position and the respect he had gained in the province. He was able to expand his holdings and invest in other ventures, including a large interest in the Patapsco Iron Works, founded by a distant relative, Doctor Charles Carroll, the father of Charles Carroll, the barrister. Charles of Carrollton, born during 1737, spent only the early years of his youth in America. Initially, Charles was educated by Jesuits at Bohemia Harmon Manor, which was earlier founded by Father Mansell. Afterward he left the family estate when his parents sent him to Europe to receive his education from the Jesuits. Charles and his cousin John (later Archbishop John Carroll of Baltimore) attended a Jesuit college in St. Orner’s, France (Artois Province), about twenty miles outside of Calais, beginning in 1748, when Charles was about eleven. After completing his studies there, Charles furthered his education, still in France, at the Jesuit college at Rheims, and from there he moved to the college of Louis Le Grand (graduate school). He spent two years there before transferring to Bourges to study civil law for one year. Not yet finished, Carroll moved to Paris and spent another year at a college there before crossing the English Channel to further his law studies in London at the Middle Temple. Following about seventeen years in Europe, he returned to Maryland during 1765 to be rejoined with his father. While Charles was in London, his mother had died on 12 March 1761 from an illness that lasted more than two years. At the time, tension was building between Britain and the colonies. At some point after Charles returned home, he received the estate of Carrollton in the vicinity of Adamstown from his father. While in Europe, Charles, whom his father called Charley, also learned to speak French and German, which later became an asset when Baron von Steuben arrived at Valley Forge to train the Continental Army. During September 1765, writing in reaction to the Stamp Act, Charles noted: “Should the stamp act be enforced by a tyrannical parliament our property, our liberty, our very existence would be at an end.” During the following year, Charles anticipated marriage with his cousin, Rachel Cooke, during May; however, Rachael was severely stricken with fever and the wedding was postponed until the following November, with a scheduled date of the 10th, but again she came down with fever, preventing their wedding. Shortly thereafter, on 25 November, Rachel died. During the following year, in a letter to a friend, Charles wrote: “Hope springs eternal in the human heart.” He was informing his friend of his plans for getting married.

60 Two years later, Charles Carroll married another cousin, Mary Darnall, who had the identical name to his grandmother. She was the daughter of Henry Darnall and Elinor Hatton Brooke Darnall (widow of Major Thomas Brooke). They were married on 5 June 1768, and the event was afterward noted in the Maryland Gazette: “On Sunday evening was married at his father’s house, Charles Carroll, Jr., to Miss Mary Darnall, an agreeable young lady endowed with every accomplishment necessary to make the connubial state happy.” In Maryland, the education of Catholics had been prohibited; Catholics were “under the ban of disfranchisement.” In addition, all citizens in Maryland, including every faith and those without any faith, were taxed to support the Church of England. It was that particular tax that ignited Carroll’s sentiments to raise high opposition; however, due to being a Catholic, he had not publicly spoken, nor did he give public advice. At that time, during 1774, articles in favor of the tax were published by the Maryland Gazette, which often published opposing views with that of the people being the First Citizen and that of the government being the Second Citizen. The attorney general, Daniel Dulany (Dulaney), published his favorable articles with the name Antillon and had a slight sense of arrogance, believing that his reasons and arguments for support of the governor’s tax were invulnerable. The dueling letters were published at several week intervals from 7 January through 1 July 1773. Nevertheless, Carroll responded and essentially blew holes into all of the proponents’ arguments and proved the tax to be invalid. His letters ignited a sense of excitement among the people throughout the province as they became more curious as to who signed their name the “First Citizen” on the four devastating articles. The governor was compelled to repeal his proclamation and the citizens celebrated by giving it a mock funeral. Dulany, considered the finest and brightest attorney in Maryland, after discovering Carroll’s identity, attempted to discredit him due to his Catholic faith, but the scheme failed miserably. Charles Carroll, in the meantime, had been brought to the forefront of the Patriots in opposition, as he started to receive accolades from all across the province for his stand. During the First Continental Congress, Carroll was not a delegate, but he did go to Philadelphia. He met John Adams, who described him that day in his diary: “One Mr. Carroll of Maryland, a Roman Catholic but an ardent patriot and a man of one of the very first fortunes in the colonies.” Although Charles was not a member of the Congress during 1774, back in Maryland he had been appointed to the Committee of Correspondence and the Committee of Safety, and subsequent to the close of the Congress, he returned to his responsibilities there. The next year he was a delegate of Anne Arundel County at the convention held at Annapolis on 7 December. During the following February 1776, Charles Carroll, along with Samuel Chase, Benjamin Franklin and Father John Carroll (Charles’ cousin, and later Archbishop Carroll) were selected by the Continental Congress to travel to Canada to solicit the support of the Catholic French Canadians in the opposition to the British Crown, a mission which failed to bring about the inclusion of the French. They arrived in Canada after the defeat of Richard Montgomery and Benedict Arnold at Quebec on 29 April. During their stay there, Franklin became ill, prompting him to depart on 11 May. Some letters written by John Jay that contained derogatory remarks about the French Canadian Catholics also contributed to the failure of the mission. From Montreal, the party moved to St. John’s, where they met with General John Sullivan, and from there to Saratoga, where they conferred with General Philip Schuyler before traveling to New York to confer with General George Washington. From there they arrived back in Philadelphia on 10 June. Although it is not widely known, Charles Carroll became a close friend of Franklin and of General Washington,

61 the latter having already become a friend of Charles’ family, most probably because of Charles’ (of Annapolis) affairs with the Clinton Iron Works in Virginia. Carroll’s connections in France became a great asset for Franklin. With regard to Washington, Carroll was constantly relied upon as a staunch ally and confidant, which originated through a relationship that began during 1760, when Charles of Annapolis (Charles Carroll’s father) handled a property, the plantation of William Clifton, and placed it for sale to satisfy creditors. The plantation in Fairfax County, Virginia, was purchased by Washington. However, Charles Carroll’s French connections were unable to totally suppress dissension against Catholicism. Even John Adams was concerned that the pope was in the shadows and John Jay had similar sentiments. Simultaneously, France was concerned that by helping the colonies to prevail over Britain, they would in effect be supporting the birth of a new, powerful Protestant nation. Nonetheless, Carroll inconspicuously continued to guide Franklin and General Washington in the quest to bring France into the war on the side of America. Later, the Maryland convention instructed its delegates to Congress not to approve of any declaration of independence without the approval of the convention; however, Carroll, a strong proponent of independence, and others with him succeeded in having the dictate removed on 28 June. Subsequent to that action, Carroll was elected on 4 July as a delegate to Congress and was seated on the 18th. On that day, John Adams, quite frugal with compliments for others, noted in his diary that John Carroll was “an excellent member whose education, manners and application to business and to study did honor to his fortune, the first in America.” Meanwhile, the day after he took his seat in Congress, he was appointed to the Board of War. On 2 August, he signed the Declaration of Independence, adding “of Carrollton” to his signature. Although the Declaration was adopted on the Fourth of July, at that time only John Hancock signed, due to the great risks to their lives. Thirty-five more added their names beginning on 2 August. Someone had remarked to John Hancock that he hadn’t signed, and he responded that because he signed the original document on the Fourth of July, “I incur no responsibility in signing this copy.” Then he glanced at Charles Carroll and said: “Mr. Carroll, have you any objections to signing?” and received the response: “Not the least.” By 2 September, all but two had signed the document and afterward, during December, one of the two remaining men signed, leaving only John Dickinson, who declined to add his signature, due to his religious beliefs as a Quaker that it would lead to war. Back in Maryland, the new convention convened on 14 August. Carroll arrived there on the 17th and played a prominent role in designing the new government. The Constitution was adopted on 8 November; a governor, Thomas Johnson, was elected on the 11th, and on the following day, Charles Carroll was selected as one of five “councellors.” Charles Carroll, barrister, a cousin of Charles of Carrollton, was also a member of the convention, but he resigned and was afterward sent to Congress, but he did not sign the Declaration of Independence. Charles Carroll of Carrollton, a member of the Board of War, terminated his service in Congress during November 1776, with his final day being the 10th. Afterward, he returned to Maryland and became a member of his state’s first Senate; however, during the following year, he returned to Congress. During that time, he was one of the committee members dispatched to Valley Forge in response to what turned out to be erroneous complaints (Conway Cabal) against General Washington. Prior to the investigation, the number of members of the Board of War had been increased and suddenly, political adversaries of Washington were in positions of power. Generals Horatio Gates and Thomas Mifflin became members and Gates was made president of the board. Carroll quickly sensed the danger to Washington, particularly when

CARROLL John Adams, Sam Adams and Doctor Benjamin Rush were aligned with the conspirators. The plot began to unfold during October of 1777 and Carroll traveled to Valley Forge to confer with Washington; he would make several other trips there. At one point, Doctor Rush approached Carroll to solicit his help and support in the move to arrest Washington and place Gates in command, but Carroll flatly refused and remained loyal, along with Governeur Morris and others, ensuring failure of the plot. Carroll was also keenly aware of the conspirators’ methods of promoting General Conway, an Irishman who had served with the French, to the rank of major general to further the conspiracy against Washington, but he blocked the promotion. Conway became increasingly bitter, but the attempt to oust Washington could not get past Carroll. Later, Conway, believing he was going to die, wrote a letter to General Washington that contained an apology for his participation in the plot. Charles Carroll also served on the Committee of Foreign Applications, which oversaw foreign officers in the Continental service. When Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown during October 1781, Charles Carroll had been back in Maryland. After the great victory, Carroll always found solace and humor in the fact that the fears of the French and Catholicism had been unwarranted and he enjoyed relating that with the French army, which outnumbered the Americans at Yorktown, that about seventy percent of the men who gained the victory there were Roman Catholics. After the close of hostilities, British major general Robertson, while giving testimony at a hearing responding to a question, said: “I remember General (Charles) Lee telling me that half the rebel army were Irish Catholics.” Also, after the war, an ongoing animosity between John Adams and Charles Carroll became more intensified due to Adams’ resentment that Benjamin Franklin and Carroll, along with General Washington, had brought about the French support without him and, in fact, despite the obstacles put in place by him. In a letter to Alexander Hamilton, Carroll referred to the Federalists as “The Friends of Stability.” Nonetheless, both Carroll and Adams were Federalists. During 1782, Charles’ father took a severe fall from the porch and afterward died from the injuries. His wife, Mary, succumbed the following year from a short but gruelingly painful illness. During their marriage, they had seven children: Elizabeth (1769), Mary (1770), Louise Rachel (1772), Charles (of Homeland, 1775), Ann Brooke (1776), Catherine (1778) and Eliza (b. 1780, died three years later). Three reached adulthood: Mary married Richard Caton, Catherine married General Robert Goodloe Harper, and Charles of Homeland married Harriet Chew, the daughter of Pennsylvania Chief Justice Benjamin Chew. Charles Carroll of Carrollton’s career did not terminate with the end of the Revolution. He had not lost his fortune or his sacred honor, and he used both during his later years, as he had done during the conflict. Carroll contributed large sums of money to the cause and after the war remained positioned to continue using his wealth to help the growing nation. In Maryland, he was the sole person who had money to lend. He subsidized the creation of mills and the construction of roads, which helped Maryland move from its reliance on tobacco to other farm products, including wheat and corn. He was elected (1788) to the Maryland Senate subsequent to the birth of the U.S. Constitution. In 1791, he drew a two-year term in the U.S. Senate, but legislation by the U.S. Congress during 1792 prohibited anyone from serving in the U.S. Congress and a state legislature simultaneously. Charles resigned from Congress to continue serving in the Maryland Senate, where he held his seat until 1801. While in the Senate, he was a member of the committee charged with handling the dispute that existed between Maryland and Virginia with regard to the boundary line. In addition, he introduced a bill to bring about the end of slavery; however, it did not pass. In 1794,

CARROLL President George Washington, pursuant to Congressional action authorizing the establishment of the U.S. Navy, asked Charles Carroll to meet with him for consultation regarding the project. Afterward, Washington, on the suggestion of Carroll, sent for Captain John Barry and Andrew Ellicott, a surveyor general at West Point. Another, Joshua Fox (An English shipbuilder), a relative of Ellicott, visiting at the time, was suggested by General Knox, and he too was added to the committee. With Washington, they laid the blueprint for the U.S. Navy. It is thought that the long-lasting friendship between Charles Carroll and Commodore John Barry began during Charles’ voyage home from England, but there is no documentation to verify that Barry was an officer aboard the vessel that transported Charles back to Maryland. The assumption is drawn from when Barry traveled to Annapolis to seek his friend Charles to give him assistance in getting a commission in the Continental Navy. Charles was not politically active in any way during the War of 1812. He had lost interest in politics upon the election of Thomas Jefferson. Charles had supported Aaron Burr. He was the final survivor of those who signed the Declaration of Independence, having outlived two others, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, both of whom died on the fiftieth anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, 4 July 1826. At that time, Congress had ordered 250 specially engraved copies as part of the celebration, with two copies being reserved for each living member who had signed the original and two copies for each family of the respective member who signed. With the deaths of Jefferson and John Adams on the day of the celebration, only Charles Carroll remained alive when the copies were finished during September of that year. A committee from Congress delivered the copies to him. Charles Carroll also became a director of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (1827), and in conjunction with that endeavor, he laid the foundation stone on the Fourth of July 1828 in what became his final public act. In addition, Carroll was a member of a committee appointed by the Maryland Assembly for the Potomac Company. The company was formed earlier, but the war interrupted the plan to open up the Potomac River waterway and extend the navigation lanes. A new Potomac Company was established to renew the project. Thomas Stone and Samuel Hughes were the other Maryland members who worked in cooperation with the Virginia members appointed by that legislature. The project included the construction of an overland route of about 40 miles from the headwaters of the Chesapeake to the Ohio River. Although he aged considerably since his days in Philadelphia when he pledged his life, his fortune and his sacred honor, Charles Carroll still retained his charm and demeanor during his final years, and the white hair that flowed as well as the wrinkled brow still could not camouflage his congenial smile. Charles received the last rites and succumbed on 14 November 1832 at age 96, at his daughter’s house on Pratt Street in Baltimore, while he sat in a chair, with both daughters at his side as dusk was descending on that Wednesday afternoon. He was interred in the private chapel near the altar at Doughoregan Manor. Charles Carroll of Carrollton was a Democrat and Federalist. His grandfather was known as Charles the Settler; his son was known as Charles of Annapolis and the latter’s son was Charles of Carrollton. Also, Charles of Carrollton’s son, also named Charles was known as Charles Carroll of Homeland; he died during 1825. And Charles’ grandson, yet another Charles, was referred to as the Colonel. It was Charles the Colonel who inherited the family estate. Charles Carroll was a devout Catholic, as noted by his life and in many of his writings, including a letter to his son Charles, in which he stated: “The fear of the Lord, says the wise man, is the beginning of wisdom. Without virtue, there can be no happiness; and without religion no virtue; consider yourself as always in the presence of the Almighty. If this sentiment be strong and vivid, you will never sin or commit any action you would be ashamed to commit before man.” Among some

62 of Carroll’s final words that attest to his firm beliefs in God were: “I have lived to my ninety-sixth year.... I have enjoyed good health, I have been blessed with great wealth, prosperity, and most of the good things which the world can bestow — public approbation, esteem, applause; but what I look back on with the greatest satisfaction to myself is, that I have practiced the duties of my religion.” Sometimes Charles Carroll of Carrollton is confused with Charles Carroll, Barrister, his cousin. Both lived in the same area and both served in Congress; however, the former married Mary Darnall and the latter married Margaret Tilghman, the daughter of Matthew and Anna Lloyd Tilghman. The home in which Charles Carroll was born remains standing in Annapolis, Maryland, on Duke of Gloucester Street. Also, Charles’ cousin Daniel Carroll was a signer of the Constitution. (See also, Carroll, Daniel.)

Carroll, Daniel (Signer of the U.S. Constitution) Daniel Carroll, the son of Daniel, Sr., and Eleanor Darnall Carroll, was born in Maryland at Upper Marlboro on 22 July 1730. Daniel’s mother was the daughter of Henry Darnall of Woodyard (Eleanor was also a niece of Charles Carroll of Annapolis, the father of Charles Carroll of Carrollton). Daniel’s father was a descendant of Keane Carroll of Ireland. Daniel (2) was the cousin of Charles Carroll of Carrollton and the brother of John Carroll, a Catholic priest and later the first Catholic bishop in the United States. In addition to Daniel and John, Daniel’s parents also had one other son and four daughters: Henry (died young by drowning); John (b. 8 January 1735); Ann (married Robert Brent); Ellen (Eleanor, married William Brent of Virginia); Mary (married Notley Young to become his second wife) and Elizabeth (Betsy, unmarried). At the time of Daniel’s birth, Catholicism was prohibited in Maryland. The penalty for a priest saying Mass in Maryland was death, since Puritans, ousted from Virginia, settled in Maryland and afterward outnumbered Catholics, ending Catholicism in the colony that was founded to assure freedom of religion for Catholics. Nevertheless, the Carrolls, beginning earlier with Charles the Immigrant and Charles of Annapolis, had so firmly entrenched themselves and become so prominent and prosperous that the government closed its eyes. Teaching Catholicism was also prohibited in England and Catholics were forbidden from receiving an education there. Nonetheless, Daniel, after attending Bohemia Manor and being taught by Jesuit priests — like his cousins, Charles of Carrollton and Charles Barrister and his brother, John—traveled to Europe to further his studies, without receiving any repercussions. Daniel was sent to France during 1742 and was educated by Jesuit priests at St. Omer’s in Flanders. After completing his studies, he returned to Maryland in 1748. He married a relative, Eleanor Carroll, a sister of Mary Digges (married Ignatius Digges) and a first cousin of his cousin Charles Carroll of Carrollton. Daniel and Eleanor had two children, Daniel (married Elizabeth Digges) and Mary, but both predeceased their father. Daniel’s brother John, when a priest, was solicited to travel to Canada in a party that included Benjamin Franklin and Charles of Carrollton in an attempt to persuade the French Canadian Catholics s to join with the Americans in the struggle against Britain. The bigotry was not limited to Maryland, although other colonies were not as vicious as Maryland. Initially, Catholics were not permitted to join the army, nor were they permitted to hold public office; however, due to the crisis with Britain and the desperate need for troops as the war carried on, the strict rules against Catholicism simply faded away. Official action was taken in Maryland during 1776, when the restrictions of holding office were removed in the new state constitution. During 1776, Daniel’s cousin, Charles Carroll of Carrollton, was a member of Congress and a supporter of independence who signed the Declaration of Independence. Daniel never did enter the military, but he did lean toward the

63 Patriots’ cause. It was not with an abundance of enthusiasm at the start, but eventually he strengthened his position and became a dependable ally to General George Washington. During 1777, Daniel Carroll was elected to the legislature (Upper House) and served there until 1781. That year, Daniel was elected to the Continental Congress and signed the Articles of Confederation. He continued to serve in that body beyond the close of hostilities and the official peace during 1783, ending his service in Congress during 1784. Subsequently, Carroll was selected as a Maryland delegate at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia during 1787 (May–September), but problems developed when he became ill and unable to attend the initial sessions. Once he regained his health, Carroll repaired to Philadelphia in time to support the other proponents, including the Virginians James Madison and George Washington, in adopting the Constitution. Carroll strongly favored a central government that would be effective, but he also insisted that it be responsible to the citizens of the nation, not the legislatures. He stood against the election of a president by the Congress and fought from the floor to ensure that a president would have to be elected by the citizens. With regard to that position, a motion was in process to elect a president “by the legislature,” but Daniel immediately snapped an amendment to the motion, which would eliminate “legislature” and insert “people.” James Wilson, a delegate from Pennsylvania and a signer of the Declaration of Independence, quickly seconded the motion and it prevailed. Carroll also supported the Sixth Article of the Constitution, which included all members of Congress being bound by oath to support the Constitution and “no religious test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.” The article caused alarms to go off at various state conventions. Some, like Major Lusk of Massachusetts, “dreaded the liberty granted to those who were not Protestants, and shuddered at the idea that Roman Catholics, Papists, and Pagans might be introduced into office and that Popery and the Inquisition may be established in America.” The United States Constitution was adopted on 17 September 1787; nine states had to ratify it to make it effective. Maryland, with the aggressive support of Carroll, ratified on 28 April 1788, to become the seventh state to join the union. It was followed by South Carolina on 23 May, then by New Hampshire, which became the ninth state to ratify it on 21 June 1788. Samuel Chase, a member of the Continental Congress who signed the Declaration of Independence, was not a delegate at the Constitutional Convention, but he had become a devoted opponent to ratification of the Constitution. Daniel Carroll responded with a defense that was published in the Maryland Journal. Carroll afterward was elected to the first Congress under the authority of the Constitution. Following that, he returned to Maryland and was elected to the state Senate. Other public service included his appointment as a commissioner charged with surveying the District of Columbia tracts that were donated to the U.S. government for the purpose of establishing the nation’s capital on federal land. The agreement mandated that if the land at some point ceased being federal, the tracts would revert back to Virginia and Maryland. In addition, the federal capital was not to be represented in the House of Representatives or the Senate because it was not a state. At the completion of the surveying project by the three commissioners, Carroll was named a commissioner of the capital, which essentially made him co-mayor. He was unable to hold the post for a long period due to poor health. He retired during 1795, but his health and advancing years had taken a toll. Daniel Carroll died during the following year, one day after the nation celebrated the Fourth of July, on 5 July 1796 at Rock Creek (Forest Glen). His body was interred in the St. John’s Catholic Cemetery in Forest Glen, Maryland.

CASWELL With regard to his private career, he had become friends with General Washington, who was a very close friend of Charles Carroll of Carrollton, and the relationship led to Daniel becoming involved with Washington as a partner in an enterprise named the Patowmack Company (also spelled Potomac), which was formed to increase interstate commerce by connecting the middle states with a canal running along the Potomac River. (See also, Carroll, Charles of Carrollton.)

Caswell, Brigadier General (Governor) Richard Richard Caswell, the son of Richard, Sr., and Christian Caswell, was born in Maryland at Joppa less than twenty miles from Baltimore on 3 August 1729. When Richard was about sixteen, he and his brother William relocated in North Carolina in the vicinity of Kinston. The Caswell family apparently was well connected. Richard carried a letter of introduction from the governor of Maryland to Governor Gabriel Johnston. Later, during 1750, Richard was appointed deputy surveyor (1750) and in 1752, he became the clerk of Orange County. Also that year, Governor Johnston succumbed. At the time, the court system had been nearly non-existent and there was nearly no law and order. Caswell was appointed clerk of Orange County Court. In the meantime, according to the family Bible, on 22 April 1752, Richard married Mary Mackilwean, daughter of James Mackilwean. Mary had a baby girl on 15 September 1753, but there is no record of the baby’s name. On 24 September, the Caswells had a son, William, and on 4 February 1757, Mary had another daughter, unnamed in the Bible. Three days later, on 7 February 1757, Mary succumbed. Meanwhile, subsequent to completing his studies, Caswell was admitted to the bar and established a law practice in Hillsborough. Caswell had also entered politics (1754) and was elected to the colonial House of Delegates as a representative of Johnston County, and at times served as speaker. Richard remarried during the 1758, taking Sarah Herritage as his second wife on 20 June. Richard and Sarah (according to family Bible held in the North Carolina Archives) had the following children: Richard (b. 15 September 1759); Sarah (b. 26 February 1762); Winstone (b. 7 May 1764); Anna (b. 4 December 1766); Dallam (15 June 1769); John (b. 24 January 1772); Susannah (b. 16 February 1775); and Christian (7 January 1779). Christian, the last child, a boy, died two days after his birth. Meanwhile, Caswell had remained in the legislature and continued there until 1776. He was instrumental in rebuilding the court system by introducing a bill that divided the colony into five separate judicial districts. The governor at the time Caswell entered politics was Arthur Dobbs, successor to Johnston. Caswell also joined the militia and served as colonel with Governor William Tryon (succeeded Dobbs in 1765) against the Regulators at the Battle of Alamance (1771). After Tryon’s victory over the Regulators, he was transferred to New York and Josiah Martin became his successor as royal governor. Friction developed between Martin and Caswell, the latter being the speaker at the assembly. The assembly worked to void the new poll tax and Martin dissolved the assembly. Meanwhile, the court system remained in shambles. Martin, using his authority as governor, established courts in Oyer and Terminer. He appointed Richard Caswell, Martin Howard and Maurice Moore as judges. Martin later described Caswell as “a man of the fairest and most unblemished character in the whole country.” Nonetheless, Caswell had political enemies and they successfully plotted to ensure his defeat as treasurer, but only for a while, as he was eventually elected to the post. During 1774, the North Carolina convention elected Caswell, along with William Hooper and Joseph Hewes, as a delegate to the first Continental Congress scheduled to be held in Philadelphia in September 1774. The same delegates were again chosen to attend the Second Continental Congress in 1775. Caswell was en route to Philadelphia

CHAMBERLAINE during April of 1775 when the “shot heard round the world” was fired at Lexington, Massachusetts. Once informed, Caswell had been inspired to the cause. He penned a letter to his son, William, instructing him to raise a force composed of a company or multiple companies in Dobbs County: “Reject none who will not discredit the company. If I live to return I will most cheerfully join any of my countrymen, even as a rank and file man. As in the common cause I am here exposed to danger, but that or any other difficulties I shall not shun whilst I have blood in my veins, but freely offer it in support of the liberties of my country. You, my dear boy, must become a soldier and risk your life in support of those invaluable blessings which, once lost, posterity will never be able to regain.” Back in North Carolina, Governor Martin became acutely aware of the threat to the royal government, and his dim hope of gaining Caswell’s support was quickly dashed. During May of 1775, Governor Martin abandoned the state, to the dismay of Caswell, who at the time was considered the leader of the state. Shortly thereafter, a provincial congress (third) convened and Samuel Johnston was elected president. Caswell was elected chairman of Ways and Means and charged with forming a military force. In cooperation with a directive from Congress to raise a continental force of 1,000 men and six regiments of Minute Men, Caswell toiled to find the means to equip the force. In addition, he was made colonel of the Minute Men in his (Southern) district, and he was appointed again as treasurer. Caswell was also appointed to the secret committee established to acquire arms and ammunition. During February 1776, a Loyalist force, while en route to join with a British fleet, was devastated at Moore’s Creek Bridge, upsetting the plans of Governor Martin, who had anticipated regaining the colony. Militia under Caswell were in support of Colonel James Moore. After the defeat, the Highlanders scattered, leaving control of the colony to the Patriots. The British fleet sailed toward Charleston and failed to move to Virginia to aid Lord Dunmore. Richard Caswell, after the clash, became brigadier general of militia; Moore was commissioned brigadier general by Congress. The North Carolinians established a new government and Caswell became its first governor. He assumed office on Christmas Eve 1776, at the close of the Provincial Congress, of which Caswell was president, that had adopted the state’s constitution. As governor he served three terms (the limit) and was succeeded by Governor Abner Nash. Afterward, Caswell was appointed major general of militia. Initially Governor Nash intended to command the troops in support of General Horatio Gates against Cornwallis, but he acquiesced upon observing the popularity of Caswell. Consequently, General Caswell was with Gates at Camden on 16 August 1780, and it was under his command that the militia collapsed. Despite his attempts to re-form, the North Carolina militia fled. Caswell halted at Charlotte in a move to reorganize the force, then he left for Hillsborough to join with Gates, who fled the field while the battle was ongoing. Gates lost his military career following the devastating defeat and Caswell also suffered. General William Smallwood of Maryland was placed in command of the North Carolina militia over Caswell. Richard and his son, William, also a brigadier general, both resigned their commissions on 26 October 1780. During 1781, General Caswell returned to the general assembly and was responsible for the creation of a three-man committee (Council Extraordinary) to confer with the governor. The governor and a majority of two of the council received authority to take any steps necessary to protect the state. General Caswell, Alexander Martin and Allen Jones were appointed to the council. In addition, the legislature diplomatically covered the replacement of Caswell with Smallwood and reinstated Richard with the following resolution: “That Richard Caswell, Esq., be appointed a major-general, with the rank and pay of a majorgeneral in the Continental Army in a separate department, and that he be requested to take command and call on the several Continental

64 officers in this State not on duty, requiring them to assist in the immediate defense of the same, and to appoint them to such commands as he shall find necessary, which may tend to promote order and discipline in the militia, give satisfaction to the regular and not disgust to the militia officers.” In addition, William Caswell was again appointed brigadier general and assigned responsibility for the district of New Bern. All the while, the British and General Nathanael Greene were engaged in a game of wits, with Greene eventually prevailing. General Daniel Morgan scored a huge victory at Cowpens, and afterward Greene, although forced to retire at Guilford Court House, essentially ended Cornwallis’ hopes of regaining the Carolinas. He departed for Virginia, where he was check-mated by Lafayette and Washington with the support of the French during October 1781. Subsequent to Cornwallis’ capitulation, General Caswell was elected to the North Carolina Senate (April 1782), in what was the initial legislature to serve after the conflict. Richard’s son, William, gained a seat in the House. Caswell supported Alexander Martin for the post of governor. Consequently, Martin was elected, but for Caswell there were unintended consequences, as Martin’s performance received poor reviews, and much blame fell upon Caswell. Nevertheless, when the next election was held, Martin again was elected, beating out Caswell by fewer than twenty votes. Apparently, those first infuriated by Caswell’s recommendation of Martin preferred to retain him to spite Caswell. Nonetheless, Caswell became speaker of the Senate by unanimous vote. Following Martin’s second term, Richard Caswell, who proclaimed he was not going to be a candidate for governor, was nominated and the vote was unanimous. He again served three successive terms, the limit set by the Constitution. Governor Caswell suffered some grave personal losses. The fate of his son also named Richard remains unknown, but he was either lost at sea or seized by pirates. General Caswell also lost his first son, William, to an epidemic. The general sustained the blows, but his stamina never recovered and he continued to grieve. During his final year as governor, Winston, his youngest son, as personal secretary, handled most of the burden and frequently signed the correspondence. Toward the latter part of his term in office, General Caswell resumed his long-time yearning to relocate in Tennessee, known at the time as State of Franklin, but yet again, North Carolina called upon him after his term as governor ended. He returned to the Senate, was unanimously elected speaker and became an opponent of the federal Constitution, rejecting some of its content. North Carolina followed his line and initially rejected ratification. During 1789, he returned to the Senate and again assumed the position of speaker, but several days into the session, on 5 November, General Caswell sustained a stroke that caused paralysis and severely limited his faculties. On 10 November, he succumbed and word of his death was carried to the legislature. Arrangements for his funeral were handled by a committee while the remainder of the body adjourned. General Caswell’s body was transported to Kinston and he was interred there. No records of his exact burial place exist, which has created an ongoing discussion as to the correct site among several places handed down through tradition. In Kinston, a monument stands in his honor. Many honors of tribute were paid to the statesman general. One of those, by Nathaniel Bacon, has survived the ages. Bacon, who considered General Caswell a mentor, said: “Governor Caswell of Lenoir was one of the most powerful men that ever lived in this or any other country. As a statesman, his patriotism was unquestioned, his discernment was quick, his judgment sound: as a soldier, his courage was undaunted, his vigilance untiring, his success triumphant.”

Chamberlaine, Brigadier General James Lloyd James Chamberlaine, the son of Samuel and Henrietta Maria Lloyd Chamberlaine, was born on 10 October 1732 at Oxford, a small town

CHANDLER

65 along the eastern shore of Maryland. In addition to James Lloyd, Samuel and Henrietta had Thomas, Samuel, Henrietta Marie, Richard Lloyd (died young), and Ann. James’ mother, Henrietta, was the daughter of James and Ann Grundy Lloyd and the granddaughter of Colonel Philemon and Henrietta Maria Neale Lloyd. Henrietta was Samuel’s second wife. Initially, Samuel was married (April 1721) to Mary Ungle, the daughter and only child of Robert and Frances Ungle, and granddaughter of John and Margaret Pope. Henrietta’s grandparents had been among the initial settlers who established themselves at Oxford, Maryland, in the vicinity of the Tred Avon River, where they acquired tracts on both sides of the river. Samuel’s father-in-law died during 1727 and his mother-in-law, Frances Ungle, died during 1754, leaving a huge estate. Samuel was named executor along with his son Thomas. Frances Ungle left the bulk of the estate including the property to Samuel, and she bequeathed a substantial sum of money to each of Samuel’s children by his second wife, Henrietta Maria Chamberlaine, whom he married on 22 January 1729 after the death on 13 September 1726 of Mary Ungle Chamberlaine. James Chamberlaine married Henrietta Maria Robbins of Peach Blossom on 16 May 1757. He established himself as a merchant and his business prospered. After his second marriage, his wife’s wealth added to the family fortune, but in the process, while Chamberlaine’s business, particularly trading with merchants in the West Indies, his tastes became extravagant. Chamberlaine’s wealth increased further upon the death of his father, and his inheritance included his father’s plantation along the Wye River. Following the death of Henrietta’s mother, during 1771, James and Henrietta moved to Peach Blossom. James and Henrietta’s only son, Robbins, married twice, to Mary Cruickshanks of Philadelphia and then Catherine Blake. James and Henrietta also had two daughters, Henrietta Maria (married William Hayward, Jr., of Somerset County) and Margaret (married Colonel John Hughes of Harford County). Chamberlaine’s land holdings continued to increase, giving him additional property along the Choptank and Miles Rivers. James Chamberlaine served during the Revolutionary War as a brigadier general of Talbot County militia, but no evidence indicated that he served out of state. No battles were fought in Maryland during the war. General James Lloyd Chamberlaine’s wife succumbed during 1791. The exact date of the demise of General Chamberlaine is unknown.

Chambers, Brigadier General James James Chambers, the son of Colonel Benjamin and Sarah Patterson Chambers, was born about 1742–1743. James’ mother died while he was young. His father remarried during 1748, taking Jane Williams as his second wife. Benjamin and three of his brothers emigrated from Antrim, Ireland. Benjamin founded the town of Chambersburg near the point where Falling Spring Creek converged with Conococheague Creek close to the Maryland line. The initial home constructed by Benjamin was burned down while he was away from the property, but later, he built a fort (Fort Chambers) in Franklin County about ten miles outside of Shippensburg. During the French and Indian War, the authorities at Shippensburg demanded that Chambers relinquish his two four-pound cannon to prevent capture by the enemy if the fort was taken. Chambers ignored the demand and his fort did not fall. During 1760, James Chambers married Katherine (Kitty) Hamilton (daughter of John and Isabella Potter Hamilton, both of whom died while Katherine was young). Katherine was raised by the Potter family. James later joined the militia and, during June 1775, he and his brothers, Benjamin and William, attached to an infantry company, headed for Boston to support the Patriots there. In March, 1776, the same month the British abandoned Boston, James Chambers was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel in Colonel (later brigadier general) Edward Hand’s regiment (1st Continental Infantry Regiment).

On 26 September 1776, James was promoted to colonel and received command of the regiment. Subsequent to the successful siege of Boston, Colonel Chambers participated in the New York campaigns, including the battles of Long Island and White Plains. Later his unit participated in the defense of Philadelphia, including the Battles of Brandywine (September 1777) and Germantown (October 1777). After the Battle of Germantown, General George Washington established winter quarters at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, while the British remained in Philadelphia throughout the winter of 1777–1778. Although the British controlled the city, they were unable to dominate the entire Delaware River, which forced them to abandon the city during June 1778. Simultaneously, General Washington broke camp and moved to intercept the army as it advanced north through New Jersey en route to New York. The two sides clashed on 28 June at Monmouth, which became the final major conflict in the northern states. Colonel Chambers participated at Monmouth and, afterward, his regiment was deployed at White Plains, West Point and other places in the Highlands along the Hudson River until the summer of 1780. Later, Congress passed legislation reducing the Pennsylvania Line to six regiments and permitting officers to resign. The legislation took effect on 1 January 1781, and Colonel Chambers was one of the officers who took the opportunity to resign. Colonel Daniel Brodhead assumed command of Chambers’ 1st Pennsylvania Regiment. Colonel Chambers is sometimes documented as a brigadier general during the Revolutionary War period; however, it was later, after his service in 1794 as a colonel of militia during the Whiskey Rebellion, that he was raised to the rank of brigadier general. During 1795, Colonel Chambers served as an associate judge in the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas. In 1798, pursuant to action by the Congress, James Chambers was appointed brigadier general in conjunction with the Pennsylvania quota of the state militia, which was part of the master plan of an anticipated war with France. General Chambers’ brigade was formed and activated, but its service was not needed. General Chambers died at his estate in Loudoun Forge on 25 April 1805. His wife survived him. She died during January 1820. General James Chambers’ children included Charlotte, Benjamin and Sarah Bella.

Chandler, Brigadier General John John Chandler, the son of Joseph and Elizabeth Sumner Chandler, was born on 4 January 1736 in Pomfret, Connecticut. John’s mother was the daughter of George and Ann Tucker Sumner, also of Pomfret. John received an excellent education that included attendance and graduation from Yale (Class of 1759), where he studied for the ministry and medicine. Subsequently, he moved to Newtown, Connecticut, and established his medical practice there. In addition to being a physician, Chandler was also a minister and he also preached at various times. During 1763, John married Mary Chandler, his second cousin. Mary was the daughter of Doctor Thomas B. Chandler. The couple operated a tavern at their house in Newtown. During their marriage, they had six children, three daughters and three sons, and of those one daughter and two sons died during infancy. Chandler was aligned with the Patriots, and his first entry into politics occurred during 1770, when he was elected to the state legislature, where he served into 1773. In the meantime, during October 1770, Chandler was appointed county surveyor. The next year he entered the militia with the rank of major and, following that activity, he was appointed as a justice of the peace during 1772. After the war had begun at Lexington and Concord in April 1775, Chandler remained in the militia. In March 1776 he served as a lieutenant and as a major in Colonel (later brigadier general) Gold Selleck Silliman’s regiment (Connecticut militia). After the abandonment of Boston by the British on 17 March 1776, Chandler was commissioned a lieutenant colonel in

CHASE Silliman’s 8th Connecticut Regiment, a rank he held until December of that year. During 1776, Lt. Colonel Chandler participated in the various New York campaigns, including Long Island, White Plains and the retreat across New Jersey. On 1 January 1777, in conjunction with Colonel Silliman’s promotion to brigadier general of Connecticut militia, Chandler assumed command of the 8th Regiment. He participated in the defense of Philadelphia during 1777, including the battle of Germantown (October 1777). Following his stay at Valley Forge during the winter of 1777–1778, Colonel Chandler, whose health had deteriorated, resigned his commission in March 1778. After retiring from the service, he became eligible for a pension due to “diseases contracted from severities in the service.” Command of the regiment passed to Colonel Giles Russell. In 1780, the Connecticut Council of Safety appointed Colonel Chandler as superintendent of recruiting of troops for the Connecticut Line in the service of the Continental Army. As part of his responsibility, he was at Morristown, New Jersey, when the Continental Army spent the winter of 1779–1780, and during the spring encouraged enlistments and offered incentives to those who would re-enlist. Colonel Chandler continued to serve for the duration and was promoted to the rank of brigadier general of militia at the close of hostilities. He was also appointed as a judge in Fairfield County. Chandler was chosen as a delegate to the state convention to ratify the U.S. Constitution, which had been adopted 17 September 1787. Connecticut ratified the Constitution on 9 January 1788 to become the fifth state in the union. During 1790, General Chandler returned to politics when he was elected to the upper house (Senate) of the state legislature, and he retained his seat until 1795. Concurrently, he served as a judge in the Fairfield County Court. He retained his rank as a brigadier general until 1793. General Chandler retired from public service during early 1795, then moved to Vermont and resettled in Peacham, but he died on 15 March 1796. Mary survived him and later lived with one of her daughters in Stanbridge, Canada, just north of the Vermont border in the Province of Quebec.

Chase, General Jonathan Jonathan Chase, the son of Samuel and Mary Dudley Chase, was born on 6 December 1732 at Sutton, Massachusetts. The family later relocated in Cornish, New Hampshire. Samuel and Mary, in addition to Jonathan, had nine other children: Samuel (b. November 1728, married Silence Stow of Grafton); Dudley (b. 1730); Elizabeth (b. November 1735); March (b. June 1738); Mary (twin of Sarah, b. July 1740, died young); Sarah (twin of Mary, b. July 1740, married Ebenezer Rawson); Mary (2) (b. February 1744, married a Mr. Bellows); and Abigail (b. July 1753). Jonathan did not receive a classic education; however, he managed to become a capable self-taught man. He engaged in farming and became a surveyor, merchant and miller. In November 1759, Jonathan married Thankful Sherman of Grafton, Massachusetts. They had the following children: Prudence (b. August 1760, married Nathaniel Hall); Elizabeth (b. 1765, married Doctor Nathan Smith); Polly (married Ebenezer Brewer); a son (twin, name unknown, b. 1768, died August same year); and a son (twin, name unknown, b. 1768 died August of same year). Thankful died 25 November 1768. Chase remarried, taking Sarah Hall, the daughter of the Rev. David Hall, as his second wife. Jonathan and Sarah had the following children: Jonathan (b. November 1771); David Hall (b. February 1774); Sarah Hall (birth date unknown, married her brother-in-law, Doctor Nathan Smith, subsequent to the death of her step-sister, Elizabeth, in 1793); Lebbeus (b. January 1779); Parmelia (b. November 1780, married her cousin, Samuel Paine); and Gratia (birth date unknown, married Doctor Erastus Torrey).

66 During 1771, Chase petitioned the royal governor of New Hampshire, John Wentworth, “for confirmation of a grant or an island in the Connecticut river between Cornish and Windsor.” When hostilities erupted at Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts, during April 1775, Chase formed a company and was elected its captain. Subsequently, he was appointed a lieutenant colonel of militia in Colonel Gilbert’s regiment; however, Colonel Gilbert died, and on 30 August 1775, Chase, by act of the assembly, was promoted to the rank of colonel and assigned as successor to Gilbert. Later, the government provided Colonel Chase with three barrels of gunpowder. Chase’s command was utilized to defend the frontier. During the following year, the regiment advanced to bolster the forces at Ticonderoga. When British General John Burgoyne initiated his illfated advance from Canada during 1777, the regiment participated in the Saratoga Campaign, which brought about the surrender of Burgoyne’s entire army during October. On 18 October, 1777, the regiment was released by General Horatio Gates. During 1778, the regiment again reinforced the Northern Army. In 1781, Colonel Chase continued his duties along the frontier and requested that the assembly authorize him to raise a contingent of sixty men to act as scouts along his section of the frontier. He was later promoted to the rank of brigadier general (1788). In addition to his military service, Chase acted as a representative for Cornish with regard to the dispute between Vermont and New Hampshire on the “New Hampshire Grants.” General Chase attended several conventions regarding the dispute between 1779 and 1781. He died on 12 January 1800.

Chase, Samuel (Signer of the Declaration of Independence) Samuel was born on 17 April 1741 in Princess Anne (Somerset County), Maryland, to the Rev. Thomas Chase and his wife, Matilda Walker. Samuel’s father, Thomas, the only son of Samuel Chase, fled from England and sailed to Jamaica during 1738 to escape persecution under Cromwell (the Protector); however, he remained only for a short while on the Caribbean Island and moved to Maryland. About two years later, during January 1740, the Rev. Thomas Chase married Matilda. Matilda succumbed when Samuel was about three years old. Samuel moved to Baltimore with his father, who had accepted a position of pastor of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. Samuel received an excellent education in Baltimore under the tutorship of his father. Afterward, he traveled to Annapolis at about age eighteen to study law under John Hammond and John Hall. Another Marylander, William Paca, was studying law in the same firm. Although Samuel and William became friends, at the time, neither had any thoughts of serving in a United States Congress together. After receiving his degree, he was admitted to the bar to practice law in Annapolis during 1761. Later, Chase was introduced to a young lady, described as being especially beautiful, named Ann Baldwin, whose widowed mother, Agnes, operated a tavern in Annapolis to support her family, which included Ann and her two sisters, Hester and Rebecca. Ann’s father, Thomas Baldwin, had succumbed while in debtors’ prison during Feb- Samuel Chase (Biographical Sketches of ruary 1762 and left no estate. the Signers of the Declaration of IndeAt the time of his demise, pendence, Benson J. Lossing, 1854)

67 Thomas’ possessions other than some household items consisted solely of one cow. Samuel married Ann Baldwin on 2 May 1762, with the Rev. John Barclay performing the ceremony. They had seven children: Matilda (1763); Tommy (1764); Nancy (1768); Fanny (1770); Ann (Nancy) 1771; Sammy (1773) and Tommy II (1774), but three of them, Tommy, Nancy and Fanny, died either in infancy or while very young. During March 1763, Chase was authorized to practice law in the county court (Frederick County), and soon after, he was allowed to practice in other courts across the colony. Subsequently, during 1765, he was admitted to practice in the provincial court. Chase, lacking the stronger connections of the Maryland society circles, was not inundated with clients; however, he remained persistent and diligent in his performance as an attorney and accepted the financial struggles that accompanied his initial years of marriage. Similarly, his wife remained extremely supportive. In the meantime, Samuel discerned that debtors seldom sought out attorneys and decided to seek out the debtors to increase his practice. His instincts proved true. Through the average man, his practice soon began to grow at a highly accelerated pace. Through 1764 and the first part of 1765, Samuel handled more than 400 cases in the county courts. About three years after their wedding, Chase, as the prosecutor for the Mayor’s Court, found himself in an awkward spot when his motherin-law was charged with “selling rum to servants.” Chase, the prosecutor, lost in court when his mother-in-law was acquitted, but no one in the family was disappointed in his failure to win a conviction. By the time of the trial, Samuel and Ann had already presented Agnes with two grandchildren, Matilda, born on 14 February 1763, and Tommy, born in 1764; however, the latter succumbed during 1765. The year of Matilda’s birth, Samuel received a step-mother, after his father, the Reverend Chase, married Ann Birch, the daughter of Thomas Birch (known as the “Chirurgeon and man mid-wife of Warwick, England). During 1768, another child, Nancy, was born, but she died the following year. During 1769, with his family expanding, Samuel Chase subleased a property on the land of Saint Anne’s Episcopal Church in Annapolis from William Reynolds, but only temporarily, as he intended to construct a mansion. The leased house was burglarized in less than a month. That same year, Chase acquired lot No. 107 on Northeast Street at the intersection with King George Street, with intent to construct a home composed of more than two stories. Prior to its completion, Chase, during 1770, also purchased an estate on the opposite bank of the Severn from Annapolis; however, by 1771, construction costs had skyrocketed and the mansion remained unfinished. Samuel sold the uncompleted home to Edward Lloyd IV. The Chase-Lloyd House still stands on present-day Maryland Avenue. Meanwhile, between 1766 and 1769, in addition to his private practice and duty with the legislature, Chase had engaged in land speculation, buying more than 1,400 acres as sole purchaser and another tract of about 2,000 acres in partnership with William Paca; however, during the time he was constructing his mansion, the Chase part of the tract was sold back to Paca. By the latter part of the 1760s, in addition to his own family, Ann’s two sisters and her mother moved into the home of Samuel and Ann. Another addition entered the family when Fanny was born during 1770, but she died during 1771. Only Matilda, their first child, remained alive. Nevertheless, Matilda was not destined to be an only child. A new sister, Ann (Nancy), was born in 1771, followed by Sammy in 1773 and Tommy in 1774. The family, however, sustained yet another tragedy during 1772, when Chase’s step-mother, Ann Birch, died, leaving five children, all of whom were then raised by Samuel. The Reverend Chase, in addition to having had five children with his second wife, also raised Jeremiah Townley Chase, his great-nephew, following the death of Jeremiah’s parents, Catherine, who succumbed while Jeremiah was very

CHASE young, and Richard, during 1757. Jeremiah, born during 1748, and his second cousin, Samuel, became close friends. Jeremiah served in the state legislature, became an anti–Federalist, and served in the U.S. Congress during 1783–1784. Meanwhile, Samuel Chase and others, like Charles of Carrollton, were in the forefront of opposition to the British taxation of the colonies. Following the Stamp Act, he became a prominent leader of the patriots in Maryland. Samuel and some others, acting as a group of the Sons of Liberty, destroyed the stamps that had arrived at Annapolis and afterward burned the stamp officer, Zachariah Hood, in effigy. Charles Carroll, closely affiliated with the Patriots and later an ally of Chase, did not participate. His actions remained private due to his Catholic faith. The stamp incident was the only act of violence at Annapolis by the Patriots, but Chase was tagged as one of the leaders of the rebels. His notoriety launched his political career, as the citizens became enamored with his actions and elected him to the Maryland assembly. Samuel’s keen intellect, double-bladed tongue and excellent debating skills served the cause well. During 1773, Chase was an opponent of a tax proclaimed by the governor for the purpose of supporting the Church of England. A series of arguments, for and against the tax, emerged in the press, the former by Attorney General Daniel Dulany (Dulaney) and the latter by Charles Carroll, who used the signature “First Citizen.” After Carroll exposed the illegality of the proclamation, Chase was one of the men who befriended Carroll and helped propel him toward his political career. After the governor was compelled to retract his proclamation, Chase and others held a mock funeral that included a military slant and the music of fifes and drums as the procession marched the proclamation to its grave. Chase and several others congratulated Carroll in a statement: “Thanks for your nervy and mastery defense of the constitution, against the late illegal, arbitrary and oppressive proclamation....” Chase was later selected as a delegate to the First Continental Congress, held in Philadelphia. During November 1774, Chase, Carroll and forty-two others were appointed to a committee to ensure that the Congressional resolution against imports was upheld. The action followed an incident the previous month when the vessel Pegg y Stewart arrived at Annapolis. The ship’s cargo of tea was destroyed by the owner, a man from Annapolis, Anthony Stewart. During the following year, Chase again represented Maryland as a delegate to the Second Continental Congress. Around this time he suffered another personal tragedy when his wife, Ann, succumbed. He did not remarry until after the close of hostilities. In 1775 Chase was appointed to the committee responsible for arming the ships of the Continental Navy. He was also appointed as a commissioner and was part of the committee sent to Canada during early 1776 to attempt to persuade the Catholic French Canadians to join the American cause. Others in the party were his friend Charles Carroll of Carrollton and Benjamin Franklin, along with a priest from Maryland, Father John Carroll (later Archbishop Carroll), a cousin of Charles Carroll. Father Carroll was asked to go to help convince the Catholic priests in Canada of the righteousness of the cause. Carroll was not a member of Congress and it is thought that he had been selected through the efforts of Chase. Nevertheless, the mission did not succeed. Meanwhile, the Maryland convention instructed its delegate to Congress not to concur with independence without the consent of the convention, but Chase along with Charles Carroll returned from Canada in time to use their combined influence to countermand its order ( June 28, 1776), which opened the way for the positive vote by the Maryland delegates. Several days before the vote, Samuel Chase discovered that the delegate from Georgia, John Joachim Zubly, a Presbyterian minister, had switched sides and had been communicating the business of Congress to the royal governor of Georgia. Chase, on the floor of Congress, proclaimed Zubly as a traitor. After being exposed by Chase,

CILLEY Zubly absconded before he could be arrested for sedition. He was never apprehended. On the Fourth of July of that year, Samuel Chase voted “Yea” to join with the unanimous decision to declare independence; he was one of the thirty-six who signed the Declaration of Independence on 2 August. John Hancock had been the only man to sign the original on 4 July, due to the great danger involved and certain execution by the British of any of the signers that would be apprehended. The remainder of the men, except for John Dickinson, signed by the end of the year. Dickinson, a Quaker, declined on the grounds of his religious belief that it would lead to war. On 25 July 1776, Congress discussed the initial draft of the Articles of Confederation, and it considered how to manage the boundaries of the thirteen states. Men aligned with Thomas Jefferson were against Congress designing the boundaries, while Samuel Chase and others supported Congress drawing the lines. On 25 November 1776, Chase was appointed to the committee responsible for designing a plan to hinder the progress of the British army. The committee concluded that the battalions of Associators (Pennsylvania) should be assembled and from them, separate units should be drawn as volunteer companies to serve with the Continental Army until March 1777. During 1777, Samuel Chase was appointed to the Board of War. Chase, Charles Carroll and John Penn were appointed to a committee to investigate the conditions of the army. On September 27, 1777, when Congress convened at Lancaster, Pennsylvania, after abandoning Philadelphia, Chase and Carroll were the only two members from Maryland that were present. During April 1778, Chase was appointed to a committee to draw a plan to offer to British troops. The group was established by resolution: “That a committee of three be appointed to prepare and report terms to be offered to such foreign officers and soldiers in the service of the king of Great Britain, as shall quit that service and chuse to become citizens of any of the United States of America.” Samuel Chase ended his term in Congress during 1778 and returned to Annapolis, where he again practiced law. That year, Chase became a member of the Maryland convention and helped establish the state’s first constitution. While in Baltimore on a business trip, he encountered a young man at a debate who impressed Chase with his style and delivery. After inquiring of his name, Chase made contact and encouraged him to practice law. William Pinckney of Annapolis explained that he had neither the money nor the connections to take up the law. Chase solved his problem by permitting him to live at the Chase residence. William was tutored by Samuel while he resided there. Pinckney later became the U.S. attorney general. Samuel’s father, The Reverend Chase, succumbed during 1779. Later, during 1783, Samuel traveled to England under appointment from his former colleague, the governor of Maryland, William Paca. Chase’s mission was to attempt to recover for the state stock in the Bank of London, owned by Maryland. He did not succeed; however, it was not an uneventful trip. While in London, he was introduced to Hannah Kilty Giles, whom he later married. From his second marriage, the couple had two children, Eliza, the oldest, who later married Doctor Skipwith Coale of London, and Mary, who married William Barney, the son of Commodore Joshua Barney, naval hero of the American Revolution and the War of 1812. After his return to Maryland, a close friend, Colonel John E. Howard, in 1786, proposed to Chase that if he would move to Baltimore to practice law, a substantial parcel of land would be given to him. The proposal was in a letter dated 13 February 1786. Chase accepted the offer and relocated to Baltimore. Two years later, he was appointed chief justice of the criminal court of that region. In 1796, Samuel Chase was appointed by President Washington as an associate judge of the United States Supreme Court; he was soon confirmed by the Senate. Chase held the post until his death.

68 Samuel Chase, a staunch Federalist, came under the scrutiny of his political adversaries during the administration of Thomas Jefferson. Charges were lodged against him in 1803 regarding his methods of handling grand juries during the trials of two men (Fries and Callender) accused of sedition. In March 1804, the House of Representatives voted for impeachment. On 7 December, the house managers, led by a John Randolph, delivered the articles of impeachment to the Senate. Chase, despite political enemies in Congress, had one advantage, that being that some of his political opponents placed law above party. Chase’s trial by the Senate began on 2 January and was not completed until 3 March 1805; however, Chase’s defense attorneys, including Luther Martin, one of the most skilled attorneys in the union, were able to expose the partisan nature of the charges. Nonetheless, of the charges, three gained a majority, but none gained the two-thirds vote necessary to remove Justice Chase. The Democratic-Republicans (present-day Democrats) failed. Judge Chase returned to the bench. The trial seemed to verify that impeachment for reasons of partisanship was of no value and could not succeed. Justice Chase remained on the Supreme Court until he died in Baltimore on 19 June 1811. He had worshiped at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Baltimore, where he was interred.

Cilley, Brigadier General Joseph Joseph Cilley, the son of Captain Joseph and Alice Rawlins Cilley, was born in Nottingham, New Hampshire, about 1734–1735. Joseph, lacking a formal college education, due to his father’s lack of appreciation of advanced education and belief in only the fundamentals being required, took it upon himself to gain knowledge. He became a successful self-taught lawyer, but his skills were not limited to the field of law. He had an equal thirst for military knowledge. During 1756, Joseph married Sarah Longfellow, the daughter of Jonathan and Mercy Clark Longfellow. Joseph and Sarah had ten children: Sarah (b. October 1757, married Judge Thomas Bartlett); Bradbury (b. February 1760, married Martha [Patty], the daughter of General Enoch Poor); Jonathan (b. March 1762, married Dorcas Butler); Joseph (b. November 1764, died as a young teenager); Greenleaf (b. March 1767, married Jennie Nealley); Daniel (b. March 1769, married Hannah Plumer); Jacob (b. July 1773, married Harriet Poor, daughter of General Poor); Anna (b. May 1775, Nathaniel Williams); and Horatio Gates (b. December 1777, married Sally Jenness, daughter of Richard and Mary Page Jenness). Two years after his marriage, Joseph saw service during the French and Indian War. He entered the military as a private during 1758 and served with the legendary Rogers’ Rangers, the forerunner of present-day U.S. Rangers of the U.S. Army. Cilley, attached to a company commanded by Captain Neal, remained in active service for one year and participated in various actions on the northern frontier and in Canada. He attained the rank of sergeant. Later, at the time the nation was on the brink of breaking away from the mother country, Joseph was in the forefront of the Patriots in Nottingham, a town that seemed to be overrun with Patriots who would later be counted among the heroes that won independence. While the fires were still simmering, a contingent of Patriots, aware of the necessity of acquiring arms for the approaching storm, planned an attack against Fort William and Mary (Later Fort Constitution) to confiscate the king’s powder. Cilley participated in the raid (14 December 1774), which succeeded effortlessly due to the diminutive garrison, composed of only six troops who were not anticipating any hostilities at their post on Great Island (later Newcastle) in Portsmouth harbor. The attack was led by Captain Thomas Pickering. By the following day, Major (later General) John Sullivan arrived and seized small arms and about sixteen light pieces of artillery, adding to the booty of about 100 barrels of powder. During the following spring, Cilley was among the New Hampshire troops from Nottingham, Deerfield and Epsom who converged on Nottingham Square upon

69 word of the clashes at Lexington and Concord on 19 April 1775. Cilley led a contingent of about 100 men to Cambridge to support the militia there. Soon after, on 20 May 1775, he was commissioned a major in the Continental Army and attached to the Colonel Enoch Poor’s 2nd New Hampshire Regiment. On 1 January 1776, when General Washington reorganized the Army, Cilley (also appointed colonel of militia that day) was attached to the 8th Continental Infantry. Colonel Cilley participated in the Battle of Long Island and later at Trenton during December 1776 and Princeton on 3 January 1777. He was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel (Continental Army) of the 1st New Hampshire on 8 November 1776. Cilley was raised to the rank of colonel in the Continental Army on 2 April 1777 and was given command of the 1st New Hampshire in place of Colonel (later general) John Stark, who had resigned. On 5 July, 1777, when Fort Ticonderoga was abandoned, Jonathan Cilley, son of Colonel Cilley, was not among those who got away. After he was taken by the British, they became aware of his young age and his identity. The boy was taken to General John Burgoyne, who handled the situation like a gentleman. The boy was released and given items to deliver to his father regarding Burgoyne’s “proclamations.” Burgoyne then gave Jonathan permission to pick any coat he liked from the huge inventory of captured clothing. He picked the most attractive coat he could find, and only later did he discover the rightful owner, Major (later General) Hull. Jonathan was also presented with a horse that, according to a description it wouldn’t go too far too fast due to its age, but Burgoyne assumed the steed would get Jonathan to the American lines. Major Cilley, after welcoming his son, glanced at Burgoyne’s demands, shredded one of them and tossed it into the air, stating: “Thus shall his [Burgoyne’s] army be scattered.” Colonel Cilley participated in the campaign against General John Burgoyne, who advanced from Canada to seize Albany to isolate the New England colonies from the others and link up with General Henry Clinton to liquidate the remaining American units in New York. However, the British were stalled at Saratoga during September and overwhelmed in October, forcing Burgoyne to surrender his entire army and spoiling the grand plan of conquest. On 19 September, the British prepared to launch a bayonet charge against positions held by Cilley’s regiment and he observed the order, described as “fix bayonets and charge those damned rebels.” Cilley’s reaction was neither to retire nor to cower in the face of the blade. Instinctively, in a boisterous voice bellowed: “That is a game two can play at. Charge, and we will try it.” Cilley’s regiment launched its charge and took high casualties, but they broke the enemy line with the points of their bayonets and inflicted high casualties among the British. During the Second Battle of Saratoga, on 7 October 1777, Cilley’s men again performed extraordinarily. Against great odds, they captured a section of British artillery, then joined with the Massachusetts troops that pounded against the Hessian camp in what was an especially dangerous advance that succeeded in collapsing the line again at the point of their bayonets, the very weapon that the Hessian troops had previously used to terrorize the American troops. The New Hampshire troops under Colonel Cilley again were in the thick of a major battle during June of 1778 at Monmouth while General Washington was in pursuit of the British under General Clinton, who had abandoned Philadelphia and was heading back to New York. During the early stages of the contest, General Charles Lee, under orders of Washington to attack, hesitated, then authorized a slight advance before ordering a general retreat. Colonel Cilley’s regiment was afterward ordered to attack a British contingent that was in retreat. When Cilley’s regiment closed at a distance of about 200 yards, the British swiveled to meet the threat, but Cilley improvised and knocked down two fences that stood between the Americans and the Redcoats. At one fence about sixty yards from the enemy, British fire raked the troops, but Cilley’s men held their fire, then with fixed bayonets ini-

CLARK tiated a charge. The British bolted toward a swamp with the Americans in fast pursuit. The skirmish was reinitiated and when the regiment advanced to within close range; in unison, the line delivered a series of volleys, which ended the exchange as the British hurriedly moved to join the main body. Washington sent an aide to inquire which regiment had been engaged, and history has handed down two versions of the reply, one that it came from Lt. Colonel Henry Dearborn and the other from Colonel Cilley. The responses to Washington’s inquiry “What troops are these?” has been recorded as “True blooded Yankees, sir,” attributed to Cilley and “New Hampshire, True blooded Yankees, by God, Sir,” attributed to Dearborn. Nevertheless, from either, the praise was due the New Hampshire regiment of which Cilley was colonel and Dearborn lieutenant colonel. Washington’s response was recorded as: “They are my brave New Hampshire boys.” In 1779, Colonel Cilley participated in the operation planned to regain Stony Point, New York. General Anthony Wayne launched the attack on 15 July and won a stunning victory in which once again, the Americans used bayonets to seal the victory. Subsequent to the end of the war, on 22 June 1786, he was appointed the first major general of the New Hampshire militia. After his service in the military concluded, General Cilley also spent time in public life. He was appointed a justice of the peace and of the quorum, a post he held for the remainder of his life. He served in the New Hampshire Senate (1790–1791), and during the following year, he served in the House. He was also appointed councilor during 1797 and was a member of the Society of Cincinnati, his various positions including vice president and president. He was a Democratic-Republican (present-day Democrat). General Joseph Cilley succumbed on 25 August 1799. He was survived by his wife, Sarah, who succumbed during May 1811. Several anecdotes form a better picture of General Cilley’s character and demeanor. During the harrowing retreat from Ticonderoga, many officers, unable to spot their horses in the darkness, mounted another. Caleb Stark later noticed that his horse was ridden by Colonel Thaddeus Kosciuszko and he pressed for its return, but to no avail. Stark then challenged the colonel, but Kosciuszko refused, telling Stark he was not of high enough rank to make the challenge. An observer of the incident intervened. Colonel Cilley walked up to the mounted officer and informed Kosciuszko that he (Cilley) was of sufficient rank and further stated that Stark’s “demand is a proper one.” The issue was settled, and on the day following the retreat, Stark was reunited with his horse. Another incident occurred in New York during the time between the end of the war and the official treaty when the country was in an armistice phase. General Cilley entered a bookstore and while there was asked to sign his name. A nearby British officer offered his sarcasm about an American being able to sign his name. Cilley was quick to retort informing the officer that he could also “make his mark.” And to the surprise of the Redcoat, he did. Cilley drew his sword and smacked the officer on the cheek with the flat side of the blade. The unnamed officer threatened Cilley, saying that he would be hearing from the officer, but there was no further contact.

Clark, Abraham (Signer of the Declaration of Independence) Abraham Clark, an only child, was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey, on 15 February 1726 (some sources, including Goodrich, 1840, say 1725). He was the only child of Thomas and Hannah Winans Clark. Abraham’s great-grandfather, Richard Clarke, and his wife Elizabeth (maiden name unknown), after leaving Long Island, founded Elizabethtown in Essex County (later Union County) about 1678. Abraham received his education at home on the farm. During that time, his father, who was an alderman as well as a farmer, determined that Abraham

CLARK excelled in mathematics, but he also concluded early that Abraham had not been blessed with a large frame and would be better suited working with his mind rather than taking up the difficult life of a farmer. Abraham also enjoyed studying civil law. He became a selftaught surveyor and a lawyer. Clark frequently counseled some farmers in the area when they encountered difficulty with property titles and lacked the financial means to hire a lawyer. Nonetheless, he never entered law school and he did not officially enter the legal profession. Often he accepted farm products in lieu of payment for his services. Abraham married Sarah Hatfield, the daughter of Isaac and Sarah Price Hatfield of Elizabethtown, during 1749. Their children were: Aaron (b. about 1750); Thomas (b. about 1752); Abraham (b. about 1755–1758, d. July 1758); Hannah (b. about 1756); Andrew (b. about 1759); Elizabeth (b. 1762, d. 1776); Sarah (b. about 1761); Cavalier (b. 1763, d. November 1764); Abraham II (about 1767); and Abigail (1773). His reputation grew, and due to his balanced sense of justice and his knowledge of the law, Clark became known as “the poor man’s counselor.” For a while he was a clerk of the provincial assembly of Amboy and later the high sheriff of Essex County (later split into Essex and Union counties). Clark was also a member of the public safety committee of Elizabethtown. During 1775, he was elected to the Provincial Congress of New Jersey, and during the following year, he was a delegate from New Jersey at the Second Continental Congress after taking his seat during June with the other New Jersey delegates, John Hart, Francis Hopkinson, Richard Stockton and Doctor John Witherspoon. He had long supported independence and was of the opinion that otherwise, the colonies would face slavery imposed by the British. Abraham Clark was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. He was elected to the Continental Congress during November 1776 and remained in office for the duration of the Revolution, except for one absence when he served a term (1779) in the New Jersey legislature. On 24 December 1776, Congress appointed Abraham Clark as one of five members to a committee to draw up a plan to acquire foreign support in the conflict against Britain. On 3 January, Clark was appointed to the committee assigned the task of modifying the Articles of Confederation. Also that day, one of Clark’s fellow delegates, Richard Stockton, was seized by the British. He was thrown into a common jail and treated inhumanely. Congress directed General George Washington to inform the British that if that was the case, similar treatment would be given to British captives. On 22 March 1777, Clark was appointed to a committee delegated to improve the health of the troops and to design a method of instilling more discipline into the army. Although Clark had no military service, two (and possibly three) of his sons served as officers during the Revolutionary War and were captured. Their identity (Thomas and Andrew) became known and they received harsh treatment on the Jersey prison ship off New York. Clark made little mention of his grief and requested no special treatment until distressing news concerning one son, Thomas, an artillery officer, reached him. The British confined him in a dungeon-like cell and withheld food, except for what other prisoners could squeeze through a keyhole. Congress retaliated by informing the British that unless they ceased the barbarism immediately, captive British officers would be given identical treatment. The British quickly terminated their brutal treatment of Clark’s sons. Toward the latter part of 1778, Clark became involved with assisting New Jersey with its complaints about Brigadier General William Maxwell having resisted a writ of habeas corpus. In July 1780, Clark made a motion to appoint a new brigadier in place of Maxwell. The motion was referred to a committee. During the following year, Clark nominated and Congress appointed John Pierce to the vacant post of paymaster general.

70 After the war, Clark remained in New Jersey and was active as a member of the convention that brought about the birth of the U.S. Constitution; however, at the outset, Clark had objections to its framework and became ill prior to its completion. Nonetheless, as amendments were added, Clark did support it, but his initial dissension caused him to be tagged as anti–Federalist. His political adversaries used his initial objections against him, which caused him to temporarily suffer politically, but he made a remarkable recov- Abraham Clark (Biographical Sketches ery. of the Signers of the Declaration of InHis initial attempt to re- dependence, Benson J. Lossing, 1854) turn to congress failed; however he was elected to the second congress that followed the U.S. Constitution, serving 1787–1788. Prior to his return to Congress, Clark was appointed as commissioner by the state to address unsettled claims with the United States that had occurred during the war. He was a member of the New Jersey legislature during 1782–1787, and while serving in that capacity, he contributed greatly to an act that regulated the practice of law in New Jersey; it became known as Clark’s Law. In addition, Clark contributed to the actions that brought about the issuance of paper money and became known as the “Father of the Paper Currency.” He also weighed heavily on the side of demanding that Britain account for all the Americans injured by British armed vessels and that Britain abandon its posts in the west in American territory. His legislation prohibited intercourse with Britain until the demands were met. The legislation passed the House, but in the Senate it lost when the vice president, John Adams, cast the tie-breaking vote. During 1791, he entered Congress again on 24 October and served there until he retired at the age of sixty-nine during June 1794 at the end of that congressional session. Clark, a trustee of the First Presbyterian Church, lived only a short while after retirement. He suffered sunstroke on 15 September that year and died within two hours of the attack. Clark, known as a man of honor and integrity, was also known for his Christian piety. He was interred in the church’s cemetery in Rahway. Clark’s will noted that he owned three slaves (two men and their mother) and that they were to be freed at the time in the event his wife, Sarah, remarried or at the time of her demise. The will also stated that his wife was to have use of the property, real and personal, while she remained a widow, and afterward, it was to be distributed to the surviving children. Sarah survived him by about ten years and succumbed during 1804. She was interred in the same cemetery with her husband. Clark had on more than one occasion run for the office of governor, but never successfully. Abraham Clark remained loyal to his country during that time when he pledged his life, fortune and scared honor until his final breath. He had never sought nor acquired great wealth, and the marker on his obscure grave site in Rahway preserved a few words to describe him: Firm and decided as a patriot, Zealous and faithful as a friend to the public, He loved his country, And adhered to her In the darkest hours of her struggles Against Oppression.

71 Clark (Clarke), Brigadier General Elijah Elijah Clark, the son of John Clark, was born in Anson County, North Carolina, about 1742. The family surname is most often spelled Clarke, but North Carolina Archives contends that the correct spelling was Clark. Elijah had no formal education, nor was he polished or sophisticated; however, his lack of social skills did not impede his ability as a troop leader. He relocated in Georgia during the early 1770s, and as late as 1774, Elijah was not yet among the Patriots. Nevertheless, at some point afterward, Elijah sided with the Americans’ cause with other Patriots in northwestern Georgia. Clark entered the military and served with the rank of captain during 1776 and participated in encounters with the Cherokee Indians. Clark engaged in various operations with the militia and later participated in major clashes. During 1778, on 30 June, Patriots assaulted Fort Tonyn in southern Georgia, but the British, who controlled the post since 1776, evacuated and afterward deployed at a bridge on the Pagan Creek Plantation, owned by the brothers of the royal governor of South Carolina, James Wright. The Alligator Creek bridge northwest of Jacksonville, Florida, spanned Alligator Creek (later Borell Creek). A cavalry force under Colonel Elijah Clark attacked the enemy positions, but the British (Tories and East Florida rangers) commanded by Major Marc (Mark) Prevost had the natural protection of thick brush and a large ditch that impeded Clark’s cavalry and gave the British an edge. The attack was repulsed. Colonel Clark was wounded during the contest. The encounter was the final exchange during what was known as the Third Florida Invasion. The exact location of the bridge has never been determined. Some sources maintain it was located in present-day Callahan, while others maintain it was near Point Peter Road in St. Marys, Georgia. In 1779, Colonel Clark, along with Colonels John Dooly and Andrew Pickens, engaged the British under Colonel James Boyd at Kettle Creek, Georgia, on 19 February. The Loyalists spotted the Patriots, eliminating surprise. High casualties were sustained by Clark’s and Dooly’s contingents, but Pickens suffered no harm. He maintained his advance while the others rebounded. Meanwhile, Colonel Boyd had been mortally wounded, a loss the Loyalists were unable to overcome. Lacking a leader, the Loyalists collapsed. The years 1779 to 1781 were trying times for the Georgia Patriots. The Americans were pushed from Savannah and other places to Augusta, and then the British seized Augusta. State archives were initially taken to Charleston by John Milton and from there carried to New Bern until finally transported to Baltimore through the end of the war. Women and children were evacuated across the mountains to safer positions in the Holston region, and farming in Georgia was non-existent, as property was ravaged by the British. Clark’s homestead was among the casualties of war. His wife was also evacuated, but Hannah possessed an iron will and refused a place of safety while her husband was in danger. On more than one occasion, Hannah rode great distances to reach Elijah and help him recover from a wound, and often she traveled with him from camp to camp. The British seized Charleston on 12 May 1780 and with it, an entire American army under General Benjamin Lincoln capitulated. Afterward, General Horatio Gates sustained a devastating defeat at Camden on 16 August, leaving the south with only a small group of American partisans to hold the ground until a new force could be raised and sent south. That small band included Elijah Clark, Francis Marion, Isaac Shelby and John Sevier. Meanwhile, Congress appointed General Nathanael Greene as commander of the Department of the South in place of Gates. On 8 August 1780, the vanguard of a British (Tories) unit under Major Patrick Ferguson prepared to attack Colonel Clark’s force near Cedar Springs, South Carolina, but Clark had been reinforced by another cavalry force under Colonel Isaac Shelby. The vanguard was un-

CLARK able to surprise Clark’s camp because scouts had monitored the advance and the Patriot cavalry was poised to strike with surprise. The leading force of Ferguson was stunned and vanquished, losing about fifty prisoners in the process. Clark and Shelby quickly abandoned the area. From the heights, they were able to observe Ferguson, who approached the empty camp to discover he had again been outfoxed by Patriot forces. Colonel Clark was wounded during the clash. Colonel Clark again clashed with a British force in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains on 18 August at Musgrove’s Mill, South Carolina. The Americans under Colonels Clark and Shelby and reinforcements under Colonel James Williams aborted an attack after learning that the Loyalists had received reinforcements, but they don’t retire; rather a trap was set. A small contingent drew attention and the British took the bait. Meanwhile, the American cavalry had taken concealed positions across the river. The British pursued the retreating contingent and followed closely behind, and with each step their confidence became greater, particularly since the Americans were fleeing. As the British reached a point about 75 yards from the trap, a shot was fired to spring it. The Loyalists offered heavy resistance and the struggle moved to close-quartered combat. Finally, a contingent of reserve cavalry was committed by Clark to preserve Shelby’s flank, and in the process the British commander, Colonel Innes, was wounded. At that point the British began to falter while the Patriots, who were in jeopardy, rebounded. Colonel Clark led a charge and it won the day. Clark was again wounded, but the field was won and the British took severe casualties with more than 220 killed, wounded and captured. The Americans sustained eleven casualties. On 14 September, British-held Forts Grierson and Cornwallis in the vicinity of Augusta were seized by troops under Colonel Clark and Lt. Colonel James McCall. The British (Loyalists and Indian allies) abandoned the area and headed to a trading post known as the White House. A siege was initiated but British reinforcements arrived and the Patriots were compelled to retire. Twenty-nine men were captured and later 13 were hanged; the remainder were handed over to the Indians for a torturous death. In 1780, a Loyalist force of about 450 men engaged the vanguard (commanded by Colonel Clark) of Colonel Few’s command at Long Cane, South Carolina, and defeated the vanguard of about 100 troops. Colonel Clark soon after avenged the defeat when he and Colonel James McCall engaged a British force at Beattie’s Mill, South Carolina, on 21 March 1781. The British were vanquished and their commander, Major James Dunlap, was mortally wounded. Thirty-four British troops were killed and the survivors surrendered at Little River (Abbeyville County). Afterward, Colonel Clark joined with Colonel Henry “Lighthorse Harry” Lee in the campaign to regain Augusta, Georgia. Their combined force seized British-held Fort Galphin at Silver Bluff, near Fort Moore at Savannah Town on Beech Island. Fort Galphin (Fort Dreadnought) was on the Savannah River, below Augusta, Georgia, but it was on the South Carolina bank of the river. On 31 May 1781, Fort Cornwallis was seized after a tenacious fight. After the fort surrendered, an unknown Georgia soldier shot British Colonel Grierson to death. Augusta was taken shortly thereafter on 5 June 1781. Meanwhile, Cornwallis had abandoned the South to seek victory in Virginia, but his quest was in vain. Cornwallis capitulated during October 1781. The British, however, remained in Charleston until December 1782. All the while, the Patriots also maintained pressure against the Loyalists and hostile Indians. Colonel Clark was appointed a brigadier general of Georgia militia during 1781. On 17 September 1782, General Andrew Pickens and General Elijah Clark set out from Long Creek (Georgia) to seek out Loyalists who were trying to remain concealed by scattering into the Cherokee territory. Pressure was placed upon the Cherokee to surrender the Loyalists

CLARK or face attacks, and the Cherokee had few options with the termination of British presence. The Cherokees agreed to the terms and later, through the Long Swamp Treaty, the Cherokee ceded large amounts of territory in northeastern Georgia. The state of Georgia rewarded General Clark for his service during the war. He had been repeatedly wounded during the struggle and was stricken with smallpox, but each time he escaped becoming a fatality and bounced back to continue to plague the British. Elijah Clark was awarded a plantation and he received land grants. In addition, during 1781, he was elected to the state assembly, where he served through 1790. General Clark also served as an Indian commissioner that dealt with treaties. During 1789, General Clark participated in the state constitutional convention. Later, during 1791, General Clark, acting in accordance with his rank in the militia, commanded the force that engaged and vanquished the Creek Indians at a place known as Jack’s Creek on 21 September 1791. In 1793, General Clark became involved with the French and received a commission as a major general in France’s efforts against the Spanish. The scheme instigated by French Minister Genet never materialized and the French ordered his successor, Minister Fauchet, to arrest Genet and have him transported back to France. General Clark attempted to establish a separate republic of Georgia known as Trans-Ocanee, but that scheme also failed due to action taken by the federal government and the state of Georgia. General Clark abandoned the scheme after most of his followers had abandoned it. The forts that had been constructed and the republic’s constitution ended as folly when Clark surrendered to a force composed of regular and Georgia troops during the latter part of September 1794, terminating the Trans-Ocanee Republic. Nonetheless, General Elijah Clark’s name in Georgia history has remained high on her list of heroes. His reputation as a soldier during the war and his service for Georgia was paramount in the minds of Georgians. General Clark succumbed at his residence in Wilkes County, Georgia, during 1799. Clarke County, Georgia, was named in his honor. A monument to his memory was erected in Athens, Georgia, and a state park is named in his honor. Elijah Clark State Park is located along the western shore of Clarks Hill Lake in Lincolnton, Georgia. The park contains a museum (a log cabin) and the grave sites of General Clark and his wife, Hannah Harrington (Arrington) Clark. They were initially interred in Wilkes County were later interred in the state park. John Clark, the son of Elijah and Hannah, became governor of Georgia (1819–1823). The name of General Clark’s mother is uncertain, and information on the precise number of children of Elijah and Hannah is uncertain; however, at the time they relocated in Georgia, they had several young children, including John, who also rose to the rank of brigadier general and twice became governor of Georgia.

Clark, Brigadier General George Rogers George Rogers Clark, the son of John and Ann Rogers Clark, was bon in Virginia on 19 November 1752. John and Ann had eight other children, with George Rogers being the second oldest. The others were Jonathan, John, Richard, Edmund, Lucy, Elizabeth, William and Frances. George Rogers later relocated in Kentucky, became familiar with the wilderness there, and was instrumental in guiding settlers who moved west of the Allegheny Mountains in Kentucky. Harrodsburg (Fort Harrod) was established during 1774 by James Harrod and a group of about 32 settlers who arrived from Pennsylvania. Clark participated in Dunmore’s War in 1774, but he was not at the Battle of Point Pleasant on 10 October, when General Andrew Lewis defeated the Indians. Clark was with Governor Dunmore’s force, and it never arrived at the Kanawa. In a letter dated 1 April 1775, Clark explained to his brother that he was in Kentucky as a surveyor under Captain Hancock Lee and was not there in a military capacity. During his time in Kentucky he was employed by the Ohio Company.

72 Clark became familiar with the territory as he moved from station to station and it became an asset later when he assisted settlers moving from Virginia into Kentucky. Clark returned to Virginia before winter, and during spring of the following year, he moved to Kentucky. Meanwhile, back in Kentucky, Colonel John Bowman commanded the militia at Fort Harrodsburg, but the region was dangerous. With the outbreak of the war the settlers themselves were in jeopardy due to a shortage of ammunition. Harrodsburg was iso- George Rogers Clark (Pictorial Field lated and hostile Indians in- Book of the Revolution, Benson J. Losshabited the region stretching ing, 1860) between the fort and Virginia. Clark, aware of the plight of the Kentuckians, headed once again to Virginia to acquire arms and powder. He arrived and met with Governor Patrick Henry to inform the governor of the circumstances at the fort. Governor Henry needed little prompting to provide Clark with the military stores, and he included a military escort to ensure the powder got to its destination. On 7 December 1776, Clark and John Gabriel Jones, leading a party, departed Fort Pitt by boats en route to Kentucky. They arrived at Limestone Creek, where the ammunition was unloaded and concealed on a few small islands in present-day Lewis County, Ohio, to prevent Indians from discovering it. Clark sped to Harrodsburg to raise a larger contingent to pick up the powder and get it to the fort. In his absence, Colonel Todd arrived and the ammunition was gathered, but only ten men formed the guard and the Indians set an ambush for Christmas Day. Three of the guards were killed: Josiah Dixon, John G. Jones and William Graden. On 2 January 1777, a contingent led by James Harrod set out to search for the Indians and regain the powder. The men advanced to Cabin Creek and to their surprise, the powder had not been disturbed or seized by the Indians. The powder was sped back to Harrodstown. Although the war with the British was at the time primarily in the north, Clark had the foresight to anticipate British actions from their posts along the Great Lakes. The colonists at Harrodsburg were able to stabilize their positions in Kentucky with the arrival of the powder, but the Indian raids continued to accelerate at the instigation of the British at Detroit. By October 1777, Clark moved to eliminate the British threats by initiating an offensive to capture the British forts. He traveled to Virginia again to lay out his plan. His proposal to seize the British positions along the Wabash River and in Illinois was received by the Virginia council on 2 January 1778, and both the council and the governor concurred. The plan included the capture of Detroit, Kaskaskia and Vincennes. Clark received orders to defend Kentucky, but that was his publicized order. He also received secret orders to move against the British at Kaskaskia. Although his plans seemed to require an army to take on the British or at least a division, Clark remained confident when on 24 June 1778, he departed Louisville (Falls of the Ohio) with only four companies of rangers en route to Fort Pitt to acquire ammunition for the campaign. On 4 July, Clark’s rangers moved against Fort Kaskaskia, seized it and renamed it Fort Clark. Clark’s victory gave him control of the capital of Illinois. The Indians in the region soon decided to make peace with the Americans.

73 On 6 July, the force moved to seize Cahokia and Vincennes, the latter on the Wabash River. Both objectives were seized. At Vincennes (present-day Indiana), a French priest, Father Gibault, supported Clark and persuaded the citizens to turn against the British. The British garrison was taken by surprise were driven from the fort; their flag was replaced by the Stars and Stripes. By about that time, Major Clark had been promoted to colonel. While Clark was attempting to suppress hostile Indians, the British continued to instigate trouble. During that period, there was no contact between Clark and his contingent at Vincennes. In conjunction with the success of Clark, on 9 December, Virginia claimed all the conquered territory and called it the county of Illinois. Meanwhile, the British focused on regaining control. On 17 December, Vincennes was retaken, but Clark was still away dealing with Indians. Nevertheless, once informed of the loss, Clark prepared to again take it from the British. On 5 February 1779, Clark’s force of about 175 troops at Kaskaskia, after receiving the blessing of Father Gibault, departed in two groups, one in boats up the Wabash River while the other moved overland. Clark had also earlier dispatched an Italian, Colonel Virgo, to gather intelligence as a spy. Virgo was captured, but he was popular with the Indians; he won his freedom and came to no harm. Clark recaptured Fort Sackville on 25 February 1779 and renamed it Fort Patrick Henry. The notorious British commander Colonel Hamilton, dubbed the “Hairbuyer” due to frequent buying of scalps, was imprisoned. During July of that year, Congress congratulated Colonel Clark for the success of his campaign. In September 1779, after returning to Kentucky, Clark ordered the construction of Fort Jefferson in the vicinity of Clarksville, where the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers converge, to give the military a dominant post to control passage onto the Ohio. By spring of 1780, an attack against Detroit by forces under Colonel Daniel Brodhead at Fort Pitt was planned. At the time, the British were still threatening Kentucky and western Virginia, and George Rogers Clark did not have a sufficient force to move against Detroit. Nevertheless, Brodhead’s campaign never came to fruition. However, the Indians streamed into Virginia; they avoided military installations such as Fort Henry and instead struck isolated settlements between the Ohio River and Wheeling. Militia gathered at Wheeling and sped to intercept the Indians. The march succeeded in driving the Indians back across the Ohio, but settlers who had been captured were massacred rather than dragged back to the Indian territory. Meanwhile at St. Louis and Cahokia, troops under Clark defended against attacks by English Canadian and Indian troops. The main body struck St. Louis and was repelled by the Spanish governor, Fernando De Leyba, reinforced by militia, but civilian casualties were sustained outside the fortified city. At Cahokia, gunners under Clark fired effectively and their artillery repelled the attack. By early June 1780, Clark was aware of a British plan to strike Louisville. The fort at Clarksville came under attack during June and July 1780, but it held. Meanwhile, Clark, operating in Ohio, returned to Kentucky during August. On the 8th, a tenacious fight occurred at Piqua, then on the following day, it was burned by Clark prior to his return to Kentucky. During 1780, Colonel Clark was promoted to brigadier general of Virginia militia. He continued operating on the frontier, but the task became complicated. During 1781, General Washington ordered Colonel Brodhead to reinforce Clark, but it did not occur. At the same time, there were political problems between Virginia and Pennsylvania regarding the border lines. Consequently, Pennsylvania troops were not anxious to fight for Virginia. During July, Clark, unable to attack Detroit due to insufficient strength, returned to Wheeling and afterward headed for Louisville. In the meantime, a contingent of Pennsylvanians under Colonel Archibald Lochry arrived at Fort Henry subsequent to Clark’s depar-

CLARK ture. The column rushed to catch Clark, but en route, while encamped, the contingent was struck by a large British-Indian force in the vicinity of present-day Cincinnati. The surprise attack inflicted high casualties. Colonel Lochry was captured and afterward killed. During May 1782, the governor of Virginia, Benjamin Harrison, authorized General Clark to construct river boats to bolster the Virginia war effort by having the vessels patrol the Ohio River. The boats were under construction at Fort Nelson (Louisville), but guns promised by the governor were slow in arriving. Clark was also bolstered by Virginia Marines, commanded by Captain Jacob Pyeatt, who served with him during the summer of 1782 and manned the guns on the Miami. A force of about 1,000 Indians, led by two British officers, Captains William Caldwell and Alexander McKee, moved against Wheeling, but upon sight of the Miami, the Indians lost heart and aborted the attack. Other vessels, gondolas, were vulnerable to ambush and proved of no value. About September, 1782, the Marines transferred to the Illinois regiment and served for the duration. On 9 August, Indians attacked Blue Licks, Kentucky, and General Clark retaliated swiftly. On 10 November 1782, Clark led a contingent of mounted infantry against Shawnee Indian villages (several known as Chillicothe). The attacks destroyed crops and reduced the villages. In addition, the troops were able to rescue some captives. Clark’s raids against the Shawnee at Chillicothe were the final action in the Northwest during the American Revolution. Subsequent to the close of hostilities, the territory west of the Ohio River gained by George Rogers Clark was handed over to the federal government. Clark was later appointed as surveyor for lands set aside for Virginians who served during the war. General Clark, like many others who devoted their lives and fortunes to the cause of liberty, found himself in a poor financial position after the war. He received some compensation from Virginia, but nothing from the Congress in repayment of the vast sum of money and land he used to finance his military commands. He was never able to recover and spent much time contending with creditors he was unable to pay. The man credited for winning the Northwest Territory and gaining the fear and respect of the Indians in the territory continued to operate his grist mill in Clarksville, Indiana, but never recovered his huge losses. Congress never commissioned General Clark in the Continental Army and his bold achievements were rarely recognized by Congress. At one point, during the 1790s, George Rogers Clark accepted a commission from the French minister, Edmond-Charles-Edouard Genet as major general of the “Independent and Revolutionary Legion of the Mississippi” for the purpose of invading Spanish controlled New Orleans, but the invasion never occurred. The U.S. government compelled Clark to resign or face charges. Genet was recalled to France and was probably destined to become a victim of the guillotine, but the United States prevented his extradition. Genet remained in America and married a daughter of Governor George Clinton of New York. Genet had commissioned other officers, including Elijah Clark of Georgia. General Clark, who never married, suffered a stroke in 1809 and during the attack, his leg was seriously burned from flames in the fireplace. The damaged leg had to be amputated. Afterward, he moved to the residence of his sister, Lucy Clark Crogan, near Louisville, where he remained until he died. He sustained another stroke during early 1818, followed by yet another during February, which proved fatal. General Clark succumbed on 13 February 1818. He was interred at Locust Grove in the Croghan family cemetery, but later, he was reinterred (1869) at Louisville in the Cave Hill Cemetery. Clark’s younger brother, William, achieved fame along with Lewis Meriwether when they led an expedition to the Pacific Ocean during the early 1800s. The now famous army expedition, initiated by President Thomas Jefferson, is known as the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

CLINTON Clinton, Brigadier General George (Governor of New York, Vice President of the United States) George Clinton, the son of Charles and Elizabeth Denniston and the younger brother of General James Clinton, was born on 26 July 1739. (See General James Clinton for further information on the family.) It is thought that George was named after British Admiral George Clinton (son of the Earl of Lincoln), who served as royal governor of the colony of New York from 1743 to 1753. The close friendship between George’s father and Admiral Clinton was split when former remained loyal to the Patriots’ cause and the latter sided with the king. Later, two sons of the elders would become adversaries, with the admiral’s son, General Sir Henry Clinton, entering the British army and devoting his time to suppressing the rebels. During 1755, George Clinton sensed he was going to enjoy a life at sea, which prompted him to leave home and serve aboard a privateer, but apparently, the experience was less than he expected and consumed with danger and accompanying hardships. Consequently, he abandoned life as a privateer and returned home to serve in the French and Indian War with his father and brother. Clinton received a commission as a subaltern in a company that was commanded by his older brother James and attached to his father’s regiment. He participated in the 1758 expedition against Fort Frontenac. After the conclusion of the conflict, Clinton began to work in the law office of William Smith (chief justice and historian of the colony). The experience Clinton gained while in the New York City law firm was invaluable and his personal skills enabled him to get accepted by the bar. Clinton concentrated on establishing his own law practice in Orange County, where he was appointed clerk of the common pleas court. By 1765, many New Yorkers had become incensed with the policies of the crown; however, the colony as a whole remained staunchly aligned with the king. Despite the overwhelming number of Loyalists, Patriot leaders like George and his brother James aggressively and conspicuously raised opposition. George attended the Stamp Act congress held in New York during October 1765. Then in 1766, he was elected to the colonial legislature and his actions there were well received. He remained in the legislature until he was elected as a New York delegate to the Continental Congress. One of Clinton’s allies in the minority was Philip Schuyler, but at the time, neither realized they were destined to become general officers in the not yet heard of Continental Army. However, the combination of Clinton and Schuyler in the legislature was pugilistic in nature, as both battled the Loyalists who held the majority. In the meantime, George’s life took another turn, when he married Cornelia Tappen, the daughter of Petrus and Tjaatje Wynkoop Tappen, who was from a prominent Dutch family from Kingston. George and Cornelia had six children: Catherine (b. November 1770, married John George Clinton (Pictorial Field Book Taylor and then General of the War of 1812, Benson J. Lossing, Pierre Van Cortlandt); Cornelia (b. June, 1774, married 1869)

74 Charles Genet, the French minister to the United States); George Washington Clinton (b. October 1778, married Anna Floyd, the daughter of General William Floyd of New York, a signer of the Declaration of Independence); Elizabeth (b. July 1780, married Matthias B. Tallmadge); Martha Washington (b. October 1783, died unmarried) and Maria (b. October 1785, married Doctor Stephen D. Beekman). Sources sometimes vary on the date of the marriage between George and Cornelia; however, according to records in the office of the secretary of state in Albany, it occurred on 28 October 1769. The marriage, although unintentionally, greatly aided George throughout his political career due to Cornelia coming from a prominent Dutch family. In the meantime, the Patriots were becoming more perplexed with the treatment from Parliament and the king. British troops had been stationed in the country, and Parliament, in cooperation with King George III, increased the tension through acts the colonists saw as oppressive. Many of the Patriots believed there was still some chance of reconciliation, but their numbers diminished during spring of 1775. On 22 April 1775, several days after the battles of Lexington and Concord, Clinton was elected as a delegate to the Second Continental Congress. He arrived in Philadelphia and took his seat on 15 May. While in Congress, Clinton was a proponent of independence; however, with New York being heavily inhabited with Loyalists, there was much indecision within the New York delegation. To further complicate the dilemma, the New York legislature sent no instructions. Nevertheless, when the vote was taken, George Clinton voted “Yea,” but due to the tremendous British threat against his home state, he was compelled to return to New York and was not among those who signed the parchment Declaration on 2 August. Some contemporary sources contend that Clinton departed Congress prior to the vote; however reliable nineteenth century sources, including The Lives of the Governors of New York ( John S. Jenkins, 1852) and The American Generals ( John Frost) each describe George Clinton as having been present for the vote for Independence. Clinton returned to Ulster County to assume command of a brigade of county militia. On 9 July, the New York Provincial Congress, in session at White Plains, affirmed the vote for independence, and on that same day, the members self-described the body as the “Convention of the Representatives of the State of New York.” On 25 March, 1777, General Clinton, already a general officer in the militia, was appointed by Congress as a brigadier general in the Continental Army. In June 1777, General Clinton was elected governor and lieutenant governor of New York. He accepted the former and the office of lieutenant governor was filled by Pierre Van Cortlandt. He was governor and general in the Continental Army simultaneously. The turbulence of the times tested the abilities of George on both fronts, as governor of a state that was overwhelmingly Loyalist and as a general in the state that for nearly all of 1776 and 1777 was the primary objective of the English forces on land and sea. The inhabitants of parts of western New York were frequent victims of barbaric acts by Indians aligned with the British. General Clinton was up to the challenge despite overwhelming odds against success. Nevertheless, there were setbacks, but the entire Continental Army was standing perilously under similar circumstances. In a concentrated effort by British General Henry Clinton during October 1777 to link up with the surging army of General John Burgoyne, advancing from Canada, the British bolted from New York and succeeded in wresting Forts Clinton and Montgomery along the Hudson, but the Clinton brothers who were forced to relinquish the posts were greatly outnumbered. The British encroached the American positions without being detected after landing at Stony Point. Fort Montgomery, commanded by George Clinton, fell easily on the 6th, but the garrison made it to nearby Fort Clinton, commanded by James Clinton, and the defenders resisted tenaciously for hours, despite an ultimatum to surrender. General George Clinton, one of the last to

CLINTON

75 abandon the fort, escaped by boarding a boat, while his brother James, despite a severe wound, escaped by descending a steep cliff. The British afterward also seized Fort Independence, which is separate from Mount Independence across the river in Vermont. During the attacks, the fire was heard by General Israel Putnam, but he was posted on the opposite side of the river, anticipating an attack against Fort Independence. He was too far from the forts to provide support. Many of the defenders were able to escape capture, but one of the captured officers was Colonel James M’Claughry, the husband of Catherine Clinton, the sister of George and James. From days gone by, M’Claughry’s captor, British General Henry Clinton, was familiar with M’Claughry and the Clinton family, which prompted him to ask: “Where is my friend George?” With equal sarcasm, M’Claughry responded: “Thank God, he is beyond the reach of your friendship.” The British however, were unable to reach Burgoyne, who was compelled to surrender his entire army at Saratoga during October of 1777. Albany was preserved. The British at New York advanced, but after bombarding Kingston, they moved back to the city. George Clinton afterward continued as governor and general. He concentrated on the continuing defense of New York, including rebuilding defenses in the Highlands to make up for the loss of the forts along the Hudson that were seized. Subsequently, during 1779, the forts were retaken by General Anthony Wayne. General Clinton retained the governor’s position until 1795. During 1783, upon the evacuation of New York by the British, General Clinton was alongside General George Washington when he rode into the city to officially reclaim it. In 1784, through the persuasion of General Clinton, a university was established by legislative action, and he threw his support behind the establishment of public schools. During 1788, General Clinton remained a strong opponent of the federal Constitution; however, he was unable to prevent its ratification. Prior to his relinquishing the chair of the convention, he reiterated his position and emphasized that the majority of New Yorkers opposed the Constitution, which passed by three votes; however, he vowed to support it. During that same year, trouble erupted in New York when a young boy peering through a window of a hospital observed a man who, after spotting the boy, waved a body part (arm) at him. The boy told his father that the man said it was the boy’s mother’s arm and the mother had only recently died. The unnerving incident propelled New Yorkers into a mob that swarmed around the hospital. Governor Clinton was compelled to call out the militia. During the pandemonium, John Jay was struck with a brick or rock and fell into unconsciousness. Meanwhile, Baron von Steuben, while standing next to the governor, was also struck, and as he went down, he urged the governor to order the troops to fire. That brought an end to the riot. At the time, doctors known as the “resurrectionists” were engaged in the practice of acquiring fresh corpses for dissection. The riots were dubbed the “Doctors’ Mob Riot.” General Clinton, while governor, had also played a distant part in Shay’s Rebellion (1786–1787) when a contingent of the insurrectionists escaped the militia and fled from Massachusetts to Lebanon, New York. The governor arrived at Lebanon and ordered the militia to form and disperse the rebels. In 1791, on the 22nd of January, General Clinton publicized that he would not be a candidate for the governor’s office, thus ending his 17 year in the office. Nonetheless, during 1801, he would again be elected to that post, defeating Stephen Van Rensselaer by about 4,000 votes. He was to be a candidate for the vice presidency of the United States, but others maneuvered to secure the spot for Aaron Burr. Subsequently, during 1805, he was elected as vice president and served in the 2nd term administration of President Thomas Jefferson (a Democratic-Republican, present-day Democrat). Clinton was also re-elected during the 1st term of President James Madison and served until his death, which occurred in Washington, D.C., on 20 April 1812, while

the Congress was in session. President Madison served the remainder of his first term without a vice president. At the time, there was nothing in the U.S. Constitution regarding replacement of a vice president. General Clinton was interred at the Congressional cemetery in Washington, D.C. On 27 May 1908, about sixty-eight years after his demise, the remains of General Clinton were re-interred in the cemetery of the First Dutch Reformed Church in Kingston, New York, alongside his wife, Cornelia. On 22 December 1812, George’s brother, General James Clinton, succumbed.

Clinton, Brigadier General James James Clinton, the son of Charles and Elizabeth Denniston Clinton, was born on 9 August 1736 on the family estate in Little Britain (Ulster County, later Orange County), New York. James’ ancestors arrived from England and the first to emigrate was James, a son of William Clinton, who fled from England to Ireland after the execution of King Charles I. William’s son James married the daughter of an officer in the service of Cromwell and from that marriage, Charles, the father of James (General James Clinton), was born during 1690. Charles arrived in Massachusetts during 1729. Following his time in Cape Cod, he relocated to Ulster County, New York, during 1731. James had three brothers, Alexander (a doctor, graduated Princeton, 1760), Charles (a doctor who served in the British Army) and George (see entry) (brigadier general in the Continental Army, governor of New York and vice president of the United States 1805–1812). James also had a sister named Catherine. In the Last Will and Testament of Charles Clinton, dated 1771, he requested that he be buried next to his daughter, Catherine (wife of Colonel James M’Claughry). James Clinton received his education by private tutors, but it was considered to be excellent. Apparently, at a very early age James became interested in the military and continued on that path. About 1756–1757, during the French and Indian War, he received a commission as an ensign (2nd Regiment militia of Ulster County) from Governor Charles Hardy, and by the following year, 1758, on 25 March, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant (provincial forces) by Lieutenant Governor James Delancey. Later, during 1759, he attained the rank of captain (provincial army), also presented by Delancey. In the meantime, James Clinton participated in the seizure of Fort Frontenac (Kingston, Ontario, Canada) in August 1758. During the operation, Captain James Clinton (militia) and his younger brother, Lieutenant George Clinton, also participated in the capture of a French vessel on Lake Ontario. The English maneuvering on the lake in row galleys were able to force the French sloop to lower its colors. During the expedition under the overall command of General John Bradstreet to seize the fort, a contingent of troops under Colonel Charles Clinton at Fort Herkimer (German Flats, Mohawk Valley) joined Bradstreet’s advance. James Clinton remained in the service throughout the conflict (called the Seven Years’ War in Europe and French and Indian War in North America). During November 1763, Clinton was appointed captain commandant by Lieutenant Gov. James Colden and focused on raising a corps of volunteers, James Clinton (Pictorial Field Book of known as the “guards of the the Revolution, Benson J. Lossing, frontier.” The unit, composed of four companies and about 1860)

CLINTON 200 troops, defended a section of the northern frontier that stretched about fifty miles. After peace was restored, Clinton left the service and resumed his private life in Little Britain. Several years later, on 18 February 1765, James married Mary De Witt, the daughter of Egbert and Mary (Maria) Nottingham De Witt, and from that marriage, the couple had four sons, Alexander, Charles, De Witt, and George. And they had three daughters, Mary, Elizabeth and Katherine. Prior to the outbreak of the American Revolution, Clinton became a lieutenant colonel in the Orange County militia. At the onset of war, he entered the Continental Army. In the meantime, his brother George had been a member of the New York assembly. Both remained aligned with the Patriots’ cause. On 18 March 1774, James was appointed lieutenant colonel (2nd Militia Regiment). During 1775, on the 30th of June, less than one month after the battles of Lexington and Concord, James Clinton was appointed colonel of the 3rd New York Regiment, which was raised pursuant to the orders of the Continental Congress. That year, on 26 October, the New York Provincial Congress appointed Clinton colonel of the regiment of foot for Ulster County. New York had pledged four regiments, each being composed of three companies, to the Continental Army. In addition to James’ regiment, the 1st New York was commanded by Alexander McDougal and assigned the defense of New York City, the 2nd by Colonel Goose Van Schaick with responsibility for Albany and the northern sector of the colony, and the 4th New York was commanded by Colonel James Holmes. Colonel James Clinton participated in the Canadian expedition in which the Americans sustained a devastating defeat on 31 December 1775 at Quebec City. By the following year, he was promoted to the rank of brigadier general, along with five other officers, James Reed, John Nixon, Arthur St. Clair, Alexander McDougal and Samuel Holden Parsons, each receiving a commission on 9 August 1776. During the following year, the British under General Henry Clinton moved to seize the American fortifications along the Hudson River, specifically, Forts Clinton and Montgomery, defended by about 500 to 600 troops, primarily militia. On 5 October 1777, a large British force landed at Verplank’s Point below Fort Independence. The strategy was misread by General Israel Putnam, who was convinced General Henry Clinton’s Redcoats were going to strike Fort Independence and from there jump toward Albany. Consequently, the Americans did not reinforce Forts Clinton and Montgomery, which were under the command of Generals George and James Clinton, but were on the opposite side of the Hudson and out of reach for the main body in the heights. During the night of the 5th, the British left a force at Verplank’s Point and proceeded up the river undetected by the Americans. On the following morning, the British debarked at Stony Point (west bank of the river), and two separate columns, moving under the cover of fog, advanced yet again without being spotted by the Americans. Both forts were considered untenable, but Fort Clinton was able to raise tenacious resistance for a while. The forces under General Putnam heard the tumultuous exchange but remained too distant to relieve the beleaguered defenders. In addition to reducing both forts, the British snared the American vessels that were unable to break out. Nonetheless, the vessels were self-destroyed at dusk rather than allowed to fall into the hands of the enemy. Forts Clinton, Montgomery and then Fort Independence (separate from Mount Independence, across the river in Vermont) fell to the British. On 7 October, the British also compelled the defenders of Fort Constitution to capitulate, giving the British an open path to Albany. The Royal Navy advanced some distance, and upon arriving at Kingston, they burned the town but inexplicably made no move against Albany, where Clinton’s army would have been in the rear of General Horatio Gates’ forces at Saratoga and positioned to bolster John Bur-

76 goyne. Meanwhile, Generals James and George Clinton were among the last to evacuate the American lines when the forts fell. General George Clinton escaped by boat, while his brother James, despite being seriously injured by a bayonet, managed to break for safety by haphazardly traversing a steep slope upon which his fall was broken by a tree. He made it to a stream, which inadvertently aided his wound. The water was so cold that it slowed the bleeding. On the following morning, still holding the bridle to his horse, which he abandoned during his escape, he acquired a stray horse that was roaming the area. General Clinton then made the ride to his house, where he received aid for his wound and the fever he had contracted. In the meantime, another British army under General John Burgoyne was driving to hook up with Sir Henry Clinton’s forces; however, during September–October 1777, Burgoyne was defeated by forces under the overall command of General Horatio Gates, which prevented the two massive forces from combining their strength. During 1778, General James Clinton was deployed at West Point, where he focused on the defense of that post. Nonetheless, the British continued to focus on New York, using a combination of allied Indians and Loyalists under Chief Joseph Brant and Colonel John Butler, respectively, to wreak havoc on the Cherry Valley and surrounding region. The Cherry Valley Massacre occurred on 11 November 1778. To eliminate the lingering problem, General George Washington authorized General John Sullivan to initiate an expedition during the following spring to destroy the enemy’s ability to strike at will. In conjunction with the Sullivan expedition (1779), Colonel Daniel Brodhead advanced from Fort Pitt at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to destroy the Indian strongholds along the frontier. General James Clinton participated in Sullivan’s expedition. During early June, General Clinton advanced from Albany heading toward the Indian territory. After reaching Schenectady, the contingent moved along the Mohawk River to Canajoharie. Later, on 1 July, Clinton’s camp at Canajoharie was disassembled and the contingent moved to the mouth of Lake Otsego, where it rejoined the boats that had been sent ahead. From there, Clinton’s force moved down the Susquehanna River to Tioga (Pennsylvania), where he linked up with General Sullivan on 22 August. Soon after, on 29 August, the army engaged the Indians at the Battle of Newtown (also Battle of Chemung or Battle of Newton), New York. The Indians were vanquished. The Indians, prior to the arrival of the Americans, believed their positions to have been invulnerable to attack due to the inability of the army to navigate the wilderness and reach their safe haven. By 14 September, General Sullivan’s expeditionary force arrived at the Genesee River, having ravaged the lands of the Cayugas, Onondagas and Senecas. In early 1780, General Clinton was again deployed at West Point, and it was during his service there that General Benedict Arnold had been discovered as a traitor. In October 1780, General Washington selected General James Clinton for a new command, that of the Northern Department. In a letter to Clinton, who at the time was at West Point, Washington stated: As it is necessary there should be an officer in whom the State has confidence, to take the general direction of affairs at Albany and on the frontier, I have fixed upon you for this purpose, and request you will proceed to Albany without delay, and assume the command. You will be particularly attentive to the post at Fort Schuyler, and do everything in your power to have it supplied with a good stock of provisions and stores, and you will take every other precaution the means at your command will permit for the security of the frontier, giving the most early advice of any incursions of the enemy.

On 20 November 1778, General James Clinton assumed command of the Northern Department, succeeding Brigadier General Edward Hand. Clinton held the position until 25 June 1781. During August, General Clinton headed south to participate in the Virginia campaign against General Cornwallis. While in command at Albany, a group

77 from one regiment initiated mutiny. General Clinton arrived on the scene and gave an order to march, which was disobeyed. Clinton, unimpaired with modern-day legal advice, simply placed his pistol into the chest of a ringleader, an obstinate sergeant, and repeated the action with several others and reissued his order. The mutiny ended and the regiment gave General Clinton no further problems. General John Stark succeeded General Clinton as commander of the Northern Department. Subsequent to the surrender of Cornwallis’ army at Yorktown during October 1781, General Clinton returned to New York and remained at Albany until the following year. During spring of 1782, he became incensed when Congress made some command changes that placed junior officers ahead of him. He recorded his disappointment, but he did not leave the army. Instead, he joined General Washington, and he was with the Continental Army at New York when it was abandoned by the British. His resignation was accepted by Congress on 3 November 1783. Following his retirement, General Clinton returned to his home in Little Britain. He served on the New York convention that ratified the U.S. Constitution, and he served in other capacities as well, including the New York Senate and as a commissioner charged with aligning the boundary line separating Pennsylvania and New York. With regard to the ratification of the federal Constitution, George, the unanimously elected chairman of the convention, and his brother, James Clinton, opposed its ratification; however, once it was ratified at Poughkeepsie ( July 26, 1788), both Clinton brothers supported the action. General James Clinton succumbed at home on 22 December 1812. His brother George succumbed that same year on the 20 April while in Washington, D.C., serving as vice president under President James Madison. General James Clinton was interred at a family burial site in Orange County. De Witt Clinton, the governor of New York and the son of General James Clinton, left these remarks: “His life was principally devoted to the military service of his country, and he had filled, with fidelity and honor, several distinguished civil offices. He was an officer in the revolutionary war and the war preceding, and at the close of the former was a major-general in the army of the United States. He was a good man and a sincere patriot; performing in the most exemplary manner all the duties of life, and he died as he had lived, without fear and without reproach.” James’ father succumbed on 19 November 1773 and his mother died on Christmas Day, 1779. James’ wife, Mary, succumbed on 12 September 1795. Also, James’ son, Alexander, died by drowning in the Hudson River while serving in Colonel John Lamb’s regiment.

Clymer, George (Signer of the Declaration of Independence and of the U.S. Constitution) George Clymer was born in the city of Philadelphia on 16 March 1739. His father, Christopher Clymer, a sea captain, belonged to the Church of England. He emigrated from Bristol, England. George’s mother, Deborah Fitzwater, was a Quaker who had been shunned by the sect. Both of George’s parents died while he was young, but he escaped the life of the ordinary orphan. An uncle and aunt, William and Hannah Coleman, took it upon themselves to raise George. Initially, his uncle, a wealthy Quaker, ensured that he received a good education and that he learned business practices. George worked as an apprentice in a counting house to learn the basics. Later, with the assistance of his uncle, he became an established merchant in association with another businessman, Robert Ritchie. However, he was never infatuated by the mercantile business. In fact, he remained quite disinterested due primarily to his distaste for sudden gains or sudden losses. Upon the death of his uncle during 1769, George became the recipient of a large inheritance. By that time, he had been married (March 1765) to Elizabeth Meredith, the daughter of another merchant, Reese Meredith. George and Elizabeth had eight children: William Cole-

CLYMER man (1766, d. about 1776), named after George’s uncle; John Meredith (b. about 1769, d. 1794); Henry Meredith (1767, married Mary Willing); Elizabeth (1772, died in infancy); Margaret (1772, married George McCall); Nancy (1784, also known as Ann, married Charles Lewis); George (married Maria O’Brien); and Julian (b. 1780, died same year). Clymer’s business eventually merged with his fatherin-law’s business (Mr. Meredith and Son) and that George Clymer (Biographical Sketches arrangement continued until of the Signers of the Declaration of his father-in-law succumbed. When the colonies were Independence, Benson J. Lossing, 1854) stung by the Stamp Act during 1765, Clymer was among the protestors in Philadelphia. Afterward, he became the leader of a committee of vigilance. Later, George climbed deeper into the cause when he was appointed a member of the council of safety. All the while, the situation between the colonies and Britain continued to deteriorate and swing further away from any chance of reconciliation. In Philadelphia during 1773, when a vessel laden with tea arrived, Clymer was appointed to a committee to ensure the cargo was not sold. His committee was able to bring the incident to a final solution without any violence. The tea was not unloaded and sold in the city. After the skirmishes at Lexington and Concord in April 1775, Clymer had for a short while commanded a company of militia under General John Cadwalader’s command; however, during the latter part of July, he was called by Congress to become a treasurer, which compelled him to relinquish his command. The Congressional resolution of 29 July said: “Resolved, That Michael Hillegas, and George Clymer, Esqrs. be, and they are hereby appointed, joint treasurers of the United Colonies: that the Treasurers reside in Philadelphia, and that they shall give bond, with surety, for the faithful performance of their office, in the sum of 100,000 Dollars, to John Hancock, Henry Middleton, John Dickinson, John Alsop, Thomas Lynch, Richard Henry Lee, and James Wilson, Esqrs. and the survivor of them, in trust for the United Colonies.” Clymer’s dedication to the American cause prompted him to exchange his personal specie for Continental currency. While the sentiments throughout the colonies seemed to favor independence by 1776, the Pennsylvania delegates to Congress remained convinced that war might still be avoided. Nevertheless, the colonies continued to step up the war footing. Clymer was one of the first to commit a large sum of money to the cause. When the final decision came to cut the ties with Britain, some of the Pennsylvania delegates refused to concur with the vote and vacated their congressional seats. Pennsylvania and Congress wasted no time filling the void. On 20 July, the Pennsylvania delegates presented the credentials of its new delegates: George Clymer, George Ross, Benjamin Rush, George Taylor and James Wilson. Although they had not been there to vote on the Fourth of July, each later signed the Declaration of Independence. Shortly after he was admitted to Congress, on 20 September, George Clymer, as a member of the Secret Committee, was sent to Ticonderoga to investigate the condition of the Northern Army. On 23 November, Clymer was appointed to a committee to devise methods to streamline reinforcements to the front lines and to come up with tactics to hinder British progress on the field. The committee recommended that the battalions of Associators (Pennsyl-

COBB vania) be gathered and units from each be raised to serve with the Continental Army until 10 March of 1777. Subsequently, when Congress was compelled to abandon Philadelphia for Baltimore, Clymer, along with others, was selected to remain behind in the city. On 21 December 1776, Congress resolved “that Robert Morris, George Clymer, and George Walton, Esqrs. be a committee of Congress, with powers to execute such continental business as may be proper and necessary to be done at Philadelphia.” Nonetheless, General George Washington thwarted the threat against the city by his stunning victory at Trenton on the day after Christmas. The next March, Clymer was again elected to serve in Congress; however, by that time, his health had deteriorated. He was forced to request a leave of absence in May 1777. Subsequent to regaining his health and vitality, he resumed his seat in Congress. In 1777, Clymer was placed on a committee assigned to investigate the conditions of the army under General Washington and simultaneously charged with determining the validity of complaints against the commissary department. While the British were advancing toward Philadelphia after defeating the Americans at Brandywine (1777), George Clymer’s family had been out of the city in Chester County to evade calamity; however, Loyalists betrayed their location and soon after, the Redcoats appeared. The home was ravaged and everything and anything that could be carried was taken by the raiders. Most of his spirits were liquidated before the British departed. The family escaped harm by hiding in nearby woods. Clymer’s reputation had reached the British prior to their arrival in Philadelphia. Once they occupied it, a detachment was sent to destroy his residence. The British prepared to level it, but they were informed they had arrived at the wrong house, one on Cherry Street that belonged to his aunt. After some embarrassment, they retired, leaving the building stand. On 11 December 1777, Congress appointed George Clymer as the commissioner to the western frontiers to replace Colonel Reed, who declined. Clymer, who had been a member of the Board of War, was charged with investigating atrocities committed by the hostile Indians. The raids, in addition to terrorizing the settlers, was causing problems for the Americans with Delaware and Shawnee tribes that remained friendly to the cause. He completed the perilous journey and arrived at Fort Pitt at Pittsburgh during early January 1778. Clymer also contributed money to establish a bank in Philadelphia to support the army and Congress when the entire cause was on the brink of collapse. The endeavor included the support of John Nixon. Clymer became a director of the board that operated the bank. Later, during 1780, he again was elected to Congress. During that term, he supported the efforts in Congress by Robert Morris to establish a national bank (Bank of North America). Although most of George Clymer’s term in office was serious business and at times placed his life in danger, other events were much more enjoyable, and one such task was his appointment of 2 July 1781 to the committee charged with setting up the festivities for the celebration for the Fourth of July. Following a mission to the South during 1782 regarding the difficulties with the southern states fulfilling the requisitions for supplies, he returned to Philadelphia and afterward decided to relocate in Princeton, New Jersey. His stay there was short. Due to the political situation in Philadelphia, he abandoned New Jersey, relocated back in Philadelphia and within a short while was elected to the Pennsylvania legislature. While in the legislature, Clymer and others of similar mind worked to eliminate the more ancient laws that had long suppressed the citizens. One of the instituted changes included the elimination of the death penalty, except for first degree murder. Another major change introduced by Clymer was the elimination of chain gangs, a practice the British employed to further intimidate American prisoners. Later, while still in the legislature, Clymer was appointed as a del-

78 egate to the Constitutional Convention. Following the birth of the U.S. Constitution and ratification, he was elected to the first U.S. Congress under the Constitution. He declined serving a second term. After Clymer’s retirement, President George Washington appointed him as the revenue supervisor for the state of Pennsylvania, subsequent to Congress passing an act in 1791 that placed a tax on spirits. The position was at times more dangerous than when he was endangered by the enemy during the war, particularly when he was engaged in the western part of the state, which was still a frontier that contained settlers who were reluctant to part with their money. The frontiersmen had a low opinion of the revenue man. Violence erupted (Whiskey Rebellion) and the military was called to suppress the insurrection. During the Whiskey Rebellion (1794), George’s son, John, a member of an army unit dispatched during the rebellion, was mortally wounded at Parkinson’s Ferry (present-day Monongahela). Shortly after the death of his son, Clymer resigned from his appointment as commissioner. Nevertheless, Clymer did not retire from public life. During 1796, George Clymer, Colonel Benjamin Hawkins and Colonel Andrew Pickens were appointed as commissioners charged with the responsibility of consummating a treaty with the Cherokee and Creek Indians in the state of Georgia. The commissioners traveled by ship and en route, the vessel encountered a horrific storm that nearly destroyed it. Nonetheless, it arrived safely at Charleston to the jubilation of all aboard. The mission, which came to be Clymer’s final public service, succeeded when a treaty was agreed upon on 29 June 1796. He returned to Philadelphia, where he spent his remaining days engaged in various private endeavors, including a firm commitment to the arts and sciences. George Clymer was heavily involved with the establishment of the Academy of Fine Arts and became its initial president. He was equally fervent with his support of the Philadelphia Agriculture Society and was selected as its first vice president. From the beginning, his political leanings were with the Democratic-Republicans (present-day Democrats). His political skills were efficient; however, unlike many of his colleagues, he was not known for his oratory skills. He rarely spoke in the public forum; however, he did when he felt it necessary and in those cases he was known to be effective. Nonetheless, his method was always to speak clearly, without a mask of eloquence, and often with strong words to get to his point across without delay and in the process dismantle whoever was presenting the opposing view. George Clymer succumbed on 23 January 1813 while at his estate known as Summerseat, which he acquired during 1806. It was located just outside Philadelphia at Morrisville. He was interred across the Delaware River at a Friends Meeting House Cemetery in Trenton, New Jersey.

Cobb, Brigadier General David David Cobb, the son of Thomas and Lydia Leonard Cobb, was born in Attleborough, Massachusetts, on September 14, 1748. David received an excellent education, including tutoring by Joseph Marsh, Jr., who operated a Latin (or classical) school in Braintree. Afterward, he entered Harvard and graduated during 1766. Also that year, David relocated in Taunton and he married Eleanor Bradish. Eleanor was the daughter of Ebenezer and Eunice Cook Bradish of Cambridge, Massachusetts. Her father operated the Bradish Tavern (later Porter’s Hotel), a prominent gathering place. David and Eleanor, according to the memoir of General Cobb, had the following children: Eleanor Bradish (b. March 1767, married James Hodges to become his second wife); Betsey (b. June 1768, married Ebenezer Smith); Thomas (b. January 1772, married Abigail Hall); William Gray (b. February 1773, died unmarried while serving in the campaign of General St. Clair, 1791); Eunice (b. November 1774, married Samuel Wilde); Mary (b. July 1776, married John Black); David (b. April 1778, died during campaign against Indians in 1794); Sally ( January 1780, died at seventeen);

CONWAY

79 Ebenezer Bradish (b. October 1781, died unmarried in 1840); Henry Jackson (b. December 1784, died unmarried, 1848); David George Washington (b. January 1794, subsequent to the death of his brother David, the name David was added to his name; he married Abby Crocker, daughter of Samuel Crocker). David Cobb studied medicine under Doctor Perkins (thought to be Richard Perkins of Bridgewater), but it is uncertain whether at Boston or Bridgewater, Massachusetts. Later, during 1774, Cobb was elected to the General Court and his brother-in-law, Robert Treat Paine (signer of Declaration of Independence), served in that body at the same time. Robert Treat Paine had married Sally, the sister of David. During the following year, Cobb became the surgeon of Colonel Thomas Marshall’s regiment and served with the unit from May through December 1775. On 12 January 1777, David joined Henry Jackson’s Continental Regiment, which was designated the 16th Massachusetts Regiment, on 23 July 1780. Colonel Cobb transferred to the 9th Massachusetts Regiment on 1 January 1781; however, his military activity had been observed by General George Washington and later, on 15 June 1781, Washington selected David as aide-de-camp, a position he retained until 7 January 1783. On 30 September, Colonel Cobb was awarded the rank of brevet brigadier general. General Cobb retired from the service that November. Due to his service with General Washington, a true friendship developed, and General Cobb, following the cessation of hostilities, spent a few months at Mount Vernon prior to resuming his medical practice. In 1784 he was appointed chief justice of the Court of Common Pleas (Bristol County), a post that he retained until about 1792. In the meantime, in 1785, he was selected by the legislature as major-general of militia in command of the 5th Massachusetts Division. Cobb’s mettle as a general would be tested the next June, as would his demeanor as a judge in jeopardy. An insurrection known as Shay’s Rebellion erupted, literally at the court’s doorsteps. An unruly mob moved to prevent the court from holding session. Cobb, who always presided while wearing his uniform and cocked hat, faced with the challenge, remained calm as he ordered the renegades out of the court, while informing them that he “would sit as judge or die as general.” His combination of courage and undaunted confidence prevailed. In conjunction, the militia was assembled under the command of General Benjamin Lincoln to deal with the crisis. On 20 January 1787, the militia took the offensive and swept through Worchester, Hampshire and Berkshire counties, with the insurgents scattering as the troops advanced. The rebels tried to hold ground at Petersham, Massachusetts, however, the militia struck suddenly during the night of 3–4 February 1787 and extinguished the insurrection. Its leader, Daniel Shay, fled to Canada. During 1789, General Cobb was again elected to the General Court and as speaker of the House. He served in that capacity for four years. At the end of his terms, during 1792, General Cobb was appointed as commissioner charged with drawing the boundary to separate Massachusetts and Rhode Island, a task that had been disputed by both states for well more than one hundred years. In addition, Cobb was also elected to the U.S. Congress during 1793, and he remained there until 1795. Also in 1795, General Cobb became agent for the Bingham estate in Maine, and at about that same time or early the following year, he moved to Gouldsborough and constructed a home at Gouldsborough Point with the dream of establishing a city there. He oversaw the blueprints for roads and the construction of various enterprises such as the creation of saw mills, building of ships and the establishment of wharves and warehouses. General Cobb also engaged in agricultural ventures. Nevertheless, his dream never materialized, as people in the region settled in other areas. General Cobb was elected to the state Senate, representing Hancock County, during 1801. He served as president of the body through

1803, was absent during 1804 and again served in the identical capacity during 1805. In the meantime, during 1803, the general was appointed chief justice of the Court of Common Pleas (Hancock County), a position he retained until 1809. Cobb was elected lieutenant governor of Massachusetts that year, but he served only one term after losing an election the following year to William Gray. His military career terminated during 1814, when he was succeeded as major general in command of the Tenth Massachusetts Division (militia) by John Blake of Brewer. In addition to the other positions, General Cobb had also served as supreme executive councilor in a district that encompassed Hancock County during the following years: 1805, 1808, 1812 to 1815, and again during 1817. Several years later, during 1820, he relinquished his position as manager of the vast Bingham estate, but the position remained in the family when his son-in-law, Colonel John Black, became his successor. By that time, General Cobb had been a widower for about twelve years and his health had begun to fail. Following the death of General Cobb’s wife (7 January 1808), his widowed daughter, Betsey Smith, moved into his residence to care for him. During the final segment of his life, General Cobb was transferred to the General Hospital of Boston, where he succumbed on 17 April 1830. A monument in his honor was erected at Taunton. In addition to his career as a physician, soldier and politician, General Cobb was involved with the Taunton Academy, the Society of the Cincinnati and the American Society of Arts and Sciences. His religious affiliation was with the Congregationalist Church.

Conway, Major General Thomas Thomas Conway was born in Donegal, Ireland, during 1733, but when he was about six years old, his parents immigrated to France. Thomas received his education and his military experience in France. While serving in the French army, Thomas, prior to deciding to travel to the colonies, achieved the rank of colonel and was made a knight of the order of St. Louis. His military credentials were sufficient to gain him a conference with the Silas Deane, the American agent in Paris. Consequently, with the support of Deane, Thomas sailed for America with promise of him becoming a general officer in the Continental Army. He initially landed in Boston and apparently lacked sufficient funds to travel further. General Heath, according to nineteenth century sources, provided the Irishman with money to permit him to repair to Washington’s headquarters. Afterward, Thomas arrived in Morristown, was introduced to General George Washington, and soon after, with the support of Washington, he was accepted as a general officer. In Philadelphia, on 13 May 1777, Congress considered a report on Conway from the committee on Foreign Applications, which included information on his thirty years in the French military and his service in the Irish Brigades, the latter since 9 November 1772. After consideration of the report, Congress appointed Thomas as a brigadier general. Within a few months, General Conway had become disgruntled with his chain of command, and by the latter part of September 1777, he filed a complaint against Major General Lord Stirling (General William Alexander). Shortly thereafter, General Conway plunged into further controversy by becoming a major player in a conspiracy to oust General Washington as commander-in-chief. In the meantime, General Conway participated at the Battles of Brandywine and Germantown on 11 September and 4 October 1777, respectively. Thomas had been assigned command of four Pennsylvania regiments (General Alexander’s [Lord Stirling’s] division). On 11 October, General Conway began to unfold what became known as the “Conway Cabal” when he wrote to General Horatio Gates suggesting that Washington should be replaced and that Gates should be named commander-in-chief. At about that time, Charles Carroll was dispatched to Valley Forge as part of a committee charged with investigating complaints against General Washington. Prior to

CORNELL the inquiry, the Board of War suddenly gained members who were political adversaries of Washington, increasing the power of those against him. Generals Gates and Mifflin became members and Gates was installed as president. Charles Carroll became aware of the danger to Washington, due to certain incidents, including noticing John Adams, Sam Adams and Doctor Benjamin Rush joining with Washington’s enemies. The plot began to unfold during October 1777, and Carroll traveled to Valley Forge to confer with Washington. Carroll made several trips, and at one point, Doctor Rush tried to enlist Carroll to side against Washington and support a move to arrest Washington and place Gates in command. Carroll denounced the action and remained loyal, along with Governeur Morris and others, to ensure the conspiracy failed. General Washington also learned some of the particulars of the conspiracy on 3 November, when Lord Stirling gave him a copy of the letter from Conway to Gates. At about the same time, General Conway was attempting to use his persuasion to be promoted to major general; but similarly to other cases of foreigners’ promotions, there was much opposition to promoting Conway over American generals. At the point of the opposition stood Washington and Charles Carroll. In the letter to Gates, General Conway had written: “Heaven had been determined to save your country, or a weak general and bad counsellors would have ruined it....” Later, on 24 November, Congress received a letter from General Conway and a copy of his commission, which informed Congress of Conway’s intent to resign from the service. Congress took no action and ignored his threat to resign, while Conway’s allies in Congress toiled to get him promoted to further their purposes in the ongoing struggle to oust Washington. During a Saturday session in York, Pennsylvania, on 13 December, Congress resolved to appoint two inspectors generals. General Conway was appointed as the first inspector general and action on the second appointee was postponed. On that same day, Congress promoted General Conway to the rank of major general. By 23 December, the conspiracy was foiled. Some in Congress and some in the military that were implicated later claimed no involvement. General Conway lingered for a while, but he was shortly thereafter left with few options other than to return to France. Various unsigned letters that placed blame on the poor condition of the army on Washington circulated and other unfounded charges were included; however, supporters of Washington, including Patrick Henry and John Laurens, had forwarded copies of the letters to Washington, keeping him abreast of the conspirators’ actions. On 22 March 1778, Congress ordered General Conway to repair to Peekskill. Congress resolved “that General Conway be directed to repair to the army at Pecks Kill, now under the command of General M’Dougal, who, while he continues in that command, is authorized to draw on Jonathan Trumbull, Esqr. pay master in the northern department, for money to answer such demands as relate to the army on Hudson’s river.” Conway was also to have participated as second in command in a scheduled plan to again invade Canada; however, Lafayette, the senior commander, refused to accept Conway and the expedition was scrapped. On 28 March 1778, Frederick von Steuben became inspector general, but his appointment was not confirmed until the following May when Congress also appointed him a major general. General Steuben succeeded General Conway as inspector general; however, General Conway never actually assumed the duties of the post and General Steuben is recognized as the first effective U.S. Army inspector general. During the following month, General Conway closed his military career in the United States. On 28 April, Congress received a letter from him in which he requested permission to resign from the army. Congress, to the great surprise of Conway, accepted his resignation. Having lost his congressional allies, he nevertheless traveled to York, Pennsylvania, in an attempt to reverse his resignation; however, by that time, Washington and his allies had unraveled the conspiracy to the

80 point where some denied any anti–Washington sentiments. Conway’s resignation was not modified. With additional discontent, Conway repaired to Philadelphia, where his negativity continued to rile others, particularly General Cadwalader, who tired of Conway’s antics and accusations about General Washington. Later, General Cadwalader became totally incensed and the animosity led to a duel between Cadwalader and Conway on 4 July 1778. Conway sustained a wound by a shot that entered his mouth and exited through the back of his neck. While an unscathed General Cadwalader stood nearby, Conway slumped to the ground face-first, but he managed to lift himself somewhat, glance at Cadwalader and say: “General, you fire with much deliberation and certainly with a great deal of effect.” Cadwalader’s response, if any, was apparently not recorded. Apparently, it was not quite as effective as thought by Conway, who, along with his attending physician, believed it to be a fatal wound. Within a few days he penned a letter of apology to General Washington, exclaiming his sorrow for having “done, written or said any thing disagreeable to your excellency. My career will soon be over, therefore justice and truth prompt me to declare my last sentiments....” Subsequent to his recovery, General Conway was unable to reinitiate any former friendships. He departed Philadelphia on 23 November 1778 en route back to France, where he resumed his military service. During 1784, he became maréchal de camp, and later he was appointed governor of Pondicherry and the French settlements in Hindostan. While in India, Conway’s propensity for adversity again emerged. His relationship with Tipoo Sahib (Tipu Sahib), the sultan of Mysore, flared into a heated dispute known to have caused worsening relations between France and India. During 1792, General Conway was ordered to assume command of the troops (Royalists) in southern France; however, it was a time of turbulence in France, as revolution was rapidly unfolding. General Conway, an ally of the monarchy, fled the country to escape the guillotine. He is thought to have died while in exile during 1800. In later years, John Jay related his sentiments about the Conway Cabal: “The actions of Congress behind closed doors would forever conceal from the world these actions by Congress against Washington because only he and John Adams, remain alive.” At the time of the revelation, Adams was near death. Jay continued to reveal the details of the secret sessions to remove George Washington. He stated that had the doors of Congress been open, the perpetrators would never have attempted to “injure Washington with the Army and the people.”

Cornell, Brigadier General Ezekiel Ezekiel Cornell, the son of Richard and Content Brownell Cornell, was born in Scituate, Rhode Island, during 1732. He received a fundamental education, but he neither attended college nor traveled to Europe to further his studies. Ezekiel had a mechanical aptitude and pursued the profession as a mechanic; however, he also engaged in farming. During 1760, on 19 January, according to the Dartmouth Vital Statistics, Ezekiel married Rachel Wood. Their children included Ezra (1762) and Rhoda (b. 1765, married Caleb Aldrich). During 1766, Cornell was elected as deputy to the General Assembly. Prior to his entrance into the military, he also served as a justice of the peace. On 2 May 1775, Ezekiel was appointed lieutenant colonel (attached to Colonel Daniel Hitchcock’s regiment, 2nd Rhode Island), and he remained with the regiment until it was disbanded during December 1775. When the Continental Army was reorganized 1 January 1776, the 2nd Rhode Island Regiment, commanded by Colonel Daniel Hitchcock, became the 11th Continental Regiment. Cornell served with the regiment as lieutenant colonel from 1 January 1776 until October of that year, when he was appointed to Washington’s staff and became deputy adjutant-general, a position he held until December. Afterward, Cornell was appointed brigadier general of the Rhode Island

CRAIG

81 militia. Subsequently, General Cornell was appointed as inspector of the Continental Army on 19 September 1782. In that capacity, he served for the duration. In the meantime, General Ezekiel Cornell participated in the siege of Boston as well as the actions in and around New York and Long Island. At the latter, while in Hempstead, Cornell transformed an Episcopal Church (St. George’s) into his headquarters and ordered the pastor to refrain from saying any prayers for the king or the royal family. Later that year, Cornell was with Washington’s staff during the attack against Trenton in December 1776 and Princeton in early January 1777. Afterward, Cornell participated in the defense of Rhode Island. During General John Sullivan’s campaign of 1778 against British-held Newport, Cornell commanded a brigade. On 24 August 1778, during the siege of Newport, General George Washington informed General Sullivan that about 100 British ships were en route to bolster Newport. Sullivan was soon after ordered to abandon the trenches and retire toward Butts Hill (Aquidneck Island) to await the return of a French fleet under Admiral D’Estaing, but the latter did not arrive. Nevertheless, Sullivan was able to evacuate. By the night of 28 August, the siege was abandoned. The forces — including those of Nathanael Greene, John Glover, John Tyler, James Varnum and Ezekiel Cornell — deployed to defend against a British attack during the pre-dawn hours of the 29. By dawn on the 30th, the British discovered that Sullivan had fled, and General Robert Pigot immediately initiated pursuit. A fierce battle ensued at Quaker Hill, with both sides sustaining heavy casualties; however, Glover’s artillery held the British at bay and Sullivan’s army was able to safely make it to the mainland. General Cornell retained his rank until 16 March 1780. That year he became a member of the Continental Congress, which he served through 1782. At that same time (1780), Daniel Mowry, James M. Varnum, and John Collins were also elected as Rhode Island representatives in Congress. On 1 May of the following year, Cornell was reelected, along with John Collins, Jonathan Arnold and David Howell. Meanwhile, by October of 1780, Congress was attempting to snap back from some serious problems, including the loss of Charleston in May followed by the debacle at Camden in which General Horatio Gates suffered a terrific loss and the treachery of Benedict Arnold. General Washington had urged Congress to adapt to the fast-changing circumstances and to place all military affairs under its power. General Cornell had been appointed during the latter part of August to a five-man committee, and its challenge included consideration of three-year drafts to prevent catastrophe and to draw up a plan of reorganization. Others on the committee included Samuel Adams, Joseph Jones, Thomas McKean and John Morin Scott. The committee worked in conjunction with Baron von Steuben and concluded that Congress was to direct each state to field a complete complement of troops by 1 December 1780. The plan was adopted on 21 September. The problems stretched across all of the armed forces, including military installations. The Springfield Armory had fallen into deplorable condition. On 30 July 1781, the Board of War authorized changes that had been carried out by the inspector general, Ezekiel Cornell. The modifications included Captain William Hawes (formerly in command of the harness-makers) being retained as captain of the artificers, and Captain John Bryant (formerly captain lieutenant) of Crane’s artillery regiment being retained as captain in the laboratory. The other officers at the arsenal were discharged. Ezekiel Cornell retired from public life during 1782 and returned to Scituate, Massachusetts. He succumbed on 25 April 1800, the year following the demise of his wife, Rachel, who had died in August. At the time of his death, General Cornell was living in Milford, Massachusetts; however, he was interred at Scituate. His burial place remains unknown.

Craig, Isaac (Marine) Isaac Craig was born in Ireland at Hillsborough in County Down during 1741. He immigrated to America between 1765 and 1767 and settled in Philadelphia, where he lived with several brothers. Isaac was a carpenter and a cabinet maker. Shortly after the Marine Corps was established (10 November 1775), Isaac, on 29 November, was commissioned as a first lieutenant in the corps and attached to the Andrew Doria, commanded by Captain Nicholas Biddle. Captain Biddle’s Andrew Doria participated in the initial invasion by the Continental Navy when New Providence in the Bahamas was seized during March 1776; the American flag was raised for the first time on foreign soil following the first amphibious invasion by American Marines. The invasion was unopposed and the landing force while on the island sustained no battle casualties. On 22 October 1776, Isaac Craig was promoted to captain of Marines and was assigned to the galley Champion. Meanwhile, the British were in pursuit of the Continental Army as it moved through New Jersey en route to Pennsylvania to escape destruction following the grueling summer campaigns in and around New York. After a short cruise aboard the Champion, Captain Craig returned to Philadelphia, where General George Washington was soliciting reinforcements. In response, Major Samuel Nicholas (considered first commandant of the Marine Corps) led a small battalion of Marines to bolster the Continental Army. Captain Craig served as adjutant. On 27 December 1776, the day following Washington’s spectacular victory at Trenton, New Jersey, the Marines arrived in Burlington, slightly below Trenton. The battalion joined with the Pennsylvania militia under General John Cadwalader. Captain Craig afterward participated at the Battle of Princeton on 3 January. During early February 1777, the artillery contingents that had been with General Washington departed; however, their artillery pieces were left behind. Captain Craig and his contingent of Marines were directed to assume responsibility for the artillery. By the following month, Captain Craig switched services. On 3 March, he was commissioned a captain in the Pennsylvania Artillery Regiment, later the 4th Continental Artillery Regiment. Captain Craig requested that his resignation from the Marine Corps be accepted and it was approved. The British were halted by Washington, but they remained focused on seizing Philadelphia, and later that year a British fleet departed New York for the Chesapeake Bay, from where they launched an attack during the summer by advancing northward from Maryland. Captain Craig participated in the defense of Philadelphia, including the Battle of Brandywine in September 1777 and the Battle of Germantown on 3 October. After the fighting at Germantown, the British retired to Philadelphia, while the Continental Army moved to Valley Forge, which was where General Washington established winter quarters. Captain Craig, however, was spared from the depredations of the winter of 1777–1778 at the encampment. He, along with some other officers, was selected for a separate mission in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, where they group was to be instructed in the various “munitions laboratory techniques.” Craig remained at Carlisle until August 1778. Subsequently, during the following year, Captain Craig was appointed commander of Fort Billingsport, New Jersey, just south of Philadelphia on the western bank of the Delaware River. Later that year, he participated in the campaign against the Six Nations, led by General John Sullivan. The expedition was launched in retaliation for Indian hostilities in New York state in the area of the Genesee River. The campaign, which lasted from July through September 1777, ended successfully. Next Captain Craig rejoined the Continental Army at Morristown, New Jersey, during January 1780, and he remained with General Washington’s camp until 20 April 1780, when he was ordered to repair to Fort Pitt at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Craig led his artillery unit across the

CRAIG frontier and reached the fort on 29 May. During the following year, Captain Craig participated in an expedition led by George Rogers Cark that moved to the Falls of the Ohio (Louisville, Kentucky). Clark initiated the offensive after being informed that the British had planned to attack Fort Wheeling (West Virginia). The expedition lasted from July through November 1781. On 10 November, Clark retaliated after Indians attacked Blue Licks, Kentucky, by driving against Chillicothe (a group of Shawnee villages) in Ohio. The Indian towns were destroyed and the Kentucky riflemen who accompanied Clark were able to rescue some whites who were earlier captured. The troops also destroyed the crops of the Indians, ensuring extreme hardships during the winter of 1781–1782. The campaign terminated hostilities in the Northwest for the duration of the war. Captain Craig arrived back at Fort Pitt on the day after Christmas. While he was participating in the campaign, he had been promoted to the rank of major, effective 7 October 1781. In November of the next year, Captain Craig commanded a reconnaissance mission that advanced to the Cayahoga and Grand Rivers. The contingent returned to Fort Pitt during early December 1782. Captain Craig afterward continued to be posted at Fort Pitt until his retirement from the service on 17 June 1783. Subsequent to being separated from the army, Captain Craig settled in Pittsburgh and entered into a business partnership with Stephen A. Bayard. In 1784, he married Amelia Neville, the daughter of Colonel John Neville. Isaac’s career as a civilian prospered. He also became a member of Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh, following the religion of his birth. He was also, during 1787, made a trustee of the Presbyterian Congregation of Pittsburgh and a member of the American Philosophical Society. Later, during 1791, Craig was offered the position as deputy quartermaster of the U.S. Army, and at the same time he was offered the position of “military storekeeper” in Pittsburgh. Several years later, during 1794, while the frontier was being ravaged by hostile Indians, Isaac declined the post of commissary general of the army commanded by General Anthony Wayne during the campaign which avenged the earlier losses, including a major defeat of Governor (general) Arthur St. Clair during 1791. Wayne’s campaign culminated by devastating the Indians at the Battle of Fallen Timers in Ohio on 20 August 1794. Afterward, the Treaty of Greenville (summer 1795) officially brought peace to the frontier. During 1795, Isaac entered into a partnership with General James O’Hara, and together the pair established a plant in Pittsburgh that became the first glass manufacturing company west of the Allegheny Mountains. The pots were made in Pittsburgh and the clay was brought into the plant from Philadelphia by mule trains and pack horses. Other sources for clay included Germany. The first green glass was created during 1800; the estimated cost of producing that first glass was $35,000. In the meantime, relations with France had deteriorated and the United States was preparing for war (Quasi War with France), but simultaneously, steps were taken to prepare for trouble with Spain, which still dominated the Mississippi River. The federal government authorized the construction of two row galleys, the President Adams and the Senator Ross, and Isaac Craig was appointed superintendent of the construction project. The vessels were scheduled to move down the Mississippi River to wrest control of the river. However, events in Europe changed the situation in the United States when France under Napoleon gained control of Louisiana and sold it to the United States in 1803, during the administration of President Thomas Jefferson. The trouble with France was confined to the sea and the conflict was ended during 1800 by the Treaty of Morfontaine, but relations with Britain continued to be poor and the War of 1812 followed. Despite his age, Craig served during the conflict. He utilized his knowledge learned many years ago while he was at Carlisle during the revolution. Craig was engaged in supplying munitions to the Northwestern Army. Isaac Crag died in 1826 on 14 May. He was interred at the First Pres-

82 byterian Graveyard, but later, during 1902, his remains were extricated and he was re-interred in the Allegheny Cemetery.

Craig, Major General Thomas Thomas Craig, the son of Thomas and Mary Craig, was born in Pennsylvania on 26 October 1739. Thomas was a farmer when the war erupted, but he exchanged his plow for a musket. On 5 January he was appointed captain in a company of militia attached to Colonel (later major general) Arthur St. Clair’s 2nd Battalion. He participated in the ill-fated campaign in Canada during 1775–1776. In September 1776, Thomas was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel of the 3rd Pennsylvania Regiment. During March of 1777, the regiment, composed in part from St. Clair’s 2nd Battalion and commanded by Colonel Joseph Wood, was entered into the Continental Army; however, Colonel Wood was compelled to relinquish command due to wounds sustained earlier while serving in Canada. Lt. Colonel Craig assumed command and remained with the regiment for the duration. Craig’s regiment participated in the defense of Philadelphia, and afterward, with the city under control of the British, the Continental Army established winter quarters in Valley Forge. In June 1778, the British abandoned Philadelphia with the forces of Washington in pursuit. Craig participated in various actions, including the battle of Monmouth. In January 1781, the regiment’s strength had been drained by casualties and expiration of enlistments; however, it was reorganized at Easton, Pennsylvania, and attached to General Anthony Wayne’s force. The regiment participated in the southern campaign in Virginia and afterward, Craig was ordered to join General Nathanael Greene in the Carolinas. After the war, Craig became a judge in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, during 1784. Subsequently, during 1789, he relocated at Towamensing Township. General Craig was married to Dorothy Briner. In 1798, he was commissioned a major general in the Pennsylvania militia and retained the commission into the War of 1812 until 1814. General Craig succumbed on 20 January 1832.

Crane, Brigadier General John John Crane, the son of Abijah and Sarah Field Crane, was born in Milton, Massachusetts on 7 December 1744. While John was a young teenager of about fifteen, his father was drafted (1759) to serve in the French and Indian War. However, Abijah was medically unfit at the time and John volunteered in his place. Subsequently, about 1767, John and his wife, Mehitable Wheeler Crane, whom he married during the previous year, moved to Boston. Their children were Abijah, Isaac, John, Charlotte (Charlotta) and Mehitible. John Crane’s sentiments were aligned with the Patriots against the policies of the crown, and he was among the early members of the Sons of Liberty. During December 1773, John participated in the incident known as the Boston Tea Party when Patriots costumed as Mohawk Indians dumped a cargo of tea into Boston harbor. John had the dubious honor of becoming the only casualty of the raid. He sustained an injury and was discovered aboard the ship in the hold on the following day. The handed down story is that when he was recovered and had his boot removed, there was some tea in the boot. It was preserved as a family memento. Afterward, the nation continued to slide further away from the mother country. During 1774, Crane was commissioned as a lieutenant of artillery (Rhode Island militia). Following the clashes at Lexington and Concord, he arrived outside Boston and, on 3 May 1775, became a captain in Samuel Gridley’s artillery regiment. As an artillery officer major, he was known for expert marksmanship. On 10 December 1775, John was promoted to the rank of major (Knox’s Continental artillery regiment). He participated in the siege of Boston and, subsequent to the British abandonment of the city on 17 March 1776, he participated in the various actions in New York until he was wounded.

DAGWORTHY

83 During the following September, on the 14th at Corlaers Hook, on one of his usual missions firing at enemy positions and ships at sea, Crane’s artillery was firing at the HMS Rose in the East River (Hudson). He had an unusual ability to follow the trajectory of a flying shell, but once when an incoming round was en route, standing on one leg, he swiveled to avoid getting hit, but in the process, the shell hit the leg which was in motion in the air and caused serious injury. The shell tore off part of his foot. He sustained lockjaw, but survived to return to duty the following spring. At the time of his retirement he refused a pension, stating: “No, sir; they never shall never say that I eat their bread when I have done serving them.” In 1777, after spending time in Boston, he was promoted to the rank of colonel on 1 January and given command of the 3rd Continental Artillery Regiment. Colonel Crane then participated in the defense of Philadelphia, including the battles of Brandywine and Germantown. Following the fighting at Germantown, during October 1777, the British returned to Philadelphia and General Washington established winter quarters at Valley Forge. During June of 1778, the British evacuated Philadelphia and the Americans initiated pursuit. Colonel Crane’s regiment participated at the Battle of Monmouth ( June 1778), the final major battle in the northern states. Later, on 17 June 1783, Colonel Crane was transferred to Corps of Artillery. On 30 September that year, Colonel Crane was promoted to the rank of brevet brigadier general. On 3 November 1783, he retired and the next year he relocated in Quoddy (later Lubec), Maine. From there, during 1786, he moved to Orangetown (later Whiting), Maine and was appointed as the initial judge of common pleas court (Washington County). General Crane succumbed during August 1805. Though he had refused to accept a government pension, his commercial endeavors during the post-war period never succeeded and toward the latter part of his life, he was compelled to accept the help.

Cushing, Brigadier General Charles Charles Cushing, the son of John and Mary Cotton (second wife) Cushing was born in Scituate, Plymouth, Massachusetts, on 13 August 1734. Charles received an excellent education and chose law as a profession. He graduated from Harvard during 1755. In addition to his profession as an officer of the court, Cushing became a law officer. He was appointed as the first sheriff of Lincoln County, a post he held prior to the American Revolution and retained well after the close of hostilities. About 1760, Charles, along with his brothers William and Rowland, settled in Pownalboro. He married Elizabeth Sumner, the sister of Governor Sumner, during August 1768 and they resided in Pownalboro (later Dresden), Maine. Charles and Elizabeth had eight children; however, two of their daughters, born during 1770 and 1771, died during infancy. The others were: Elizabeth (b. March 1772, married Elisha Doane); Mary (b. January 1774, married Senator Eli Ashman and then Stephen Codman); Charles, Jr. (b. December 1775, married Ann Huske Sheafe); Sarah (b. November, 1777, married Charles Paine); Lucy (b. February 1780, married Henry Sheafe); and Harriet (b. March 1784, d. December 1807). In the meantime, during 1776, Cushing, with the rank of colonel, was appointed as commander of the Eastern Regiment of Maine. A fervent Patriot, while in the military he also maintained his position as sheriff, and the combined power made it especially uncomfortable for Loyalists in his region. In January 1777 Cushing was appointed brigadier general of Lincoln county militia. On 19 June, General Cushing proposed a plan to drive the British and Loyalists from Maine using the combined militias of Cumberland and Lincoln counties. That month, a British force arrived from Halifax and established positions (Fort George) at Penobscot Bay. The British later repulsed an American fleet and the landing

force due to timidity of the American command. The British controlled Castine until 1783. In the meantime, during the summer of 1780, militia from Lincoln County were directed to protect supplies and magazines, and they were ordered to repair to Providence to bolster forces under Colonels Jacobs and Wade. During the summer of 1780, John Jones led a band of Loyalists on a raid to seize Cushing. The raid succeeded. General Cushing was plucked from his bed and carried to Castine, where he was detained. General Cushing’s capture coincided with the end of his military service. After the war, General Cushing served as clerk of the courts (Suffolk and Nantucket counties) from 1783 until his death. Charles Cushing succumbed on 17 November 1810. His wife, Elizabeth, lived until 31 May 1817.

Cushing, Brigadier General Joseph Joseph Cushing, the son of Elijah and Elizabeth Barstow Cushing, was born in Hanover, Massachusetts, during March of 1731 or 1732. He pursued the study of law and subsequent to graduating Harvard (1752) with a master of arts degree, Joseph established his law practice in Plymouth County. That year, he married Ruth Stockbridge and together they had seven children: Ruth, Elizabeth, Charlotte, Joseph, Deborah, Benjamin and Horatio. Cushing was appointed probate judge of Plymouth County and retained the position throughout his life. During 1774–1775, Cushing participated in the provincial congresses. Later, during 1776, he became a member of the Hanover Committee of Correspondence. In the meantime, when the revolution erupted, he served in the Plymouth County militia, initially as a captain. Afterward, he was appointed brigadier general of the 1st Brigade, 5th Massachusetts Division. The details of General Cushing’s service in the field are scarce, which indicates that he was most probably engaged primarily in defensive activity. Nevertheless, during the Saratoga Campaign of 1777, General Cushing sped to Bennington and some contingents of his command participated at Saratoga. General Cushing’s health failed during the latter part of his life and his faculties diminished. He succumbed on 19 December 1791. His wife, Elizabeth, survived him and later succumbed on 12 February 1822.

Dagworthy, Brigadier General John The son of John and Sarah Ely Dagworthy, John Dagworthy was born in Trenton, New Jersey, on 30 March 1721. During 1746, he served in King George’s War. He formed a contingent of about 100 men and became its captain on 23 August 1746. Dagworthy’s company was attached to Colonel Peter Schuyler’s regiment (known as the Jersey Blues) and was scheduled to participate in an invasion of Canada. However, the operation was canceled. The regiment arrived at Saratoga, New York, during September 1746 and Captain Dagworthy deployed at Fort Clinton. The winter weather settled into the area, which increased the difficulties of the garrison. The following year, the fort was abandoned due to the inability to procure provisions. During the time in the Hudson Valley, five men in Dagworthy’s company succumbed and another ten deserted. In 1748, Captain Dagworthy received a commission as captain in the British Army. In September 1753, Dagworthy commanded two companies of rangers who were delegated to guard the border along western Maryland during the French and Indian War. During the conflict, Captain Dagworthy had a prolonged disagreement with Colonel (later general) George Washington regarding rank and command; however, Washington finally culminated the problem by repairing to Boston to confer with General Shirley. Initially, General Braddock sided with Dagworthy, but upon his death, the decision rested with General Shirley.

DANIELSON Part of the argument was whether Fort Cumberland was a king’s fort or a Maryland fort. Shirley concurred with Colonel Washington and confirmed Washington as being superior in rank. Governor Sharpe of Maryland had sided with Dagworthy; however, his attempts to persuade Shirley to side with Dagworthy failed. Shirley’s decision did not deter Dagworthy from remaining in the service. He continued as the commander of Fort Cumberland, which was less than a comfortable post. At the time, his troops were not receiving pay and the supply problems were deplorable. Nevertheless, his command, having great respect for Captain Dagworthy, remained loyal. During the ongoing dispute, Dagworthy ignored Washington’s directives whenever the latter was at Fort Cumberland, and the animosity impeded the cohesion of the garrison. The crisis also infuriated Governor Robert Dinwiddie of Virginia, who adamantly rejected any thought that a Maryland captain in command of a small company of troops would supersede a Virginia colonel and become commanderin-chief of Virginia troops, but the fort was in Maryland, not Virginia. Washington was authorized by Dinwiddie to place Captain Dagworthy under arrest; however, he took no action. In addition, Captain Dagworthy was acting on his previous commission in the British Army, which elevated him above provincial officers. Subsequently, Captain Dagworthy was promoted to lieutenant colonel. During 1758, Colonel Dagworthy, in command of a battalion of about 500 men, participated in the campaign against Fort Duquesne, and a contingent of his battalion was with Major James Grant’s vanguard when it sustained a devastating defeat. Fort Duquesne was seized on 25 November 1758 and afterward renamed Fort Pitt. Word of the fall of the French fortress was delivered in Baltimore by Colonel Dagworthy. In June 1759, Dagworthy acquired a patent to increase Pleasant Grove (Worcester County, Maryland), where he had earlier relocated. Additional land was awarded to Dagworthy for his services in the French and Indian War. Due to the drawing of the Mason Dixon Line, his property became part of Sussex County, Delaware. His property encompassed 20,393 acres and became known as “Dagworthy’s Conquest.” At the time, Delaware was considered the Lower County of Pennsylvania. The town became known as Dagsboro in honor of Dagworthy. The boundary dispute between Delaware and Maryland was ended during 1767 and at that time, Dagworthy’s ownership was confirmed. The Dagworthy estate was described as “capacious” and John was known for his cordiality and generous hospitality. He is reported as having been a major contributor to the church that was built in the town, and he was also responsible for the establishment of a grist mill, sawmill, tannery and a lumber facility in which he cut lumber and, upon his own vessels, transported it to Philadelphia and Trenton to be sold. John married Martha Cadwalader on 20 October 1774. Martha was the daughter of Doctor Thomas and Hannah Lambert Cadwalader. John and Martha had one child, Eli (b. 1775). Four days after the marriage, on 24 October, Governor John Penn (Pennsylvania) appointed Colonel Dagworthy as justice of the peace for Sussex County and later, he was again appointed to the same post (8 March 1777) by Delaware President John McKinly, who was also commander-in-chief of Delaware’s armed forces. As a justice of the peace, Colonel Dagworthy, along with others, was charged with defining the borders of the terrain gained from Maryland and with “selecting freemen to conduct the election for inspectors and assessors,” according to the Delaware laws of the time. In the meantime, the relations between Britain and the colonies had continued to deteriorate, and the move toward open rebellion was becoming more conspicuous. Colonel Dagworthy was appointed to the Committee of Safety (Sussex County), established to quash the Loyalist opposition. During 1775, Delaware, similarly to the other colonies, began building its strategy in coordination with the creation of a military struc-

84 ture. Caesar Rodney, a delegate to Congress, was appointed major general of militia, and the legislature also selected John Dagworthy and Philemon Dickinson as brigadier generals. General Dagworthy initiated action to raise a brigade in Sussex County. In Philadelphia, Congress pondered the candidates for commander-in-chief, and some consideration was given General Dagworthy due to his earlier commission in the British Army. But the gears were in motion to select George Washington, and an eloquent speech by John Adams secured Washington’s nomination by unanimous choice. The New Englanders pushed for the Virginian to secure the support of the southern colonies in the move toward independence. During the course of the war, Washington, having previously encountered problems with General Dagworthy, apparently chose not to chance future disobedience by not bringing him into the service of the Continental Army. Nevertheless, Thomas McKean, a member of Congress from Delaware, noted in a letter during 1777: “We [Congress] made a promotion in the militia by making Dagworthy Brigadier in the Continental Army.” General Dagworthy focused on the defense of Delaware and in suppressing the Loyalists in the state. John Dagworthy succumbed on 1 May 1784, the year following the official termination of hostilities with Britain. General Dagworthy’s will is of record at Georgetown, made 18 June 1781, with a codicil dated the 27 July 1782, and the same probated May 24, 1784. He was survived by his second wife, Martha Mitchell (widow of James Mitchell) Dagworthy. General Dagworthy provided bequests for his nephews, James Mitchell, William Clayton Mitchell and Nathaniel Mitchell. He was interred in St. Prince George’s Chapel near the altar. He had several sisters, including Elizabeth, Mary and Sarah. Mary married Abraham Hunt to become his second wife. Abraham has been lost in the pages of history, but he did play an unexpected part in the victory at Trenton when George Washington stunned the British after crossing the Delaware on Christmas night, 1776. At the time, General Dagworthy’s brother-in-law, Abraham, was a prominent merchant in Trenton and he was also the postmaster. Another obscure fact about Abraham is that he held a commission as lieutenant colonel in Smith’s 1st Regiment, a militia unit if Hunterdon County. Abraham was also considered by some to be a Loyalist; however, no records held by the state of New Jersey place any blemishes on his service. On the night of the attack, Colonel Rall, the Hessian commander at Trenton, chose not to return to his quarters and instead visited Abraham and Mary, aware that their guests were always well received. Tradition regarding the incident says that Rahl partied well into the night and that he was less than full strength when a knock at the door brought a message about the presence of Washington’s army. Nevertheless, whether the prolonged entertainment of Rahl was intentional or an accident of destiny will remain a mystery. General Dagworthy was also the brother-in-law of Generals John Cadwalader and Philemon Dickinson. General Cadwalader was the brother of Dagworthy’s wife, Martha, and General Dickinson married Martha’s sister Mary and, later, another sister, Rebecca.

Danielson, Brigadier General Timothy Timothy Danielson, the son of John and Margaret Mighell Danielson, was born in Brimfield, Massachusetts, on 6 December 1733. John and Margaret had six other children: John (b. December 1728); Nathaniel (b. April 1729); Margaret (b. September 1731); Mary (b. January 12, 1736); and Sarah (b. June 1741). Timothy’s father established residence in Brimfield about 1724. It is thought that the Danielson family initially emigrated from Scotland to Killingly (Danielson). Timothy attended Yale and graduated during 1756. He studied for the ministry and for a while taught school in Brimfield, but he chose neither teaching nor the life of a minister. Rather, Timothy engaged in trading; however, he was aligned with the Patriots and remained loyal to the cause in the capacity of a soldier and a legislator.

85 While pursuing his career, Timothy also took time to settle down with a family. He married Beulah Winchester on 26 November 1761 and together they had two daughters, Sarah (b. August 1761) and Martha (b. August 1766). During 1766, following the Stamp Act of 1765, Timothy Danielson was elected to the provincial assembly; he served there through 1773. In 1774, he was selected as a member of the Governor’s Council; however, General Gage refused to accept some of the nominees and Danielson was on that list. That year, in September, Timothy was elected chairman of a convention held by a series of towns in Hampshire County in an effort to draw up strategy for opposition to the policies of the crown. In addition, the colony convened several Provincial Congresses between 1774 and 1775; Timothy was a delegate at each one. The strained relations between the colonies and Britain struck a point of no return in April 1775 when the British clashed with the Minute Men at Lexington and Concord. Danielson had previously held the rank of colonel in the Hampshire County militia; however, he did not command a regiment until the eruption of hostilities. Colonel Danielson, after receiving command of his regiment, participated in the siege of Boston. William Shepherd served as Danielson’s lieutenant colonel and David Leonard was major. While the siege was ongoing, Colonel Danielson, on 30 January 1776, was promoted to the rank of brigadier general (militia) and charged with the task of recruiting and expediting the distribution of supplies and ammunition. Subsequently, according to House records (April 1780), a committee selected Timothy Danielson, Oliver Prescott, and Jonathan Titcomb as major generals of the Massachusetts militia; however, on 8 May, the Senate selected Timothy Danielson, Michael Farley and Oliver Prescott, and two days later, the House concurred (the election was recorded in Chapter 158, in 1780, April session, Laws and Resolves). General Danielson, while participating in the military affairs of the time, was also elected to the Massachusetts legislature for 1776 and 1777. In December 1779 he was appointed to the court of common pleas (Hampshire County) and he served there as a judge until 1790. During his term in office, Danielson, like other members of the court, was involved with the insurrection known as Shay’s Rebellion. When renegades blocked the entrance to his court, General Danielson bulldozed his way through the crowd and entered his courtroom. Following his service in the legislature, he was appointed to the Governor’s Council, a position he retained from 1778 through 1786. General Danielson also participated as a member of the convention (1779–1780) that established the state constitution. He was elected as a delegate to Congress including 1780 and 1782, but he did not attend the sessions. During June 1782, Increase Sumner was elected as delegate to Congress in place of Danielson, who resigned. Danielson was again elected to Congress during 1783. General Timothy Danielson succumbed on 19 September 1791. He was interred in Brimfield. General Danielson had remarried after the death (date uncertain) of his first wife, taking Elizabeth (Eliza) Sikes as his second wife. His widow, Elizabeth, had three young children, Timothy (b. 1787), Eli (b. 1789) and Sarah (b. 1790). Elizabeth was still young when General Danielson succumbed. During 1792, she married Captain (later general) William Eaton in Union, Connecticut. Both of Elizabeth’s sons from her marriage with General Danielson served in the armed forces. Timothy was a lieutenant in the U.S. Army; he died from fever during December 1812 while en route with General William Henry Harrison to regain Detroit from the British. Eli, Elizabeth’s other son, succumbed while serving in the U.S. Navy during August 1808, while at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Sarah, the daughter of General Danielson and Elizabeth, married Doctor Asa Lincoln.

Davidson, Brigadier General William Lee William Davidson, the son of George Davidson, was born in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, during 1746. William’s family relocated

DAVIDSON to North Carolina about 1750 and settled in Rowan (later Iredell) county. As a young boy, William received his education locally, and afterward he attended an academy at Charlotte. He married Mary Brevard, the daughter of John Brevard. They established residence along what became known as Davidson’s Creek in the vicinity of Centre Church. William and Mary had the following children (four boys and three girls): George, John Alexander, Ephraim Brevard, William Lee, Jr., Jean, Pamela and Margaret. Mary Brevard Davidson’s family was also firmly entrenched in the Patriots’ cause. She had eight brothers who served in the army. One of them, Ephraim, penned the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence. During April 1776, the North Carolina Provincial Congress resolved to raise the number of regiments from the two that had already been formed to six. Davidson was appointed major in the 4th Regiment, which was to be commanded by Colonel Thomas Polk. The regiment was directed to move north with the command of General Francis Nash to support the Continental Army, which at the time was under great pressure from the British. The regiment participated at the Battle of Princeton ( January 1777) and afterward fought as part of the army that defended Philadelphia when the British moved against it. Later that year, while the British were solidifying their positions in Philadelphia, the regiment participated at the Battle of Germantown (October 1777) in which General Nash was killed. The British moved back into Philadelphia, and General George Washington established winter quarters at Valley Forge. The British abandoned Philadelphia during June of 1778 with the Patriots in pursuit. By that time, Davidson had been promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel for his heroism at Germantown. The British were engaged at Monmouth, New Jersey, on 28 June in what became the final major battle in the northern states. In November 1779, Lt. Colonel Davidson was ordered to lead his regiment to the South to bolster General Benjamin Lincoln at Charleston. Davidson had permission to pause in North Carolina to visit with his family, which he had not seen for about three years. Following his leave, Colonel Davidson repaired to Charleston; however, the British by that time had the city under siege and he was unable to enter the city and join his regiment. His inability to join the regiment saved him from being among the captured when Charleston fell on 12 May 1780. Colonel Davidson returned to North Carolina. After the fall of Charleston, the Loyalists in North Carolina became more confident and initiated activity to regain control of the state. The Loyalists were especially bold in western North Carolina. Colonel Davidson, leading militia, moved to eliminate the problem. In July 1780, he became wounded while engaged against Loyalists led by Colonel Samuel Bryan near the Yadkin River at Colson’s Mill (Rocky River Bridge). The wound knocked him out of action for about two months. In the meantime, General Horatio Gates sustained a devastating defeat at Camden on 16 August 1780. The fiasco costs Gates his military career. General Griffith Rutherford was among the captured. On 31 August, due to the capture of Rutherford, the North Carolina General Assembly promoted Colonel Davidson to the rank of brigadier general (Salisbury district). The Continental Army was nonexistent in the South following the loss of Charleston and the defeat of Gates, but Congress acted quickly. Initially, Congress bypassed General Nathanael Greene (General Washington’s choice) for commander of the Southern Department, but Greene was eventually selected to replace Gates. General Davidson was directed to bolster General Greene’s forces during the period following General Daniel Morgan’s victory at Cowpens in January 1781. Morgan was outrunning pursuing British forces and attempting to transport captured British prisoners to Virginia. On 26 September 1780, at Charlotte, forces under Major William R. Davie and General Davidson defeated a large force of British. After the

DAVIE clash, the Americans retired, but the forces of Davie and Davidson maintained pressure on the roving British units. On 14 October, a force of Loyalists was unexpectedly encountered by a Patriot force in Surry County along Mulberry Field Road near the Yadkin River. The Patriots included a contingent of General Davidson’s command. The engagement, known as the Battle of Shallow Ford, essentially terminated the organized resistance of the Loyalists in the region. The Patriots lost one man killed, Captain Henry Francis, and about four wounded. On 28 January 1781, General Charles Cornwallis closed upon General Morgan, but the latter accelerated his retreat and directed General Davidson to intercept the British to delay them. At the time, torrential storms were pounding the area and causing the rivers and streams to rapidly rise and the roads to become impassable. Morgan was moving the prisoners from Salisbury toward Moravian Town (later Winston-Salem). Nonetheless, the weather worked to the advantage of the Patriots. Cornwallis was stalled for three days at the Catawba. General Davidson was charged with his diminutive force to hold four fords, including Cowan’s. Davidson directed contingents to each, and he deployed at Cowan’s Ford to fight a delaying action. On 1 February, during the early morning fighting, General Davidson sustained a mortal wound. After being shot in the chest, he fell from his horse and died. Davidson’s militia force of only several hundred, unable to withstand the pressure of the superior force, retreated with no time to recover the body of General Davidson. That evening after dusk, two of his men, Richard Barry and David Wilson, disregarded their personal safety to retrieve their fallen commander. Despite the darkness, they found the location where Davidson had fallen and succeeded without incident to transport his body to the residence of Samuel Wilson. General Davidson’s widow was contacted and brought to Wilson’s home. Afterward, the general was interred at Hopewell Church. The loss of General Davidson was personally felt by General Greene, who had been using the skills of Davidson to command the militia. On 20 September, Congress resolved “that the governor and council of the State of North Carolina be desired to erect a monument, at the expence of the United States, not exceeding the value of five hundred dollars, to the memory of the late Brigadier General Davidson, who commanded the militia of the district of Salisbury, in the State of North Carolina, and was killed on the first day of February last, fighting gallantly in the defence of the liberty and independence of these states.”

Davie, William Richardson (Framer of the U.S. Constitution and, later, Brigadier General) William Davie, the son of Archibald Davie, was born in England on 20 June 1753 at Egremont, Cumberlandshire, England. When William was about seven years old, his father left England, taking his son to Waxhaw, South Carolina, where they stayed with the Rev. William Richardson, William’s uncle (his mother’s brother). William remained with his uncle, who adopted him. The Reverend Richardson guided William through his early years. He was educated in Charlotte, North Carolina, at Queen’s Museum College, and afterward at the College of New Jersey (Nassau Hall, later Princeton). After receiving his diploma from Princeton, during 1776, William returned home, but during his absence his uncle had died. Richardson, having no other children, made Davie his heir. Meanwhile, there were no openings for an officer in his district of South Carolina. Consequently, William traveled back to North Carolina to resume studies in pursuit of becoming a lawyer. While in Salisbury, however, having fully sided with the Patriots against his native land, Davie became involved in raising a cavalry troop. He also concentrated on acquiring his law degree, which he received during 1779. At that time he was licensed to practice in the county courts, but by the following year, he was granted authority to practice in the superior courts. Meanwhile, during 1777, Davie participated in a 2,500-man force led by General Allen Jones (his future fa-

86 ther-in-law) that moved to Charleston to support the defenders there, but the threat ended prior to the column’s arrival. Jones returned with the force to North Carolina, ending about three months’ service in the field. Davie participated in various clashes in 1779. Initially, he was commissioned lieutenant by Governor Richard Caswell and assigned to the cavalry unit commanded by Captain William Barnett of Mecklenburg. The unit rode toward the back country to support other militia in putting down an insurrection, but the Loyalists had been subdued prior to the arrival of Barnett’s cavalry. Shortly thereafter, Captain Barnett resigned his commission and Davie assumed command with the rank of captain; shortly afterward he was promoted to the rank of major, while his cavalry was attached to Count Pulaski’s Legion. Davie’s cavalry, attached to General Jethro Sumner’s brigade, participated in the Battle of Stono Ferry, South Carolina, on 20 June 1779. The Americans were close to victory as forces under Colonel William Moultrie pushed forcefully onto James Island, but suddenly, General Benjamin Lincoln ordered a retreat. Afterward, the British abandoned the island. During the fighting, Major Davie led one of the charges and was wounded. Davie, after being hit, fell from his horse, but he had the presence of mind, despite his serious wound, to try to hold his horse’s bridle. A nearby unidentified soldier from a separate unit spotted Davie and simultaneously saw the approaching Redcoats. Ignoring the closing enemy, he reached Major Davie, got him back in the saddle and led him into the woods, saving William from capture. The soldier afterward re-entered the fight. Davie’s wound to his thigh kept him out of service for a prolonged recuperation period at Charleston. In conjunction, General Benjamin Lincoln had been leading his command into Georgia when the British moved against Charleston. Lincoln reversed course and returned in time to bolster Moultrie and compel the British to retire. On 1 August 1780, during General Thomas Sumter’s push against Rocky Mount, Major Davie was sent on a diversionary mission. His contingent of about eighty men returned to Land’s Fort on the 5th, but without any prisoners, yet the mission came close to seizing captives. Davie’s column rode into camp with about sixty extra horses, all with saddles. Davie also seized a large number of muskets and rifles. During that time, Major Davie was concerned about one young boy of about thirteen who arrived in camp with his older brother. Davie insisted the boy was too young; however, the youth was persistent and wore out Davie, who acquiesced. That young boy did accompany the mission, but at the time, no one noticed little Andy Jackson, later general and president of the United States. On 5 August, it was decided to launch the attack against Hanging Rock on the following day. The Patriots routed the Loyalists, but soon after they focused on booty rather than the enemy. General Sumter ordered the force to regroup, but only Davie’s command was prepared to engage the enemy, which had also regrouped. In a stunning maneuver, while the Patriots retired with the booty as the British prepared a counterattack, Davie’s cavalry, supported by only about 200 infantry who remained in place, vanished into the woods, only Richardson Davie (Magazine of Amer- to emerge in full gallop heading directly into Tarleton’s ican History, Vol. 28, 1892)

87 Legion, which vanished. Afterward, Davie headed for Rugeley’s Mill to join with General Horatio Gates, only to encounter Gates at the head of his retreating forces about ten miles outside of Camden, following Gates’ disastrous defeat. Davie was promoted to the rank of colonel on 5 September 1780. That month, Colonel Davie encroached Loyalist positions on the farm of one of the men ( James Wahab) in North Carolina without being detected. The British were unable to react, and as they attempted to outrun one force they encountered another; the Patriot cavalry seemed to be at every spot on the Wahab Plantation. Again no prisoners were taken, but it was because no quarter was given. Those who were able ran for the nearby British post. Davie’s troops were comfortable with their catch, more than 100 stand of arms and about 100 saddled horses. The British were poised to launch another raid until it was foiled by Davie. Aware of a huge British force posted nearby, Davie led his column out of harm’s way before the reinforcements arrived. On 26 September, Cornwallis advanced toward Charlotte, North Carolina, where Colonel Davie was posted with a small contingent. The Redcoats in the vanguard had no idea that Davie’s force was deployed in three layers, waiting to spring a trap. Tarleton’s Legion commenced a charge, but the first layer stood still as if oblivious to the galloping cavalry. As the column reached a point about fifty yards distant, the Patriots fired and broke the momentum of the assault. When the Patriots pulled back, another cavalry attack was launched and it too was struck by more devastating fire that caused the British to retreat. Afterward, Davie headed for the woods, leaving the main body of the British no foe to tackle. He continued to operate against the British positions and columns in conjunction with the forces of General William Davidson of North Carolina. The British sustained a severe defeat at Kings Mountain on 7 October 1780, and by the 14th Cornwallis retired toward Charleston, accompanied by Colonel Davie’s command, which trailed at striking distance and harassed Cornwallis’ rear guard as the column moved. By the 19th, Cornwallis was across the Catawba at Land’s Ford and back in South Carolina. In January 1781, Colonel Davie was appointed commissary general for the Carolina campaign, which placed him with General Nathanael Greene, successor to General Horatio Gates. General Greene had met Colonel Davie during December 1780 when he assumed command of the Department of the South. The opening as commissary came about due to the resignation of Colonel Thomas Polk around that time. The year 1781 was a turbulent one. North Carolina had three governors and each was nothing like the other. Governor Abner Nash, brother of the late General Francis Nash, resigned because of dissatisfaction with the legislature. He was replaced by Thomas Burke, but he was captured and succeeded by Alexander Martin. The position as commissary was a thankless job and the legislature was not in good financial condition, compelling Colonel Davie to again revert to his personal credit to procure supplies and arms. During the Siege of Ninety Six (May–June 1781), Colonel Davie was approached by the soldier who earlier saved his life at the Battle of Stono Ferry, and he told the colonel he would be back to see him. However, during the latter part of May, an attack was launched to reduce the Loyalist-held post and the soldier who saved Colonel Davie was among the fatalities. During that same year, Cornwallis abandoned the Carolinas for Virginia, where he was opposed by Lafayette, and afterward, General George Washington arrived with the Continental Army and a French fleet. Cornwallis surrendered on 17 October 1781. Subsequent to the close of hostilities, Davie resumed his private life and re-established his law practice, which flourished, which was fortunate because he committed and exhausted his fortune during the war. In the meantime, William married Sarah Jones, the daughter of General Allen Jones and the niece of Allen’s brother, General Willie

DAVIE Jones. Sarah’s father is known to have married several times and another of his daughters, Mary, married General Thomas Eaton to become his second wife. William and Sarah established their residence at Halifax, North Carolina. In 1786, Davie was elected as a representative in the North Carolina Assembly, and while a legislator strived to revise the state laws and establish a code for the same. Davie was also involved with the complex circumstances and negotiations that brought about the cession of Tennessee from the United States. Davie was sent to the Constitutional Convention that met in Philadelphia from May to September 1787. As a delegate from North Carolina, he was a fervent advocate of establishing a strong and effective federal government. With his efforts, the entire North Carolina delegation supported the adoption of the U.S. Constitution, subsequent to the “Great Compromise,” which guaranteed that states received equal representation in the U.S. Senate and representation by population in the House of Representatives. Davie departed the convention just prior to its conclusion, confident the Constitution would be adopted. Davie left the convention to return to his duties as a lawyer to handle the cases of his clients around the circuit courts’ fall session. The other delegates from North Carolina were William Blount, Richard Dobbs Spaight and Hugh Williamson, each of whom signed the Constitution. Prior to the compromise offered by New Jersey, Davie supported the idea that the legislature should appoint senators and presidential electors, and he supported slaves being counted with regard to population representation. The U.S. Constitution was adopted on 17 September 1787 and would be made effective upon ratification by nine states. New Hampshire was the ninth on 21 June 1788. Davie worked for ratification in his state, and after the removal of several political obstacles, on 21 November 1789, North Carolina ratified and became the twelfth state to join the union. After ratification by New Hampshire, the new Congress convened on 3 March 1789, under the authority of the United States Constitution. The old Congress, operating under the Articles of Confederation, dissolved. During the following month, George Washington was inaugurated as the first president of the United States. Rhode Island, which did not send delegates to the Constitutional Convention, ratified the Constitution on 29 May 1790 to become the last of the original 13 states. Afterward Davie continued to expand his legal practice, but in addition to his military skills and his legislative ability, he also extended his interests beyond the law and into elevating education in North Carolina. Davie, known as the “Father of the University of North Carolina,” was the primary founder of the institution (initially Warrenton Academy, chartered 1786), and was involved with the selection of the location as well as the curriculum, which was to include the classics as well as mathematics and social sciences. He was presented a doctor of laws degree by the university during 1810. Davie also remained in the legislature for many years, and was absent only when his private affairs prevented him from engaging in the election process. He served as a representative of Halifax in 1786, 1787, 1789, 1791, 1793, 1794, 1796, and 1798. In the meantime, Governor Richard D. Spaight commissioned Davie as a major general of militia (3rd North Carolina Division) during 1794, as the war clouds were gathering due to French aggression. On 24 June 1797, Congress ordered the raising of troops from a few states. North Carolina raised 7,268, and during the following September, General Davie was appointed major general with command of the North Carolina contingent. When the crisis with France accelerated, Congress called for a provisional army during May 1798 and directed the force to be composed of 10,000 troops. General Davie was commissioned as brigadier general by President John Adams. On 19 July 1798, the Senate approved the appointment. General Davie was elected

DAYTON governor of North Carolina on 4 December 1798 and inaugurated on the 7th after defeating Benjamin Williams. During the hostilities with France (Quasi-War with France), President Adams began preparing a war footing. George Washington was called upon to resume his role as commander-in-chief and others considered important to military stability and readiness were also recalled. Governor Davie, during 1799, was appointed as one of the commissioners charged with negotiating with France to conclude the conflict. He resigned as governor during September 1799. His successor was Benjamin Williams, transferring the governor’s seat to the anti–Federalists. On 3 November 1799, General Davie and Oliver Ellsworth sailed from Newport, Rhode Island, aboard the United States en route to Europe, but the turbulence in France prompted them to sail to Spain after first arriving in Lisbon, Portugal. The vessel departed Portugal on 21 December and sailed into unruly seas. The ship got blown off course but escaped disaster from the storm, and they arrived at Corunna on 11 January 1800. Later that month, the party abandoned their seaward journey and traveled overland, arriving at Burgos, Spain, on 9 February. At Burgos, a French messenger, sent by the French minister, Talleyrand, delivered an invitation to travel to Paris and confer with Napoleon. However, after their arrival in Paris, time was wasted, as Napoleon had been in the field on his Italian Campaign. Serious talks did not begin until Napoleon returned. The Treaty of Morfontaine was signed on 30 September 1800 by Ellsworth and Davie on behalf of the United States and by Joseph Bonaparte (brother of Napoleon) and two others, Monsieur Roederer and Monsieur Fleurieu. Oliver Ellsworth was the senior diplomat, but the commanding presence of Davie and his fluent use of the both the French and Spanish languages seemed to keep Napoleon focused on General Davie, rather than Ellsworth and William Vans Murray, the minister at the Hague who joined the American ministers in Paris. After the treaty was signed, General Davie sailed for home, while Ellsworth traveled to England and Murray returned to The Hague. In 1801, General Davie was solicited as a candidate for Congress, but due to personal affairs, he declined. That June, he was appointed by President Thomas Jefferson to act as chair of a commission that included Benjamin Hawkins to negotiate a treaty between North Carolina and the Tuscarora Indians. He held talks with the Indians at Raleigh and a treaty was signed on 4 December 1802. King Blount and the others in his tribe afterward moved to New York state during June 1803. Davie ran for Congress during 1803, but his bid failed; he was solicited to run but he did not campaign. His wife, Sarah, died during 1785 and Davie retired from public service. He settled on his plantation (Tivoli Plantation) in Chester County, South Carolina. Afterward, the long-simmering tensions with Britain that continued after the Revolutionary War finally erupted in yet another conflict, the War of 1812. During 1813, President James Madison, successor to President Jefferson, appointed Davie as a major general, but he declined. William Richardson Davie succumbed in November 1820 at his plantation (various sources give the date as 18 November, 5 November and, including the National Archives, 29 November; the monument at his grave site gives only the years of his birth and death). He was interred in the Old Waxhaw Presbyterian Churchyard in Lancaster County. General Davie was survived by three daughters and three sons.

Dayton, Brigadier General Elias Elias Dayton, the son of Jonathan and his second wife, Mary Crane Dayton, was born during 1737 at Elizabethtown (Elizabeth), New Jersey. Elias’s father, a captain of militia under Governor Lewis Morris, had resided at East Hampton on Long Island prior to relocating in New Jersey. According to the history of Springfield Township, New

88 Jersey, Elias’s father while married to his first wife had a child named Jonathan who was born in 1732 and later became a doctor serving in the military during the Revolution. During 1757, Elias, who by that time had entered the mercantile business, married Hannah Rolfe. The couple had eight children, including the oldest, Jonathan (b. 1760, married Susan Williamson), who later would serve in the army during the Revolution and become a signer of the U.S. Constitution. The other children included Elias Bailey, Aaron, John, Hannah (married Matthias Ogden, later brigadier general), Horatio, and William. Dayton entered the military during 1759 and served as a lieutenant attached to the Jersey Blues. By the following year he was raised in rank to captain. Following the conclusion of the French and Indian War, Dayton served during Pontiac’s War (1763–1764) and during 1764, he commanded a company of militia that advanced to Detroit, which was under siege. The siege ended and the Indians sustained a devastating defeat at Bushy Run at the hands of Colonel Henry Bouquet, which essentially terminated the conflict, but Pontiac did not make peace until 1766. Dayton remained a staunch Patriot during the pre–Revolutionary War days. As the break between the colonies began to widen, Dayton was appointed to the Elizabethtown Committee of Safety. During early 1776, he participated in the daring raid on a British vessel, the HMS Blue Mountain Valley, that was moored off Elizabethtown, New Jersey. Patriots disguised as fishermen approached the supply ship in four boats on the 22nd of January and succeeded in fooling the crew. The Patriots seized the ship before the English discovered the ruse. During the following month, on the 9th, in Philadelphia, Congress directed that another battalion be raised in New Jersey. That day, Congress appointed Dayton colonel of the 3rd New Jersey Battalion and commissioned Anthony Walton White as lieutenant colonel. During the following month, Colonel Dayton was ordered by Congress on the 14th to repair to New York. Other units, including the regiments of Colonels William Irvine and Robert Magaw, received identical orders on that same day. Colonel Dayton was charged with supporting the defense of Ticonderoga. However, on 17 April 1776, Congress ordered a part of Dayton’s battalion to move back to New Jersey: “Resolved, That the commanding officer at New York, be directed to order two companies of Colonel Dayton’s battalion to march to Cape May, there to remain till farther orders.” While in New York, Dayton served initially at Albany and from there he moved to Rome and engaged in reconstruction at Fort Stanwix (Fort Schuyler). At that time, he oversaw the construction of Fort Dayton in Herkimer. However, Dayton’s tour was not confined to fortifying defenses. His command also engaged the Indians prior to being ordered back to New Jersey during March of 1777. In September 1778, a force composed of English and Indians attacked German Flats and reduced the settlement; however, the settlers were able to flee to the safety of Fort Dayton and another fortification, Herkimer Church Fort. In autumn of 1780, the area was again attacked and ravaged; however, the settlers were able to seek safety at the fort built by Dayton and escape annihilation. By May 1781, Fort Dayton stood as America’s westernmost post in New York. After arriving back in New Jersey, Colonel Dayton’s command participated in action at various places including Bound Brook, New Jersey, and raids against Staten Island. In addition, Colonel Dayton participated with General George Washington at the Battle of Brandywine (September 11, 1777) and at Germantown during October of that same year when the British were seizing Philadelphia. The following year, when the British abandoned Philadelphia, pursued by the Continental Army, which had wintered at Valley Forge, Colonel Dayton’s command participated in the Battle of Monmouth, the final major contest in the northern states. During 1779, Colonel Dayton participated in the Sullivan Expedition against the Loyalist-Indian force that had been ravaging various

89 settlements. On 7 June 1780, Colonel Dayton was with Lafayette in New Jersey when about 5,000 troops under General Knyphausen landed at Elizabethtown and moved against Morristown. A tenacious skirmish occurred southeast of Springfield at Connecticut Farms, which was destroyed, but the British halted their advance and moved back to their landing point, De Hart’s Point, on the following day. The British did succeed in destroying Connecticut Farms. That July, Colonel Dayton received command of the New Jersey Brigade in succession to General Maxwell, who retired from the service. During the following year, 1781, Colonel Dayton commanded the 2nd New Jersey Regiment and was involved with quashing a mutiny of the New Jersey Line. Also that year, he moved to Virginia and participated as a brigade commander during the Yorktown Campaign, in which Lord General Charles Cornwallis was trapped at Yorktown and compelled to capitulate on 17 October 1781. At Yorktown, Colonel Dayton’s brigade (composed of the New Jersey Regiments of Matthias Ogden and Dayton as well as the Rhode Island regiment under Lt. Colonel Commandant Jeremiah Olney was attached to General Benjamin Lincoln’s division, along with the brigade of General James Clinton (1st and 2nd New York Regiments commanded by Colonels Goose Van Schaick and Philip Van Courtlandt, respectively). Colonel Dayton was not wounded during the war; however, the enemy had repeated opportunities to liquidate him. His horses had not fared so well. At least three were shot from under him while he engaged the enemy, one at Germantown, another at Connecticut Farms and yet another at Crosswick’s bridge, the latter occurring during the fighting in the vicinity of Monmouth. Colonel Elias Dayton finally received his promotion to brigadier general on 7 January 1783. He was next to last in receiving a commission during the conflict, followed only by General Charles Armand, a Frenchman, who assumed command of the Legion upon the death of Count Pulaski at Savannah in October 1779. During June 1783, General Dayton was appointed major general of New Jersey militia. Subsequent to his retirement from the Continental Army on 3 November 1783, General Dayton served in the New Jersey legislature, followed by service in Congress (1787–1788). With regard to local politics, General Dayton was elected mayor of Elizabethtown during 1796; sources cite varying lengths of service, with some claiming that he retained the position each successive year except for one until 1805 and others claiming he was mayor in 1796–1797 and 1801. In addition, Dayton was a trustee of the First Presbyterian Church and was involved with the Society of Cincinnati. He served as president of the New Jersey branch from its establishment to his death. General Elias Dayton succumbed on 22 October 1807. He was interred at the First Presbyterian Church cemetery in Elizabeth, New Jersey. General Dayton’s daughter Hannah married Colonel (later brevet brigadier general) Matthias Ogden during 1776. His son Jonathan participated in the Yorktown Campaign and the Sullivan Expedition and in 1780 served in his father’s regiment. Later, Jonathan was elected to Congress, and subsequent to his father and Abraham Clark having declined attending the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787, Jonathan was selected as a delegate. He supported and signed the U.S. Constitution. (See also, Dayton, Jonathan.)

Dayton, Jonathan (Signer of the U.S. Constitution) Jonathan Dayton, the oldest child of Elias and Hannah Rolfe Dayton, was born on 16 October 1760 at Elizabethtown (Elizabeth), New Jersey. In addition, Elias and Hannah had Elias Bailey, Aaron, John, Hannah (married Matthias Ogden, later brigadier general), Horatio, and William. Jonathan’s father, a veteran of the French and Indian War and a merchant at the time of Jonathan’s birth, operated a store in Elizabeth. Jonathan received an excellent education, which included the Reeves school and the College of New Jersey (later Princeton University).

DAYTON Jonathan’s father was steadfastly opposed to the policies of the Crown and Parliament, and as the nation moved toward active resistance, Elias Dayton was aligned with the Patriots. Elias and Jonathan were appointed to the committee of enforcement during 1774 pursuant to action of the First Continental Congress that convened across the river in Philadelphia and sought support with its declaration regarding nonimportation. The decision to refuse to import goods from Britain was enthusiastically received throughout the colonies, and groups were formed to deal with those who sought to bypass the boycott for personal gain. By the following year, the slim thread that held the colonies and Britain together—while attempts continued to persuade the king to reconsider the unjust policies and end the tension — was severed on 19 April 1775 at the battles of Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts. The British exchanged fire and the powder keg exploded. The Minute Men stood their ground to block passage, and the first shot was fired, but which side fired first was never determined. Suddenly the world’s most powerful military was engaged against an undisciplined, untrained army composed of farmers, merchants, and other civilians. The British, in addition to their seasoned army, controlled the seas. They had no fear of the Americans challenging their warships, as the Patriots had no navy, merely some private vessels, surely no match for the Royal Navy. Meanwhile, the capital of the Patriots was in Philadelphia, far from Boston, adjoining New Jersey. Elias Dayton, Jonathan’s father, was appointed as colonel of the 3rd New Jersey Regiment and his son, attending his last year in college, received a call from his father to join. Suspending his studies, Jonathan, too, joined the regiment, despite the fact that he was only about fifteen years old. The momentum in New Jersey began to build. The royal governor was ousted and arrested, then transferred to Connecticut. George Washington had been named commander-in-chief and had set out for Cambridge to assume command of the American forces. Volunteers funneled into the area from all points, and soon many became part of the Continental Army. The British were corralled in Boston, but on 17 June 1775, they pushed to quash the resistance that had fortified Breed’s Hill, just under Bunker Hill, and a major conflagration erupted. The Patriots battled tenaciously and the British paid a high price; however, when the Patriots had expended all of their ammunition, they were forced to abandon the hill. A siege developed and the British were forced to abandon Boston on 17 March, 17776. It was after that evacuation that New Jersey found itself in the direct path of the British as they later, following several engagements, including Long Island and White Plains, the latter during October, 1776, moved against Philadelphia. Jonathan Dayton’s initial participation in the military occurred while he held the rank of ensign. He was with the regiment attached to the Canadian expeditionary force. The 3rd New Jersey moved to Canada during spring of 1776. The campaign had already sustained severe losses on the 31st of December of the previous year and things deteriorated during the winter. In addition to the grueling winter and battle casualties sustained, Jonathan’s regiment was marching toward a remnant army that was in retreat, but worse, smallpox struck with more devastating results. The 3rd New Jersey was directed to divert and move to the Mohawk Valley to support the efforts there in eliminating Loyalist resistance and Indian raids upon the settlements. During their tour in the valley, the troops constructed Fort Dayton and Fort Schuyler (later Fort Stanwix). The regiment had been absent from the state during Washington’s retreat that took the Continental Army into Pennsylvania. During the battle of Trenton and Princeton on 26 December 1775 and 3 January 1777, respectively, Dayton’s college was located in the area where the two sides exchanged blows and with each of the contests, Washington’s troops prevailed. The regiment did arrive back in New Jersey during early 1777, just in time to support Washington in his

DAYTON efforts to prevent the British from seizing Philadelphia. By that time, Dayton had achieved the rank of captain. Once again, the regiment was on the march outside the state. Dayton participated in the Battle of Brandywine in September 1777 and Germantown during the following month. The British did occupy Philadelphia, while the Continental Army established winter quarters (1777–1778) at Valley Forge. While Washington opposed General William Howe in Philadelphia, back in New York, the Patriots halted an army under British General John Burgoyne at about the identical time, inflicting losses upon the British at Saratoga during September and October. Following the second loss, Burgoyne surrendered his entire army to General Horatio Gates. The 3rd New Jersey Regiment accompanied Washington to Valley Forge and remained there to endure a punishing winter. The following June, the British, unable to totally control the Delaware River, were compelled to abandon Philadelphia on 18 June. General Howe initiated a retreat to New York by crossing the Delaware into New Jersey and marching north. Washington ordered the army to break camp and intercept the columns. There suddenly was a whirlwind of activity. Once the city of Philadelphia was deemed safe, the members of Congress returned. Meanwhile, Washington’s vanguard caught the British at Monmouth on 28 June. The 3rd New Jersey moved tenaciously, and the familiarity of their home turf provided some advantages. The battle was fiercely fought by both sides and each claimed victory, but the stalemate seemed more than a draw. During the night, while General Washington prepared to again attack to finish off General Howe, the British absconded under cover of darkness on the night of the 18th–19th and resumed the march to New York. The Battle of Monmouth, New Jersey, was the final major clash in the northern states. The field of battle shifted southward for the duration. As the strategy began to change, with Washington continuing his efforts to outmaneuver the British, he deployed forces from New York northward to Connecticut as a protective line. The 3rd New Jersey remained in their home state as part of Washington’s umbrella of protection to contain the British forces in New York. In 1779, the 3rd New Jersey again was called upon for duty outside the state. The regiment returned to New York, attached to the campaign led by General John Sullivan. Sullivan swept through the region to retaliate against the Indians that had been ravaging the valley. In cooperation with Sullivan, another force under Colonel Daniel Brodhead departed Fort Pitt in western Pennsylvania. The campaign ended successfully and culminated at the Battle of Newton (Battle of Chemung) on 29 August 1779. During the campaign, Captain Dayton served as an aide to General Sullivan. Afterward, the regiment returned to New Jersey to resume their responsibility of defending the region, which continued to be a cauldron due to the high number of Loyalists and British raiders who frequently launched raids from Staten Island. In autumn 1780, Dayton, having acquired much experience in the field, particularly along the frontier, found himself in a predicament. While at his uncle’s (Lt. Colonel Matthias Ogden) residence at Elizabethtown on 5 November, a contingent of unexpected visitors, a raiding party of Loyalists from Elizabethtown, surprised Colonel Ogden and Dayton and captured the pair. Some nineteenth century and contemporary sources list Ogden’s capture during October; however, a portion of the General Orders of 6 November specifies his capture on 5 November. The excerpt: “The General has just received information that Colonel Ogden and Capt. Dayton, who were in Elizabeth Town, were taken last night in their Bed by the Enemy a Convincing proof that they have the most minute Intelligence of every thing that passed in that Place, and that it is Dangerous for an Officer (except with a Guard or Under sanction of a flag) to remain there during the Night....” Both were confined in New York until April 1781, when they were granted parole. Ogden and Dayton resumed their military duties.

90 Both were attached to a recently re-formed brigade, which included two regiments under the command of Jonathan’s father, Colonel Elias Dayton (later brigadier general). Captain Jonathan Dayton remained with the brigade and was transferred to the 2nd New Jersey. Afterward, Captain Dayton’s company moved to Virginia and participated in the Virginia Campaign, which succeeded in establishing a siege of Yorktown to terminate the campaign with the surrender of General Lord Cornwallis and his entire army. The British at Yorktown awaited reinforcements from New York, but the sea lanes were blockaded by a French fleet. During the siege, one of the British strong points, Redoubt 10, became an informal spot for a reunion of two of the students, Jonathan Dayton and Alexander Hamilton, from Princeton and their teacher, Colonel Francis Barber. Colonel Barber ordered and led a bayonet attack to reduce the obstacle. After the campaign ended much of the Army marched north to New York. The New Jersey troops halted when they got back to their region. Colonel Elias Dayton and Captain Jonathan Dayton remained in the service until the army was disbanded during 1783. Jonathan, having been compelled to leave college early due to the war, and many other student-soldiers with similar circumstances were presented degrees. Jonathan’s father and his uncle Matthias were both promoted to the rank of brevet brigadier general toward the close of hostilities. Upon his return to civilian life, Jonathan Dayton entered the family business, but he did not end his education. He pursed the study of law and entered politics, following in the steps of his father, who was elected to the Continental Congress. Jonathan Dayton was elected to the state assembly as a representative of Elizabeth. His reputation as a veteran of the war and his general popularity as a skilled leader led to his selection as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention, which met in Philadelphia during 1796 to form a new government for the infant republic. Initially, General Elias Dayton and Abraham Clark (signer of the Declaration of Independence) were chosen, but both declined. Elias’ son Jonathan was decided upon. Jonathan Dayton joined with the other New Jersey delegates, David Brearly and General William Livingston, and during the convention, Dayton remained aligned with his colleagues. He held back from taking a conspicuous role, but he diligently participated and was in agreement with the adoption of the United States Constitution, which occurred on 17 September, 1787, effective upon ratification by nine states. New Hampshire ratified the Constitution on 21 June to become the ninth. New Jersey ratified the Constitution on 18 December 1787 to become the 3rd state to join the union. Following adjournment of the convention, Dayton was sent to join the final session of the Continental Congress. Having gained even more prominence, he then returned to the state legislature and served as the speaker of the lower house. His rise in politics lifted him further when he was elected during 1791 to the U.S. House of Representatives and then re-elected three additional times. Dayton had been elected to the initial U.S. Congress during 1789, but he did not serve; rather, he decided to remain in the New Jersey council and maintain his position as speaker of the state House. While in Congress, serving with some former friends from the war and one of his former classmates at Princeton, Alexander Hamilton, Dayton political alliances remained with them, prompting him to be aligned with the Federalists. During the period that the Jay Treaty was up for ratification by the Senate, Dayton supported President Washington, who favored its adoption. The treaty was ratified by the Senate during June 1785. Dayton became speaker of the House and held that position for the final four years of his service in Congress. Dayton purchased Boxwood Hall in Elizabethtown during 1795 and resided there until his death. He had married Susan Williamson and the couple had two daughters, but the date of the marriage is unknown and the names of his daughters were unavailable.

91 Later, during the period of turbulence with France, known as the Quasi War with France, a running conflict that began during 1798 and continued until 1800, but only on the high seas. Dayton was nominated for command of the Corps of Artillerists and Engineers. Dayton, however, showed no interest in returning to the military. He declined the appointment to remain in Congress. Jonathan was elected to the U.S. Senate during 1799, where he served one term. During that time, the situation in Louisiana was uncertain. France under Napoleon was at war with Britain and its allies, and Napoleon, concerned that Britain might gain the territory, sold it to the United States during 1803. At the time, Thomas Jefferson, a Democratic-Republican, was president and strongly favored the purchase. Dayton, although a Federalist, also supported the Louisiana Purchase. Throughout Dayton’s careers, politically and in the military, various new friends and acquaintances increased his knowledge and sharpened his skills, but the military sparked his interest in the frontier and the vast opportunities associated with future expansion. His interest intensified after serving with General Sullivan during the campaign of 1779. Dayton had begun to accumulate enormous amounts of land in Ohio. One of his old friends who served in the war was Aaron Burr who had also, like Hamilton, been one of his former classmates at Princeton. The trio of Burr, Dayton and Hamilton inadvertently formed a peculiar setting that led to tragedy for one and disgrace for the other two although in unrelated incidents. Dayton had lent money to Burr, but Burr became involved in a land conspiracy with international complications. Burr was charged with treason and Jonathan Dayton was implicated in the scheme. Dayton and Burr were arrested during 1807 on charges of conspiracy. However, Dayton was never tried. Burr was tried and acquitted, but he would stand trial for another crime. On 11 July 1804, Burr and Hamilton met in New Jersey to engage in a duel, prompted by a challenge from Burr, subsequent to some derogatory statement by Hamilton regarding Burr. At the time of the duel, Burr was vice president of the United States. Hamilton fired in the air, but it has never been determined if the shot was intentional or if it occurred after he was hit by Burr’s shot. Nevertheless, Hamilton sustained a fatal wound. New York indicted Burr for the crime, but after being acquitted in the case regarding the seizure of Spanish lands west of the Mississippi River, he fled the country. Dayton was scheduled to travel with Burr to the southwest, but he became ill and was unable to join the expedition. His public career, despite his acquittal, was terminated subsequent to charges of conspiracy. The damage was particularly confined to the national scene; Dayton suffered no repercussion in New Jersey and continued to be well respected. He was able to hold local offices and he returned to the state assembly during 1814–1815. Dayton died on 9 October 1824, several months after he had the pleasure of being rejoined with Lafayette, with whom he had served during the Yorktown Campaign. Lafayette had returned to the United States that year for a tour of the country that he helped build. Dayton was interred in the cemetery of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Elizabeth, New Jersey. His land holdings in Ohio expanded to about 250,000 acres that stretched between the Big Miami and the Little Miami Rivers. The city of Dayton was named in his honor of Jonathan Dayton. (See also, Dayton, Brigadier General Elias.)

Deane, Silas Silas Deane, the son of Silas Deane, Sr., was born on 24 December 1737 in Groton, Connecticut. He graduated from Yale in 1758. Afterward, Silas taught school, but he diverted from a teaching career to study law. He was admitted to the bar during 1761. On 8 October 1763, Silas married Mehitable Webb, the widow of Joseph Webb, who had been a well to do merchant in Wethersfield, Connecticut, where Silas had settled. Deane, as an attorney, settled the estate of his late father-in-law and afterward entered the mercantile business. Mehitable

DEANE Webb, about five years older than Silas, had six children and a thriving business left behind by her late husband. Soon Silas was transformed into a merchant who focused on expanding his interests. By 1764, Deane had a new and much larger home built near the store. Soon after moving into the new residence, the family grew by one. Silas and Mehitable had a son, Jesse, but within a few years, Mehitable died from consumption. Afterward, Silas married Elizabeth Saltonstall, the widow of John Ewetse, who died at sea, and the daughter of General Gurdon Saltonstall and sister of Dudley Saltonstall (Continental Navy). In 1768, Deane entered politics and was elected to the lower house of the Connecticut Assembly as a representative of Wethersfield. He was returned to the assembly during 1772 and remained there until 1774. In the meantime, on 21 May 1773, in response to a communication from Virginia’s House of Burgesses, the assembly established a Committee of Correspondence; Silas was appointed secretary. Also that year, Deane was appointed to a committee that dealt with a settlement in the Wyoming Valley that was involved in violence because Pennsylvania and Connecticut both claimed the land. Subsequent to the close of the American Revolution, the dispute was finally settled in court at Trenton, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania prevailed. In addition, Deane was selected as a delegate to the First Continental Congress that convened in Philadelphia during September,1774. Roger Sherman and Eliphalet Dyer were the other two delegates that represented Connecticut. Silas also was returned to the Second Continental Congress during 1775. During April 1775, on the 27th, Colonel S.H. Parsons, shortly after the clashes at Lexington and Concord, arrived at Hartford to discuss the capture of Fort Ticonderoga. Deane and Colonel Samuel Wyllys, after the meeting, agreed on the plan. The money required to pull off the mission was raised from the treasurer of Connecticut on the personal credit of Deane, Wyllys and several others. Word was sent to Benedict Arnold, the man with whom Parsons had initially discussed the plan. Soon after, Fort Ticonderoga, lightly defended, was seized on 10 May. Colonel Ethan Allen led the raid. Arnold was to lead, but he didn’t have any troops, leaving the task primarily to the Green Mountain Boys. The success of the mission became also a prestige booster for Deane in the Congress. On 14 June 1775, Congress took action to create a system under which the army would operate. The resolution: “Resolved, That Mr. [George] Washington, Mr. [Philip] Schuyler, Mr. [Silas] Deane, Mr. [Thomas] Cushing, and Mr. [Joseph] Hewes be a committee to bring in a draft of Rules and regulations for the government of the army.” The U.S. Army, initially the Continental Army, celebrates 14 June as the day it was founded. Deane was appointed to another committee, on 12 July, directed to “devise ways and means to protect the trade of these Colonies.” Others on the committee were Benjamin Franklin, Christopher Gadsden, John Jay and Richard Henry Lee. However, Deane failed to win re-election and was not a member of Congress when the Declaration of Independence was debated during 1776. Meanwhile, Deane became a privateer. Benjamin Franklin, in a letter of August 1775, stated that he agreed with Deane on the need for a navy. Silas Deane (Pictorial Field Book of On 13 October 1775, Deane the Revolution, Benson J. Lossing, was appointed to the Naval Committee, along with Chris1860)

DE BORRE topher Gadsden and John Langdon. Others, including John Adams, were added later. That date, 13 October, is celebrated as the birth of the U.S. (originally Continental) Navy. Officers were selected on 22 December. Esek Hopkins was appointed commander-in-chief of the fleet. Hopkins was the brother of Stephen Hopkins, member of Naval Committee and signer of the Declaration of Independence. Another, Dudley Saltonstall, was appointed captain of the Alfred. He was the brotherin-law of Silas Deane. And another, John Burroughs Hopkins, appointed captain of the Cabot, was the son of Esek Hopkins. Since his arrival in Congress, Deane served on about forty separate committees, including the Secret Committee; however, during 1776, having lost his bid for re-election, he was chosen as a special minister to France. Deane arrived in Paris during July as a businessman on private business, but his mission was clandestine, and the object was to persuade France to support the Americans against the British. Deane enjoyed success, and by September 1776, he wrote to Robert Morris at Congress to inform him that a large shipment of arms, ammunition, and clothing for about 20,000 troops would soon arrive in the United States. On 26 September 1776, the pretense ended when Congress openly named Deane, Arthur Lee and Benjamin Franklin as official agents to France. Lee was appointed in place of Thomas Jefferson, the latter unable to travel to Paris. By August 1777, not long after the death of Deane’s wife (9 June 1777, in Connecticut), Congress was uncomfortable with some of his previous actions, which they feared derailed the American cause. On 5 August, Congress resolved “that Silas Deane Esqr., now one of the American Commissioners in France be forthwith recalled; and, that from the day of his receiving this Resolve, all and every Power with which he hath been vested by Congress do cease and determine; and that he take the earliest Opportunity to embark for North America and repair to Congress.” Although a number of commissions in France for officers in the Continental Army were declined, some of those accepted by Congress were Count Pulaski, Baron de Kalb, Lafayette and Baron von Steuben. Deane also was with Franklin and Arthur Lee when the treaty of amity and commerce was consummated with France, after the defeat of General John Burgoyne during October 1777 at Saratoga. Deane was replaced by John Adams as minister to France in April 1778. After his return to the United States, Congress, concerned about expenditures, on 13 August, resolved “that Saturday next, be appointed to take into consideration the state of foreign affairs, and that Mr. S[ilas] Deane be requested to attend Congress on that day, to give them information respecting the general state of those affairs and a particular state of their funds and commercial transactions in Europe, and especially with Mons. Beaumarchais.” Silas appeared on 16 August, but Congress requested that he put his information in writing, then the motions failed and he was told to return on Monday, 17 August. Much of Deane’s troubles were instigated by Arthur Lee’s letters that implied wrongdoing on the part of Deane. Lee wrote similar derogatory letters to Congress about Benjamin Franklin, but Lee scored no success against the Franklin. Congress continued to deal with the problem and Deane was frequently called to appear, but the saga continued into 1779 without resolve. In August 1779, Congress passed a resolution to send a competent person to Europe to examine the commissioners’ accounts. It also finally informed Deane that he no longer had to appear before Congress. Deane then traveled back to France, but the representative selected by Congress never arrived to examine the accounts. Nevertheless, Deane remained in Paris until summer of 1781. During that period, Deane, not in a state of optimism, penned several private letters (May–June 1781), but they never arrived at their destination — friends back in the United States. The correspondence was intercepted by the British at sea and the British had the letters published in New York by the Rivingtons, who operated a Loyalist publication.

92 The letters, nine in all, and known as the “Paris Papers” or the “Intercepted Letters,” contained suggestions that were damaging to Deane and added to his grief because the contents did not sit well with his enemies in Congress. His reputation was further tarnished by his political adversaries who managed to have Silas positioned nearly equal with a traitor. One of the letters was addressed to Colonel William Duer, and it contained doubts about continuing the war. In another, Silas said: “Nothing short of peace can save our country from ruin. The terms offered by Great Britain furnish a good basis for a treaty, and although unpopular now, will not be so later.” In the meantime, Deane had departed Paris for Holland and from there to Ghent (Belgium), where he stayed until peace was restored. In the meantime, the accounts that Deane wanted investigated to clear his name had not been examined. On 22 February, John Jay wrote a stinging letter to Deane: “I was your friend, and should still have been so, had you not advised America to desert that independence which they had pledged each other their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor to support.” During March 1783, Deane left Ghent and traveled to England. While there, during the following year, he published his responses to the charges that had been lodged against him and caused his recall from France. While was in the process of returning to the United States, Deane died on 23 September 1789. On the previous day, he and Captain Davis of the Boston packet spent the night at Gravesend, and on the 23rd, they arrived at Deal and boarded the vessel, but shortly after embarkation, Silas became ill. He taken to his cabin, where he lost his speech and in the afternoon died. At about 2 P.M., Captain Davis returned to port to with Deane’s body and then the ship sailed for the United States. Silas Deane’s burial place remains uncertain, but it is thought he was interred without a grave stone in St. George’s Churchyard. At the time of his death, Deane had been living in near poverty, and his passage home was covered by friends in America. Deane was survived by his only son, Jesse, from his first marriage. Congress was presented a memorial from Deane’s heirs on 10 January 1835, and that activity led to total vindication of Silas Deane.

De Borre, Brigadier General Chevalier Prud Homme (Prudhomme) Prud Homme de Borre was one of a group of French officers commissioned as general officers in the Continental Army. His previous service included about thirty-five years in the French Army, where he achieved the rank of general. His connection with the army was made through the American commissioners in France. Initially, de Borre served in the Continental Army as a colonel during the summer of 1776 without distinction. During July of 1776, without authority, he captured a Tory and the man was summarily tried and executed. The incident, when brought to the attention of General George Washington, caused the latter to harshly reprimand de Borre, but apparently he continued in his service. General Washington, with regard to the incident, stated: Though I am convinced you acted in the affair with good intentions, yet I cannot but wish it had not happened. In the first place, it was a matter that did not come within the jurisdiction of martial law; and therefore the whole proceeding was irregular and illegal, and will have a tendency to excite discontent, jealousy, and murmurs among the people. In the second place, if the trial could properly have been made by a court-martial, as the division you commanded is only a detachment from the army, and you cannot have been considered as in a separate department, there is none or our articles of war that will justify your inflicting capital punishment even on a soldier, much less on a citizen.

Shortly thereafter, while the British controlled Staten Island, de Borre participated in General John Sullivan’s raid on British positions during August 1776. Colonel de Borre received blame for committing

DE HAAS

93 a blatant mistake while in command of a brigade during the operation. Following that incident, Colonel de Borre remained in service and later, during April of 1777, Congress elevated him to the rank of brigadier general with an effective date of 1 December 1776. The Battle of Brandywine (September 9–11, 1777) essentially became the cause of du Borre’s fall. That month a British fleet arrived in the Chesapeake and debarked a large force which advanced to seize Philadelphia. By that time, Congress was preparing to abandon the city, while General Washington’s forces rushed to intercept the British and save the capital. General du Borre insisted on his force holding the right wing of the army, which General John Sullivan would not relinquish. Du Borre, however, ignored Sullivan’s right to the post of honor, compelling Sullivan to take a circuitous route to get positioned. When the battle erupted, Sullivan had not yet been in place due to the delay caused by the obstinacy of du Borre. Meanwhile, Du Borre transformed the right wing into a position of dishonor. His line was bulldozed by the Redcoats, becoming the first to crumble. Consequently, the situation on the field continued to deteriorate, with the British forcing a general retreat. Various skirmishes continued and included the infamous “Paoli Massacre,” and within a short time, the British moved into Philadelphia. The incident ended du Borre’s service. He was immediately recalled by Congress. Du Borre attempted to rationalize the actions at Brandywine and pass the blame on to his troops, informing Congress by letter that he used all of his “power to rally his men.” He claimed he was wounded and stated, “If the American troops would run away, it was unjust to censure him for the consequences.” Congress, still holding untenable positions in the city, held a Sunday session, which the British were close to attending. Congress was informed that General du Borre offered to resign, and after consideration, the resignation was accepted Chevalier de Prud Homme de Borre received congressional approval to maintain his wagons for the journey to Charleston with the stipulation that upon his arrival, the equipment would be transferred to Continental Army. Subsequently, on 10 October 1777, Congress provided du Borre with $800 “to defray his expences to Charleston, South Carolina, and from thence to France.”

De Fermoy, Brigadier General Matthias Alexis Roche Matthias de Fermoy was born during 1737 in the West Indies. When he approached the Americans to join the fight against Britain during the American Revolution, Matthias, a Frenchman, professed that he had served as an engineer in the French military. His credentials were accepted and he was commissioned as a brigadier general by the Continental Congress on 5 November 1776. A few days later, on 9 November, Congress advanced $250 to Brigadier General de Fermoy, with instructions to repair to Ticonderoga to serve with the Northern Army under General Philip Schuyler. Meanwhile, prior to his departure to Albany, de Fermoy was apparently with General Washington during the operation which seized Trenton. Toward the end of the year (1776), de Fermoy was headquartered in the vicinity of present-day New Hope, Pennsylvania, in Bucks County. On 1 January, he was assigned responsibility for guarding positions at Coryell’s Ferry in the vicinity of Mile Run above Maidenhead (present-day Lawrenceville), New Jersey. History has not recorded volumes of information on the military career of de Fermoy, but what has been recorded gives no indication whether he was or was not an engineer in the service of the French. It does stipulate by example that he was not known for excellence in either leadership or tactics. On 1 January 1777, while his command was posted as a vanguard, de Fermoy left the post and returned to Trenton, which had recently been captured by General George Washington (26 December). Later, against the intentions of General Washington, General de Fermoy was ordered to repair to the Northern Department to serve under General Schuyler. He received command of Mount Inde-

pendence, opposite Ticonderoga. At the time, General John Burgoyne was advancing in New York and General St. Clair evacuated Ticonderoga. Mount Independence (formerly Rattlesnake Hill), Vermont, was also evacuated; however, the operation was discovered when British troops spotted a fire within the American positions on Mount Independence on 6 July 1777 at about 0200. General de Fermoy’s headquarters had been set afire and it is thought that de Fermoy, against orders, started it. Nevertheless, General Arthur St. Clair’s abandonment of Ticonderoga had nearly been completed by the time his strategy became known to Burgoyne. The British sprang to action and attacked Ticonderoga, only to find it undefended. Meanwhile, the British demolished obstacles on the lake, which enabled the Royal Navy to advance to Wood Creek to support the British pursuit. On the 7th, the British defeated St. Clair’s rear guard at Fort Ann, but at Hubbardton, the British were repelled and the pursuit was terminated. De Fermoy sustained no setbacks from his actions; however, later that year, the Frenchman pressed Congress for a promotion to the rank of major general. On 30 December, Congress considered a letter from General de Fermoy and resolved “that Brigadier de Roche Fermoy be informed that Congress do not think it expedient to promote him to the rank he solicits.” Subsequently, on 16 February 1778, Congress resolved “that the Baron Holzendorf have leave to resign his commission of lieutenant colonel, and have liberty to depart for France [and] That Brigadier General de Roche Fermoy have leave to resign his commission in the service of these states, and liberty to depart for France.”

De Haas, Brigadier General John Philip John de Haas was born about 1735 in Holland. While still a teenager about fourteen years old, his family (Huguenots) immigrated to America and settled in Pennsylvania in the vicinity of Lebanon. In January 1758, John became an ensign and soon, during April 1758, he was appointed adjutant for the 1st Battalion, Pennsylvania Regiment, the latter being composed of three battalions. The regiment was commanded by William Denny, lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania, who held the rank of colonel-in-chief. The 1st Battalion was commanded by Colonel (later brigadier General, Continental Army) John Armstrong. That same year, John married Eleanor Bingham. During 1760, de Haas attained the rank of captain and served under Colonel James Burd, who succeeded Colonel Armstrong. Afterward he was promoted to the rank of major. With that rank, John also served with the 1st Battalion (commanded by Colonel Turbutt Francis), provincial forces, during the campaign of Colonel Daniel Broadhead during 1764. Major de Haas received a land grant in the vicinity of Bald Eagle Creek for his service. On 25 November 1775, Colonel Thomas Bull was named commanding officer of the 1st Pennsylvania Battalion, but the appointment was short-lived. Problems developed between Bull and his officers. During January 1776, he resigned but expressed his desire to continue to serve the country and the cause. He was succeeded on 22 January by John de Haas, whom Congress appointed as colonel in the Continental Army on 22 February 1776. At the time de Haas received his appointment, he was serving as justice of peace for Lancaster County. The 1st Battalion became the 2nd Continental Pennsylvania Regiment of the Pennsylvania Line. Earlier, during June 1775, the 1st Battalion of Riflemen (separate from De Haas’ 1st Battalion) was formed, and it was commanded by Colonel (later brigadier general) William Thompson; it became the 1st Regiment (Continental Line) and later, on 1 January, 1776, it became the 1st Pennsylvania Regiment (Pennsylvania Line). Colonel De Haas was ordered to repair to Canada, where he participated in the latter part of the ill-fated Canadian expedition, in which Major General Richard Montgomery was killed on 31 December 1775. On 19 January, Congress resolved to send reinforcements to Canada,

DE KALB two companies from each battalion. By 14 February, five of de Haas’ companies had arrived at Albany, with some moving beyond the city en route to Fort Edward. The contingents were transported by boat from Albany for the journey of just under fifty miles via the Hudson. The troops had suffered greatly from sickness and many were no longer fit for duty, particularly in the extreme cold of that part of New York. Once at Fort Edward, the force jumped to Fort William Henry (later Fort George), located on the eastern shore of Lake St. George, and from there the arduous trek advanced to Fort Ticonderoga at the western shore of Lake Champlain. Yet the journey had not terminated. From Ticonderoga, the units moved to Crown Point, also on Lake Champlain about five miles farther, which still left about 165 miles between the force and Montreal. Meanwhile, part of the force (two companies) was at Fort George with General John Thomas and two companies were at Albany with de Haas. General David Wooster arrived at Quebec on 1 April 1776 and assumed command there, while Brigadier General Benedict Arnold (promoted 10 January 1776) returned to Montreal. Afterward, on 1 May, General Thomas reached Quebec. On 25 May, Colonel de Haas, at Sorel, sped to relieve pressure on Arnold at La Chine, compelling a British force from Detroit to retire. Later, on 30 May, Arnold issued an explicit order to de Haas to strike and demolish an Indian village of Canasada across the Grand River. De Haas called for a war council. The attack was not launched, which caused the officers with De Haas to become infuriated as they withdrew to La Chine. From there his contingent (not his entire five companies) moved to Montreal. By the 15th of June, the British were closing against Arnold, prompting him to initiate a retreat at about dusk. The march continued through the night and reached St. John’s, and it was there on the 16th that all five of the Pennsylvania companies again came together. De Haas’s contingent never advanced to Quebec. Shortly thereafter, on the 18th, British General John Burgoyne arrived at St. John’s. On the 19th, while the Americans remained on the move, orders arrived at Isle aux Noix that instructed Colonel De Haas, along with Colonels Anthony Wayne, Arthur St. Clair, and William Irvine, to establish their respective camps on in the eastern sector of Isle aux Noix. Two days later, on the 21st, a party (unarmed) attached to Colonel Irvine’s command went on a fishing excursion that turned deadly. Several officers and enlisted men surrounded them while they were inside a building, drinking some “spruce beer.” Most were torturously murdered and scalped, while others were taken prisoner. Colonel Anthony Wayne led a contingent that gave chase and was able to retrieve the bateaux that contained the bodies. (See also, Irvine, Brigadier General William.) On the 27th of June, the Americans initiated the trek to Crown Point from Isle la Motte. The Bateaux arrived there on 1 July; however, on the 7th it was decided to abandon Crown Point for Ticonderoga. Colonel de Haas’ battalion arrived there on the 10th. Soon after, on 20 August, General Gates (successor of General John Sullivan) reorganized his force into brigades, with the four Pennsylvania battalions to be commanded by General Arthur St. Clair (promoted to brigadier on 9 August, 1776). On 1 January 1777, General Washington, at winter headquarters in Valley Forge, directed that each Continental Army division be composed of three brigades, with each of the latter containing three infantry regiments. Brigade strength averaged about 2,200 men, bring divisional infantry strength to more than 6,500 troops. However, brigades often contained four to five regiments. The Pennsylvania brigades (1st, 2nd and 3rd) were commanded by brigadier generals Anthony Wayne, John Philip de Haas, and Thomas Conway, respectively. De Haas was commissioned by Congress as a brigadier general on 21 February 1777. He resigned his commission shortly thereafter. However, he served afterward with the Pennsylvania militia and participated in the campaign in the Wyoming Valley during the summer of

94 1778. On 3 July, the valley turned red from blood after being ravaged by a merciless band of Loyalists and Indians ( John Butler’s Rangers) that numbered about 1,000. The settlers were the victims of a savage ruse, and after moving out of the fort expecting a conference, they were encircled and massacred. Of 400 men, only Zebulon Butler and about twenty others were able to break out and get back to the fort. Afterward, the rangers delivered 200 scalps to the gates and demanded surrender. The beleaguered defenders were forced to seek terms of surrender and received the response, “the hatchet.” Adults and children alike were massacred. The Loyalists, aware of women and children in buildings, purposely set them afire. From there they moved to the next post. The troops at that garrison were also murdered savagely. General de Haas was first to arrive at Fort Muncy. Colonel Thomas Hartley (Continental Army) arrived toward the latter part of July with a contingent of his regiment and militia. A command problem developed, as de Haas claimed to be the commander of all of the troops. Meanwhile, General James Potter arrived on 2 August and Colonel Hartley attempted to convince Potter to assume command, but he became passive and declined, stating that he was “not fond of command.” Afterward, Hartley and de Haas moved out of Sunbury and a new post (Fort Muncy) was constructed near Samuel Wallis’ stone mansion just outside of Muncy. Colonel Hartley initiated pursuit of Butler, and along the route, Indian villages were destroyed, but the force was compelled to retire. Nevertheless, Hartley’s command inflicted severe casualties as they withdrew and compelled Butler to abort the chase. Later, the 4th Pennsylvania Regiment arrived and inflicted more punishment on the enemy. After this, General De Haas’ activity faded. Nonetheless, he relocated in Philadelphia, never having moved to his property at Bald Eagle Creek. In 1780, General de Haas received the rank of brevet major general. He succumbed in Philadelphia, where he remained until his death on 3 June 1786. He was survived by his wife, Eleanor, and two children, John Philip, Jr., and his daughter, Harriet. John, Jr., served in the army under his father for a short while and later married Ann Shippin (Shippen) of Philadelphia. Ann Shippin was the daughter of Captain William Shippin (Continental Marines) who was killed at the Battle of Princeton, 3 January 1777. During 1806, John, Jr., relocated to the property at Bald Eagle Creek. Harriet de Haas married William Craig.

De Kalb, Major General Baron John (Hans) John de Kalb, the son of John Leonard and Margaret Seitz Putz Kalb, was born on 29 June 1721 at Huettendorf (later parish of Frauenaurach, Bavarian district of Erlangen). John Leonard was not part of the nobility; rather, he was listed in church records at Frauenaurach as a “sojourner and peasant.” John Leonard, on April 24, 1715, married Mrs. Putz (maiden name was Seitz, originally of Eschenbach). In addition to John, the de Kalbs had two other children, their oldest son, George (b. 1718) and their youngest, Andrew (b. 1727). John’s early life for the most part remains a mystery. He received his fundamental education in Kriegenbronn and for a while worked as a waiter. By about the time he was sixteen years old he left home and eventually arrived in France. During 1743, John, who was given the name Hans at birth, had changed his name and was then known as Lieutenant Jean de Kalb, a member of a French infantry regiment (Count Loewendal’s regiment). Only nobility received an opportunity to advance in the military and John used his manufactured nobility to his advantage. The regiment was French; however, its officers were primarily German. Nevertheless, Hans Jean de Kalb had become Baron De Kalb and his nobility never was challenged. By 1744, the War of Austrian Succession was expanding. During 1740, France had aligned itself with Albert of Bavaria against Austria, but during 1744, France declared war against Austria and Great Britain.

95 At the time, the French under King Louis XV moved into Flanders to oust the British. Menin fell and Ypres and Furnes followed suit, but the king fell ill prior to responding to an Austrian invasion of Alsace. De Kalb’s regiment was heavily involved in the fighting in Flanders. During the following year, his regiment participated as part of the army under Marshal Saxe in the Netherlands, and the battles included Fontenoy. The conflict terminated with the treaty of Aix-Ia-Chapelle (1748). By that time, de Kalb had attained the rank of captain. He also participated in the Seven Years’ War (called the French and Indian War in colonies) and following the end of hostilities, de Kalb was based at Landau. On 10 April 1764, John married Anna Elizabeth Emilie van Robais. The ceremony was held in the Protestant chapel of the Dutch legation in Paris. Anna was the daughter of Peter van Robais, who owned a clothing manufacturing business. John’s marriage brought about wealth, as his wife was an heiress and later would inherit other wealth from her family. De Kalb retired from the French military subsequent to his marriage and received a pension of a lieutenant colonel. In 1767, France’s interest in the unrest of the colonies in America coincided with thoughts in France that a new conflict with Britain might erupt, and the military moved to fortify various places along the French coast. On 20 April 1767, the Duc de Choiseul, at Versailles, said in a letter to de Kalb: “You are hereby informed that his majesty has included you among the list of officers who are to be employed this year in the survey of the country. You will visit the coast from Dunkirk to Calais, and take up your headquarters in the first-named of these towns....” De Kalb expeditiously repaired to Versailles and arrived there on 22 April to receive further instructions, but to his surprise, his mission had been changed. The chief clerk of the ministry of war informed de Kalb that instead, he was to travel to Amsterdam to assess the rumors regarding the American colonists and their relations with the mother country. If proven accurate, John was further directed (by Choiseul’s instructions) to journey to America and discern their needs regarding officers, engineers, and artillery engineers, to scrutinize the fortifications, gauge the level of resistance, and determine who the leaders of the revolt would be. Instinctively, de Kalb rejected the mission, but Choiseul persuaded him to accept. He departed for Holland during early June 1767 and sent his initial report back to Choiseul on 15 July. The information was given to de Kalb by a German who lived in the colonies. He reported that the colonists had about 400,000 militia and of the Germans there, an additional 60,000 men could be raised between the Germans and Irish. De Kalb included in the report that he was “repeating his [the German’s] assertions, without being convinced of their truth.” In September, Baron de Kalb traveled to London, from where he embarked for America aboard the Hercules on 4 October 1767 and arrived in Philadelphia on 12 January 1768. On 25 January, de Kalb departed Philadelphia for New York. The trek was harrowing. On the 28th, from New Jersey, the baron and other passengers, on the word of an innkeeper that it was safe and that there was little ice, boarded a ferry to take them to Staten Island. While crossing, the winds shifted and the ferry was carried toward an island that contained neither shelter nor food. Of the nine passengers, two died before the night Baron John de Kalb (Pictorial Field ended. The survivors were Book of the Revolution, Benson J. Los- those who refrained from sleep and huddled together to sing, 1860)

DE KALB escape certain death. They were rescued on the following morning and taken to shore by a sledge. Baron de Kalb finally reached New York on the 31st. Later he moved to Boston, and on 3 March sent another report back to the French minister, Choiseul, indicating that he would be leaving for Halifax, Nova Scotia. De Kalb had discerned that his messages had been tampered with and might not have ever reached the prime minister. On 24 April at New York, he wrote that he was returning to France to give a full report, but he did write that a conflict did not seem too far off. He also mentioned that the colonists might stall to give them time to construct a navy. Afterward, he embarked for London and from there returned to Paris, arriving on 12 June. After moving to Versailles, he learned that only five of his many reports reached the prime minister. Choiseul later became disinterested in reports by Baron de Kalb and afterward, he began to totally ignore de Kalb. During 1770, de Kalb was assured that he would be among the new brigadiers, but by December, Choiseul was ousted and the promise was not fulfilled. Meanwhile, after Baron de Kalb returned to France and purchased the chateau of Milon la Chapelle, slightly south of Versailles; however, the previous owners, the elderly and childless Besset family, retained the residence until their demise and transferred immediately only the feudal rights and land. Nevertheless, the De Kalbs never moved into the manor because Monsieur Besset outlived the baron, his wife and their oldest son. The baron’s son, Elie de Kalb, was granted permission by Napoleon to return France; he then took over the manor. In March 1771, Baron de Kalb received a letter, dated March 12, 1771, from Duc de Vrilliere at Versailles that stated: “The king, considers you qualified, by your talents, for a special undertaking of great importance to his service. It is the wish of his Majesty that you should at once repair to this place, to receive the directions relating to this mission, if you are prepared to embrace this opportunity of giving further proofs of the zeal heretofore manifested.” The letter was referring to service in Poland. De Kalb responded with a request of the rank of brigadier; however, the mission never materialized. After Louis XVI ascended to the throne, Baron de Kalb was returned to the military. He served during 1775 in Metz under the commanderin-chief Comte de Broglie for a few months. During December 1775, Comte de Broglie received a response to a letter he sent to St. Germain regarding Baron de Kalb, but it said only that there was no opening in the army at the time. During the following year, on 6 November, de Kalb received a commission as brigadier from M. de Sartines. But by that time, Baron de Kalb had already begun to communicate with Silas Deane about serving the American cause. Deane had also been visited by Comte de Broglie, who recommended de Kalb, the latter being promised a commission as major general in the Continental Army with seniority effective on 7 November 1776. De Kalb’s commission, according to U.S. Army records, became effective on 15 September 1777. Nonetheless, on 1 December, Baron de Kalb signed a formal contract on behalf of himself and fifteen others who would serve as officers. However, on 7 December, a new contract was signed and it included the name of the Marquis de Lafayette. Lafayette remained concealed at de Kalb’s home outside of Paris several days prior to embarking on a vessel, the Victoire, captained by Le Boursier. Baron de Kalb subsequently related in letters that the government of France clandestinely supported him in his quest to go to fight alongside the Americans and if so, France was most probably also in favor of Lafayette’s mission, considering they sailed together. Baron de Kalb, Lafayette, and the others arrived in the vicinity of South Carolina during June 1777. Their first encounter was with Major Benjamin Huger about fifty miles from Charleston. Afterward, the party arrived in Charleston, where they met General William Moultrie and other officers. From Charleston, the party traveled overland to Philadelphia, stopping at Petersburg, Virginia, on 18 July and at

DE KALB Annapolis, Maryland on 23 July. They arrived in Philadelphia on 27 July. Congress was not agreeable to the contract made between Silas Deane and Baron de Kalb. The baron proclaimed his indignation to Congress and requested that he be reimbursed for all expenses. Congress had problems due to American generals being aggravated with the appointment of foreigners as general officers. Baron de Kalb became ill from fever after his arrival in Philadelphia, and upon recovery, he was in the process of returning to France. On 13 August, Congress offered thanks to de Kalb and the Viscount de Mauroy for offering to serve, but informed them that it was “impossible for Congress to avail themselves of the offers of service, made by those gentlemen in any way suited to their rank, and the circumstances of the American Union.” On 8 September, Congress resolved to pay the expenses for De Kalb and the other officers that accompanied him back to France. On 15 September, he Philadelphia the city en route for Lancaster after a stop in Bethlehem. Congress on that same day appointed him as major general and then dispatched a messenger to intercept him and inform the baron of the action. Congress ordered “that his commission be dated the day before that of the Marquis de Fayette.” Nonetheless, General Baron de Kalb requested that his commission be dated the same day as the Marquis de Lafayette. On 4 October, Congress resolved “that the Baron de Kalb be at liberty to give up his commission of major general, if the contingency mentioned in his letter of the 28 ult. should happen: That the Baron de Kalb’s commission be dated the same day with that of the Marquis de la Fayette, (agreeable to the request of the Baron).” During November 1777, General de Kalb and Generals Philip Schuyler and Henry Knox were dispatched by Washington to inspect the fortifications at Red Bank, New Jersey, and on the 24th, a council of war was held by General George Washington. An assault against British-held Philadelphia was discussed and General de Kalb was among the majority of general officers in attendance who opposed such an attack. The plan was aborted. General de Kalb wrote often to his wife and M. Le Comte. After the Continental Army established winter quarters in Valley Forge, the baron described the difficulties of the encampment and the lack of housing even for generals. He noted that every fourth day he had duty as officer of the day and that he had little time to himself. The baron’s earlier letters described General Washington as “the most amiable, kind-hearted, and upright of men; but as a General he is too slow, too indolent, and far too weak; besides, he has a tinge of vanity in his composition, and overestimates himself. In my opinion whatever success he may have will be owing to good luck and to the blunders of his adversaries, rather than to his abilities. I may even say that he does not know how to improve upon the grossest blunders of the enemy. He has not yet overcome his old prejudice against the French.” In another report to M. Le Comte, he stated: “It is unfortunate that Washington is so easily led. He is the bravest and truest of men, has the best intentions, and a sound judgment. I am convinced that he would accomplish substantial results, if he would only act more upon his own responsibility; but it is a pity that he is so weak, and has the worst of advisers in the men who enjoy his confidence. If they are not traitors, they are certainly gross ignoramuses....” De Kalb’s letters included descriptions of the poor conditions in camp, sickness and his opinion on parades: “You must understand that the whole parade, headed by the general makes a circuit around the little cluster of horsemen, and then, before setting out to mount guard, range themselves again on the ground from which they started, a march which occupies at least three-quarters of an hour. How sad, that troops of such excellence, and so much zeal, should be so little spared and so badly led! But everything here combines to inspire disgust. At the smallest sign from you I shall return home.” In a letter to his wife, dated 5 January 1778, Baron de Kalb stated:

96 I have annoyances to bear, of which you can hardly form a conception. One of them is the mutual jealousy of almost all the French officers, particularly against those of higher rank than the rest. The people think of nothing but their incessant intrigues and backbitings. They hate each other like the bitterest enemies, and endeavor to injure each other wherever an opportunity offers. I have given up their society, and very seldom see them. Lafayette is the sole exception; I always meet him with the same cordiality and the same pleasure. He is an excellent young man, and we are good friends. It were to be wished that all the Frenchmen who serve here were as reasonable as he and I. Lafayette is much liked; he is on the best of terms with Washington; both of them have every reason to be satisfied with me also.

In February, 1778, Congress directed that General Washington be informed that at the request of General Lafayette, that if General McDougal was not in good health, that General de Kalb should follow Lafayette into Canada; however, the invasion was never initiated. After the break up of winter quarters the next month, a force composed of regiments from Delaware and Maryland commanded by General de Kalb departed Morristown, New Jersey, to reinforce the American forces in South Carolina. The contingent arrived at Hillsborough, North Carolina, on June 22. On the day before he reached Hillsborough, after entering North Carolina, he wrote to his wife regarding the weather and insects: “Here I am at last. I’m considerably south, suffering from intolerable heat, the worst of quarters, and the most voracious of insects of every hue and form. The most disagreeable of the latter is what is commonly called the tick, a kind of strong black flea, which makes its way under the skin, and by its bite produces the most painful irritation and inflammation, which lasts a number of days. My whole body is covered with these stings.” From there, the remainder of the journey was horrific, as the troops were unable to acquire food and supplies. At the time, General de Kalb was the highest ranking officer in the south, but upon the arrival of General Horatio Gates during the latter part of July, Gates assumed command of all forces in the south. Prior to the arrival of Gates, General Francis Marion (Swamp Fox) arrived, and de Kalb dispatched his force on a mission to acquire food. Gates joined with de Kalb at Coxe’s Mill on July 25, and upon his arrival, General de Kalb ordered a 13-gun salute. By the 27th, Gates departed for Camden, South Carolina, to attack the British; however, he had no time to study the terrain nor absorb the advice and counsel of experienced officers. General de Kalb remained with the army as a member of Gates’ staff. By ignoring the advice, Gates’ advance bypassed friendly towns such as Salisbury and Charlotte, where wounded could have received assistance. The march was grueling and many of the troops became severely ill due to the conditions and the lack of food. The force also lacked horses, which caused the army to leave eight pieces of artillery behind. General Gates disregarded the advice on the method of advance attack against Camden that he received from veteran South Carolinians, who urged him to take a circuitous route and use the swamps as added protection. Food promised by the government of North Carolina never arrived and the crisis nearly caused mutiny. On 16 August, the Battle of Camden ignited during the early morning hours. Most of the Americans remained ill from food they ate on the previous night. The Americans and a contingent of Tarleton’s Legion accidentally encountered each other in the pitch darkness at about 0200, while each side was attempting to surprise the other. The vanguard, American cavalry, was driven back. During the hurried retreat, the cavalry slammed into the 1st Maryland Regiment, causing the Marylanders (de Kalb’s command) to collapse. While Gates and British General Charles Cornwallis awaited dawn, Gates discovered that his estimate of about 7,000 troops was actually only about 3,000, with the great majority sick. When the British attacked, the Americans along the line folded, and many fled without firing their weapons. However, General de Kalb’s forces held steadfastly.

97 Nevertheless, his force was unable to withstand the superior numbers of Redcoats. General Gates, who had positioned himself to the rear, retreated with the militia, leaving command to de Kalb while Gates raced toward Charlotte, North Carolina. Meanwhile, Baron de Kalb and the Continental troops mounted tenacious resistance. The British continued to pound de Kalb’s lines and finally caused the troops to pull back. De Kalb led a charge to halt the British and was wounded eleven times. When the British moved to finish Baron de Kalb, his aide-de-camp, Lt. Du Bouson (Dubuysson), threw his body on the general’s and sustained some wounds from British swords as he shouted to spare the general’s life. Cornwallis arrived and de Kalb was spared and given medical attention, as ordered by Cornwallis. Nevertheless, General de Kalb succumbed within a few days, on the 19th, at Camden. The actions of de Kalb subsequent to the flight of Gates did not terminate in victory; however, the regulars under de Kalb and those who tried to hold the field after his mortal wound inflicted enough punishment on the British that Cornwallis was compelled to return to Charleston to rest his force and get re-supplied. Brigadier General Griffith Rutherford was also wounded and captured, but he survived and was released during 1781. On 26 August, du Bouson, fulfilling a last request of de Kalb, wrote to Generals Gist and Smallwood, congratulating them and the troops in his division for the courage and giving his farewell: Dear Generals: Having received wounds in the action of the 16th instant, I was made prisoner, with the Honorable Major-General the Baron de Kalb, with whom I served as aide-de-camp and friend, And had an opportunity of attending that great and good officer during the short time he languished with eleven wounds, which proved mortal on the third day. It is with particular pleasure I obey the baron’s last commands, in presenting his most affectionate compliments to all the officers and men of his division. He expressed the greatest satisfaction in the testimony given by the British army, of the bravery of his troops; and he was charmed with the firm opposition they made to superior force, when abandoned by the rest of the army. The gallant behavior of the Delaware regiment and the companies of artillery attached to the brigades, afforded him infinite pleasure. And the exemplary conduct of the whole division gave him an endearing sense of the merits of the troops he had the honor to command.

On the 14 October 1780, Congress resolved that a monument be erected to the memory of the late Major General the Baron de Kalb, in the city of Annapolis, in the State of Maryland, with the following inscription: “Sacred to the memory of the baron de Kalb Knight of the royal Order of Military merit, Brigadier of the Armies of France And major general in the service of the United States of America Having served with honor and reputation for three years, he gave a last & glorious proof of his attachment to the liberties of Mankind and the cause of America in the action near Camden in the state of So. Carolina On the 16th of August 1780 where leading on the troops of the Delaware & Maryland lines against superior numbers and animating them by his example to Deeds of Valour he was pierced with many wounds and on the 19 following expired in the 48 year of his age. The Congress of the United States of America in gratitude to his zeal, services and merit have erected this monument.”

By 1825, only one tree marked the grave site of General de Kalb and the resolution of Congress regarding a national monument was never brought to fruition. However, on 8 March 1825, through the efforts of the Free Masons, General Marquis de Lafayette arrived in Camden, South Carolina, to lay the cornerstone of a monument from the people of Camden, South Carolina, to honor General de Kalb. The ceremony occurred on the following day. The monument was composed of “Twenty-six massive blocks of granite. Twenty-four of them bear, respectively, the names of the twenty-four States then composing the Union; the twenty-fifth bears the inscription, ‘Foedus esto perpetuum’ and the twenty-sixth covers the ashes of the deceased. The monument itself consists of an obelisk of white marble fifteen feet high.”

DICKINSON Baron General de Kalb was survived by his wife and three children, Frederick (b. May 1765, died by guillotine during 1793), Anna Maria Carolina (b. May 1767, married John Lucas Geymueller, a Swiss captain who served in the French army) and Elie, his second son (b. March 1769; while living in Austria and serving in the Tyrolese rifles, he used the alias Elias von Kell). Elie married Elise Signard. (The source for the exact date and place of birth of Baron General de Kalb was Friedrich Kapp’s The Life of John Kalb, 1884.

De Woedtke, Brigadier General Frederic Wilhelm Frederick de Woedtke was born in Prussia about 1740 and while quite young, he entered the military during the reign of Frederick the Great. He apparently had a falling out and left the service, intent on immigrating to America to fight alongside the patriots against the British. Using his professed service record, he met with the American commissioners in France and persuaded them to provide an introduction to Congress, which after consideration awarded him with a commission as brigadier general in the Continental Army on 16 March 1776. Prior to receiving his commission, he had gone to Cambridge and met with General George Washington. Following the resolution of 16 March that made the appointment official, Congress resolved: “That the baron Frederic William de Woedtke, appointed a Brigadier General in the army of the United Colonies, be ordered immediately to repair to New York, there to remain under the commanding officer, until the commissioners appointed to go into Canada shall reach that colony: and that the said Baron Woedtke be directed to accompany them into Canada, and there serve under the commander of the continental troops in that province.” After arriving in Canada, de Woedtke attended a war council at the Sorel on 14 May that included Brigadier General Benedict Arnold, General David Wooster and Colonel Anthony Wayne. On 7 July, General de Woedtke attended another war council in which he sided with those who concluded that Crown Point should be abandoned and the garrison redeployed at the place opposite Fort Ticonderoga, later known as Mount Independence. A large group of officers, including Colonels Maxwell, Poor and Stark, opposed the abandonment of Crown Point at that meeting; however, Crown Point was abandoned. Later that month, General de Woedtke succumbed in a hospital at Lake George on 28 July. John Pierce, who accompanied the expedition to Canada, wrote in a letter: “The Loss of Gen. De Woedtke is not great, he was always in Liquor — was sick in his Boots and buried in them.” General de Woedtke was given a military funeral with all honors and interred near Fort Ticonderoga. (Some sources list de Woedtke’s death on 31 July; however, earlier sources concur with 28 July and, according to the military records, General Woedtke’s commission expired on 28 July 1776.)

Dickinson, John (Signer of the U.S. Constitution) John Dickinson was born into an affluent Quaker family on 19 November 1732 in the town of Crosiadore in Talbot County, Maryland. His parents were Samuel Dickinson and Samuel’s second wife, Mary Cadwalader Dickinson. When John was about eight years old, during 1740, his family relocated in Kent County to a farm in the vicinity of Dover. As a youth, he received a good education and decided to take up the legal profession as did father, a judge in Delaware. He had a keen intellect and extraordinary oratory skills, which helped him along the path to becoming a skilled lawyer. His initial instruction in the legal profession began in Philadelphia, but he also traveled to England during 1750 to complete his education in London. Although born an American, Dickinson, like many other colonists, thought of himself as an Englishman with equal rights as if born in the mother country. He returned to America during 1757 and at that time established his law practice in Philadelphia. After arriving there, Dick-

DICKINSON inson became well known and, despite his young age, was elected to the Pennsylvania legislature. Dickinson resided in Philadelphia, but he also had a residence in Delaware. Due to the circumstances of that time, for a period of about fifteen years, he served in the legislature of both colonies, with some of that time becoming less than pleasant. In 1760 he served as a representative and speaker of the Three Lower Counties of Delaware. During 1762, he served as a member of the Philadelphia assembly. Later, during 1764, again he was seated in the Pennsylvania assembly and became entangled in the political squabbles of the time, taking the side of the conservatives. Consequently, as a defender of the proprietor governor, he found himself on the opposite side of Benjamin Franklin. The differences created friction that led to the ouster of Dickinson in 1764. The quarrels, although at times intense, cost only the seat, not Dickinson’s honor or integrity. Later they were mended as Dickinson fell into the identical sentiments expressed by Franklin and the other Patriots. During 1765, when trouble was brewing with the mother country, he became a member of the General Congress, and at about the same time, he became a conspicuous opponent of the British injustices against the colonies. Some of his prolific writing emerged during 1765, in reaction to the Stamp Act when, as a member of the Pennsylvania assembly, he authored “The Late Regulations Respecting the British Colonies ... Considered,” an untarnished work designed to ignite the Patriots to influence the British merchants to seek a repeal of the act by Parliament. By 1767, Dickinson unfolded another of his talents when he unleashed a string of potent letters, published in the Pennsylvania Gazette, that disclosed the pretentious masks that covered the pernicious acts of Parliament. His letters (Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania) were laid out like stepping stones that guided the colonists towards what appeared to be imminent conflict against the aggression. His dedication to the American positions continued to deepen, and after the initiation of the Townshend Acts (which imposed duties) during 1768, yet again he bolted to the forefront of the opposition leaders to neutralize the new taxes by working to ban imports. In 1770, he took a slight pause in his political activity and married Mary Norris. The number of children born to them is uncertain, but it is known that they had one daughter. By the following year, again, Dickinson threw himself back into the ongoing war of words with Britain. He authored a petition to the king, which the assembly adopted, but his course and dedication to avoiding violence caused him to begin to drift away from the sentiments of others, particularly those in New England. As Britain increased pressure by enacting the Intolerable Acts in 1774, Dickinson declined to support requests that had come down from the Patriots in Boston, which in turn prompted the latter to be less than cordial in their relations with him. During 1774, he was in the forefront at Philadelphia when opposition emerged following Parliament’s Coercive Acts. Also that year, John Dickinson (Our Countrymen, or he became a delegate of the Brief Memoirs of Eminent Americans, First Continental Congress. On 29 May 1775, a letter Benson J. Lossing, 1855)

98 from John Jay directed to the people of Canada was received and approved by Congress. John Dickinson and Thomas Mifflin were charged with having the letter translated into French and getting 1,000 copies transported to Canada and distributed there. On 3 June, Congress appointed a committee — John Dickinson, John Jay and Benjamin Franklin — to compose a letter to the inhabitants of Great Britain. On the 24th, Dickinson was appointed to a committee charged with improving the militia: “Resolved, That a Committee of seven be appointed to devise ways and means to put the Militia of America in a proper state for the defence of America.” The incessant activity in Congress continued, and on 5 July, it approved the Olive Branch Petition, a direct plea to King George III for a path to reconciliation with Britain. The petition was written by Dickinson. On the following day, 6 July 1775, Congress publicized a “Declaration on The Causes And Necessity Of Taking Up Arms,” also authored by Dickinson. It read, in part: “If it was possible for men, who exercise their reason to believe, that the divine Author of our existence intended a part of the human race to hold an absolute property in, and an unbounded power over others, marked out by his infinite goodness and wisdom, as the objects of a legal domination never rightfully resistible, however severe and oppressive, the inhabitants of these colonies might at least require from the parliament of Great-Britain some evidence, that this dreadful authority over them, has been granted to that body....” The first draft of the declaration was penned by John Rutledge, and afterward a second was done by Thomas Jefferson, the latter considered too strong by Dickinson and William Livingston. Dickinson received authorization to modify it. Of Jefferson’s draft, Dickinson maintained his strong support of the cause; however, he remained convinced that war would be averted and reconciliation was possible. On 18 September Dickinson was appointed to the eight-member Secret Committee, established to carry out clandestine operations. As the fateful day approached and the Patriots were faced with adopting the Declaration of Independence, John Dickinson remained conflicted. Nonetheless, during early May 1776, Congress denounced British authority over the colonies and simultaneously authorized each colony to establish a provincial government. Dickinson was appointed to lead the committee charged with drawing up articles of confederation. The Declaration of Independence, composed by Richard Henry Lee of Virginia —“That these united colonies are, and of right, ought to be free and independent states; that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British crown and that all political connection between them and the state of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved.”— was opposed by Dickinson; however, it was passed in committee on 10 June over his objections. On the 28th, Dickinson was appointed to the Committee on Foreign Correspondence, established to form alliances with foreign governments willing to support the cause. Dickinson was intentionally absent for the vote on the Declaration of Independence on 4 July 1776 to permit a unanimous vote. Dickinson’s position was complicated. Although he still believed reconciliation was possible and declined to support the Declaration, he was not a pacifist. Since June of the previous year, he held the position of chairman, Pennsylvania Committee of Safety and Defense, and in addition, the initial battalion of volunteers (Associators) that was raised in Philadelphia was organized by him. The modern-day Pennsylvania National Guard unit, the 111th Infantry, traces its roots back to his battalion. On July 22, Congress took up consideration of the draft of the Articles of Confederation written by Dickinson. After modification they were adopted during September of this same year. Soon after, on 2 August, in Philadelphia, the Declaration of Independence, in parchment form, was signed by the majority of the 56 members of the Continental Congress. John Dickinson (Pennsylvania) and some others,

DICKINSON

99 including John Jay (New York) and Robert Livingston (New York), had declined signing the document. In the meantime, Dickinson took leave from Congress after Pennsylvania activated his reserve battalion. He departed the city and headed north to support the effort to defend New York against the British. His battalion was attached to the Flying Camp, a huge reserve organization able to swiftly bolster the Continental Army at New York. Dickinson was given command at Elizabeth, New Jersey, and from there, he was positioned to meet any attempt by the British to proceed there from Staten Island to advance toward Philadelphia. By December 1776, all others had signed the Declaration except Dickinson. His staunch and irrevocable stance caused him to be ousted from Congress. Nonetheless, his equally strong sentiments for the American cause did not become diluted. He had resigned from the Associators and the Pennsylvania assembly, then left Philadelphia for his residence in Delaware. That year, he was elected to Congress from his residence in Delaware; however, he declined. Instead, he joined the Delaware militia in 1777 and served as an enlisted man in a militia company commanded by Captain Stephen Lewis. Dickinson’s unit participated in the defense against the British when a force of 15,000 men arrived at the Head of the Elk on 15 August 1777 during the campaign to take Philadelphia. He was part of the force deployed to intercept any advance towards Baltimore. In October 1777, Dickinson received a commission as brigadier general (Delaware militia) from General Caesar Rodney (a member of the Continental Congress who signed the Declaration of Independence). General Dickinson resigned his commission during 1788. In 1779 he reversed his disapproval, of the Declaration and acknowledged his error. Consequently, Delaware again appointed him as a member of Congress. While serving that term, John signed of the Articles of Confederation as a representative of Delaware. On 26 May 1779, an address penned by Dickinson was adopted by Congress: “Persevere and you ensure peace, FREEDOM, safety, glory, sovereignty, and felicity to yourselves, your children and your children’s children. Fill up your battalions — be prepared in every part to repel the incursions of your enemies....” Departing Congress in 1781, he became president of the Supreme Executive Council, essentially making him the president of Delaware. Later, he again relocated to Philadelphia, and during 1782, he became the president of Pennsylvania, a position he retained until 1785. His dual residency through the years continued to be an asset to the nation. During 1786, John Dickinson was appointed as a Delaware representative for the Annapolis Convention and was selected to chair the event, called to discuss various economic problems occurring in Delaware and the other states in the region. The next year he was in Philadelphia, where as a representative from Delaware he participated in the convention that led to the birth of the United States Constitution. Combining his long service and lessons learned, he was able to measure states’ rights against his belief in a strong national government to close the gap regarding differences of opinion from other delegates, to bring about a consensus and compromise, which resulted in the Constitution being adopted in September 1787. Nonetheless, in yet another irony of Dickinson’s political life, he did not personally sign the Constitution. Unlike his stance during 1776, when he declined signing the Declaration, it was sickness that kept him away from the ceremony, but he was attributed as a signer. One of his colleagues signed John Dickinson’s name to the document, giving him his rightful place in history for his contribution to the founding of the republic. Delaware, during December 1787, became the first state to ratify the Constitution. Through the grueling pace of his life during the events leading up to the Revolution, during the war and afterward up to the founding of the republic, John had not lost any of his skills as a writer. He authored a string of powerfully composed letters in support of the Con-

stitution, but he did not sign his name; rather he signed them “Fabius.” Afterward, Dickinson remained out of politics; however, he continued writing about politics and culminated the life-long project during 1801 when he published a two-volume set, The Political Writings of John Dickinson (printed and sold by Bonsal and Myles at Wilmington). John Dickinson succumbed seven years later on 15 February, at the age of seventy-five in Wilmington during 1808. He was interred in a Quaker cemetery in Wilmington. (See also, Dickinson, Brigadier General Philemon.)

Dickinson, Brigadier General Philemon Philemon Dickinson, the son of Samuel and Mary Cadwalader (Samuel’s second wife) was in Crosiadore (Talbot County), Maryland, on 5 April 1739. Philemon’s father was first married to Judith Troth. About one year after his birth, Philemon’s family relocated in Delaware and settled on a farm near Dover in Kent County. Samuel and Mary had two other children, Henry and John. John was a member of Congress during 1776, but he did not support independence. Nevertheless, once it was declared, he remained loyal to the American cause and served as a general and as president (governor) of Delaware and Pennsylvania. Also, John was attributed as a signer of the Constitution (1787). At the time that the Dickinson family relocated at Delaware, it was considered the Lower County of Pennsylvania. Philemon attended the University of Pennsylvania and graduated in the initial graduating class in 1759. Afterward, he became a lawyer and was admitted to the bar in Philadelphia; however, he never initiated a law practice. On 17 July 1767, Philemon married his cousin, Mary Cadwalader, the daughter of Doctor Thomas Cadwalader and the sister of General John Cadwalader. Together, they had two children, Mary (married George Fox) and Samuel (married Ann Meredith, daughter of James Meredith). Philemon also became a brother-in-law of Brigadier General John Dagworthy, who married Mary’s sister Martha. Philemon, like his brother John, was a firm advocate of the Patriots’ cause. On 19 October 1775, Philemon Dickinson was appointed brigadier general of the New Jersey militia. Prior to the occupation of Trenton in 1776, General Dickinson had purchased a property in Trenton that was initially built by the Rutherford family; however, the property (The Heritage) survived the war and was frequently used by General Dickinson to entertain his friends, including some of the more prominent leaders of the Revolution, such as John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and others. Also in 1776, he was elected as a member of the New Jersey Provincial Congress. Late in the year, he participated in the campaign to retake Trenton from the British. On 11 December 1776, Hessian troops entered Burlington, New Jersey, below Trenton. General George Washington reacted by deploying forces along the Delaware. A contingent of Marines moved up the Delaware on the following day and deployed in Burlington to greet the Hessian troops if they revisited. The Marines provided Washington with eyes in New Jersey, while he directed other forces to set up defensive positions in Pennsylvania. General Dickinson deployed his militia at Yardley’s Ferry and extended his line southward to link with the contingent under Brigadier General James Ewing at Hoop’s Mill on Biles Creek. Dickinson’s brother-in-law, General John Cadwalader, also participated in the Trenton-Princeton campaign. Following the capture of Trenton by Washington on 26 December and the victory at Princeton on 3 January 1777, Dickinson’s command continued to participate in the campaign against General William Howe, who was en route to seize Philadelphia until halted by the brilliant strike against Trenton. On 16 January 1777, Dickinson’s forces clashed with the British near Quibbletown, where sporadic skirmishes would occur through the summer. Soon after, on 20 January 1777, General Dickinson engaged the British at Millstone (known as Battle of Millstone or as the Battle of Van Nest’s Mills) and drove them away. On 23 January, General Dickinson, in a letter to Colonel John Nielson,

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noted that “on Monday last with about 450 men chiefly our militia I attacked a foraging party near V. Nest Mills consisting of 500 men with 2 field pieces, which we routed after an engagement of 20 minutes and brought off 107 horses, 49 wagons, 115 cattle, 70 sheep, 40 barrels of flour —106 bags and many other things, 49 prisoners....” General Washington, energized by Dickinson’s actions, on 22 January had written to John Hancock: “The Enemy retreated with so much precipitation, that General Dickinson had only an opportunity of making nine prisoners, they were observed to carry off a good many dead and wounded in light Waggons. This Action happened near Somerset Court House on Millstone River. Genl Dickinsons behaviour reflects the highest honour upon him, for tho’ his Troops were all raw, he lead them thro’ the River, middle deep, and gave the Enemy so severe a charge, that, altho’ supported by three field pieces, they gave way and left their Convoy.” During the following month, on 15 February 1777, General Dickinson resigned his commission; however, shortly thereafter, on 6 June, he was appointed major general of New Jersey militia, a position he retained for the duration. In the meantime, after conferring with Washington, Dickinson had learned that many in the army had been suffering from a smallpox inoculation and that the British, once aware of the condition of the forces, might launch a devastating attack. Upon returning to his camp, Dickinson was informed that a militia man deserted and had told the British of the weakness of the American army. Dickinson, using a double agent, had the man depart from the camp and inform the British that the former man had been duped into relaying false information to entice a British attack. The spy also falsely informed the British at New Brunswick that Washington had received thousands of reinforcements. General Cornwallis accepted the information as accurate and canceled an attack. General Dickinson’s brigade participated in the defense of Philadelphia, including the Battle of Germantown during October 1777. His militia was deployed to the rear of the British on the day prior to the Battle of Monmouth ( June 1778), but on the day of the battle, General Charles Lee, ordered to attack, instead ordered a retreat. Meanwhile, Dickinson’s militia was engaged with the British, but their scarce numbers against superior forces caused the militia to retire. Despite the debacle caused by Lee, Washington was able to re-galvanize the forces and hold the field. General Philemon Dickinson was loyal to General Washington, and when a conspiracy instigated by General Thomas Conway (the Conway Cabal) emerged to replace Washington with General Horatio Gates, the plot was foiled. On 4 July 1778, one of Washington’s staunch defenders, General John Cadwalader, challenged Conway to a duel and Cadwalader’s brother-in-law, General Philemon Dickinson, acted as his second. Cadwalader prevailed, but Conway, thought to have been mortally wounded, also survived. During 1782, General Philemon Dickinson was elected to Congress as a delegate from Delaware, and he served into 1783. Others who were simultaneously elected from Delaware were Thomas McKean, Samuel Wharton and Caesar Rodney; however, only Rodney was a citizen of Delaware. The others at the time were residents of Pennsylvania. During 1783, through 1784, General Dickinson served as vice president of the New Jersey Council. Later, he served as a United States senator when he replaced William Patterson, who resigned. General Dickinson served from 23 November 1790 through 3 March 1793. He did not seek re-election. During his time in the Senate, Philemon’s wife, Mary, succumbed (5 August 1791). He retired to private life on his estate known as The Hermitage; however, during December 1784, Congress appointed General Dickinson as one of three commissioners to select the location of a federal city to be established on either side of the Delaware River. The other commissioners were Major General Philip Schuyler and Robert Morris. Later during 1804, General Dickinson remarried to Rebecca, the sister of his late wife.

General Philemon Dickinson succumbed on 4 February 1809 while at home. He was interred in Trenton at the Friends Meeting House Burying Ground. Rebecca Dickinson later succumbed during May 1821. (See also, Dickinson, John.)

Douglas, Brigadier General John John Douglas, the son of Lt. Colonel John and Olive Spaulding Douglas, was born in Plainfield, Connecticut, on 12 April 1734. Olive, the daughter of Benjamin and Olive Spaulding, married John, Sr., about 1724–1725 and they had six other children: William (b. April 1729, died young); Olive (b. November 1731, died young); Benjamin (b. August 1739); William II (b. January about 1742–1743); Sarah (b. April 1744); and Olive (b. 1749). The details of John’s early years, including his education, were not discovered by the author; however, John most probably received a fine education. His brother Benjamin graduated Yale during 1760. John married a woman named Susannah (last name unknown) and they had seven children: Olive (b. 1758, married Anthony Bradford); Sarah (b. 1760, married Jeremiah Kinsman); Rebecca (b. about 1762, married a Mr. Branch, possibly Elisha); Susannah (b. 1764, married the Rev. Joshua Spaulding); Abiah (b. 1767, married Captain Benjamin Gallup); John (b. 1770, married Pamela Lord) and William (b. 1774, died unmarried, 1811). In the meantime, John Douglas served in the militia during the French and Indian War. He remained loyal to the Patriots during the period preceding the American Revolution. In 1775, at the time of the outbreak of hostilities, he was appointed lieutenant colonel of the Connecticut 8th Infantry (6 July 1775). On 19 December, Douglas was promoted to colonel (state regiment and militia). During 1776, John’s wife Susannah succumbed (20 March). John married again, taking Susannah Freyers as his second wife during January 1778. In June 1777, there were changes in the structure of the military in Connecticut. Due to the demise of General David Wooster (May of 1777), who held the rank of brigadier general in the Continental Army and major general Connecticut militia, General Jabez Huntington was appointed successor to Wooster and placed in command of all the state’s militia. At that same time, Brigadier General James Wadsworth was promoted to major general (second in rank) and John Douglas was promoted to brigadier general in place of General Eliphalet Dyer, who resigned. General Douglas’ activity outside of Connecticut included service during 1777 at Peekskill, New York, when his command was ordered to bolster General Israel Putnam’s forces. Contingents of his force were also dispatched to Saratoga that year. General Douglas was also scheduled to participate in a campaign commanded by General Joseph Spencer; however, Spencer canceled the scheduled assault against British positions in Rhode Island. General Douglas, known for wearing “knee-breeches with silver buttons, and silver buckles on his shoes,” served for the duration and afterward returned to private life on his estate. General Douglas’ brother William, who served during the French and Indian War as a sergeant, also served as an officer during the Revolution. During the struggle in and around Long Island in 1776, William received debilitating wounds, which compelled him to leave the service. William Douglas died in May of 1777. General John Douglas succumbed on 22 September 1809. His widow, Susannah, succumbed during the following year on 27 December.

Drayton, William Henry William Drayton, the son of John and Charlotta Bull Drayton, was born in September 1742 at the family plantation, Drayton Hall, along the Ashley River in South Carolina. William’s mother was the second wife of his father, who had earlier married Sarah Cattell. William’s father and Sarah, the daughter of William Cattell, had two children,

101 Stephen Fox (b. November 1737) and William (b. December 1738), but both of their children died young during 1739 and 1740 respectively. John also lost his wife, Sarah, during that same period. He remarried in 1741, taking Charlotta Bull as his second wife. She was the daughter of Lt. Governor William Bull. In addition to William Henry, John and Charlotta had another son, Charles, born 22 December 1743. William Henry’s mother died in 1743, possibly in childbirth. William’s father again married, taking Margaret Glen (sister of Royal Governor James Glen) as his third wife in 1743. John and Margaret had two sons, Glen (b. 1752) and Thomas (b. 1758). In the meantime, William traveled to England during 1753, where he received his education at Westminster, and afterward at Baliol College at Oxford. William traveled with and was supervised by Charles Pinckney (chief justice of the colony), who was en route to England with his two sons, Charles Coatesworth and Thomas. After completing his studies, in 1764 William returned home and began to study international law. Afterward, he was admitted to the bar. On 29 March 1764, William married Dorothy Golightly, the daughter of Culcheth and Mary Golightly. William and Mary had four children, but only three reached adulthood, Mary, John (later governor of South Carolina), and William Henry. Dorothy was also the sister of Mary Golightly, the wife of Benjamin Huger. William Drayton became a polished writer who published pieces centering around the “patriotic associations” that were emerging throughout the colonies and his opposition to them. The pieces received responses from Patriots, including Christopher Gadsden and John McKenzie. Later, during 1771, he returned to England and was introduced to the court. His flattering articles were well received in England and they were also published there. When he arrived back in South Carolina, he carried a king’s appointment as privy councilor of South Carolina. On 8 April 1772, Drayton took his seat, but within a short while, he suddenly found himself an opponent of the policies of the Crown and the province’s royal judges and other officials. Drayton’s step-mother, Margaret, died during 1772. His father, John, married yet again during 1775, taking 17-year-old Rebecca Perry as his fourth wife. Rebecca was about half the age of William, her stepson. John and Rebecca had three children, Anna (b. about 1775); Susanna (b. 1777); and John (died at birth). In the early 1770s, Drayton’s belief that the Crown and Parliament were going to rectify the wrongs imposed upon the colonies was rapidly fading. Although his new observations and conspicuous demeanor were not being well received by the royal government in the colony, he still had strong connections, which prevented drastic action by his political adversaries. Drayton was appointed as an assistant judge by Lt. Governor William Bull, his uncle, on 25 January 1774. Drayton’s career path within the royal government immediately began to encounter divergent roads; by that time he was aligned with the Patriots. Later that year, his pen agitated his adversaries when he published, under the pseudonym “Freeman,” a piece addressed to the delegates of the First Continental Congress, which was to convene in Philadelphia during September 1774. Drayton’s pamphlet included a bill of rights and laid out a plan of action that should be followed. The information contained in the pamphlet was well received by Congress, as evidenced by its later action that closely paralleled Drayton’s advice. Nonetheless, Drayton’s pen caused great trepidation in the royal government in South Carolina. The province’s chief justice, Thomas Knox Gordon, exploded with vitriol. Consequently, William lost his position as an officer of the Crown, and in the eyes of the royal government, the name Drayton had been eliminated from its place of prominence. However, the action actually increased Drayton’s popularity throughout the province, as well as helping his name to become well known throughout the colonies. Drayton had little idle time after losing his position. He was appointed to the Council of Safety during 1775. In the meantime, the

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probability of reconciliation with the Crown had been totally eliminated after the battles of Lexington and Concord on 19 April 1775. Open hostilities had begun, and the only paths remaining were those that led either to victory and independence or a lost cause. Drayton, soon after being appointed to the Committee of Safety, was elected as its president. He also became the president of the Provincial Congress of 1775. In South Carolina, at Drayton’s urging, Patriots seized the royal arsenals to confiscate the arms and gunpowder. During March of 1776, in conjunction with the recent adoption of a temporary state constitution, William was appointed as a privy councillor and a chief justice of South Carolina. Chief Justice Drayton took a bold step during April 1776 that surely jeopardized his safety. He presented a charge to the grand jury in Charleston which proclaimed that “the king had abdicated the government, and had no more authority over the people of South Carolina.” The declaration of South Carolina independence occurred prior to the Declaration of Independence proclaimed by the Second Continental Congress on the Fourth of July, 1776. Drayton continued as an undaunted opponent of Britain and he later presented other charges (October 1776 and October 1777) regarding the nation’s independence, each lifting the hearts of his fellow Patriot and infuriating the English. In 1777, Drayton assumed the duties of governor in the absence of Governor John Rutledge. Drayton left the state the following year after being elected to the Continental Congress, where he served until his death on 4 September 1779. His father, John, also died in 1779, during an incursion by the British. John and his family hurriedly departed Drayton Hall but while being ferried across the west branch of the Cooper River, John died from a seizure. He was buried in an unmarked grave in the vicinity of Strawberry Ferry. His widow, Rebecca, inherited the plantation. William Henry Drayton was interred in Christ Church cemetery in Philadelphia. The cause of his death was never determined. Some have speculated it was from a duel. A large amount of his personal papers and correspondence was destroyed. Drayton had worked with Arthur Middleton to design the state seal of South Carolina, with each of them designing one half.

Du Coudray, Major General Philip Philip du Coudray was born on 8 September 1738 in Rheims, France. He was educated in France and became an engineer, but he also focused on the military. By the time the American Revolution was erupting, Philip had become a prominent member of the French military as the adjutant-general of artillery. Like some other Frenchmen, including Lafayette, Philip was inspired by the American cause to volunteer for the Continental Army. The American commissioners in France, Silas Deane and Benjamin Franklin, conferred with Philip during 1776 and from that encounter, he embarked for America with assurances from the commissioners that he would be commissioned a major general and command the artillery. The appointment met with some resistance within Congress and among some American generals, all of whom were reluctant to appoint a Frenchman as commander of artillery above American general officers. Du Coudray arrived in Philadelphia during May 1777, and a large group, composed of 29 officers and twelve sergeants of artillery, accompanied him. Several of the American generals threatened to resign if du Coudray was promoted over Henry Knox. One of the officers was General Sullivan. Congress reacted on 3 July by resolving “that the president inform General Sullivan that Congress have not been accustomed to be controlled by their officers in the measures which they are about to take in discharge of the important trust committed to them by the United States; that they mean not to be controlled by his letter in their proceedings respecting Monsr du Coudray; for that whatever those proceedings may be, General Sullivan’s resignation will be accepted by Congress whenever he shall think it proper to transmit it to them.” Congress in the meantime worked to find compromise.

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On 15 July, Congress appointed a committee to meet with du Coudray to inform him that the agreement offered by Silas Deane could not be carried out, but Congress would “cheerfully give him such rank and appointments as shall not be inconsistent with the honour and safety of these States, or interfere with the great duties they owe to their constituents.” On 21 July, the committee delivered its report to Congress, which requested that du Coudray “be appointed a Major General with the Powers, Emoluments and Privileges, annexed to that Rank, and that a Train of Artillery be allotted for his Command separate from that under the Command of Brigadier General Knox. That the officers accompanying Mons Du Condray should have the Ranks proposed for them in France together with the Pay and Emoluments annexed to those Ranks in the service of the United States.” Consideration of the report was postponed; however, on 11 August, du Coudray was appointed inspector general with the rank of major general. He remained enthusiastic and he was anxious to serve, despite his disappointment regarding the position of commander of artillery. Nevertheless, the dilemma was terminated during the following month due to tragic circumstances. General du Coudray was seated upon a horse aboard a ferry that was crossing the Schuylkill River. Suddenly the horse bolted after becoming frightened and General du Coudray was carried overboard with the horse. He drowned before he could be rescued. Congress authorized an official funeral and paid the costs. It resolved “that the corpse of the said Mons. du Coudray be interred at the expence of the United States, and with the honors of war; and that the town major carry this order into execution.” The fallen Frenchman, a Catholic, had a Requiem Mass celebrated in St. Mary’s Catholic Church. Congress officially attended. Du Coudray’s funeral was one of only four times during the conflict that Congress was officially present at Mass. General Du Coudray was interred in the cemetery of St. Mary’s Church; however, the exact location of his grave remains unknown.

Duportail, Major General Louis Lebeque de Presle Louis Duportail was born in France at Pithiviers during 1743. He studied at the Military School of Mezieres and entered the service of France as an engineer during 1761. In 1773, he was promoted to the rank of captain. During 1776, Louis began to make plans to go to America to join against the British. After meeting with Benjamin Franklin and Silas Deane, in July 1777 Duportail was sent to America with a group of other French officers, including Gouvion, Radiere and Laumoy. Congress had earlier instructed its ministers to acquire engineers who were presently serving in the French military. Those four officers were chosen by the ministers to fulfill their instructions, and they were the only French officers obtained under the direct instructions of Congress. After Duportail arrived in America, Congress appointed him chief engineer with the rank of colonel. Laumoy and Radiere were commissioned as lieutenant-colonels, and Gouvion was appointed the rank of major. On 17 November 1777, Duportail was promoted to the rank of brigadier general. By that time, General DuPortail was assigned the task of bolstering the defenses at Valley Forge to prepare it against an attack by the British, who at the time occupied nearby Philadelphia. At about the same time, discussions were held by the officers to determine the feasibility of launching an attack against Philadelphia, but some, including Duportail, Nathanael Greene, John Sullivan and Henry Knox opposed the offensive. General George Washington, after listening to their reasons, concurred and the plan was scrapped. The British abandoned Philadelphia during spring 1778 and the Americans broke camp to initiate pursuit. The two sides clashed in a major battle at Monmouth, New Jersey, on the 28th of June, the last battle in the northern states.

General Duportail, following the fighting at Monmouth, was dispatched by Washington to investigate the defenses of Philadelphia, then draw up a plan to fortify it and the Delaware River defenses. After that assignment, General Duportail was to investigate the defenses along the Hudson River at Fort Clinton. His blueprint was approved by General Washington, and afterward, he and Colonel Tadeusz Kosciuszko received orders to complete the fortifications there. In October 1778, Duportail was sent to Boston with orders to improve its defenses and to plan to increase security in the harbor for the French fleet under Charles Hector, Count D’Estaing. During May 1779, Duportail was appointed as commander of the Corps of Engineers. Later, he and Colonel Alexander Hamilton were sent to meet with D’Estaing and deliver confidential dispatches to him regarding a joint operation with the French fleet and the Continental Army; however, in the meantime the French and American force was repulsed at Savannah on 9 October 1779, and only one French ship made it to the Chesapeake. After a time, with no sign of the French fleet on the Delaware, the operation was aborted. Duportail received orders from General Washington to repair to Morristown, New Jersey. Once he arrived at camp, he was directed to assess the defenses to decide which points should be bolstered in the event of a British attack. During January 1780, the Continental Army was about to lose the services of DuPortail, as his commission expired; however, General Washington quickly intervened on behalf of Duportail and the other three officers engaged by Franklin and Deane. Congress retained Duportail and in March 1780, he was ordered to assist General Benjamin Lincoln at Charleston, South Carolina. Nonetheless, his arrival at Charleston was untimely. The British reduced the resistance and seized the city on 12 May 1780. As soon as he arrived in Charleston, Duportail observed the enemy, their positions and their strength, then inspected the defenses. He concluded that the British could have captured Charleston ten days before he got there. His assessment also prompted him to request to depart the city immediately, having determined the positions were untenable. Nonetheless, General Benjamin Lincoln refused to permit him to depart. General Duportail was among the captives when Charleston fell. He was held until exchanged that October. Following his release, General Duportail was to be involved in action against New York, but by August 1781, the planned offensive was aborted and the grand strategy began to point to Virginia, where British General Lord Charles Cornwallis was deployed and awaiting reinforcements. Duportail accompanied General George Washington to a meeting with French Admiral De Grasse on 18 September off Cape Henry, Virginia. Subsequently, Duportail participated at the siege of Yorktown. Following the capitulation, General Duportail sought a leave of absence to permit him to visit France and requested Washington’s intervention to gain him a promotion to major general. Congress was quick to grant the leave of absence, but tardy on the issue of promotion; however, on the 16 November 1781, Congress did promote Duportail to the rank of major general. In addition, France awarded him the Cross of St. Louis and a pension, as well a pledge of the rank of brigadier general in the French service. General Duportail returned to France during October 1783, where he rejoined the French army. By 1788, Duportail rose to the rank of field marshal and afterward served as minister of war (1790–1791). Later, during the French Revolution, he was forewarned of threats against his life. In August 1792, he was condemned by the government, prompting him to conceal himself in Paris for about twenty-two months before he escaped to the United States in 1794. Upon his arrival, he purchased a farm in the vicinity of Valley Forge. During 1797, through the efforts of Mathieu Dumas, Duportail’s name was eradicated from the list of emigrants, which permitted him to return to his home. Nonetheless, during 1802, while en route to France, he died aboard ship.

103 Dyer, Brigadier General Eliphalet Eliphalet Dyer, the son of Colonel Thomas and Lydia Backus Dyer, was born in Windham, Connecticut, in September 1721 (some nineteenth century sources list the 14th and others the 26th). Eliphalet’s mother was the daughter of John and Mary Bingham Backus of Windham. Thomas and Lydia had three other children: Mary (b. January 1718); Lydia (b. July 1724); and Eunice (b. June 1727). Subsequent to the death of Lydia, Eliphalet’s father married Mehitable Gardiner and later, Sarah Walden. Eliphalet’s education included the study of law, and he was admitted to the bar during 1746. By that time, he had been employed in Windham as the town clerk. About 1745 he was appointed a captain of the militia. That year, Eliphalet Dyer married Huldah Bowen of Providence, Rhode Island, the daughter of Jabez and Hulda Bowen. Eliphalet and Huldah had the following children: Thomas (b. November 1747); Eliphalet (b. October 1749); Amelia (b. November 1750, married Colonel Jonathan Trumbull, the son of Governor Trumbull, then Colonel Hezekiah Wyllis); Benjamin (b. October 1753); Oliver (b. December 1755, d. June 1778) and Jabez (b. December 1757, d. July 1779). By 1746, Dyer was appointed a justice of the peace. His career continued to advance and by May 1747, Dyer was appointed deputy to the general assembly. He was reappointed to the post during 1749, and he served during several sessions of 1752 and 1753. In the meantime, he had also remained in the military and was promoted to the rank of major during 1753. That same year, Dyer was one of the primary men who established the Susquehanna Company for the purpose of establishing a colony in the Wyoming Valley, thought by the group that the terrain was within the jurisdiction of Connecticut. The lands, in Indian territory, were contested by Pennsylvania. Some violence occurred, but the dispute found itself in the background for a while due to the outbreak of the French and Indian War. Nonetheless, the land dispute was eventually settled in the courts and Pennsylvania prevailed. With the French movement into New York from Canada, American regiments were formed to evict them. During August 1755, Dyer, serving as a lieutenant colonel, participated in the advance against Crown Point. All the while, he remained entrenched in politics. He served in the assembly during multiple sessions (1756–1758). During March of 1758, Eliphalet was promoted to the rank of colonel and participated in the Canadian Campaign. Also that year, he was nominated for the Upper House of Assistants; however, he continued to serve as deputy for two additional sessions before becoming an assistant in 1762. He served during and beyond the Revolution, holding the post by annual re-election until 1784. In the meantime, during 1763, Dyer, as a representative of the Susquehanna Company, sailed to England to attempt to acquire the title to the land in the Wyoming Valley, but the Crown declined the request. Upon his return to Connecticut, Dyer was appointed as comptroller for the port of New London. By about that time, Britain was engineering ways to increase the flow of income to pay for the costs of the late war with France, but the colonists did not receive the pressure with enthusiasm. The Stamp Act was passed during 1765 and the reaction was immediate and negative. Dyer was one of three men appointed as Connecticut delegates to the congress referred to as the Stamp Act Congress. Governor Thomas Fitch IV pressed for the Connecticut Assistants to pledge an oath of loyalty in support of the Stamp Act, but to his disappointment, most of the members, including Colonel Dyer, rejected the idea and walked away from the Assistants rather than side against the colonies. New elections occurred during May of 1766 and not surprisingly, those like Dyer who rejected the governor’s plans were not returned to office. That year, however, Dyer was appointed as a judge of the Connecticut Supreme Court, yet another long-term post, which he retained until 1793, and during the final four years on the bench,

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he served as chief justice. In other action of the assembly in 1766, Dyer was selected to travel to England as agent for the Mohican Indians, but declined. All the while, since the enactment and repeal of the Stamp Act, relations with Britain never reached a point of reconciliation, but still, most of the colonists held some confidence that a break from the mother country would not be necessary. By 1774, the Americans moved closer to a call for independence, while simultaneously working to find a way to get fair treatment from the Crown and Parliament. A Continental Congress met during September 1774 and Dyer, along with Roger Sherman and Silas Deane, was a delegate from Connecticut. His propensity for long-term posts seemed to emerge with each new responsibility. He served in the Congress each year, except 1776 and 1779, until 1783. (Some sources list Dyer’s service as 1774–1779 and 1772– 1783; however, that appears incorrect, as Dyer would have been noted in the votes regarding the Declaration of Independence during 1776 if he had been a delegate.) In 1775, Dyer was appointed to the Committee of Safety (Connecticut) and he served on the governor’s council. During November 1775, Dyer was placed on a congressional committee charged with repairing to New York to confer with General Philip Schuyler regarding the Canadian expedition, but he became ill and was replaced by Robert Livingston. While in Congress that year, Dyer maneuvered to get a blank commission for brigadier for David Waterbury, but the action prompted Congress to initiate an investigation regarding the distribution of blank commissions by General Schuyler and by the New York Committee of Safety during 1775. Waterbury, who participated in the Canadian campaign, was commissioned as brigadier of militia by Connecticut during June of 1776, and the next October, he surrendered to the British. Dyer’s was absent from Congress during 1776 and was not among those who voted to break free from Britain and afterward signed the Declaration of Independence. During the latter part of 1776, Dyer was commissioned a brigadier general of militia; however, he declined due to his other commitments. Nonetheless, he appears to have retained his commission until 1777, or he was later reappointed. In June 1777, the month after the death of General David Wooster while engaged against the British at Ridgefield, Connecticut, changes were made to the military commanders in the state. General Wooster had held the rank of brigadier general in the Continental Army and major general in the Connecticut militia. General Jabez Huntington was appointed major general in his place as commander-in-chief of the state’s militia. Colonel John Douglas was promoted to brigadier general in place of General Dyer, who resigned. Brigadier General James Wadsworth was promoted to major general (second in rank). In the meantime, on 1 August 1777, Dyer was placed on a congressional committee to investigate the abandonment of Ticonderoga and Fort (Mount) Independence, the latter in Vermont. Other members included Nathaniel Folsom, Henry Laurens and Daniel Roberdeau. Later that year, Dyer was appointed to a committee to consider the possibility of pardons to those who had been loyal to the Crown but were now prepared to return to the American cause. Francis Dana, William Duer and Daniel Roberdeau served with Dyer on that committee. General Dyer retired from public life in 1793. He succumbed on 13 May 1807, at the age of 86 following an illness of short duration. General Dyer’s wife, Huldah, predeceased him. She died on 12 February 1800. General Dyer’s portrait was among those included in the painting by Tomkins Harrison Matteson “The First Prayer in Congress,” which dealt with the First Continental Congress that convened at Carpenter’s Hall in Philadelphia during 1774.

Eaton, Brigadier General Thomas Thomas Eaton, the son of Colonel William and Mary Rives Eaton, was born about 1740. William Eaton, a vestryman of Blanford Church

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in the vicinity of Petersburg, Virginia, had relocated, along with a group of other settlers, to North Carolina about 1725. Thomas married Anna Bland, the daughter of Theodoric and Frances Elizabeth Bolling Bland, during 1763 (Anna died prior to 1781). Anna was the sister of Colonel Richard Bland and Frances Bland Randolph, the wife of John Randolph of Roanoke. Thomas and Anna had the following children: Anne, William, Thomas, Mary Ellen, and Harriet Bowling. Thomas, subsequent to the death of his wife, is known to have married Anne Stith, and it is generally believed that he was also married to Mary Jones, the daughter of General Allen Jones. During 1775, Patriots under Colonel Robert Howe seized Fort Johnston at the mouth of the Cape Fear River, but the royal governor, Josiah Martin, escaped. Cornelius Harnett, Jr., became president of the Council of Safety (government of the province) and Thomas Eaton became a councilor. The British reacted to the flight of Governor Josiah Martin by sending a fleet to rendezvous with Loyalists (Highlanders) at Cape Fear during February of 1776, and Colonel Thomas Eaton’s battalion was one of the units called into action. However, the British plans were foiled when the Highlanders were bushwhacked by forces under Colonel James Moore at Moore’s Creek Bridge on 26 February, leaving General Henry Clinton without the elite land force that he intended to have join his units. The British, once informed of the defeat of the Highlanders, sailed off toward South Carolina. Colonel Eaton’s militia later participated at the Battle of Briar Creek during the ill-fated campaign to regain Augusta, Georgia. The North Carolina militia under General John Ashe faltered at Briar Creek and Ashe later received a court-martial. Colonel Eaton was among those who escaped capture; however, his hurried escape from Georgia cost him his boots. Another officer, Colonel John Hamilton, aware of the owner of the boots because of their diminutive size and style, spotted them and apparently bought them from another soldier. Back in North Carolina, Colonel Hamilton carried the extra pair of boots to a party and while seated for dinner, the boots were handed back to Colonel Eaton. Hamilton’s humor was not well received. An irritated Eaton “threw them across the table at Hamilton’s head.” In October 1779, General Allen Jones of North Carolina was elected to the Continental Congress. He requested that the assembly appoint Thomas Eaton (senior colonel in Allen’s brigade) to the rank of brigadier general; the assembly concurred. Eaton participated at the Battle of Guilford Court House in March 1781. By 12 March, General Nathanael Greene’s army had been bolstered by the North Carolina militia units, two brigades under Generals John Butler and Thomas Eaton. The North Carolinians replaced South Carolinians under Andrew Pickens that had departed for South Carolina. Greene also had been augmented by Virginians and regulars (Marylanders). General Eaton’s orders from Greene directed that the militia fire two volleys prior to retreating, which they did as ordered. Although unknown at the time, Eaton’s brigade had fought in the battle that saved the Carolinas. Greene was forced from the field but the British sustained grievous casualties and by the end of the month, Cornwallis fled North Carolina. General Eaton succumbed during 1809.

Elbert, Brigadier General Samuel Samuel Elbert, the son of the Rev. William and Sarah Elbert, was born in Prince Williams Parish, South Carolina, during 1740. Samuel’s parents both emigrated from England and initially resided in Georgia before moving to South Carolina. Information regarding Samuel’s early years did not survive the ages; however, it is known that he lost both of his parents while he was young. He left South Carolina for Savannah, Georgia, in search of a livelihood, and it was there that he found himself as a young man fully enveloped in the events that were unfolding around him. He also met Elizabeth Rae, whom he married. They had six children: Catherine Rae, Elizabeth, Sara, Samuel, Em-

manuel de Lafayette (named after Marquis Lafayette), Matthew, and Hugh Rae. Elbert’s initial recorded entrance into the military occurred when he signed his name as “Captain Samuel Elbert of the Grenadier Company” on a pledge of loyalty to the American cause. The pledge was dated 4 June 1774. On the 22nd, he was appointed to the Committee of Safety along with other prominent men of Georgia, including Archibald Bulloch, William Ewen, Joseph Habersham, John Houstoun, and George Walton. Elbert also attended the Provincial Congress as a delegate when it convened on 4 July 1775 at Savannah. He was appointed to a committee charged with acquiring arms and ammunition for the Georgia forces, along with Edward Telfair and Joseph Halbersham. On 14 November 1775, Congress authorized South Carolina to raise three battalions, and at the same time, Georgia was authorized to raise one battalion for service in the Continental Army. Upon the 1st Georgia’s formation, on 7 January 1776, the battalion was composed of eight companies. Samuel Elbert was appointed lieutenant colonel, second in command under Colonel Lachlan McIntosh. Joseph Habersham served in the battalion as major and shortly thereafter became a member of Elbert’s family when he married Isabella, the sister of Samuel’s wife, Elizabeth. The following July, on the 5th, Elbert became colonel of the 2nd Georgia Battalion. In March 1777, the Council of Safety authorized recently elected Button Gwinnett (president) to invade Florida (Second Florida Invasion), but complications developed almost immediately. Gwinnett was unable to raise a strong militia force. Consequently, he required support from McIntosh’s regulars, and that caused more problems of command between Gwinnett and McIntosh. By May 1777, McIntosh and Gwinnett were recalled to Savannah and command fell upon Colonel Elbert. The expeditionary force departed Sunbury on 1 May, but the invasion failed. A contingent under Colonel John Baker advanced by land while Elbert moved by water. Baker’s men lost their horses to Indians but later recovered them; meanwhile the two forces never joined. Elbert’s force was plagued with sickness and compelled to halt at Amelia Island. On 17 May, Baker’s column was struck by British Florida rangers and Creek allies. The Americans sustained casualties and some captured, but the column finally linked with Elbert and made it back to Georgia on 15 June. In the meantime, unknown to Colonel Elbert, General McIntosh engaged in a duel with Button Gwinnett on 16 May; Gwinnett was mortally wounded. McIntosh was pulled out of Georgia and directed to join General Washington. Command of the Georgia battalion was given to Colonel Elbert, who was promoted to the rank of colonel on 5 July 1777. During the following spring (1778), Colonel Elbert, aware of British cruisers causing havoc along the coast, moved to Frederica, where he had been told the enemy had arrived. Taking his command aboard three galleys, he succeeded in seizing the brigantine Hinchinbrook, the sloop Rebecca and a brigantine they had seized as a prize. A third invasion of Florida was authorized by Congress in 1778, but again planning and cooperation between the Continental Army and militia were poor. The expedition was under the overall command of General Robert Howe. The British repelled an American cavalry force under Colonel Elijah Clark at Alligator Creek ( Jacksonville, Florida) on 30 June 1778, and that action terminated the invasion. During fighting at Medway Church on 24 November 1778, James Screven was mortally wounded. Colonel Elbert immediately sent a flag of truce to the British requesting a pause to allow doctors to provide medical assistance. The British permitted passage, but the two physicians, Doctors Braidie and Alexander, after crossing into the British positions, determined that Screven could not be saved. They provided some aid, but he succumbed on the following day.

105 During the campaign to regain Augusta, Georgia, Colonel Elbert was with North Carolinians under General John Ashe at Briar Creek on 3 March 1779. The British closed against the Americans. Upon sight of the Redcoats, General Ashe directed Elbert to advance, saying: “Sir, you had better advance and engage them.” Elbert’s diminutive force stood steadfastly while Ashe’s troops advanced hurriedly to the rear, giving the Georgians no support. The Americans were overwhelmed and Colonel Elbert, who was wounded, was among the captured. During his captivity, Colonel Elbert ignored attempts by the British to convince him to swing his allegiance back to the Crown. The British attempted to end his life while on parole, but the Indians charged with the dastardly act recognized a signal Elbert used to identify himself as an old friend who had once protected Creek chiefs. The Indian assassins, after acknowledging the sign, aborted their plan to kill the general. Consequently, his parole continued. Colonel Elbert was exchanged after the fall of Charleston. Elbert then repaired north to participate in the Virginia campaign against Lord General Charles Cornwallis. Colonel Elbert, who had previously been appointed brigadier general of Georgia militia, was later raised to the rank of major general of militia, and at about the same time, on 3 November 1783, Congress awarded Elbert the rank of brevet brigadier general. After the war, during 1785, General Elbert was elected governor. He served only one term, but during that term, one of his achievements was signing the charter for the University of Georgia. General Elbert had also been elected as a member of Congress during 1784; however, he chose not to serve in that capacity. He also served as sheriff. Following a prolonged illness, died prematurely on 2 November 1788. General Elbert was survived by his wife, and their six children. His body was initially interred at the family plantation (Rae’s Hall) outside of Savannah, but later, General Elbert was re-interred in Colonial Park cemetery in Savannah. Other prominent Revolutionary War leaders buried there include Button Gwinnett, General Lachlan McIntosh and Archibald Bulloch.

Ellery, William (Signer of the Declaration of Independence) William Ellery was born on 22 December 1727 at Newport, Rhode Island. His father, also named William, was an affluent merchant and a lawyer who graduated from Harvard. His son also became an attorney, but at first he didn’t practice law. William worked for a while as a merchant and later as a customs collector, and he spent time as a clerk for the general assembly of Rhode Island. In October 1750, William married Ann Remington without his father’s blessing. Nonetheless, the elder William began to accept the marriage when the couple made him a grandfather with the birth of Elizabeth in 1751. Ann was the daughter of Judge Jonathan Remington of Cambridge and a descendant of Governor Thomas Dudley of Massachusetts Bay. Also born to the couple were Lucy, Ann, William, Jr., Almy, and Edmund Trowbridge. In 1764 Ellery sustained two severe losses. First, his father passed and soon after, within six months, his wife, Ann, succumbed, leaving William as a widower with six children. Nonetheless, he accepted the circumstances and carried out his responsibilities, helped in some measure by his inheritance. Two years later, on 28 June 1767, William married his second cousin, Abigail Carey. Afterward, they had ten children; however, only two reached adulthood, George Wanton Ellery (1789, later married Mary Goddard, daughter of Thomas Goddard) and Mehitable Redwood Ellery (1784, married William Anthony). Ellery remained a student of history, a subject that captivated him as a young boy, particularly the ancient republics, and as the tensions began to build between the colonists and the mother country, Ellery’s sympathies stayed with the American cause. As part of his commitment, he was active with the Sons of Liberty in Rhode Island. In the mean-

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time, after working in several different occupations, he began to practice law in Newport during 1770. In May 1776, after the death of Samuel Ward due to smallpox during March 1776, Ellery was selected as Ward’s replacement as a delegate to the Continental Congress. He then became one of the Patriots who pledged their lives, fortunes and sacred honor in defense of the emerging republic, beginning with the Declaration of Independence. Blessed with his superior intelligence, he had also gained William Ellery (Biographical Sketches a grasp of philosophy and of the Signers of the Declaration of Indelogic during his studies, pendence, Benson J. Lossing, 1854) which also included Greek and Latin. Ellery’s oratory skills were at times bolstered when necessary with a tinge of well-pointed sarcasm that blended naturally with his quick wit. Ellery, having been raised in Newport, had a natural inclination to support the navy, and as a member of Congress he was a huge supporter of the naval service. On 11 October 1776, Ellery was appointed to the Marine Committee to replace Stephen Hopkins. Except for the years 1780 and 1782, he served in Congress until 1786. On 4 July 1776, when the Declaration was adopted, Ellery was known to have enjoyed standing erect alongside the secretary, Charles Thompson, to get a close-up view of the emotions and facial expression as each vote was cast, with every affirmative vote bringing with it the sentence of death by hanging if the voter were to be apprehended by the British. During 1777, Ellery was on the committee charged with preparing seven fire ships for the purpose of harassing the British fleet, which was moored at Newport. The British army at Newport was aware of Ellery’s residence and that he was one of the signers they so diligently sought. They never apprehended Ellery; however, the British moved to crack his spirit by burning and destroying all of his property they could find. Nonetheless, the drastic actions served only to embolden Ellery and push his fervent devotion to a higher level, while his resentment against the British intensified. He also chaired a committee charged with finding ways of getting help to the citizens of Rhode Island while they suffered during British aggressions. On 15 November 1777, the Articles of Confederation were adopted by Congress. Subsequent to ratification by the states, the Articles became effective on 1 March 1781. That day Congress listed the names of the members who signed; the list included William Ellery. In 1779, Ellery was appointed to the Committee of Foreign Relations, and during the following year, one in which he was not a member of Congress, he was appointed by that body as a member of the Board of Admiralty, a post he had held when he was in Congress. Congress received a letter of acceptance of the position from Ellery on 26 June 1780. Following the close of hostilities, Ellery, during 1784, was a member of several committees, including one that addressed the treaty with Britain. Toward the latter part of his career in Congress, Ellery sided with those who worked to end slavery in America. Except for 1780 and 1782, he had served the nation in Congress from 1776 through 1785. During his final year, he was offered a position as chief justice of the Supreme Court of Rhode Island, but he declined, preferring to retain his seat in Congress. That year, while still

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in Congress, Ellery collaborated with Rufus King to attempt to convince Congress to abolish slavery. In 1786, Congress appointed Ellery as commissioner of the Loan Office for Rhode Island. Following the birth of the Constitution and the election of George Washington as president, Ellery was appointed by Washington as the customs collector at Newport. In 1786 he had spent about a year trying to rebound from the great losses he sustained during the Revolution, when the British devastated his property. Although much of his personal property had been lost, Ellery plucked a surviving chair from the debris, one that he favored for the remainder of his life. When the Democratic-Republicans (present-day Democrats) gained the White House with the election of Thomas Jefferson, Ellery, a Federalist, was not forced to leave his post. In his thirty-year term as customs collector, just $200 “upon bond accrued to government” was lost, which was a grand tribute to Ellery’s integrity, and in conjunction with that bond he had taken out five separate sureties. Ellery also spent time writing, and although he was not known for great criticism of others, he did author a series of essays that focused on the flaws of public speakers. On the day of his death, 15 February 1820, no signs of distress were detected. He was as usual making use of his relic, preserved from British destruction, his “flag-bottomed” chair, which he had possessed for about fifty years. On that morning, while reading a book, Tully’s Officiis, written in Latin, his doctor arrived and found him looking extremely pale and without a pulse. Reaching for a bottle of wine that was nearby, a portion was quickly given to Ellery. He was able to respond to his doctor’s words of encouragement, but his answer was prophetic when he said: “It is idle to talk to me in this way. I am going off the stage of life and it is a great blessing that I go free from sickness, pain and sorrow.” He was taken from his chair and placed on his bed; however, even at the point of near-death, Ellery seemed not the least bit concerned. Suddenly he sat erect and began to read another book, Cicero de Officiis, but it was never completed, as within a few more minutes he expired as if he had fallen asleep, with his book nudged under his chin. Ellery had been a widower since the death of his second wife, Abigail, during 1793. In life, William Ellery had received many compliments regarding his many attributes, but he also was remembered as a man of a more ancient generation due to his peculiar way of dressing. He wore clothes of an earlier era with no desire to improve his wardrobe to the modern dress of his lifetime. Although it was not recorded as part of his reading on that final day, Ellery was also known for his close association with his Christian religion; it was said that his Bible, which he read often, was never far from his side. William Ellery was buried in Coggeshall Cemetery in Newport, but later, he was re-interred in a tomb in the Common Burying Ground on Farewell Street in Newport.

Ellsworth, Oliver (Framer of the U.S. Constitution) Oliver Ellsworth, second the son of David and Jemima Leavitt Ellsworth, was born in Windsor, Connecticut, on 29 April 1745. His father, a farmer, was a veteran of the War of Spanish Succession and the French and Indian War. Subsequent to the death of Oliver’s father, his mother, about 62 years of age, remarried to an affluent citizen of Windsor. Oliver’s family belonged to the Congregational church, which at the time was the official church in the colony of Connecticut. Only scant information regarding Oliver’s youth has been handed down. His father took steps to ensure the Oliver received an education that would lead to him becoming a minister. He was tutored by the Rev. Joseph Bellamy, who prepared Jonathan for college. Following completion of his studies, Oliver attended Yale during 1762, but he did not receive his degree for nearly thirty years. While there, he was not separated from typical shenanigans and on several occasions he was disciplined. In one incident, “he and three others presently after evening Prayers on Thursday last put on their Hats and

run and Hallooed in the College Yard in contempt of the Law of College.” Oliver received a fine of one shilling. During his second year, he was caught with others enjoying “a general treat or compotation of wine both common and spiced in and by the sophomore class.” For that incident he was fined four shillings. President Thomas Clapp noted in an entry dated 27 July 1764: “Oliver Ellsworth and Waightstill Avery, at the desire of their respective parents, were dismissed from being members of this College.” Reasons for Oliver’s de- Oliver Ellsworth (Our Countrymen , parture are uncertain. or Brief Memoirs of Eminent AmeriAfterward, he attended cans, Benson J. Lossing, 1855) Princeton; however, following graduation at Princeton, Oliver did not become a minister as his father had wished. Instead, he became a lawyer, but he did not gain admittance to the bar until four years later in 1771. During that period stretching from college to practicing law, again little information about his life has been preserved. Subsequent to receiving his license to practice law, Oliver was not immediately propelled to affluence; rather he had what would be described in contemporary times as college loans. Lacking an affluent family and having no personal wealth, Oliver Ellsworth attempted to settle his debts by selling a tract of land along the Connecticut River that he had inherited, but no buyers appeared. Oliver modified his quest to pay off the money he owed by cutting down trees on the land and taking advantage of the lumber market at Hartford. The scheme succeeded, allowing him to retain the land and pay his debts. In the meantime, during 1772, Ellsworth married Abigail Wolcott, a daughter of William (first cousin of Oliver) and Abigail Abbott Wolcott. According to tradition, Oliver called upon a sister of Abigail, but once he was inside the Wolcott residence and glanced into Abigail’s eyes while she was sitting near the fireplace, he decided that Abigail, not her sister, was the one for him. His subsequent visits were to see Abigail. After their marriage they had nine children, including twins; six survived to adulthood. Oliver and Abigail afterward resided in Wintonbury (Old Windsor and later Bloomfield), about ten miles from Hartford in a house on property owned by his father. Ellsworth was burdened by handling the chores on the property, as he had no servants. He apparently did not even own a horse. Ellsworth walked to Hartford to practice law and he walked home. Nevertheless, he was gaining the bulk of his money from the farm during his early days as a lawyer. Ellsworth did not remain poor forever, and when he did achieve financial success, he was not prone to discussing his wealth, even to his immediate family. About three years after he established his law practice, the future began to brighten. As he began his rise to prominence, Ellsworth was elected, during 1773, to the general assembly as one of two deputies representing Windsor. He remained in the assembly until May 1775, the month following the battles at Lexington and Concord on 19 April 1775. By that time, he had relocated to Hartford. Also in April 1775, the Connecticut assembly convened and immediately set out to provide assistance to Massachusetts. Ellsworth was appointed to the Committee of the Pay Table, organized to oversee wartime expenditures. Afterward, the war began to occupy Oliver’s time. He was not on the rolls of the assembly when it convened during

107 October 1775; he did not reappear until 1779. Nevertheless, his law practice did continue to occupy some of his time. In 1775, Ellsworth was appointed to the Committee of Safety. Later, during February 1776, he was delegated to repair to Cambridge to confer with General George Washington to request “repayment of moneys advanced by Connecticut to her contingent in his command.” Washington was unable to procure the funds. Later that year, Ellsworth was delegated to repair to Albany for the identical purpose, to confer with General Philip Schuyler to seek repayment for the expenses of Connecticut troops who had served in Canada. During 1777, Ellsworth was appointed as the state’s attorney (Hartford County) and elected to the Continental Congress; however he did not take his seat until autumn of the following year. Meanwhile, he did serve on a committee charged with investigating the causes of the failure of a campaign led by General John Sullivan to regain Newport, Rhode Island, during 1777. At the time of the investigation, Congress was aware that the campaign depended upon the support of a French fleet that never provided the support. The assembly resolved “that Roger Sherman, Eliphalet Dyar, Samuel Huntington, Oliver Wolcott, Titus Hosmer, Oliver Ellsworth, and Andrew Adams, Esqrs, be and they are hereby appointed Delegates to represent this State at the General Congress of the United States in America, for the year ensuing and until new be chosen and arrive in Congress if sitting; any one or more of them who shall be present in said Congress are hereby fully authorized and impowered to represent this State in said Congress.” Ellsworth remained in Congress until 1783, but he was frequently absent. He requested and received a leave of absence from Congress during February 1779, about four months after he arrived to serve in that body. He returned in December and remained until June 1780, then departed again in September 1781. Subsequent to yet another absence, Oliver returned to Congress in December 1782 and remained until January 1783, when he departed and later returned during April to complete his final days in Congress. His service ended during the summer of 1783. During the initial and crucial days of the Revolution, those who served in Congress abandoned nearly everything, including their families and livelihoods, to maintain the government; later times brought about changes in priorities, and attendance by some subsequent members never attained similar diligence as that given prior to 1777. Congress, during January 1780, acted to establish an appeals court, composed of three judges. Ellsworth received one of the appointments. He remained in that position until 1786, when the court exhausted all cases and was terminated. Similarly to Ellsworth’s idiosyncrasy regarding concealing his wealth, he also decided not to share his writings. Ellsworth left few papers of any official action and he rarely made any written records, nor did he leave behind many personal letters. One message that survived was a letter ( January 1780) from Ellsworth to Governor Jonathan Trumbull explaining “that in the neighborhood of the army meal was selling at eight dollars the quart, and corn at half a dollar the ear.” During 1784 Ellsworth was appointed as a judge to the superior court of Connecticut. Also, he was appointed as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention held in Philadelphia. Ellsworth stayed only until the latter part of August and his exact reasons for departure are uncertain, but it has been reported that he returned home to resume the business of the court. Nevertheless, his absence on 27 September of that year prevented him from being one of the men who signed the Constitution upon its adoption that day. In January 1788 when the Connecticut convention convened, Ellsworth supported and worked to have the Constitution ratified. Connecticut did so on 8 January, making it the fifth state to enter the union. During the time the convention was active, Ellsworth is known to have been staunchly in favor, but he also took every opportunity to defend the positions of the opponents. During that same year, Oliver

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was appointed to the Superior Court of Connecticut, and the following year, 1789, he and William S. Johnson were elected to the U.S. Senate as representatives of Connecticut. His career extended further during 1796 when he was appointed to the United States Supreme Court. His commission was dated 4 March 1796. Although Ellsworth retained his commission until November 1800, he actually served until the fall of 1799. Afterward, he took a voyage to France on business as minister plenipotentiary (envoy extraordinary) to France. Ellsworth was accompanied by General William R. Davie, the governor of North Carolina, who was also named as a minister for the peace mission. Oliver Ellsworth and William R. Davie sailed from Newport Rhode Island aboard the United States on 3 November 1799. After a circuitous route caused in part by a nasty storm, and a slow-paced overland trek, the pair finally arrived in Paris on 8 April 1800. They discovered that Napoleon was in the field leading his forces during the Italian Campaign. Genuine talks did not begin until Napoleon returned. Afterward, the talks led to the Treaty of Morfontaine, signed on 30 September 1800 by Ellsworth and Davie on behalf of the United States and by Joseph Bonaparte (brother of Napoleon) and two others, Monsieur Roederer and Monsieur Fleurieu, on behalf of France. Ellsworth, although the senior diplomat, was overshadowed in the eyes of Napoleon by General Davie, the latter possessing a natural commanding presence and a mastery of French and Spanish that seemed at times to overwhelm even Napoleon. The third American, William Vans Murray, the minister at the Hague, returned to the Hague after the treaty was consummated. General Davie sailed for home, while Oliver Ellsworth traveled to England. Upon his return home, Ellsworth spent the remainder of his life in retirement with emphasis on his family and his faith. Ellsworth was known to be a fervent Patriot and a staunch Federalist; however, he had always put his faith above all. Upon his return home, his family was outside waiting to greet him, but, with hardly a glance, Ellsworth instead, in thanks of getting home safely, “acknowledged the God who had led him all his life long, to that day.” He also resolved to abstain from all public service in future. Nonetheless, later he did become a member of the Council of Connecticut during 1802, and he retained the position for the remainder of his life. Subsequently, Ellsworth also became chief justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court during 1807. According to communication between Ellsworth and his wife, regardless of how trying the times, he made time for his children, and when work kept him from home, his thoughts were always with his children. Seven of the children of Oliver and Abigail, four sons and three daughters, grew to adulthood. Oliver Ellsworth died at his residence on 26 November 1807, following a prolonged illness that caused him enormous suffering and at times made him incoherent. He was interred in the ancient burial ground in Windsor. Abigail survived Oliver and lived until 1817. Upon her death, she was interred alongside her husband.

Enos (Eno), Brigadier General Roger Roger Enos, the son of David and Mary Gillett Enos, was born in Simsbury, Connecticut, during 1729. Roger’s great-grandfather, James Eno, arrived in the colonies during 1646 and established his residence in Windsor; however, his father resided in Simsbury. Roger first saw military service during the French and Indian War. He was one of a group of volunteers from his place of residence, Windsor, signed on to participate in the Canadian Campaign. He was appointed as ensign (March 1760) of the 1st Company, attached to Colonel Phineas Lyman’s regiment. Subsequently he saw service at Montreal during September 1760. Afterward, during 1761, he became adjutant of Lyman’s regiment, and he simultaneously served as acting captain-lieutenant of the 1st Company. Enos continued to advance in the military, serving as first lieutenant

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of the 1st Company during 1762; he participated in the seizure of Havana, Cuba, that year. The victory was effortless, but within about six months, the British had lost great numbers to sickness from the tropical climate and were compelled to abandon Cuba. During the following year, on 10 March 1763, Roger married Jerusha Hayden, the daughter of Daniel and Esther Mone Hayden of Windsor. Roger and Jerusha had several children, including Pascal Paoli (later one of the proprietors of Springfield, Illinois, and associate of young lawyer Abraham Lincoln); Jerusha (married Ira Allen, the brother of Colonel Ethan Allen); and Roger, Jr. In 1764 Enos served as captain of the 5th Company (Colonel Israel Putnam’s regiment) and participated in a campaign against the Indians. Subsequently, he was a member of a group charged with traveling to the Mississippi Valley to investigate lands granted by the Crown to be awarded as grants to veterans of the war with France. The party, including Enos, Israel Putnam and others from New York, boarded the sloop Mississippi on 10 January 1773 en route to West Florida and arrived off Pensacola on 1 March. The journey was financed by the association known as “Military Company of Adventurers.” Nonetheless, the charter for the land never arrived from England and the settlement was scuttled. However, Colonel Lyman later established a settlement at Natchez. Around that time, relations between the colonies and Britain had begun to deteriorate. Any remaining confidence that reconciliation would occur was shattered at Lexington and Concord on 19 April 1775. Organized resistance began immediately, and the colonies banded together to evict the British from Boston. Enos was appointed major of the 2nd Connecticut Regiment (later 22nd Continental Regiment) on 1 May 1775, and shortly thereafter, on 1 July, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel. Enos had participated at Bunker Hill and around Boston, but during September, his orders changed. On 11 September, Colonel Benedict Arnold, ordered to Canada to link with General Richard Montgomery, received command of a crack force composed of more than 1,000 troops and two provisional battalions (five companies each). One of the latter was commanded by Colonel Roger Enos. En route to Canada, Enos halted, then retired to Massachusetts, arriving there during October, leaving Arnold short of men and supplies. Enos received a court-martial on 1 December 1775, but he, having stated his retreat was necessary to save his men from destruction, was acquitted of any wrongdoing. Shortly thereafter, on 18 January 1776, Lt. Colonel Enos resigned his commission in the Continental Army. He then served in the militia in command of a regiment that operated in the southwestern sector of the state. Two years later, Colonel Enos relocated to Vermont, where he and others in the group established the town of Enosburg during March 1780. Colonel Enos continued his service in the cause and by 1781, as an established resident of Vermont with military service, Enos was appointed brigadier general with command of all Vermont troops. At that time, General Enos corresponded with General George Washington to inform him that he (Enos) was returning to command in the field. Enos served on the Board of War until 1792. He also served in the state assembly (1781–1792). In addition, during 1787, General Enos was appointed major general with command of the 1st Vermont Division. By 1792, General Enos’ health had failed, which prompted him to relinquish his public offices and retire. He moved back to Connecticut to live with his daughter Jerusha, who was married to General Ira Allen, the brother of Ethan Allen. However, he later returned to Vermont and succumbed at Colchester on 6 October 1908. General Enos was interred at Greenmount cemetery in Burlington, Vermont. Ira and Ethan Allen are also interred there.

Ewing, Brigadier General James James Ewing, the son of Thomas and Susannah (Howard Patterson) Ewing, was born in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, during Au-

gust 1736. James’ father emigrated from northern Ireland. James’ mother was the widow of James Patterson (Indian trader) when she married James’ father. From her first marriage, Susannah had five children, James, Susanna, Sarah, Rebecca and Thomas. From her second marriage, in addition to James, Thomas and Susannah had three other children, John (captain of York militia, killed at an undetermined time during the Revolutionary War), Samuel, and William. Both Samuel and William died young. James’ father died during 1741, while James was only about five years old. His mother, Susannah, married yet again, becoming the wife of another Irishman, John Connolly, who had served in the British army. From the third marriage, Susannah had one son, John. Later, during October 1753, James’ mother succumbed. James’ stepbrother, John Connolly, afterward studied medicine in Philadelphia under Doctor Cadwalader Evans and subsequently moved to Pittsburgh to live with an uncle, Colonel George Croghan, who operated as an Indian trader on the frontier. Within two years of the death of James’ mother, the war with France had erupted. James entered the military at an early year and participated in the ill-fated campaign against Fort Duquesne during 1755. Several years later, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant. Toward the latter part of the conflict, on 28 August 1760, James Ewing married Patience Wright. During the following year, he was elected to the Pennsylvania Assembly as a representative of York County. Ewing is known to have become one of the fervent advocates of independence while he served in the assembly during that turbulent period when the Crown and Parliament were imposing layers of oppressive measures on the colonies. Ewing served in the assembly until 1776. On 4 July, while Congress was declaring independence, Ewing was commissioned as a brigadier general of Pennsylvania militia. While James was totally committed to the Patriots’ cause, his stepbrother, John Connolly, had taken a different course by remaining a Loyalist, aligned with Lord Dunmore of Virginia. During 1774, Connolly was involved with instigating Indians on the frontier at Pittsburgh and during January seized Fort Pitt from Pennsylvanians. Later he was arrested by rangers under Arthur St. Clair and the fort, which had been temporarily renamed Fort Dunmore, again became Fort Pitt. Later John Connolly was caught with secret papers under his saddle and arrested. He was released in 1777 after his brother arranged for him to travel to his estate for his health, but he was uncooperative and taken back into custody and held until 1780. In the meantime, during July 1776, James, along with Daniel Roberdeau, was appointed brigadier general of Pennsylvania militia. Roberdeau received 160 votes to become top ranking brigadier and Ewing received 85 votes to become second in rank. Ewing commanded the Pennsylvania contingent of the Flying Camp and participated in the campaigns of 1776. Toward the latter part of the year, General Ewing’s command was to participate in the strike against Trenton on 26 December; however, his force was unable to cross the Delaware River. General John Cadwalader, deployed near Ewing’s force, attempted to ford the river, but Cadwalader failed. Ewing made no attempt. Nevertheless, General George Washington, with the support of the skilled sailors of Colonel John Glover’s Marblehead Regiment, succeeded in crossing on Christmas night. Trenton was seized on the following morning. General Ewing was initially a Democratic-Republican (present-day Democrat) and an opponent of Pennsylvania’s first constitution; however, he later aligned himself with the Federalists. During 1781, he was elected to the Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania, and during 1782–1783, he held the position of vice president (lieutenant governor) under the administration of Governor (general) John Dickinson. Dickinson had opposed independence and avoided attendance in Congress to permit a unanimous vote, but once it was declared, he supported the cause. Later he was a proponent of the federal Consti-

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109 tution and was one of the signers (1787). General Ewing’s relationship with John Dickinson remained cordial and Ewing was named a trustee of Dickinson College during 1783. In 1784, General Ewing returned to the state assembly and served one term. He was then appointed to a committee charged with streamlining navigation along the Susquehanna River. Later, during 1795, as a Federalist, General Ewing was again elected to the legislature, the Pennsylvania Senate, and was re-elected in 1799. Ewing did not graduate from the University of Pennsylvania, and while in the legislature, as vice president, he was listed as an ex officio trustee of the university. It is uncertain whether he had attended Philadelphia College (later University of Pennsylvania). In 1753, a student named James Ewing was listed as having paid tuition. It was the same year that James’ mother succumbed. General Ewing succumbed on 1 March 1806, at his home in Hellam Township, Pennsylvania (York County). His wife, Patience, predeceased him in 1797. At times, information regarding Generals James Irvine and James Ewing get tangled due to similarities, each being from Pennsylvania and the many spelling variations (including Irwin, Irvine and Ewing. General James Irvine and General James Ewing were not related; however, both served in the Pennsylvania Line and both were promoted to the rank of brigadier general in the Pennsylvania milita. More similarities were: both served on the Supreme Executive Council ( January 1783–October 1784); each served during the John Dickinson administration as vice president of the state; and both were of Irish descent. And yet another general from Pennsylvania, William Irvine, was also of Irish descent, yet unrelated to either James Ewing or James Irvine.

Farley, Brigadier General Michael Michael Farley was born in Ipswitch, Massachusetts, during 1719. He married Elizabeth Choate, also of Ipswitch, on 5 February 1746. Elizabeth was the daughter of Captain Robert Choate. The couple resided in Ipswich and together, according to Choates in America (E.O. Jameson, 1896), they had twelve children: John (baptized 5 October 1746, married Sarah Dennis); Ebenezer (baptized 27 November 1748); Elizabeth (baptized 14 January 1750, d. 1769); Michael (baptized 3 December 1752); Jabez (baptized 13 October 1754, married Lucy Rogers, then Susannah Swazey); Eunice (baptized 26 October 1756); Robert I (baptized 4 February 1759, died in infancy); Robert II (baptized 27 April, 1760, married Susanna Kemdall); Susannah (baptized 17 January, 1762, died in infancy); Susannah (baptized February 1764, married William Burleigh); Thomas (baptized 21 February 1776); and Sarah (baptized 16 July 1769, married James Phillips). Michael Farley learned a trade and established a tannery in Ipswich on Market Street during 1755. At the time, Joseph Kimball operated a similar business in Ipswich. Farley lived a relatively quiet life, but at about the time Parliament passed the Stamp Act, followed by its repeal and the later enactment of the Townshend Acts, his circumstances, similar to many other colonists, took a rapid change of course. Farley was catapulted into public life about 1766, and by 1767, he was elected to the General Court as a representative of Ipswich. Doctor John Calef had been displaced by the citizens who had become dissatisfied with his representation. At the time of his election, Farley was also a captain in the militia. He fared better; people were sufficiently satisfied with his performance and re-elected him in May 1768. During that term (winter 1767–1768), a circular letter was issued by the General Court explaining the resistance to the Townshend Acts. It was sent to the other assemblies, but Governor Francis Bernard demanded that the letter be rescinded. Farley was among the ninetytwo member of the House of Representatives who ignored the governor and voted nay with regard to rescinding the letter. Only seventeen representatives supported the governor.

On 11 August, a vote was tallied at a town meeting and the citizens overwhelmingly approved of the negative vote, bolstering Farley’s support by his constituents. The jubilation spread throughout the colonies. In Massachusetts, toasts were frequently raised to the gallant ninetytwo, and the people came up with a song to further celebrate the stand against the perceived tyranny. The tune: “Come Jolly Bacchus” or “Glorious First of August:” Come jolly SONS OF LIBERTY Come ALL with Hearts UNITED Our Motto is ‘WE DARE BE FREE’ Not easily affrighted. Oppressions Band we must subdue Now is the Time or Never That each man PROVE this Motto true And SLAVERY from him sever.

During that same period, the British seized John Hancock’s sloop, the Liberty, on the charge of smuggling liquor without paying taxes. The incident caused riots despite a British warship being in the harbor. Nevertheless, the Patriots received the desired result. Governor Bernard directed the officers involved to depart Boston. The HMS Romney carried the officers to Castle William. The British retaliated by ordering two regiments stationed in Ireland to sail for Boston. In the meantime, other Redcoats were sent down from Halifax. Governor Bernard dissolved the House, but it only further aggravated the situation. After refusing to call the legislature into session, the Patriots sent word that a convention would be held at Boston on 19 September 1768. Captain Farley was selected as the representative from Ipswich. Later, the Patriots in Ipswich convened a meeting on 28 December 1772 and adopted several resolutions regarding treatment by the Crown and the refusal of Parliament and the Crown to acknowledge their petitions for fairness. Captain Farley was among those who signed the resolutions. He was also appointed to the committee of safety at that time. Later, during 1774, Captain Farley, along with Daniel Noyes, attended the initial Provincial Congress held at Salem on 7 October. At that time it was decided to raise Minute Men. It was agreed to equip each soldier with “Firearm, Bayonet, Pouch, Knapsack, Thirty rounds of Cartridges and Ball, and that they be disciplined three times a week and oftener as opportunity may offer.” In addition, the town of Ipswich adopted the “Troops Covenant” on 14 November 1774. The Troop of Horse (attached to 3rd Regiment) of Essex County in that agreement swore to obey their officers. Around that time Captain Michael Farley was appointed colonel of militia. Later, on 3 January 1775, Colonel Farley was selected as delegate to the Provincial Congress scheduled to convene in Cambridge on 1 February. Farley, Daniel Noyes, William Story and Deacon Stephen Choate were assigned as a committee to prepare the instructions, which were to include that Congress set aside a day of prayer and fasting. Events were beginning to unfold rapidly, and by April 1775, all chances of reconciliation with Britain were essentially terminated at the battles of Lexington and Concord on the 19th. Colonel Farley had been a staunch proponent of the Patriots’ cause, but by the eruption of hostilities, he had already reached his mid-fifties. Consequently, he never assumed command in the field. Nevertheless, he was considered a key leader. During 1775, the General Court was re-established and General Farley was elected as a representative. It was a position he retained until 1780. In addition, the people of Ipswich raised Farley to the post of high sheriff, and he was appointed a major general of militia. Farley was also considered a trustworthy leader within the town’s government. He also served as treasurer of the town of Ipswich. Others in General Farley’s family also served during the war. His sons Jabez and John entered the army, and another son, Robert, was too young at the eruption of hostilities, but joined the army when he

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reached his sixteenth birthday. Mrs. Farley gave her youngest son some advice as he left to serve: “Behave like a man.” Subsequently, during 1780, while serving as a privateer on a vessel authorized by Congress, Robert Farley was seized and held for about nine months in New York Harbor before being released. After the war, General Farley resumed his normal life. During December 1787, just after the completion of the Constitutional Convention held in Philadelphia the previous October, General Farley was selected as a delegate to the Massachusetts Constitutional Convention, which convened on 3 January 1788. The Constitution was ratified by a vote of 187 to 167. General Farley and the other representatives of Ipswich all voted yea. The vote brought about great jubilation to the people gathered, and a celebration commenced immediately. The church bells rang incessantly and bon fires were ignited, while the available cannon added to the commotion. Working to adopt the federal Constitution appears to be the final public contribution of General Farley to the nation. He succumbed on 20 June 1789 and was interred at the Old North Burial Ground in Ipswich. General Farley and his wife Elizabeth lived in what was known as the Knowlton House, built during 1692 by John Knowlton. John’s son Isaac and his wife Mary Dear Knowlton afterward resided there. Subsequently, Mary, Isaac’s widow, sold the home to Robert Choate, whom she later married. In the meantime, Robert gave the house to his daughter, Elizabeth Choate Farley, the wife of General Farley. Mrs. Elizabeth Farley survived her husband and lived until 20 September 1789.

Febiger, Brigadier General Christian Christian Febiger was born in Denmark on the island of Funen during 1746. Much of his early life is based on speculation that his father succumbed when Christian was about sixteen and that afterward he traveled to Santa Cruz in the company of his uncle to the West Indies; however it is certain he received an education that included military skills, but the place is uncertain and thought to have been at Copenhagen. At some point, Christian decided to abandon his life in the West Indies, thought to have included a position on the staff of the governor, his uncle. His movements remained obscure until 1772, when Christian is known to have been at Cape Fear in North Carolina. From there he traveled northward to Penobscot, marking details regarding each locale and the various products in each area. Armed with the information, Christian became a merchant. In 1775, when hostilities erupted at Lexington and Concord on 19 April, Christian Febiger, who had earlier discarded the military life, quickly abandoned the life of an entrepreneur to return to the military. He volunteered his services as a skilled officer just after the clash, and on 28 April, he joined a militia regiment commanded by Colonel Samuel Gerrish. The regiment was composed of men from Essex and Middlesex counties. Shortly after joining the regiment, he was appointed adjutant. Volunteers began to pour into the area around Boston in an attempt to keep the British penned within the city. Fortifications were established around the city, and on 17 June, the British initiated an attack against Breed’s Hill. Febiger played a substantial part during the fighting and his talents were noticed by other officers. He was selected to accompany Colonel Benedict Arnold, who would lead a crack force into Canada in September to hook up with General Richard Montgomery. The expedition was plagued with problems, including lack of proper food and clothing and sickness. In addition, part of Arnold’s force under Colonel Roger Enos halted while en route and headed back to Massachusetts, leaving Arnold also short of ammunition. Nevertheless, toward the latter part of the year, it was decided to attack Quebec City before troop enlistments terminated. The attack failed, Arnold was wounded, and General Montgomery was killed. Febiger was among the captured. He was paroled during Au-

gust 1776 and arrived in New York the next month; however, he was not released until 1 January 1777, when he and other former prisoners landed at Elizabeth, New Jersey. Despite the grueling Canadian campaign and the confinement of the British which consumed more than one year of his life, Febiger remained committed to the cause. While he was still held by the British, word of his talents apparently reached southward. On 13 November 1776, through the recommendation of Richard Henry Lee of Virginia, Congress appointed Christian as lieutenant colonel and assigned him to Colonel Daniel Morgan’s 11th Virginia Regiment (Continental Army). Febiger had become familiar with Morgan during the Canadian Campaign and Morgan was also among the captured at Quebec. By the following spring, Morgan’s command, composed primarily of men from the vicinity of Winchester, joined with General George Washington’s main body in New Jersey. A vanguard under Lt. Colonel Febiger marched north on 23 February, and his two companies were soon joined by the main body with Morgan. By 15 April, Febiger was deployed at Princeton, and two days later, he was at Bridgewater and Bound Brook. Shortly thereafter, Colonel Morgan was detached from the regiment and given command of a corps of riflemen, which repaired to New York and played a key part in the campaign that compelled British General John Burgoyne to surrender his army at Saratoga. Lt. Colonel Febiger assumed command of the regiment in place of Colonel Morgan and participated as part of General Woodford’s brigade (General Adam Stephen’s division). Febiger participated in the defense of Philadelphia at Brandywine (11 September 1777). He was promoted to the rank of colonel on 26 September 1777. On 4 October, he led his troops at the Battle of Germantown. Following the fighting in and around Germantown, the British moved back into Philadelphia, while the Continental Army established winter quarters at Valley Forge. Three days after the Battle of Germantown, Colonel Febiger received command of the 2nd Virginia Regiment and retained it until 1 January 1783. Richard Parker served as lieutenant colonel of the regiment and Ralph Faulkner as major. Colonel Febiger, subsequent to breaking camp at Valley Forge during June of 1778, participated at the Battle of Monmouth on the 28th of that month. Febiger noted in his record book that he had “been at the head of four thousand men and two pieces of artillery [Virginia line].” Nevertheless, it would have been a temporary command in conjunction with the retreat ordered by General Charles Lee. After the clash at Monmouth, Colonel Febiger was ordered to Philadelphia to oversee the task of manufacturing uniforms for the Virginia troops. Following that duty, he joined with General Anthony Wayne and led a contingent of cavalry during the successful attack against Stony Point on 15 July 1779. Wayne personally selected the troops for the assault, and they were under orders to use only bayonets. Colonel Febiger commanded one of the four regiments (two from Virginia and two from Pennsylvania), and his unit for the assault was composed of six companies of his regiment and two Pennsylvania companies. The objective, thought invulnerable by the British, was seized. On the following day, Colonel Febiger, in a letter to his wife, Elizabeth, wrote: “My Dear Girl, I have just borrowed pen, ink and paper to inform you that yesterday we march’d from Fort Montgomery, and at 12 o’clock last night we stormed this confounded place, and, with the loss of about fourteen killed and forty or fifty wounded, we carried it. I can give you no particulars as yet. A musquet ball scraped my nose. No other damage to Old Denmark. God bless you. Farewell — Febiger.” On 21 July, Colonel Febiger again wrote to his wife to fill her in on the details of the attack. At the end of his letter, he noted, regarding a British advance following a cannonade of British lines: “This obliged General Clinton to come up with his whole army to King’s Ferry, where he now is. What may be his next move we cannot as yet ascertain. If he intends for our Fort, I think he will be damnably

111 drubbed, as this most glorious affair has given double vigor and spirit to our men. Farewell — Febiger.” The corps of light infantry was disbanded in December. Afterward, Colonel Febiger resumed duty with his regiment. During 1780, Charleston was besieged and reinforcements were sent south. Nonetheless, the city fell on 12 May and about 2,000 men of the Continental Army were among the captured; however, although about 700 Virginians were seized, Colonel Febiger had not reached Charleston and was spared. By that time, the situation in Virginia was desperate and the army lacked clothing and ammunition. General Peter Muhlenberg assumed command of the recruiting drive. He ordered Colonel Febiger, on 1 September, to repair to Philadelphia to acquire supplies for the Virginians. After arriving in Philadelphia, Febiger encountered General Nathanael Greene, who was en route to attempt to salvage the remnants of the army in the Southern Department. By then, in addition to the massive losses at Charleston, General Horatio Gates suffered a careerending defeat at Camden, and Greene had been appointed as his successor. Greene, once aware of Febiger’s duties in the city, modified the orders and instructed him to begin acquiring stores for the Carolinas as well as Virginia. Despite the disadvantages, the first train rolled south about 30 November and that was followed with another on 2 January 1781. The trains were composed of nineteen and twenty-three wagons, escorted by military contingents under Lieutenant Newberry and Captain Brown (Harrison’s artillery regiment), respectively. Colonel Febiger completed his task during March 1781. On 28 March, Febiger traveled to Chester, slightly south of Philadelphia, to acquire for the Virginians stores that were aboard a French vessel, the frigate Hermione. On 10 May, Colonel Febiger returned to Virginia. It was not conspicuous duty, nor glorious; however, one man in particular was keenly aware of Febiger’s contribution to the war in the Carolinas: General Greene. The wagons that reached Greene delivered supplies that aided in ridding the Carolinas of Lord General Charles Cornwallis. And the man who dispatched the supplies to Greene was in Virginia to help make the Yorktown campaign Cornwallis’ final campaign. Colonel Febiger participated against Loyalists in Hampshire County, but he commanded only militia at Yorktown, except for a short period when he led a contingent of Virginia regulars in support of Lafayette. At Yorktown, Colonel Febiger held no command of troops. The Virginians (Continental Army contingent), about 400 in number that participated at Yorktown, were commanded by Lt. Colonel Thomas Gaskins. After Cornwallis surrendered in October 1781, Colonel Febiger was directed to raise troops to form a battalion which was to be sent to bolster General Greene. He closed out his career in the army on 1 January 1783. After leaving the army, Colonel Febiger relocated to Philadelphia, the home of his wife, Elizabeth Carson, the daughter of an affluent merchant. General Christian Febiger was the brother-in-law of General James O’Hara, the latter having married Elizabeth’s younger sister, Mary Carson. On 30 September, Congress awarded him the brevet of brigadier general and on 3 November, he was discharged from the army. Despite becoming a brigadier by brevet, Christian chose not to use the title. He later gave his reasons in a letter to a Danish correspondent: “It is more to one’s advantage in business matters in America to be known as Colonel.” General Febiger was elected treasurer of the state of Pennsylvania during 1789. He fulfilled his duties well beyond expectations and so impressed the legislature that he was unanimously re-elected every year and died in office on 20 September 1796. General Febiger’s wife, Elizabeth, survived him. The couple had no children of their own; however, according to Colonel Febiger’s will (probated in Philadelphia), they adopted Elizabeth’s nephew, John Carson Febiger, the son of her

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brother, Doctor John Carson. Elizabeth Febiger succumbed during 1817.

Fellows, Brigadier General John John Fellows was born in Promfret, Connecticut, about 1733. Following service in the French and Indian War, he served in the Massachusetts Provincial Congress (1775), and at the time of the clash at Lexington and Concord, he held the rank of colonel in militia. John married Mary Ashley, a daughter of Judge John Ashley and the sister of Major General John Ashley. John and Mary had seven children (four daughters and three sons): Hannah, Mary, Charlotte, Jane, John, Edmund and Henry. John was a delegate to the initial Provincial Congress of Massachusetts, which convened during 1774. Colonel Fellows led his command toward Boston as soon as word of the hostilities at Lexington and Concord reached him at Sheffield on 20 April. On the following morning at dawn, Colonel Fellows and his Southern Berkshire regiment sped toward Roxbury. On 18 June 1776, less than one month prior to the decision of Congress to declare independence, the citizens of Sheffield called a town meeting to review a report from a committee that included Colonel Fellows regarding the town’s position on independence. A vote was taken and all but two votes were cast to side with Congress. Colonel Fellows, on 26 June, was appointed brigadier general of Massachusetts militia. As a brigadier general, he commanded a brigade at various battles, including Long Island and White Plains. The regiment fought at Trenton during the latter part of December 1776 and at Princeton on 3 January 1777. In 1777, General Fellows participated in the campaign against British General John Burgoyne at Saratoga. After the surrender of Burgoyne, Fellows was assigned a number of prisoners whom he was charged with marching to Boston. En route, some of the captives were left at Sheffield and Hampshire counties. General Fellows retained his commission as brigadier general until 1780. After the war he was appointed high sheriff of Sheffield, Massachusetts. He succumbed on 1 August 1808, in Sheffield. His wife, Mary, predeceased him on 7 December 1797.

Few, William (Signer of the U.S. Constitution) William Few, the son of William and Mary Wheeler Few, was born on 8 June 1748 in Baltimore County, Maryland. His ancestors were Quakers. They immigrated to America during the 1690s and settled temporarily in Pennsylvania before relocating in Maryland. William’s mother described as a “devout Catholic,” but usually a “devout” Catholic would not have agreed to allow her children to be raised in a Protestant faith as a Methodist. However, during the period, Puritans evicted from Virginia relocated in Maryland and eventually displaced the Catholic leaders, making it a crime to practice Catholicism in Maryland. William’s mother came into an inheritance of property from her father, Benjamin Wheeler, during 1741. The area in which they resided in the northern sector of Maryland was inhabited primarily by other relatives, and the land was hit hard by nature, prompting the families to leave their respective farms after losing two of three successive crops of tobacco and head south for better William Few (National Park Service)

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opportunities. Several men joined with William’s father on the journey to seek a new place to establish their homesteads. The party departed Maryland about 1758 and traveled through the wilderness. Several hundred miles into the trip, they paused at a spot in Orange County along the Eno River. They decided to resettle there near the river. William’s father acquired land, contracted a builder and had the builder construct a house. Meanwhile, he returned to Maryland, and after settling his affairs and selling his property, the family (his wife, six children and several slaves) departed for North Carolina in one wagon drawn by four horses. After settling in a spot known as Kirkland Place, the elder William established a tavern just outside of the settlement, and he ran a mill farther down the Eno River. William had little opportunity on the frontier to receive a classical education; however, he had a propensity to absorb what he read and studied. Those traits built a foundation of self-determination that opened unending opportunities that permitted William to face and overcome obstacles to achieve a place in history as a self-made man who would be remembered as one of the nation’s Founding Fathers. For a while in the 1760s, a teacher who had arrived in the area offered his services for twenty shillings per year. The teacher was able to instruct the students, including William, in the basics. William had received some education earlier in Maryland, but according to his autobiography, it was not a pleasant experience. He noted: “The teacher was an ill-natured, arbitrary man, who punished with rigor, and enforced his precepts by terror. This man was to me the most dreadful of allmankind....” Encouraged by his new teacher, William later undertook a quest on his own to study law, in addition to handling the normal responsibilities of living on a farm in the wilderness. In 1764, the Few family moved to a new home in Hillsborough, at the time inhabited by about forty families. It was there that William Few was inspired to become a lawyer. He persuaded a lawyer to let him borrow Jacob’s Law Dictionary. At the time there were not large numbers of books in the area, but William read repeatedly the few books in the family library, which included a folio Bible. After struggling for some time, the family began to prosper. William’s father acquired a farm in the vicinity their residence during 1767 and William was given responsibility for the care of it. He left the house on Monday morning and remained at the farm until Saturday before making the 7 mile return trip to be back with the family on the Sabbath. While tending the farm, he used his free time to read. At the end of the season, William Few became jubilant when his crop flourished. As time passed, the Few family also became involved in the affairs of the region, and at that time, there was a large amount of distrust of the government by the citizens in North Carolina. Taxes started to become exorbitant and there were charges of corruption and allegations of bribery. The dissension brought about a group known as the Regulators; their initial purpose was to peacefully protest the policies. Nonetheless, Few, his father, and his brother James became members. In the meantime, William Few’s father had an encounter with the law due to his actions pertaining to his work as a bondsman. Few’s father, in turn, later (about the time of a showdown between royal Governor William Tryon and the Regulators) decided to abandon North Carolina for Georgia and leave William to handle the family affairs, including the lawsuits that had been lodged against his father. Meanwhile, the Regulators, unable to have their grievances settled, turned to violence. The threats included liquidating every lawyer in the colony. The turbulence continued off and on, but during 1771, Tryon led a seasoned force of troops against the Regulators, most of whom were inexperienced as soldiers and many of whom lacked weapons. The Battle of Alamance on 16 May terminated the organization, with some being captured. Of those, some were to be executed. In addition, several hundred were killed or wounded.

Twelve men were expeditiously tried and convicted of high treason, and each of them was sentenced to be executed; however, when the sentences were carried out during the following month, six men were spared. James, a brother of William Few, was one of the men who was executed. James refused to take an oath of loyalty to the Crown, despite repeated offers to spare his life if he agreed. James apparently left a wife and two children, twins William and Sally. Later, James’ widow married either a British officer or a Loyalist officer, and afterward, Benjamin Few traveled to North Carolina and took the twins to Georgia to be raised by the Few family. Benjamin raised the twins as if they had been his children. Meanwhile, with regard to the governor’s force, it had included many sympathizers of the Regulators, but their loyalty to the royal government caused them to support the governor. The Few family afterward abandoned the area and resettled in western Georgia, but William remained in North Carolina to handle and finalize the family’s affairs. Their family farm along with those of other Regulators was destroyed by Tryon. Subsequent to the action at Alamance, the relations between Britain and the colonies began to deteriorate at a more rapid pace, although since the enactment of the Stamp Act of 1765, the colonists were beginning to question why Parliament was treating them unfairly. By 1775, the pondering succinctly terminated as word of the clashes at Lexington and Concord reverberated throughout the colonies. The chance of reconciliation had been severed and the rebellion was underway, with many of the former Regulators and those who in the past had remained loyal to Tryon and the royal government joining together against the English. Governor Josiah Martin, who replaced Tryon, the latter being transferred to New York to assume the governorship there, was ousted. William Few entered the military at Hillsborough and was involved in raising a company of militia. He served and received training, but when North Carolina was in the process of raising regiments for service in the Continental Army, he declined a commission as captain, due to the personal family matters that continued to require his attention. Few later noted in his biography: “I felt the spirit of an American, and without much investigation of the justice of her cause, I resolved to defend it.” In autumn of 1775, after settling the family’s affairs, he departed North Carolina to rejoin his family in Wrightsboro, near Augusta, Georgia. Afterward, Few re-entered the military there. He was also admitted to the bar soon after his arrival in Georgia, and he established his law practice in Augusta. Few entered the Richmond County Regiment, which was commanded by one of his brothers, Benjamin, another of the former Regulators who abandoned North Carolina for Georgia. Few was utilized as an instructor who taught the military skills he had learned in North Carolina’s militia. That year, he was also elected to the convention in Savannah that would establish a constitution. Few was also elected by unanimous vote to the state assembly as a representative of Richmond County. The assembly convened in Savannah under authorization of the recently established constitution. It resolved to appoint a governor and an executive council composed of sixteen councilors. Few became one of the sixteen. He had also been named as an Indian commissioner and was selected as the state’s surveyor-general. In 1778, when the British were poised to invade Georgia from positions in Florida, Few was called to arms, but the British halted their offensive at a point about ten miles from the Georgians. Afterward, Few participated in the East Florida Campaign (Third Florida Invasion) led by General Robert Howe (Continental Army) during spring of 1778. The operation failed due in great part to dissension between the militia commanders and Continental Army commanders, but an epidemic of sickness also contributed to the debacle. The Americans sustained severe losses. After the campaign, Few was appointed as the state’s surveyor-general with his headquarters at Savannah, but after

113 about six or eight months at the post, he was struck by fever and compelled to relinquish the position. Few was later appointed a commissioner of confiscated estates and senior justices of Richmond County. In December 1778, a British force of about 3,000 troops under Colonel Archibald Campbell arrived at Savannah via the Savannah River. The force landed, and after receiving intelligence, it bypassed the defenders to get to their rear. The Patriots resisted tenaciously, but the city fell on the 29th. Few’s regiment participated in the defense. The surprise amphibious landing inflicted high casualties of about 83 killed, 450 wounded and 483 captured, while the British sustained 13 casualties, including 3 killed. The British hoisted their ensign above Fort Savannah and renamed it Fort Prevost. Soon Augusta was effortlessly seized, in early January 1779. The British were then poised to dominate the entire state, faced only by some militia, primarily composed of troops from the upper part of the state. William Few continued to participate in various actions against the British, including the failed attempt to retake Augusta under General Benjamin Lincoln during 1779. At that time, the British, aware of Lincoln’s advance, executed a diversionary move against Charleston, and Lincoln’s army was compelled to abort and return to defend Charleston. Colonel Archibald Campbell’s force, which had abandoned Augusta, was able to return. Later that year, Lincoln, supported by a French fleet, attacked to regain Savannah. The British were prepared and the city did not fall; however, a premature attack urged by the French proved disastrous and the siege was terminated on 16 October 1779. During those campaigns, William Few, with the rank of lieutenant colonel, led his militia; as guerrillas, his men were frequently engaged against Loyalists and against hostile Indians. During January 1780, Few, having again been elected the previous year, took his seat in the legislature. He was also elected that year to the Continental Congress. Meanwhile, Charleston fell on 12 May 1780, inflicting yet another grievous loss on the Patriots. Afterward, General Nathanael Greene arrived to succeed Benjamin Lincoln as commander of the South. Augusta was regained on 5 June 1781. Savannah was abandoned by the British on 11 July 1782. In the meantime, General Lord Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown on 17 October 1781. Few, having served admirably during the struggle in Georgia, had earned a reputation as a bold, aggressive leader, which prompted the Georgians to also take advantage of his skills. While he was attached to the militia, Few also participated in parleys with the Indians along the frontier. The progress of General Nathanael Greene prompted Georgia to recall Congressman Few to participate in reorganizing the state government, which, until the eviction of the British, was not centralized. He departed Philadelphia on 17 July 1781 and, accompanied by Colonel Martin and Major Deveraux, he arrived back in Georgia on 1 September. Afterward, when his task was completed, Few returned to Congress (May 1782). Few’s military and legislative achievements were increased yet again when he was sent back to Congress during 1786. Afterward, while in New York (arrived 3 May 1786), he was selected as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention held in Philadelphia from May to September 1787. Few was one of six men chosen as Georgia state delegates; however, two never left Georgia and two others attended but failed to remain for the close of the convention upon adoption of the Constitution. Few held double responsibility during the convention because Georgia requested that simultaneously he maintain his position as congressman. He handled both tasks by dividing his time between the two bodies at the expense of missing convention sessions during July and some during August. While at the convention, Few was an ardent supporter of adoption of the Constitution, but he did not take the floor to make any speeches during the debates. While he was in attendance, he did contribute by casting crucial votes in support of the Constitution. He noted a mo-

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tion by Benjamin Franklin that failed to pass (while progress at the convention was slow), stating in his biography: “All human efforts seemed to fail. Doctor Franklin proposed to appoint a chaplain and implore Divine assistance, but his motion did not prevail.” Back in Georgia after the Constitution was adopted, William aggressively supported ratification. The Georgians ratified the Constitution on 2 January 1788 to become the fourth state in the union. The Constitution was to become effective after ratification by nine states, which occurred on 21 June 1788 as New Hampshire ratified the Constitution and entered the union. A new Congress operating under the Constitution, convened on 4 March 1789. Few’s contribution to the process was further rewarded by Georgia when he was chosen to be one of the state’s initial senators. On the day of the transition from the old government to the new, Congressman William Few vacated his seat in the House and took his seat in the U.S. Senate. Meanwhile, problems with the Creek Indians continued back home. President George Washington was approached to gain his support in quelling the violence by dispatching troops; however the president took a separate approach by appointing three commissioners and dispatching them to parley with the Creeks and seek a solution. The commissioners departed New York during September 1789, but two sloops were required to carry the party, which most probably included some security forces. William Few was also among them. He was not a commissioner, but he was dedicated to finding a way to end the hostilities. After what was described as a harrowing voyage, the ships safely arrived at Savannah and the commissioners from there traveled along the Oconee River (border between the state and Indian territory) to hold the talks. The gifts that had been brought were distributed and the commissioners shared “black drink and the calumet of peace.” The occasion was by Indian standards very formal. The talks, however, failed due to the obstinacy of a part–Indian, McGillvary, who preferred war. Afterward, Few returned to New York and completed his term. He was finally making preparations for retirement during 1793, but Georgia was not anxious to lose his services. He was convinced to postpone his retirement from public life to serve in the state legislature during a new period of turbulence ignited by land speculators (Yazoo Land Scheme) subsequent to the Yazoo Land Bill signed by Governor George Matthews during his second term, which opened up land west of the Mississippi River (Alabama and Mississippi). Few served as a representative of Columbia County. The assembly convened during January 1795 and immediately proclaimed the Yazoo Act invalidated. Apparently all documentation and records pertaining to the act were destroyed. Retirement was again suspended during 1796. At that time, in conjunction with the legislature splitting the state four districts, Few was appointed as judge of the second district. He served out his three-year term, but during that period, he was being enticed to leave Georgia and relocate in New York. The persuasion worked well. After concluding his time as judge, he, along with the person who advised the move, his wife, Catherine Nicholson Few, a native New Yorker, traveled to New York on a visit in May 1799. The arrival wasn’t entirely jubilant. At the time, a yellow-fever epidemic was sweeping through the city. While there, Few purchased a five-acre farm on Greenwich Lane for $15,000, and he had decided to relocate there. He noted other reasons for leaving Georgia, including “the accumulating evils of fevers and negro slavery, those enemies to human felicity.” However, his plan to retire to private life was yet again foiled. Few’s reputation preceded his arrival. After getting settled in Manhattan, he was elected to the state assembly (1801, 1802, 1803 and 1804) of New York. During 1805, he was appointed as federal commissioner of loans. In the meantime, he was appointed as state’s inspector of prisons during 1802, and he held the position until 1810. Later, during

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1813, he was elected as alderman (8th Ward) and he served into 1814. He was also appointed as a director of the Manhattan Bank during 1804, a position he retained until 1814. He was president of the City Bank in New York from 1814 until 1816. All the while, he maintained his law practice. After closing his term as a federal loan commissioner, Few finally reached his goal of retirement at his country house in Duchess County. During his lifetime and his climb from being a farmer’s son to becoming one of the nation’s Founding Fathers, William Few never lost track of his roots or his faith. When he achieved financial success, he became a philanthropist and continued to support people less fortunate. In addition, he remained a devout Methodist from childhood. William Few succumbed at the age of 80 at Fishkill-on-the-Hudson. He was interred in the cemetery of the Reformed Dutch Church, but later his remains were extricated, transported to Georgia and reinterred in the cemetery of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Augusta. Peculiarly, in his brief autobiography, Few omitted the names of his parents, siblings, wife and children. William was survived by his wife, Catherine (daughter of Captain James Nicholas of the Continental Navy) and their three daughters. William died at the home of his daughter Frances and her husband, Albert Chrystie.

Fitzsimmons, Thomas (Signer of the U.S. Constitution) Thomas Fitzsimmons was born in Ireland during 1741, but the exact date is unknown. Thomas’ family, including five children, immigrated to America and settled in Pennsylvania during the 1750s. Thomas and his siblings received a fine education through the foresight of his father; however, he died soon after arriving in Pennsylvania. The family carried on without a father and later Thomas and his twin sister, Ann, both climbed the ladder of success. Thomas became a trader. In the early 1760s, he entered into a partnership (George Meade and Company) with another of the Irish merchants in Philadelphia, George Meade (grandfather of General George Meade, Union general in the American Civil War). During the year following the establishment of the partnership, Thomas married Catherine Meade, the daughter of Robert Meade (father of George), making his partner, George, also his brother-in-law. The endeavor began to flourish; however, later, when the Crown and Parliament sought ways to increase the share of the colonies in paying the cost of the late French and Indian War and to support the costs of British troops in the colonies, action was taken in Parliament that ignited intense resistance in America. The spark that caused the furor was the Stamp Act of 1765, and as traders who did business in the West Indies, Thomas Fitzsimmons and George Meade were among that enormous group of Americans who protested. Parliament was compelled to repeal the act during the following year, but other legislation followed to compound Britain’s problem with its colonists. From that point forward, relations between America and the mother country never rebounded. Within a few years, British troops were transported from Nova Scotia and deployed in Boston, increasing the consternation of the citizens there. Later, the tension, which was already high, exploded when a mob confronted British troops in Boston. After being harassed and pelted with snowballs containing rocks, the troops fired upon the mob. That incident, known as the Boston Massacre, occurred during 1770. In 1773, Boston again became a powder-keg and the fuse nearly caused a major confrontation. The British troops afterward were redeployed outside the city. Parliament continued its aggressive policies and the colonies began to galvanize. In 1773, the Sons of Liberty, a group that emerged to oppose British policies, moved into action in Boston. The Patriots disguised themselves as Mohawk Indians, advanced to the harbor and boarded British ships, then dumped the tea cargoes of the respective vessels into the harbor. The raid unfolded without British interference and became known as the Boston Tea Party, yet another explosive step toward open rebellion.

Britain retaliated with more legislation; the Intolerable Acts funneled even more fuel into what was at the time only a simmering fire. Nevertheless, with the British sealing the port of Boston, the citizens found themselves isolated and soon lacking many necessities. By then word had spread throughout the colonies, stretching to the southernmost colonies, and they began to form committees of correspondence to be poised to quickly transmit information. Meanwhile, other Patriots discerned that if the British succeeded at Boston, they would feel free to close other ports. That caused merchants to push for a non-importation act to counter the British and refuse to import British goods. The Patriots also established methods to deal with merchants who refused to abide by the non-importation action. Fitzsimmons and Meade were among the numerous Philadelphia merchants who supported the action. At about that time, Fitzsimmons was drawn into politics. He was a popular and effective Irishman, and during 1771, the Irish merchants and the various tradesmen in Philadelphia elected him vice president of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick, a fraternal organization formed to assist other Irishmen and to hold some influence within the political community. In 1774, Fitzsimmons was elected to a committee that was charged with engineering protests in response to the Intolerable Acts and was appointed to the Philadelphia Committee of Correspondence, which was essentially a governing body. Laws in the country at that time prohibited Catholics from holding office; however, Pennsylvanians were not as intolerant as the political leaders in Maryland, where life for most Catholics was at times intolerable. The prohibition of electing Catholics was thrown aside in Pennsylvania, and in addition to the committee just mentioned, Fitzsimmons was also selected to attend the Pennsylvania convention as a delegate of Philadelphia. At that meeting in 1773, it was decided to call yet another convention, but it was to include delegates from each of the thirteen colonies. The foundation of the nation was then laid, word was spread throughout the colonies, and during September 1774, the convention convened with delegates from the various colonies arriving in Philadelphia to bring about the birth of the First Continental Congress. Fitzsimmons had become a full-scale Patriot, still Irish, still Catholic, but eager to support the cause of his new country. He participated also as a delegate to the state’s constitutional convention. Fitzsimmons, like many of the nation’s affluent citizens, contributed more than just the risk of their lives and honor; he was quick to contribute his personal finances to aid the cause. At some point during the conflict when Congress was in one of its frequent dilemmas regarding currency, Fitzsimmons and his partner contributed £5,000 to bolster the Continental Army. As the war progressed, the company operated by Thomas Fitzsimmons and his partner, George Meade, was contracted to provide supplies to the army as well as fire ships, which were loaded with combustibles, set on fire and sent into enemy fleets. In Philadelphia, the militia units formed were known as Associators, and it took large sums of money to raise them, equip them and acquire arms and horses. Fitzsimmons also raised a company, became its commander with the rank of captain, and served as part of Colonel John Cadwalader’s 3rd Battalion. The Philadelphia militia (infantry) was the forerunner of the Pennsylvania National Guard’s 111th Infantry Regiment. Meanwhile, the British clashed with the Patriots at Lexington and Concord on 19 April 1775, and that contest severed any chance of reconciliation. Afterward, the British were halted from further progress at Bunker Hill (Breed’s Hill) during the following June on the 17th, which led to the British being corralled in Boston, unable to even exit the city on foraging missions without encountering fierce resistance. General George Washington soon after took command of the Continental Army and from there, during the balance of the summer into March 1776, a siege was maintained. On 17 March 1777, the British were compelled to evacuate Boston, but afterward, Philadelphia became a

115 primary target. At New York, General Washington prepared for a British onslaught, but the Continental Army was greatly outmatched. On 2 July 1776, about 12,000 British and Hessian troops landed on Staten Island. By about the end of the month that figure grew to more than 30,000 troops. Urgent calls for reinforcements were made by Washington to Congress, and Pennsylvania responded by dispatching its Associators to northern New Jersey to hook up with and bolster the Flying Camp, a flexible unit with components from various states that was established to be in position to expeditiously move anywhere a flash-fire erupted. Captain Fitzsimmons’ company operated there under Colonel John Dickinson and was deployed near the coast at various posts to intercept any British force that might attempt to bolt from Staten Island and invade New Jersey to make an advance against the capital in Philadelphia. Later that year, after seizing New York and pushing the Continental Army to White Plains, the British unleashed a sudden offensive that again forced Washington to retreat hurriedly or face the possibility of the total destruction of the army. Washington’s strategy to evade a major confrontation worked, and the army safely made it across New Jersey and into Pennsylvania. At that time, the Associators were again called upon. Captain Fitzsimmons’ company, beginning on 5 December 1776, deployed to support and cover the retreat. The unit deployed along the Delaware River at various strategic points and held those positions until the end of the month. Nevertheless, when Washington turned the table on the British on Christmas night and crossed the Delaware during a horrendous blizzard, Fitzsimmons’ company was attached to Colonel John Cadwalader’s command, and it did not make it across the river. Cadwalader attempted to cross below Trenton in the vicinity of Bristol, but the artillery also became endangered and the advance was halted. Washington, however, had the additional help of Colonel John Glover’s regiment out of Marblehead, Massachusetts, and its troops were Marines who skillfully transported the attack force across the river despite the unruly currents and the massive amounts of floating ice that threatened success. Later, after the stunning victory at Trenton, Cadwalader’s command joined with Washington and participated in halting a British counterattack. On 2 January 1777, the British were in motion to strike yet again in retaliation to the embarrassing loss of Trenton, but yet again, Washington outfoxed General Lord Charles Cornwallis and evacuated his positions, leaving only an empty camp and burning camp fires. On the following day, the British again were thrashed at Princeton. Meanwhile, the Americans, including the militia, had been terrorized by the use of bayonets by the Hessian troops, but after marching the huge number of Hessian prisoners through Philadelphia, those fears began to dissipate and the Americans were beginning to believe that they would prevail. Captain Fitzsimmons’ company was attached to Colonel Cadwalader’s regiment, which played a substantial part in the victory; however, Fitzsimmons’ company had been held in reserve and its participation was not required. Nonetheless, the unit was prepared to move if called upon, and it did support the action that forced the British to abandon their scheme to plow through New Jersey to capture the capital and the rebel leaders. Toward the latter part of January 1777, Captain Fitzsimmons terminated his service in the militia, but he received no reprieve with regard to service. He was appointed by Pennsylvania to an 11-man committee with responsibility of supervising the Pennsylvania navy, which was the defender of the city’s water approaches. The vessels patrolled from the city southward to Delaware Bay. In addition, Fitzsimmons’ committee responsibilities included overseeing the river land defenses and communicating with neighboring states to be prepared to meet any threat. The British, unable to penetrate, modified their plans and decided to sail from New York to the Chesapeake and then march northward to take the city.

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In September 1777, the British plan unfolded and the Continental Army supported by militia engaged the British at Brandywine during September, but the British pushed through and the city fell. Another battle was fought during early October at Germantown, but due to confusion among the American units while attacking under a dense fog, friendly fire hit General Nathanael Greene’s column and sure victory fade away. Washington established winter quarters in Valley Forge and the British returned to the city. The British were able to dominate there, but they were unable to totally control the Delaware River and they were forced to abandon the city on 18 June 1778. Afterward, the Continental Army gave chase and intercepted the columns at Monmouth, New Jersey. Following a tenacious battle the day ended with both sides claiming victory. Washington made preparations to launch another attack on following day, but there was no foe. After dark on the 18th, the British abandoned their camp and resumed the retreat to New York. That battle was the final major confrontation in the northern states. Meanwhile, Thomas Fitzsimmons — like his counterparts in Maryland, Charles Carroll of Carrollton, Daniel Carroll (signer of Constitution), and other Irishmen — was completely committed to the struggle for independence. Since his arrival in America, he had also become acquainted with many of the leaders of the Patriots’ cause, both from the military and the financial sectors. One of those men was Robert Livingston, known as one of the major financiers of the war. In 1781, when a national bank was being established, Fitzsimmons was appointed as a director of what became the Bank of North America. That position, which he held until 1803, combined with other new acquaintances and his on-scene experience since the beginning of the war, made him a fervent advocate of a strong and effective central government to ensure that the nation would survive after the war. While favoring a strong government, Fitzsimmons retained his concerns regarding the welfare and safety of the citizens, which kept him focused of obtaining a government that was fair with equality. His beliefs were basically formed from his life’s experiences that, in addition to his military service and political activity, included his life in America as a Catholic and his interaction and philanthropic work with the less fortunate. Consequently, when he was later selected as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, he was well prepared for the task in front of him and the other delegates who held responsibility for designing a new government for the infant republic. In the waning days of the war in 1782, following the surrender of General Charles Cornwallis at Yorktown during October 1781, Fitzsimmons was elected to the Continental Congress. After he took his seat, one of his priorities was the struggling economy. He became aligned with Robert Livingston and others of like mind, including Alexander Hamilton and James Madison, to find a solution by establishing a centralized economy. Fitzsimmons also concentrated on getting back pay for veterans who served selflessly during the war. Nevertheless, his actions were not admired by everyone, and some constituents in his home region became antagonistic toward him because of various positions that he took regarding fiscal policy. Undaunted, while he remained in Congress, he worked to ensure that taxes were distributed fairly and not pointed toward only certain segments of the population. The antagonists prevailed, prompting Fitzsimmons to resign from Congress during 1783 to return to private life and resume his personal business. Subsequently, he was elected to the Pennsylvania Council of Censors, an entity that oversaw legislative actions as well as executive actions with regard to their constitutionality. In 1786, he was elected to the state assembly and re-elected for two additional terms. During that same period, Fitzsimmons was appointed to a commission, as a representative of Pennsylvania, which was formed to initiate talks between Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland to devise ways to encourage

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interstate commerce and eliminate impediments that were stalling progress. Fitzsimmons reached the pinnacle of his political career in 1787 when he was appointed as a Pennsylvania delegate to the Constitutional Convention held in Philadelphia during May–September 1787. While attending the convention, Fitzsimmons was an advocate of adopting the constitution, and he took to the floor when required to make his points on articles he considered paramount. They included the topics of finance, taxes, imports, and exports, all centered around his core beliefs of fairness, equality and strength. The U.S. Constitution, referred to as the “Miracle in Philadelphia,” was adopted on 17 September 1787, and it was to become effective upon ratification by nine states. At the Pennsylvania constitutional convention, Fitzsimmons strongly favored ratification. Pennsylvania took that action on 2 December 1787, less than three months after its adoption, to become the second state to enter the union. On 21 June 1778, New Hampshire became the ninth state. At the conclusion of the convention, Fitzsimmons returned to the state assembly to resume his work there. After ratification of the Constitution by New Hampshire, preparations began for the new Congress. It convened during March 1789 and Thomas Fitzsimmons was among the initial members. With the convening of the Congress under the authority of the Constitution, the old Congress was dissolved. Fitzsimmons, while in Congress for a period of six years, remained a Federalist. He served on several important committees, including Ways and Means, for which he sat as chairman at times. He was also appointed to the committee delegated to draw up a blueprint for a government in the Northwest Territory (Territory southwest of the River Ohio), which was established during 1790. In 1791, the frontier was still aflame due to hostile exchanges with Indians. A small expedition was defeated and afterward, Governor (General) Arthur St. Clair led a major expedition into Ohio to terminate the hostilities, but the force was defeated and nearly annihilated, greatly boosting the morale of the Indians, who also gained the artillery that was lost on the field. The defeat occurred on 4 November 1791 in present-day Fort Wayne, Indiana. Back in Congress, an investigation was initiated to determine the cause of the defeat, which became the worst in the history of the United States Army. Fitzsimmons was appointed to the investigative committee and was chairman. Subsequently, General Anthony Wayne, leading a trained and seasoned force, moved into the territory. Following his decisive victory at the Battle of Fallen Timbers on 20 August 1794, the Indians were unable to mount further organized raids. Back in Pennsylvania, Fitzsimmons, unlike some other delegates of the Constitutional Convention, did not see an increase in his popularity. He lost his bid for re-election to Congress. When his term expired in 1795, he retired to private life. Fitzsimmons continued to conduct his business, but lacking the constraints that Congressional business had placed upon him, he had more time for his philanthropic work. Later in life, Fitzsimmons sustained business losses that crippled his finances, but even then he was known to have remained a friend to those less fortunate. During a flare up in the turbulence with Britain, which was impressing high numbers of Americans into the Royal Navy, President Thomas Jefferson proposed and Congress enacted the Embargo of 1807–1808, which crippled American shipping, but in Jefferson’s thinking it would either prevent or at least postpone war with Britain. Nevertheless, Thomas Fitzsimmons and most merchants opposed the effort. It did not prevent war, only postponed it, and finally the hostilities erupted into the War of 1812. Once again the British were foiled and America prevailed. The French had also harassed American shipping following the close of the American Revolution, and there too, Fitzsimmons was among the many who sought retaliation. The conflict with the French, however, never led to an invasion of American soil. It was

confined to the high seas and was settled by the Treaty of Morfontaine on 30 September, 1800. Although Fitzsimmons had been away from politics, as a staunch Federalist, he had no qualms about engaging the Jeffersonian administration. He was a key proponent of re-chartering the First United States Bank, a measure opposed by Jefferson. In 1805, Fitzsimmons sustained his financial losses, but through persistence, he was able to rebuild some of his wealth. The setback did not affect his nature, nor his character. During that trying period he maintained his philanthropic efforts as best he could and he continued to be a dependable contributor to his parish church, St. Augustine’s Roman Catholic Church in Philadelphia. Thomas Fitzsimmons succumbed in Philadelphia on 26 August 1811. He was interred in the cemetery of St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church in center city Philadelphia, at present located in a section of the National Park’s Independence Square. Fitzsimmons was known for his statement regarding political issues: “I conceive it to be a duty to contend for what is right, be the issue as it may.” A statue in honor of Thomas Fitzsimmons was erected in 1946 in Philadelphia on the east side of Logan Square, slightly west of 18th Street between Race and Vine Street.

Floyd, William (Signer of the Declaration of Independence) William Floyd was born on 17 December 1734 in the town of Brookhaven, New York, in present-day Mastic, Long Island, Suffolk County. He was the second child of seven and the oldest of two sons. His parents were Nicoll Floyd and Tabitha Smith. William’s paternal grandfather, Richard Floyd, emigrated from Wales about 1680. The family prospered, though his father died and his mother did also when William was about twenty years old. He came into a large inheritance; nevertheless, his youth did not cause him to squander the family fortune nor abandon responsibility for taking care of his siblings. He became prudent with the income of the family farm, where part of the labor was handled by slaves. William’s parents’ other children were: Ruth (b. February 1731, married General Nathaniel Woodhull); Tabitha (b. January 1735, married Daniel Smith of Smithtown); Nicoll (b. December 1736); Charles (b. February 1738); Charity (b. January 1739, married Ezra L’Hommedieu); Mary (b. 1743, married Edmund Smith, of Smithtown); Catharine (b. May 1745, married Thomas Thomas of Westchester); and Anna (b. August 1748. married Hugh Smith of East Moriches, Long Island). William as a youth received no formal education and attended no college, but as an adult he would a key part in the Patriots’ cause. In 1760, he married Hannah Jones, the daughter of William Jones of Setauket, Long Island. They had three children, Nicoll (1762, married Phebe Gelston, daughter of David Gelston of New York), Mary (1764, married Colonel Benjamin Tallmadge of Litchfield, Connecticut) and Catherine (1767, married Doctor Samuel Clarkson of Philadelphia). Meanwhile, as the British increased their taxation upon the colonies, Floyd was among those who were quick to rise in opposition to the Crown and its policies. He joined the militia of Suffolk County and eventually rose to the rank of major general. During 1774, Floyd was selected as a member of the First Continental Congress, which scheduled a clandestine meeting in Philadelphia on 5 September. After his return to New York, following the adjournment of the Congress, a threat of a British landing at Gardner’s Bay occurred. Floyd took command of his militia contingent to meet the invasion force, but no action developed because the British aborted the landing. As a member of Congress and of the New York Senate during his long career, he was acknowledged as a key leader, but he refrained from frequent public speeches and was known as a man of action rather than oratory. He was again delegate to Congress in 1775. On 24 June, Congress resolved “that a Committee of seven be appointed to devise ways and means to

117 put the Militia of America in a proper state for the defence of America.” William Floyd was appointed two days later. During 1776, William was among that bold group who, realizing they were risking their lives, signed the Declaration of Independence. Floyd, along with Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis, Lewis Morris and Henry Misner, voted “yea” on 4 July, following a long line of previous abstentions from the New York delegation (although Henry Misner voted “yea,” he later departed Congress and never signed the parchment document). William Floyd at the time was unable to be on Long Island with the militia. On 22 August 1776, a force composed of about 20,000 troops under General William Howe debarked at Long Island. Floyd’s wife fled with their three children to the safety of Middletown, Connecticut. Although his family escaped capture, the British transformed his residence into a barracks for the duration of their occupation, which lasted until 1782. Floyd departed Congress during 1776 and returned to New York, where he was appointed to the initial New York Senate on 8 May 1777; however, he did not take his seat until 9 September. He remained there except for some brief absences until the session that adjourned on 6 November 1778. On 15 October, he was re-elected as a delegate, by the New York Senate and Assembly, to the Continental Congress. He took his seat there on 2 January 1779 and remained there until summer. Afterward, he returned to New York and reinitiated his term as state senator during the first session under their new constitution. Nonetheless, upon learning of the dire situation of the army and the desperate monetary problems facing the cause, he again returned to Congress, stunned by the fact that some Americans were speculating at the expense of the nation and at times causing some of the population to face starvation due to shortages of food. Floyd arrived at Congress on 2 December 1779. The next day, he and James Forbes, both members of Congress, were appointed to the Board of Admiralty, along with a non-member, George Bryan. Shortly thereafter, Floyd was appointed to the Board of Treasury, placing him on two key committees, which positioned him to intently focus on transforming the terrible circumstances into something positive to bolster the army and the Congress, the latter sustaining great stress due to the financial condition of the colonies. Nevertheless, Floyd himself was not immune to stress and by April 1780, ill health compelled him to seek a leave of absence. In June, subsequent to an urgent request from the New York Senate, Floyd resumed his position as a state senator and later, during 1780, he yet again returned to Congress after being elected as a delegate on 12 September. Floyd remained in that position until April 1783. In the meantime, while the British continued to encamp on his property on Long Island, his wife, Hannah, succumbed on 16 May 1781. After three years to the day of being a widower, he married Joanna ( Johanna) Strong on 16 May 1784. From his second marriage, two additional children were born, Ann (1784, married George Clinton, Jr., son of Governor General Clinton of New York, then Abraham Varick of New York) and Eliza (Elizabeth) (1789, married James Platt of New York). William Floyd (Biographical Sketches During the first year of his of the Signers of the Declaration of second marriage, Floyd began Independence, Benson J. Lossing, 1854) to acquire property in Central

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New York. He had been asked to return to Congress, but he declined to devote time to rebuilding his shattered plantation and to continue serving in the state senate. Following the adoption of the United States Constitution in 1787, the people of New York again sent Floyd back to Congress, where he remained for only one term before retiring during 1791 due to the high toll that his long service had taken on his health. Despite his yearning for the private life, the people of New York elected Floyd to the state Senate during 1803, and once again he returned to public life, serving one term before finally retiring. By that time, he and his family had relocated to a farm near the Mohawk River, known as Western (Westernville), on the fringe of the Adirondack Mountains and less than ten miles from Fort Stanwix at Rome (known as Lynchville during the early 1800s). Floyd’s farm was near the canal built during 1797 to link the Hudson River to the Great Lakes. General Floyd in his retirement lived as a farmer until he became seriously ill on 20 August 1821. He succumbed a few days later on 25 August at age 86. General Floyd and both of his wives, Hannah and Joanna ( Johanna), are interred in the cemetery belonging to the Westernville Presbyterian Church in Westernville. Floyd’s second wife succumbed on 24 November 1826. The original home of General Floyd in Westernville, now a national historic landmark, still stands and is privately occupied. A grave marker there is the original, which was transferred from the cemetery to the estate when it was replaced at the cemetery by a new monument; however, it is only a symbolic marker, not a grave site.

Folsom, Brigadier General Nathaniel Nathaniel Folsom, the son of Jonathan and Anna Ladd Folsom, was born in Exeter, New Hampshire, during 1726. Nathaniel’s ancestors, John and Mary Gilman Folsom, arrived in the colonies from Britain aboard the Diligent in 1638 and settled in Hingham, Massachusetts, prior to relocating in Exeter during the early 1650s. Jonathan was the grandson of John, the immigrant, and Anna was the daughter of Nathaniel Ladd. Jonathan and Anna had eleven other children. They were: John; Mary (b. February 1722, married Peter Folsom, the son of Peter and Catherine Gilman Folsom); Jonathan (b. 1724, severely wounded at Battle of Louisbourg, 1758); Nathaniel (b. 1726); Anna (birth date unknown, married David Gilman); Samuel (b. 22 February 1732); Trueworthy (b. about 1734, married Mary West of Boston); Josiah (b. November 1735, married Elizabeth Gilman); Sarah (birth date unknown, married John Nelson); Lydia (birth date unknown, married William Bowden) and Abigail (birth date unknown, married Ebenezer Sinclair). Nathaniel was still young, about fourteen, when his father died during 1740. All of the children had to contribute for the family to subsist. Initially, Nathaniel took up a trade, but in 1761 he went into business with his cousins, Joseph and Josiah Gilman. They established a company named Folsom, Gilman and Gilman. The company operated a general store, and it branched out to construct ships and engage in commerce. Prior to entering the business world, Folsom served in the militia during the French and Indian War and participated in the expedition against Crown Point in 1755 as the commander of a company of New Hampshire militia. Folsom led his command from Exeter to Fort Edward in New York to link up with the other New Hampshire forces already there. At the Battle of Lake George on 8 September 1755, the commander of a French and Indian force, Baron Dieskau, was wounded and captured; however, his wounds were fatal. On that same day, Captain Folsom (Colonel Blanchard’s regiment) was directed to lead a scouting mission toward Fort George, and his command intercepted the French who were retreating. Folsom’s contingent, one of ten companies, was composed of his 84 men and about forty New York militia men. Folsom’s rangers inflicted severe casualties upon the enemy. In an

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after-action report, Theodore Atkinson, secretary of the province of New Hampshire, noted: In the engagement with General Dieskau about eighty of our men (Captain Folsom’s company of eighty-four) with about forty Yorkers — many of whom were of little service though others of them behaved well — I say, this small party under the command of Captain Folsom of New Hampshire, it is thought killed more of the Canadians and Indians than was killed at General Johnson’s camp; they continued an obstinate engagement with more than one thousand — indeed all that retired from before General Johnson’s camp, killed great numbers of the enemy, recovered about twelve hundred packs, beat off the enemy, carried their own wounded men to the camp.... It is said of Captain Folsom’s victory that it served more than anything else to revive the spirit of the colonies.

Following that battle, the New Hampshire militia returned to their homes. Nathaniel married Mary Smith and together they had six children: Nathaniel (married Mary Studley); Mary (b. 1751, married Caleb G. Adams); Deborah (b. 1753, married Governor John Taylor Gilman); Jonathan (birth date unknown, died at sea); Anna (b. 1762, married General Nathaniel Giddings); Dorothy (birth date unknown, married Samuel Blodgett). Mary succumbed and Nathaniel remarried, taking Mary Sprague Fisher as his second wife. They had one child, Ruth Weare, born May 1780. In the meantime, Captain Folsom remained in the militia after the close of the French and Indian War. He was promoted to the rank of major during 1767 and then rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel. Afterward, he became colonel of the 4th New Hampshire Regiment, a post that he is thought to have held until he was promoted to brigadier general by the Provincial Congress on 21 April 1775. Folsom was a member of the Provincial Congress of 1774 and he, along with John Stark, was elected as a delegate to the First Continental Congress. Patriots attacked Fort William and Mary on 14–15 December 1774. Colonel Folsom was not with the initial contingent that launched the assault, but once word arrived at Exeter, he sped to the fort and assigned his force to guard the cannon until it could be safely moved. On 17 May 1775, the Provincial Congress again convened. Several days later, on the 20th, it was agreed to raise 2,000 troops. On the 23rd, it was decided that the colonels would be John Stark, James Reed, and Enoch Poor, under the command of General Folsom. Only Stark and Reed arrived at Cambridge. Colonel Poor deployed at Portsmouth to defend it, and General Folsom remained in New Hampshire engaged in recruiting. On 15 June 1775, Congress appointed eight brigadier generals, including John Sullivan of New Hampshire. In addition, it selected Nathanael Greene of Rhode Island, rather than General Nathaniel Folsom of New Hampshire. On 30 June, Nathaniel Folsom was appointed major general of New Hampshire militia with his rank being retroactive to 24 May 1775. In the meantime, General Folsom arrived in Massachusetts several days after the Battle of Bunker Hill and assumed command of the New Hampshire troops, but the changes in command and the presence of General Sullivan caused General Folsom to return to New Hampshire after serving less than three months in the field. He resumed command of the troops that operated in New Hampshire. Also, friction between Colonel Stark and General Folsom at times created major complications. Stark’s troops were reluctant to take orders from Folsom. General Folsom also continued to serve in the Provincial Congress until 1783, when he resigned due to a conflict with other positions. He was again elected to Congress in 1777. The credentials of Nathaniel Folsom and the other delegate, George Frost, were presented to Congress on 16, May 1777; however, General Folsom did not arrive until 21 July 1777. On 1 August, he was appointed to a committee that included John Adams and Henry Laurens to investigate the abandonment of Ticonderoga and Fort (Mount) Independence. General Folsom remained in Congress through 1780. On 5 August 1780, on the motion of John Armstrong and second by

Nathaniel Folsom, Congress resolved “that Congress proceed to the election of a quarter master general.” Timothy Pickering was appointed to the post and held it for the duration of the war. Folsom served as executive councilor during 1778. Later, during 1783, he served as a delegate and president of the state constitutional convention. In addition, General Folsom was appointed as chief justice of the court of common pleas during 1783. He also served on various committees during the war. As a member of the second and third Provincial Congress, Folsom served on the committee of correspondence and the committee of safety during 1775, 1776, 1778, 1779,1782, and 1783. He was also a member of the state council during 1776 and 1784. Nathaniel Folsom succumbed on 26 May 1790 and was interred in the Winter Street Cemetery in Exeter.

Forman, Brigadier General David David Forman, the son of Joseph and Elizabeth Lee Forman, was born on 8 November 1745 on the family estate in Monmouth County, New Jersey, where his father retired after leaving the very successful shipping business he operated in New York. Joseph and Elizabeth had five other children in addition to David. They were: Joseph, Jr. (b. October 1734); Ezekiel (b. October 1736, married Augustine Marsh, the daughter of Thomas and Mary Thompson Marsh, then Margaret Neilson); Elizabeth (b. March 1740, married her first cousin, Colonel Samuel Forman to become his second wife); Stephen (b. May 1743) and Aaron (b. February 1748). During 1767, on 28 February, David married Ann Marsh, the daughter of Thomas and Ann Frisby Marsh. David and Ann had eleven children; however only five daughters are thought to have survived to adulthood. Daughters mentioned in his will, written 30 August 1796 and probated 26 October 1797, were: Sarah Marsh Forman, Ann, Emma, Eliza, Malvina and Rivine. The will stipulated that his daughters were to receive their shares when they reached twenty-one or when they got married. Forman grew up as a proponent of the American cause. Subsequent to the outbreak of the American Revolution, he was appointed a colonel of the New Jersey militia during June 1776, and he was attached to General Nathaniel Heard’s brigade. The brigade sped to New York to support General George Washington. In November, Colonel Forman was dispatched to Monmouth to deal with Loyalists who were causing serious problems in the region. Late in the year, Colonel Forman was offered command of a newly established continental regiment. During February 1777, General Philemon Dickinson, one of the three initial New Jersey brigadier generals, notified the assembly on the 15th that he was relocating out of the state. The assembly selected Joseph Ellis as his successor, but Ellis declined the appointment. On 21 February 1777, New Jersey appointed new brigadiers. They were David Potter and John Neilson; however, Potter declined. During the following month, three additional brigadiers were commissioned, William Winds (4 March), David Forman (5 March), and Silas Newcomb (15 March). Confusion continued in the ranks of New Jersey militia for some time. General Forman participated in the fighting for control of Philadelphia that year, including the Battle of Germantown in October. In the meantime, friction arose between the New Jersey assembly and General Forman. Consequently, General Forman resigned his commission during November 1777. The continental regiment General Forman was offered by Washington never became a full complement of troops. At some point during 1778, the various units were transferred into other regiments. In the meantime, General Dickinson had reversed his decision to leave New Jersey and the assembly commissioned him as major general on 6 June 1777. In conjunction, General Newcomb, appointed during the previous March, resigned his commission on 4 December 1777. Subsequent to departing the army, General Forman initiated clan-

119 destine activity by observing the British warships in New York and getting the intelligence forwarded to General Washington. However, he must have spent time with the army. At the Battle of Monmouth in June 1778, General Forman was with General Charles Lee at the time the unauthorized retreat was ordered, and Forman was later called to Lee’s court martial to testify against him. In 1782, General Forman was involved with presenting a case for Captain Joshua Huddy, who was hanged by Loyalists. General Forman was a first cousin of David Forman, the high sheriff; at times, they are confused for one another. The sheriff was known by the Loyalists as “Black David” and the general as “Devil David.” In 1791, General Forman was appointed as judge of common pleas court. In February 1794, General Forman and his wife relocated in Chesterfield, Kent County, Maryland, the state in which his wife was born. Some of the Forman family had taken up residence in Natchez, Mississippi, and General Forman owned land there. He journeyed to Natchez during 1796 to check on his property and while there, he suffered a non-fatal stroke. Once he was well enough to travel home, he boarded a ship at New Orleans. The voyage was violently interrupted by a British privateer, which seized the vessel and sailed it to New Providence in the Bahamas. The British never released General Forman. He succumbed while a captive in the West Indies on 12 September 1797.

Franklin, Benjamin (Signer of the U.S. Constitution) Benjamin Franklin, the son of Josiah and Abiah Folger (second wife), a daughter of Peter Folger, was born on 6 January 1706. Josiah, his first wife and three children arrived in America about 1682. After settling in Boston, they had four additional children. After the death of his first wife, Josiah remarried, taking Abiah as his second wife; they had ten children, including Benjamin, the eighth of the ten and the youngest son. Josiah and Abiah remained married for more than fiftyfive years and died during 1744 and 1752, respectively. Benjamin, according to his autobiography, fell short of his father’s goal of having him become a minister. At age eight, Benjamin entered a grammar school and was taught by George Brownell, but only for about two years. Afterward, Benjamin was taken from school to work with his father, who ran a business as a “tallow-chandler and sopeboiler.” In the meantime, Josiah had concluded his trade was not providing sufficient money to provide for his large family. He placed Benjamin as an apprentice with a candle maker, where Benjamin undertook a mundane position of cutting wicks and filling molds and when required, running errands for the owner. All the while, Benjamin had a desire to go to sea like his brother, Josiah, but his father was adamantly opposed to the idea and spent much time trying to find Benjamin a job within the various trades that he would find an interest, but to no avail. Later, during 1717, Benjamin’s brother James returned from London with a new printing press. Benjamin’s father convinced Benjamin to sign an agreement of indenture that would keep him in the employ of his brother until he was twenty-one years old. Although he was learning the trade of a printer, Benjamin continued a practice that he had acquired early in his youth. He was a voracious reader and at times he remained sleepless to finish a book before he had to return it on the following morning. All the while, he also continued to tinker with his many experiments that eventually led to many inventions. Benjamin had done well in school with reading and spelling, but he was not able to conquer arithmetic. Nevertheless, while he was advancing his studies through reading and becoming an amateur poet, Benjamin purchased a book on arithmetic and soon after mastered the subject. Later, he published a piece, The Lighthouse Tragedy, which through poetry described the deaths by drowning of Captain Worthilake and his two daughters, and that was followed by another, a song about Edward Teach, known also as Blackbeard the pirate. Benjamin’s father

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was not impressed with his poetry and discouraged Benjamin from pursuing poetry, which would lead him to the life of a beggar. Benjamin had no difficulty in forgoing his career as a poet, but in addition to his lingering passion for the sea, he remained equally determined to continue writing prose. In 1721, his step-brother, James, established a newspaper, the New England Courant, and Benjamin contributed by writing a series of essays. There had been only one other paper in the country prior to James’ endeavor, the Boston News-Let- Benjamin Franklin (Beacon Lights, J.C. ter. Benjamin delivered pa- Abbott, 1896) pers throughout the town of Boston. James got into a predicament when the paper published something that angered the assembly and it cost James some time in jail. Benjamin, like his brother, was interrogated, but he did not receive the one month sentence that was given to his brother; rather, Benjamin was only admonished. James was also instructed to stop publishing, but he attempted to outsmart the assembly by placing the paper under the name of Benjamin. In the plan, Benjamin’s indenture was officially cancelled, but a private deal was cut demanding that Benjamin remain under his original agreement. The relationship between Benjamin and his brother started to become hostile. Benjamin Franklin left Boston during 1723 to begin anew. He sold some of his book to pay his passage to New York, but once he arrived there, he was unable to gain employment with a Mr. Bradford; however the latter suggested that if he traveled to Philadelphia, Bradford’s son would hire him. He departed New York and found employment as a printer in Philadelphia, but not with Bradford; rather at Keimer’s printing company. While in Philadelphia, Franklin met Deborah Reed, the daughter of John and Sarah White Reed. He attempted to get married, but Deborah’s mother, knowing he was leaving for England, was opposed and suggested that they wait until his return before considering marriage. Franklin only remained in the position at the printing company for about one year before he decided to sail to England, where he arrived at London on Christmas Eve 1724. After two years in England, Franklin returned to America during July 1726 and arrived back in Philadelphia on 11 October. In England he had picked up more experience in the printing industry and from that, he established his own printing business. Deborah had married while Benjamin was in England, and the marriage was not one of bliss. Deborah separated shortly thereafter and refused to live with her husband. Around 1728, Deborah’s husband, John Rogers, after becoming deeply in debt, absconded to the West Indies about 1727. In 1730, Franklin took over a newspaper, the Pennsylvania Gazette, which was established in 1828 by another person. The paper remained in publication until 1748. During that time, Franklin published (1732) his most well known work, Poor Richard’s Almanac. The almanac, which he published under the name Richard Saunders, catapulted to high popularity and trailed only the Bible in sales. In the meantime, Franklin had been able to re-establish a good relationship with Deborah. In his autobiography, Franklin stated: “I took her (Deborah) to wife, September 1st, 1730. None of the inconveniences happened that we had apprehended; she proved a good and

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faithful helpmate/assisted me much by attending the shop; we throve together, and have ever mutually endeavour’d to make each other happy.” From that marriage, they had two children, Francis and Sarah; however, Deborah also raised William, an illegitimate son of Benjamin. The name of William’s mother was never discovered. Francis died at the age of four from smallpox during 1736. Franklin also operated a subscription library which he decided to establish when he found it difficult to find any books of value within the city; at the time few people in the city could read. In 1733, Franklin, who had some instruction in Latin, initiated his plan to learn other languages, and through his self-taught methods familiarized himself with French, Italian and Spanish. Although he had not believed he had much knowledge of Latin, as he increased his knowledge, he discovered that he did know more than he thought, and it helped him conquer the others. From that point, Franklin continued to lead a frugal lifestyle: “We kept no idle servants, our table was plain and simple, our furniture of the cheapest. For instance, my breakfast was a long time bread and milk (no tea), and I ate it out of a twopenny earthen porringer, with a pewter spoon.” Later, Benjamin noted surprise when he was “called to breakfast” to discover it was in a “China bowl with· a spoon of silver! They had been bought for me without my knowledge by my wife, and had cost her the enormous sum of three-and-twenty shillings, for which she had no other excuse or apology to make, but that she thought her husband deserv’d a silver spoon and China bowl as well as any of his neighbors. This was the first appearance of plate and China in our house.” Franklin was raised as a Presbyterian; however, he did not regularly attend services. The minister in Philadelphia persuaded him to come to church and Franklin did so for five straight weeks, but afterward he stopped, stating that he might have continued if the minister had been a good preacher, “but his discourses were chiefly either polemic arguments, or explications of the peculiar doctrines of our sect, and were all to me very dry, uninteresting, and unedifying, since not a single moral principle was inculcated or enforc’d, their aim seeming to be rather to make us Presbyterians than good citizens.” In 1734, a new minister, the Reverend Hemphill, arrived and Franklin became a regular attendee. In his autobiography, he said this of his faith: “And conceiving God to be the fountain of wisdom, I thought it right and necessary to solicit his assistance for obtaining it; to this end I formed the following little prayer, which was prefixed to my tables of examination, for daily use: ‘O powerful Goodness! bountiful Father! merciful Guide! Increase in me that wisdom which discovers my truest interest. Strengthen my resolutions to perform what that wisdom dictates. Accept my kind offices to thy other children as the only return in my power for thy continual favours to me.’” He also asserted “that there is one God, who made all things. That he governs the world by his providence. That he ought to be worshiped by adoration, prayer, and thanksgiving. But that the most acceptable service of God is doing good to man. That the soul is immortal. And that God will certainly reward virtue and punish vice, either here or hereafter.” Franklin also had made a list of virtues that he attempted to achieve on a daily basis, and each night he examined his activities. He admitted poor success, but claimed it made him a better man from the attempts. Later, he added humility to his list after being told of his pride. Consequently, Benjamin modified even his manner of speech, which later proved to be a great advantage in negotiations: I cannot boast of much success in acquiring the reality of this virtue, but I had a good deal with regard to the appearance of it.... I even forbid myself, agreeably to the old laws of our Junto, the use of every word or expression in the language that imported a fix’d opinion, such as certainly, undoubtedly, etc., and I adopted, instead of them, I conceive, I apprehend, or I imagine a thing to be so or so; or it so appears to me at present.... I soon found the advantage of this change in my manner; the con-

versations I engag’d in went on more pleasantly ... and I more easily prevail’d with others to give up their mistakes and join with me when I happened to be in the right.

During 1736, Benjamin was appointed clerk of the colonial assembly of Pennsylvania, a post he held until 1751. The next year, Colonel Alexander Spottswood, the postmaster general, discharged his deputy postmaster at Philadelphia and in his place appointed Franklin. In 1744, He established a Philosophic Society. He was elected to the colonial legislature in 1751 and retained his seat until 1753; also that year he was appointed deputy postmaster of the colonies, a position he held until the following year. At the time he was appointed, upon the death of the postmaster general, another man, William Hunter, was jointly appointed by the postmaster general in England. In 1754, Franklin was selected as a representative to the Albany Congress, which was called to find ways to galvanize the colonies during the hostilities (French and Indian War) with France that threatened the English hold on the continent. While the Albany Congress was in session, Franklin proposed a blueprint, the “Plan of Union,” which was adopted by Congress; however, the various colonies declined accepting it due to their interpretation that it interfered with the powers of the respective states. As time moved along, Franklin’s lifestyle was elevated far from his younger days, when he used lunch money to purchase books. His business flourished by about 1748 and he became affluent. He apparently never forgot his days as a paper boy with few financial resources; he became a philanthropist who freely aided various organizations, including hospitals and schools. It was also in the 1740s that war erupted. During the War of Austrian Succession (King George’s War in the colonies), 1740–1748, units were formed in Philadelphia and Franklin was appointed colonel of one contingent, but he declined, claiming to be “unfit”; however, Benjamin did serve and he took his normal turn at guard duty. Peace was restored during 1749. During 1749, Franklin resumed his intent to establish an academy (later the University of Pennsylvania), an idea he tried without success previously. During the process, Franklin remained in the shadows, as he had often done while trying to contribute to the community. The plan succeeded and trustees were appointed, while teachers were simultaneously being hired. Nevertheless, Franklin oversaw the project as the work was done on the building. During the previous year, he had arranged a partnership with David Hall to oversee the newspaper business while Franklin attended to the school. The partnership lasted for eighteen years. It made Franklin a retiree and a man of leisure, giving him time to study, learn and experiment with his ideas regarding inventions. For a while, he was also a justice of the peace, but he discerned that he did not command sufficient knowledge of the common law; based on that, he left the position. In 1751, Franklin’s first year as a member of the legislature, he was visited by Doctor Thomas Bond, who was interested in establishing a hospital in Philadelphia. Franklin concurred with the idea. However, as usual, he attempted to remain in the background. Doctor Bond set out to gather subscribers to undertake the endeavor, but to his surprise, those he sought inquired whether he had first confided in Benjamin Franklin. He, according to the wishes of Franklin, responded no, but it became evident that Franklin’s public support was necessary for the goal to be achieved and finally have a place to treat the citizens who were both poor and ill. Franklin began to publish articles in his newspaper and solicit support from the assembly. Consequently, the hospital was built. The next year, 1752, while Franklin was serving his second year in the legislature, he was appointed to a committee to speak with the Indians at Carlisle and negotiate a treaty. Franklin and another member of the House accompanied members of the council to compose the commissioners. Franklin noted that the treaty came about quickly because the Indians were told they could not receive any spirits until the

121 business was completed. Subsequently, during 1754, when hostilities with France were erupting, Franklin was appointed as a commissioner on a committee charged with traveling to Albany to speak with the Six Nations to discuss ways of defending the Indian territory and the colonies against French aggression. The meetings occurred during June of that year. During that time period, Franklin proposed a blueprint for uniting all the colonies in a chain designed for the common defense of the nation. After sharing it with several others, Franklin presented it to the congress of commissioners who were meeting in Albany. Others had similar plans, but it was agreed that it was a necessity, and the various representatives carried word back to their respective legislatures. In Pennsylvania, the plan was brought up in the assembly while Franklin was absent and it was declined. Subsequent to the defeat of General Edward Braddock at Fort Duquesne during 1755, Governor Robert Hunter Morris of Pennsylvania placed Benjamin Franklin in charge of defending the frontier. Franklin received a commission from the governor and accepted it despite feeling he was unqualified. Franklin raised a force of more than 500 volunteers, and about January 1756, they departed Bethlehem and moved toward Minisink, where the troops began the construction of forts. Later, Franklin was recalled to the assembly. The next year, Franklin traveled to England, and while there he served as agent for Pennsylvania until 1762; however, after returning to America, he was again sent to England during 1764 to act as an agent for several additional colonies, Georgia and New Jersey, then during 1769, upon the death of Denis de Berdt, Franklin became also the agent for Massachusetts. He remained in that capacity until 1775. In the meantime, while Franklin was spending his second year (1765) in England, Parliament passed the Stamp Act, which was not seen as usual to Franklin, and neither he nor Parliament expected the reaction that followed back in the colonies. Franklin had not yet become one of the radical American Patriots; however, the transformation was beginning to take place. During August 1765, Parliament approved of the selected stamp agents. Franklin wrote to a friend: “The sun of liberty is set. The Americans must light the lamps of industry and economy.” Later he received a response from his friend, Charles Thomson (later secretary of Congress): “We Shall light torches of a very different sort....” In 1769, Franklin and others were able to secure land in western Virginia; the acquisition was intended to establish a new colony. The scheme got derailed, despite receiving a patent from King George III, because of the outbreak of war. By 1773, Benjamin had strayed far from his former loyalty to the Crown, and his time in England was spent observing the British actions. On 5 February, he stated: “I cannot but lament ... the impending calamities, Britain and her colonies are about to suffer, from the great imprudencies on both sides. Passion governs and she never governs wisely — anxiety begins to disturb my rest.” Franklin remained in England until 1775. He arrived back in Pennsylvania during May. He was, that same month, made a member of the Second Continental Congress. On 29 May 1775, Congress resolved “that Mr. [Benjamin] Franklin, Mr. [Thomas] Lynch, Mr. [Richard Henry] Lee, Mr. [Thomas] Willing, Mr. S [Samuel] Adams, and Mr. P [Philip] Livingston, be a committee to consider the best means of establishing posts for conveying letters and intelligence through this continent.” Franklin was appointed to a series of other important committees, and during July of that year, Congress elected him as the first postmaster of the United States for a term of one year. The following month, Franklin was appointed to the committee charged with repairing to New England to confer with George Washington regarding the condition of the army and the ongoing siege of British-held Boston. Shortly after Franklin’s trip to Massachusetts, on 29 November 1775, he was appointed to the Committee of Correspondence (later Committee of Secret Correspondence, forerunner of CIA).

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In February 1776, Franklin, Charles Carroll, Samuel Chase and Father John Carroll (later Archbishop Carroll), Charles’ cousin, were selected by the Continental Congress to travel to Canada to solicit the support of the Catholic French. While on the mission, Franklin became sick and was compelled to return early. He departed for home on 11 May. The mission failed to ignite the French Catholics, due in part to a derogatory letter written about French Catholics by John Jay. Subsequently, Franklin, Carroll and General Washington continued to work together to bring France into the war on the side of America, while Jay maintained his opposition to the Catholic monarchy. In June of 1776, Congress declared Benjamin’s son, William, the royal governor of New Jersey, a “dangerous enemy to American liberties.” He was first taken to Burlington and then to Connecticut to be under the custody of Governor Jonathan Trumbull until exchanged. By that time, Franklin had severed contact with his loyalist son. Earlier that month, following Franklin’s return to Philadelphia, he along with John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Robert Livingston and Roger Sherman were charged by Congress to draw up a Declaration of Independence. The task was completed prior to the end of the month and presented to Congress on the 28th. Afterward, it was slightly modified by Franklin and John Adams before being adopted on 2 July, with one abstention: New York. On the 28th, Congress appointed a Committee on Foreign Correspondence with Franklin being assigned as one of the members. The committee was charged with drawing a plan to seek alliances with foreign governments. A plan was submitted, and it was adopted by Congress during September 1776. On the Fourth of July, Congress officially declared independence. During the signing (only John Hancock signed) of the Declaration of Independence, John Hancock stated to Benjamin Franklin: “We must all hang together,” and Benjamin responded: “We must all hang together, or most assuredly we shall each hang separately.” The remaining signers affixed their names to the parchment document beginning in early August 1776. In September, in reaction to a peace feeler from General William Howe, Franklin, along with John Adams and Edward Rutledge, the representatives of Congress, met with Howe in the Billop Mansion at Staten Island opposite Perth Amboy, New Jersey; however, no substantive results were gained. The British escorted the American delegation across Raritan Bay and from there, they returned to Philadelphia to report the results of the meeting. On the 26th, Congress named Benjamin Franklin, Arthur Lee and Silas Deane as the official agents to France. Up to that point, the American agents’ activity had been clandestine. On 26 October, Franklin sailed for France aboard the 16-gun vessel Reprisal, captained by Lambert Wickes. Following a harrowing journey, Franklin arrived in France, and after an overland trip, he finally joined with the other agents. They met with Count de Vergennes on the 23 December 1776 and informed the count that they were authorized to propose and negotiate treaties of amity and of commerce between the United States and France. Soon after, on 1 January, 1777, Congress appointed Franklin as minister to Spain, which increased his diplomatic responsibilities. In the meantime, Franklin also devoted time to acquiring ships. The Reprisal returned to port during mid–February with five prizes to the dismay of the British, who complained vehemently to the French. The Reprisal was ordered out of French waters, but Franklin had also worked to enlist other seamen to oppose the British on the high seas. Franklin’s efforts brought Captain Samuel Nicholson and another, Gustavus Conyngham, into the service of the United States. With the two additions, Benjamin continued what became known as “Franklin’s Naval War.” Captain Nicholson traveled to England and acquired a cutter, the Dover, but once he returned to France, it was renamed the Dolphin. Meanwhile, Franklin ordered Conyngham to move to Dunkirk to assume command of the Surprise.

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During the following year, on 1 May 1777, Arthur Lee replaced Benjamin Franklin as minister to Spain, but Franklin remained as commissioner to France. On 7 May, Congress named Ralph Izard as Franklin’s successor as the commissioner to the grand duke of Tuscany. Later that year, the Americans defeated British General John Burgoyne at Saratoga, New York, and during October 1777, Burgoyne surrendered his entire army. Franklin, while in France, took advantage of the victory and began to scheme to work the French against the British in an attempt to finally get France to officially recognize the United States and openly support the war. Simultaneously, Franklin maneuvered to extract the best possible circumstances from the British. The French were ecstatic about the defeat at Saratoga and the British were unsettled. Lord North was proposing legislation to terminate the war, giving Benjamin an element of superiority as he manipulated both the French and English ministers to assure the United States of a no-lose situation. On 20 March 1778, Franklin and the other commissioners met with King Louis XVI, who remained unsure of the ability of the Americans to defeat the English, but he had disdain for the trustworthiness of the English. Consequently, the king officially recognized the United States. On 14 September, Congress appointed Franklin as minister plenipotentiary to France. It resolved: “that a committee of five be appointed to prepare a letter of credence to his most Christian majesty, notifying the appointment of Dr. Franklin, minister plenipotentiary of these States at the court of France.” Subsequently, in April 1782, Britain began to move toward terminating the war. In Britain at the Colonial Office, Lord Shelburne dispatched Richard Oswald to Paris to begin negotiations with Benjamin Franklin, who at the time was the sole minister to France. Franklin was holding an unexpected trump card: intelligence that informed him that the British treasury had been nearly expended. Franklin stunned Oswald with his revelation and carried his confidence further by suggesting that Britain cede Canada to the United States. Oswald offered to carry the proposal back to Parliament. All the while, Franklin used his skills to advantage by again working Britain against France to secure what was best for the United States. His efforts culminated successfully. On 30 November 1782, Franklin, along with John Adams and John Jay, signed a preparatory peace treaty with Britain. Richard Oswald signed the treaty on behalf of Britain. The official treaty (Treaty of Paris) that terminated the war was consummated on 3 September 1783 and was signed by Benjamin Franklin, John Adams and John Jay; however, it was signed on behalf of Britain by David Hartley. Meanwhile, the French took offense with the Americans consummating a treaty with Britain without their participation. On 16 December, Franklin responded to their concerns, stating that the Americans had not signed a treaty, and that they had only “agreed upon the preliminary articles of peace.” He also told the French that they should refrain from broadcasting their dissatisfaction to ensure the English did not pick up on the division of the allies on the matter, and the tactic worked. In addition, Franklin maneuvered smoothly and secured another loan from the French. Subsequent to the conclusion of the treaty, Franklin returned to the United States. During 1785, he became president of the Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania, and later, during 1787, was a delegate to the Constitutional Convention that convened in Philadelphia during 1787. Despite his ill health, he was an active participant. Franklin did not agree with the entire document, but he was able to use his skills to calm tempers and persuade delegates to consider the greater good of the nation by the adoption of the U.S. Constitution, which occurred 27 September, 1787. Pennsylvania ratified it on 12 December 1787 to become the second state to join the union. That year, Franklin was also elected as the initial president of the Pennsylvania Society for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery. Franklin’s health also received a jolt during December 1787 when he fell from a wall in his garden. The shock was severe due to his age.

Nevertheless, during his recuperation, which lasted until the following spring, he was devoted to getting his estate in order, and yet he was excited about the election of his friend George Washington as president of the United States. At the time, Franklin lived in Philadelphia, and his residence was located on Market Street, but he owned other property, including two new and spacious homes and two smaller ones, in addition to a building that contained a printing house he had constructed for his grandson. Franklin also owned two homes in Pewter Platter Alley and yet another on Sixth Street. Other property that he owned included some lots in the center of the city and some open pasture land in Hickory Lane. But he owned even more property in Massachusetts (a house on Unity Street), several thousand acres in Georgia and a tract in Nova Scotia. His worth at the time was in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, which included bonds, but he also had an unusual portrait of King Louis XVI, which was adorned with four hundred and eight diamonds. In his will, Franklin left the land in Nova Scotia to his son William and he forgave William the debts owed to his father. The will stipulated: “The part he [William] acted against me in the late war, which is of public notoriety, will account for my leaving him no more of an estate he endeavored to deprive me of.” Most of his estate was left to his daughter Sarah, her husband, Richard Bache, and their children, but he also left a great deal to various organizations. His will also stipulated that he was to be buried next to his wife, Deborah, who passed away during 1774, while Franklin was in England. Benjamin Franklin died on 17 April 1790. He was interred in Philadelphia in Christ Church Burial Ground. He left behind a multifaceted legacy, also being known as the inventor of several things, including, bifocals, the Franklin stove (which he never patented), and the lightning rod.

Frazer, Brigadier General Persifor Persifor Frazer, the son of John and Mary Smith Frazer, was born in Newtown Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, on 9 August 1736. His father emigrated from Ireland and arrived in the colonies during 1735. Persifor, who married Mary Taylor Frazer, a Quaker, on 2 October 1766, resided on Mary’s family farm in the vicinity of Brandywine. Together Persifor and Mary (who was called Polly) operated the farm and its iron forge. They had ten children: Sarah (b. 1769); Robert (b. 1771); Mary Anne (b. 1774, married Jonathan Smith); Persifor (b. 1776); Martha (b. 1778); Mary (b. 1780, married Joseph Smith); John (b. 1781, died young); Martha (b. 1783, married William Morris); Elizabeth I (b. 1786, died young) and Elizabeth II (1788, married Henry Myers). Frazer found himself aligned with the Patriots during the turbulent period that extended from about 1765 through the opening of hostilities at Lexington and Concord in April 1775. He was elected as a delegate to the Provincial Convention of Pennsylvania, which convened in Philadelphia on 23 January 1775. During January of the following year, Frazer was appointed captain of the 1st Company. He was promoted to the rank of major (4th Pennsylvania Battalion) on 3 October 1776, effective on 24 September 1776. Shortly thereafter, on 12 March 1777, Frazer was advanced to the rank of lieutenant colonel attached to the 5th Regiment, effective on 4 October 1776. Lt. Colonel Frazer participated in the defense of Philadelphia during 1777 until he was captured during the American retreat following the Battle of Brandywine, which occurred on 11 September. Frazer spent some time at the farm, but he departed on the 13th to attempt to observe the British movements; however, a British cavalry contingent captured him and had him transported to Philadelphia, where he was confined. On that same day, the 13th, only hours after Colonel Frazer departed, the British arrived at the farm to confiscate the ammunition that Loyalists had said was concealed there. Polly Frazer’s children and the servants fled to the woods, but Polly remained to

123 confront the British. Initially, the British crude and abusive, but she adamantly stood her ground. She was told that if her husband would abandon the rebels and join with the British, he would be rewarded. She scoffed at the idea and informed the British that they did not know her husband, and she underscored her obstinacy by telling an officer that if Persifor did betray the cause, she would abandon him. Nevertheless, the British, who nearly inflicted harm on Polly Frazer, were stopped by Captain DeWest. She eventually prevailed, and the British, who threatened to burn the farm, departed, leaving behind a ransacked home and some empty liquor containers. While confined by the British, Colonel Frazer claimed to have been confined and unable to exercise. Consequently, when he escaped imprisonment on 17 March 1778 and fled to Valley Forge, the British claimed he broke his parole, but Frazer countered that he was not afforded parole and therefore his escape was legitimate. Shortly after his escape, during June 1778, the British abandoned Philadelphia and Fraser participated in the Battle of Monmouth, the final major battle in the northern states. On 9 October 1778, Colonel Frazer resigned his commission. On 1 April 1780, he was appointed commissioner of purchases for Chester County, Pennsylvania. Congress appointed Frazer the clothier general of the Continental Army on the July 15, 1779, but on the 19th Congress received word from Fraser that he declined the position due to the salary. Subsequently, on 25 May 1782, Frazer was appointed brigadier general of Pennsylvania militia, a rank he retained until the official close of hostilities. General Persifor Frazer succumbed on 24 April 1792.

Freeman, Brigadier General Nathaniel Nathaniel Freeman, the son of Edmund and Martha Otis Freeman, was born on 8 April 1781 on Cape Cod in the Eastern sector of Yarmouth (present-day Dennis), Massachusetts. Several years after the birth of Nathaniel, the family moved to Mansfield, Connecticut. Nathaniel’s mother, Martha, was the daughter of Nathaniel and Abigail Russell Otis. Nathaniel received an excellent education that permitted him to follow two professions. He studied medicine under Doctor Cobb to become a doctor and surgeon, but he also studied law under James Otis and initiated a law practice in Sandwich, where he settled. On 5 May 1763, Nathaniel married Tryphosa Colton of Killingly, Connecticut. They had the following children: 1, Edmund (b. May 1764, married Elizabeth Patee of Maine); 2, Nathaniel II (b. March 1766, married Polly Ford); 3, Abigail (b. August 1768, married Colonel Abraham Williams and George Ellis); 4, Martha (b. June 1770), married William Fessenden); 5, Jonathan Otis (b. April 1772, married Lucy Crocker); 6, Rufus (b. October 1773, married Hannah Palmer); 7, Tryphosa C. (b. December 1775, married Captain Samuel Parker); 8, Sarah (b. June 1778, married Shadrack Freeman); 9, Nancy I (b. September 1778, died March 1790); 10, Russell (b. October 1782, married Eliza J. Sturgis); 11, Abraham Williams (b. August 1784, married Nancy Fairfield); 12, George Washington (b. June 1789, became a bishop and married Ann Yates Gholson, the widow of William Gholson and daughter of Colonel William Yates). After Tryphosa’s death on 11 July 1796, General Freeman remarried, taking Elizabeth Gifford, the widow of Josiah Gifford and the daughter of John Handy, as his second wife. From that marriage, the following children were born: 13, Frederick (b. December 1799, married Elizabeth Nichols, Hannah Huntington Wolcott, then Isabella Williams); 14, Tryphosa Colton (b. January 1801, married the Rev. Louis Jansen); 15, Nancy II (b. January 1802, died December 1804); 16, Nathaniel III (b. April 1803); 17, Elizabeth H. (b. May 1804, married the Rev. Davis Lothrop); 18, Love Swain (b. July 1805), married Weston R. Gales, the mayor of Raleigh, North Carolina); 19, Tryphena (b. July 1808, married Captain Isaiah Harding); and 20, Hannah B. (b. March 1810).

FREEMAN

In addition to his career and family responsibilities, Freeman found time to become a loyal supporter of the Patriots’ cause. During January 1773, at a town meeting held in Sandwich, it was decided to appoint a committee of correspondence to maintain communications with a similar committee in Boston. The members were Nathaniel Freeman (chairman), John Allen, Mordecai Ellis, Simeon Fish, Seth Freeman, Joseph Nye III, John Percival, Elisha Pope, Moses Swift and Joshua Tobey. Around that time, Freeman was elected to the General Court. In addition, during the Revolutionary War and for a while afterward, Freeman served as superintendent of Barnstable County and in the Massachusetts House of Representatives. His participation as chairman of the committee of correspondence frequently focused on the activity of Loyalists in the region. In addition, hearings were convened and oaths of loyalty were administered. The most widely known incident involved a one-legged man named Edward Davis, who was spotted as a stranger in the company of prominent Loyalists. It was determined that Davis was linked to a group of Loyalists scattered about the region in various towns in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Further investigation exposed a counterfeiting ring operating in conjunction with the British at Newport, Rhode Island. Life for the Patriots in Boston had become particularly tough by 1774; that year Governor Thomas Hutchinson was replaced by General Thomas Gage. On 13 May, Gage arrived in Boston accompanied by four fresh regiments of Redcoats. Boston became paralyzed by the Port Bill, but surrounding towns provided aid, including food, wood and currency. Colonel Freeman, concerned about the confiscation of the Patriots’ fishing boats, moved speedily that month to disperse the potential targets to safe locations. Freeman oversaw an operation that moved the boats ashore, and from the beaches of Cape Cod they were hauled to swampland and other obscure places. The effort was noble; however, with British warships patrolling the waters, fisherman found it too risky to leave the harbor, so they remained in their secret places until the British departed. By spring of 1774, the court system was a charade and was utilized as a heavy hammer of the Crown against the people. During September 1774, a group of Patriots in Sandwich led by Nathaniel Freeman marched to interrupt and disband the county courts. The militia marched from Wareham, Rochester and Middleboro, and were joined by Freeman’s group at Sandwich. Their numbers amounted to about 1,500 men when they reached the courthouse on Rendezvous Lane in Barnstable and “Brigadier Freeman,” as Nathaniel was dubbed, apparently led the group. During the incident, he was also referred to as the “conductor in chief.” The men requested that the court be closed and Judge James Otis (himself a Patriot) concurred. The final King’s Court in Barnstable was terminated. One of the observers, the Honorable Abraham Holmes of Rochester, described Doctor Freeman as being “a fine figure of a man, between thirty and forty years of age. He had a well made face, a florid countenance, a bright and dignified eye, a clear and majestic voice; and wore a handsome, black lapelled coat, a tied wig as white as snow, a set up hat with the point a little to the right.” That group who participated in closing the court by their act of treason to the king was referred to as “The Body of the People.” The men had also decided to elect their own officers and they swore oaths “not to drink strong drink, nor swear, [and to have] prayer of mornings.” Once the militia returned to Sandwich, to their dismay, they discovered that in their absence, some Loyalists had chopped down the Liberty Pole that had been erected. Swift retaliation was initiated as the Patriots “hunted up and punished into due humility, certain persons who had cut down the Sandwich liberty pole....” On 7 October 1774, Provincial Congress was held, then on 16 November, a county congress convened at the courthouse in Barnstable and the delegates selected James Otis as chairman. Colonel Nathaniel Freeman, Job Crocker, Daniel Davis, Captain Jonathan Howes and Thomas Paine were appointed to a committee of correspondence. In

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conjunction, Freeman was referred to as colonel in various records of the time, prior to 1776, but other sources state that he was promoted to lieutenant colonel on 1 January 1776. It appears that the congress held at Barnstable never reconvened. On the military front, Freeman initially served as a colonel in the militia from 1775 until he was appointed a brigadier general during 1781; however, some nineteenth century sources place his commission as brigadier in 1778. In 1775, Freeman served as register of probate, a post he retained until 1822. On 11 October 1775, he was appointed as a judge of common pleas court in Barnstable County; he retained that post through 1811. During the Revolutionary War, it seems General Freeman spent little time in the field; however, he retained his rank until 1793. On 2 April 1779, British warships were discovered as they moved toward Falmouth. The alarm rapidly spread, and reinforcements, including troops under Colonel Freeman, arrived there after dusk. The three companies that composed his contingent established defensive positions at the beach. The next morning seemed to favor the British navy, which advanced under the cover of early morning fog, and as they approached shore, the vessels commenced fire in conjunction with lowering about ten boats, which pushed off with a vanguard of about 220 Redcoats. Freeman’s troops were up to the task, and in a sense even taunted the Redcoats to land. Various points were tested from the morning until afternoon, but no landing succeeded. The Americans had withstood the fire and held back their return fire. By about 1700 hours, just after Freemen ordered his men to fire for effect, the British chose to pull back. The British, irate at their inability to shovel aside militia, began the following morning, a Saturday, with enhanced enthusiasm and the will to knock off the rabble. They moved to Woods Hole and found themselves greeted by about 30 militia who anticipated the attempt to land. The Redcoats were again foiled by Freeman. Undaunted, they moved to Nonnamesit, an obscure island, and landed without incident. Apparently, only one family resided in the area and the British threatened to kill them. Nonetheless, the only casualties were a small number of livestock, which the British killed. Shortly thereafter, the British realized they were about to be struck. They embarked, taking a hog and half of a pig. But still, the British intended to land and drive Freeman away. On Sunday, the 4th, just after dawn, yet again the ships’ cannon commenced fire, only to again be repelled by small arms. The slowmoving saga continued into Monday, the 5th, still without success for the British. One boat attempted a landing at Woods Hole, but it was driven back. Afterward, the flotilla sailed for Nantucket. After the war, Freeman was elected to the Fourth and Fifth U.S. Congresses as a representative of Massachusetts. General Freeman served in Congress from 7 December 1795, until 3 March 1799. During that period, he was chief judge of Common Pleas Court of Barnstable County. He maintained his medical practice until about 1804, but he continued to treat a small number of patients for his remaining days. Nathaniel Freeman succumbed on 20 September 1827.

Frost, Brigadier General John John Frost, the son of John and Sarah Gerrish Frost, was born 15 August 1738 in Kittery, Maine. John entered the military and participated in the Canadian Campaign of 1759 during the French and Indian War. John’s mother was the daughter of Timothy and Sarah Eliot Gerrish. In addition to John, his parents had the following children: Mary (b. October 1735, married Francis Eppes); Sarah (b. October 1740, married Richard Cutts); Timothy (b. October 1742, married Hannah Nowell, the sister of Mary, his brother John’s wife); Abigail (b. October 1742); William (b. May 1747, married Elizabeth Randall); Jane (b. September 1749, married Colonel John Nowell); Elizabeth (b. February 1752, married John Frost, Jr., of York); Nathaniel (b. June 1755, married Abigail Ferguson) and George (b. January 1758, married Elizabeth Goslin).

John married Mary Nowell on 17 April 1760. Mary was the daughter of Ebenezer and Patience Hamilton Nowell of York. John and Mary had the following children: John (b. December 1760, died unmarried); Joseph (b. December 1762, married Mary Shapleigh); Mary (b. January 1765, married Samuel Jordan); Sarah (b. February 1767, married John Swett); Andrew (b. April 1769, died February 1771); George (b. April 1769, died May 1769); Nathaniel (b. January 1774, married Abigail Kimball); George (2, b. October 1776, married Sarah Bartlett of Eliot) and Timothy (b. December 1778, married Sarah Coffin). Just after the outbreak of hostilities with the English at Lexington and Concord in April 1775, Frost served as a lieutenant in Colonel Jonathan Moulton’s regiment during the siege of Boston. Frost was promoted to the rank of colonel during 1776 Subsequent to the evacuation of Boston by the British during March 1776, he participated in the New York campaign that summer. Afterward, Colonel Frost’s regiment participated in the Saratoga Campaign that terminated with the surrender of British General John Burgoyne’s army during October 1777. He also participated in the Battle of Monmouth (29 June 1778) in which the British, afterward, continued their retreat to New York after having abandoned Philadelphia. Following the clash at Monmouth, the field of battle switched to the South; no additional major battles were fought in the northern states. Colonel Frost continued to serve in the field until the close of hostilities. He was promoted to the rank of brigadier general (Massachusetts militia) toward the later part of the war. Subsequent to the close of hostilities, General Frost was appointed as a judge on the court of sessions of York County. Later, he also served on the governor’s council of Massachusetts. Maine was part of Massachusetts until it became the twenty-third state on 15 March 1820. General Frost succumbed during July 1810.

Frye, General Joseph Joseph Frye, the son of John and Tabitha and the eighth of thirteen children, was born in Andover, Massachusetts. Nineteenth century sources conflict on the date, either April 1711 or March 1712. General Joseph Frye in his own handwriting recorded the dates of birth and death for his children; however, he did not list his birth date, nor those of his siblings. The children of John and Tabitha were John I, Isaac, Joshua, Abiel, Mehitable, Anne I, Phebe, Joseph, Hannah, Anne II, Samuel John II and Tabitha. After 1730, Joseph married Mehitable Poor and they had three children: Joseph I (b. 17 July 1733, died 27 August 1738), Samuel I (b. 1 January 1735, died September 10, 1778), and Mehitable I (b. 16 April, 1738, died 9 September, 1738), two of whom died during the distemper epidemic of 1738 that ravaged a great part of New England. The couple had another child, also named Mehitable II, on 12 May 1739, however, she lived only sixteen days. Following the premature deaths of their first four children, the Frye family increased by seven other children, Mehitable III (8 April 1741), Joseph II (10 July, 1743), Tabitha (11 October, 1744), Hannah (23 March 1748 or 1749), Richard (5 August 1751), Nathaniel (22 April 1753) and Samuel II (5 July 1758). Joseph was born into a prominent family; however, he did not get the benefit of a European education or a college degree. Nevertheless, he became well educated, and during 1745, he entered the military and served as an ensign in the 5th Massachusetts Regiment during the campaign initiated by Governor William Shirley to seize Louisbourg. During 1746, Frye, with the rank of lieutenant, served at Falmouth, Maine, and afterward, from 1747 until the latter part of 1749, he was posted at Scarborough with the rank of captain. After the war, Joseph reinitiated his private life; however, the next conflict, the French and Indian War, brought him back to the military. From about 1750, the French and British both initiated activity to gain domination of the region that is present-day New Brunswick, with the former putting their efforts into convincing the Acadians to

125 relocate in French controlled territory. As time passed tensions intensified. The French ordered the Indians to destroy villages to keep the Acadians from moving back, and the British in turn established Fort Lawrence. Beginning in 1750 the British and French grappled for control of the mainland of present day New Brunswick. The French built a fort on a hill overlooking the Beaubassin area. At first they tried to persuade the Acadians to move to this French soil, with limited success. Some of the Acadians even asked the British permission to leave and settle on the French side but were refused. The British feared these Acadians would only add to that growing French menace on their border. Failure to persuade the Acadians led the French to apply increased pressure to force them to move. With the Acadians on French soil, they commanded the Indians to burn the surrounding villages to prevent the Acadians from returning to their land. The British responded by building Fort Lawrence where the village of Beaubassin had stood. A contingent under Major Lawrence established the post on 15 September 1750 and its presence became an immediate treat to the nearby French post, Fort Beausejour. The English came under fire by Mimac Indians while the fort was under construction, but still it was completed by the 17th. The British made the first hostile advance when, during the summer of 1755, Fort Beausejour was besieged. It fell to the British after fourteen days. Many of the Acadians had been coerced into defending the French fort, which infuriated the British. After some Acadians were transferred to Fort Edward to face deportation, some escaped. When they did not return, Lt. Col. Monckton ordered a contingent led by Major Frye to destroy the property and structures at Cobequid and at Three Rivers to deprive them of concealment. Frye set out on 16 September, moving along the Petcoudiac River, devastating everything in the path, including livestock. French forces gave pursuit and engaged Frye’s command at des Blanchard. The English took high casualties, but the force made it back to English-held Fort Beausejour. For about the next two years, the British remained within the vicinity of their forts. In 1755, Lt. George Scott succeeded Lt. Col. Monkton as commanding officer of Fort Beausejour; subsequently, during autumn of 1759, Scott was succeeded by Frye. Meanwhile, to prevent the loss of Fort Lawrence to the Acadians and Indians, it was self-destroyed by the English during October 1756. The captured Acadians were transported to the Carolinas. All the while, beginning with the British attempt to seize Fort Beausejour, the conflict continued between the French and English for the domination of North America. Initially the French held the advantage. In 1755, Frye, along with General Johnson, selected the site of Fort William Henry at Lake George, New York, and drew up the blueprint of the post. The French made some attempts to over the next two years to reduce it, but without success. Later, during July 1757, a contingent of about 350 Jersey Blues, commanded by Colonel Peter Parker, embarked aboard twenty barges from the fort to intercept a French force that was advancing toward Fort William Henry. The Indians ambushed the vanguard. The trailing barges, unaware of the trap, were also pounded upon. Only two barges escaped the devastating attacks. Of the captives, some were slaughtered and others were cooked and eaten by the Indians. On 4 August, the French, about 10,000 strong (including Indians), launched an attack against the fort, which was defended by about 2,500 troops under Colonel George Monro. The horrific bombardment failed to break the will of the English, and Monro ignored an ultimatum from Montcalm to surrender or face the wrath of the Indians. On 7 August, a truce flag was raised within the French lines, and the party delivered a captured letter in the handwriting of General Daniel Webb informing Monro that no reinforcements were en route (despite the fact that Webb’s command was nearby at Fort Edward). And still, the English officers, including Monro, Joseph Frye and Israel Put-

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nam, defied the odds and continued to resist. Finally, on the 9 August, capitulation became inevitable. The French promised protection from the Indians, but broke their word. A massacre ensued and yet again, the slaughter of the English was horrifying. Eventually the French intervened, but not before hundreds had been butchered. More than 100 women, according to General Putnam, were “shockingly mangled” (see also, Putnam, Major General Israel). Captain Frye was seized by an Indian and taken out to be slaughtered, but he was able to overwhelm his captor and escape into the woods. He eventually made it to Fort Edward. On the following day, the English came under French protection, but soon after the march began, yet again, the Indians ignored the French and pounced upon the unarmed English. Finally about 400 troops from Fort Edward arrived to intervene, end the slaughter and guard the column as it made its way back to Fort Edward. The incident with Captain Frye was not his first encounter with hostile Indians. Earlier, while in Maine, he was surprised by a band of Indians who believed they had him trapped, but Frye jumped from a cliff to safety. The Rock at Raymond’s Point from where he jumped became known as Frye’s Leap; however, it is possible that this story, which claims he landed on the frozen ice and escaped across Sebago Lake (Frye’s Island), is only a legend. Following the French and Indian War, in which Britain prevailed, Frye was elected to the Massachusetts general assembly. During 1761, using his connections and his military service, Major Frye was able to acquire land in Maine upon which he established the town of Fryeburg. He had the skills of a surveyor, which enabled him to lay out the town in a short period of time. Later, upon the outbreak of the American Revolution, Frye repaired to Cambridge and was appointed a major general in the Massachusetts militia on 21 June 1775. As major general, he was afterward posted in the vicinity of Falmouth. On 10 January 1776, Congress appointed Frye a brigadier general in the Continental Army. However, his active service was of short duration. General Frye apparently was not one of General Washington’s choices and it seems as if there was a personality conflict in addition to Washington lacking great confidence in Frye’s military skills. Washington ordered Frye to report to Cambridge, but prior to his arrival, Frye became ill and was unable to report. On 23 April 1776, General Frye resigned from the service due to ill health. He returned to Fryeburg, where he lived until his death on 25 July 1794.

Gadsden, Brigadier General Christopher Christopher Gadsden, the son of Thomas and Elizabeth Gadsden, was born about 1724 in Charleston, South Carolina. The Gadsden ancestors originated in Normandy and from there moved to England. Earlier spellings of the surname included Gatesden and Gadesden. Christopher’s father, Thomas, had served as a lieutenant in the Royal Navy and after arriving in the colonies, he acquired the position of the king’s collector at the port of Charleston. Thomas had a large estate, but he lost it while gambling with Lord Anson, a British admiral. As a youth, Christopher was sent to England to complete his education. He remained in the mother country until he was about sixteen years old and returned to Charleston around 1740. After his return to America, he traveled to Philadelphia, where he worked at the Lawrence counting house. With that experience, he was able to later establish himself in the mercantile business. When he was about twenty-one, he returned to England, and after he ended his stay and returned home, he traveled aboard a British warship. En route, the purser died and Christopher received the position, one which he held in the navy for about two years, prior to returning to Charleston. During 1746, Christopher married Jane Godfrey. By the early 1750s, the couple had seen their family grow. They moved to different residences in the area, but eventually Christopher was also able to reacquire the home that his father had earlier lost to gambling by

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purchasing it from Lord Anson, who won it during 1733. Jane succumbed during 1755, leaving two children, Christopher, not yet five, and Elizabeth, about eight years old. By the end of the year, Christopher remarried, taking Mary Hassell (Hasel), the daughter of the Rev. Thomas Hassell, as his second wife. The marriage brought about four additional children, Thomas (b. 13 August 1757), Mary (b. 1758 or 1759, baptized September 1759), Philip (b. about 1760 or 1761, baptized October 1761) and Ann (b. about 1762–1763, baptized October 1763). In October 1757, Gadsden entered politics when he and Henry Laurens were both elected to the South Carolina assembly as representatives of St. Philip’s Parish. Two years later, during the French and Indian War, Gadsden participated in the expeditions led by Governor William Henry Lyttleton against the Cherokee Indians (1759). Acting upon authorization of the legislature, of which he was a member, Gadsden raised an artillery company, and participated in the campaign as its captain. Gadsden’s company was the forerunner of the “Ancient Battalion of Artillery.” Lyttleton’s expedition brought about a temporary and uneasy peace that was untenable and actually ignited more severe turbulence. Another expedition, which included British regulars, had to be initiated during 1761 to suppress the hostilities, but the South Carolina militia that participated under Colonel Middleton (overall command of Colonel Grant) listed Francis Marion, William Moultrie and Colonel Charles C. Pinckney as participants; Gadsden was not recorded as having accompanied the expedition. Nevertheless, the campaign succeeded in terminating the hostilities, and it is probable that the artillery was commanded by Gadsden. Gadsden was one of the first Patriots in South Carolina to vocally oppose the policies of the English Crown, and he was among the leaders who gathered in Charleston during 1762 under what was known as the Liberty Tree. At the time, Gadsden had been deeply involved as a merchant and with the shipping industry, both of which were affected by British policies. After Gadsden was elected to the assembly in 1762, Governor Thomas Boone proclaimed Gadsden’s election invalid. Nevertheless, when the assembly convened in December 1762, Gadsden was again a member. The assembly in turn began to resist Boone. For two years the animosity continued, until finally, during 1764, Boone returned to England. In 1765, Gadsden was selected as a delegate to the Stamp Act Congress, held in New York. In July 1765, representatives of South Carolina discussed a circular letter sent by the general court of Massachusetts the previous month requesting that South Carolina and the other colonies send delegates to a specially called Provincial Congress to deal with the oppressive Stamp Act. The participants at the July meeting in South Carolina received an affirmative response from the committee headed by Christopher Gadsden. He, John Rutledge, and John Lynch, Sr., were selected as representatives. The congress met during October 1765. South Carolina’s participation was strongly supported by John Rutledge (later governor) and bolstered by the fiery Gadsden, and the combination of Gadsden and Rutledge assured bold support for the congress. The primary success of the congress seemed to be the opening of representatives from the north meeting with those of the southern colonies; however, the resulting effects that increased opposition to the Stamp Act caused it to be repealed. Following the congress, the recorded trail of Christopher Gadsden faded out, but it would appear that he continued with private endeavors. On 7 July 1774, he was selected as a delegate to the First Continental Congress, which met in Philadelphia during September–October of that year. The other delegates were Thomas Lynch, Henry Middleton, Edward Rutledge (brother of John), and John Rutledge. Gadsden had also been a member of the Second Continental Congress. His opinions were openly for preparation for war and that reconciliation was impossible. He also favored an attack against the British in Boston under General Thomas Gage.

On 24 June 1775, Gadsden was appointed to a committee charged with bolstering the militia. Congress resolved “that a Committee of seven be appointed to devise ways and means to put the Militia of America in a proper state for the defence of America.” Records indicate that the members were chosen on the following Monday: John Dickinson, William Floyd, Christopher Gadsden, Benjamin Harrison, Stephen Hopkins, Robert Treat Paine and Roger Sherman. On June 26, John Dickinson and Thomas Jefferson were appointed to the committee. While Gadsden was in Philadelphia in June, the South Carolinians elected him colonel of the 1st South Carolina Regiment of Foot. William Moultrie was appointed colonel of the 2nd South Carolina Regiment of Foot and junior to Gadsden. On 12 July 1775, Gadsden was appointed to a committee delegated with devising “ways and means to protect the trade of these Colonies” along with Silas Deane, Benjamin Franklin, John Jay and Richard Henry Lee. The next month, Gadsden was appointed to yet another committee, pursuant to the following resolution: “Resolved, That a Committee of accounts or claims be now raised to consist of one member from each of the United Colonies, to whom all accounts against the Continent are to be referred, who are to examine and report upon the same, in order for payment, seven of them to be a quorum.” On 13 October 1775, Congress authorized the establishment of the Naval Committee, essentially, the beginning of the United States Navy. Three delegates were appointed: Christopher Gadsden, John Langdon of New Hampshire and Silas Deane of Connecticut; later four other members were appointed. Gadsden was appointed to the committee charged with “fitting of the armed ships” on 14 December. By February of 1776, while Gadsden was engaged in the business of the Congress, South Carolinians had decided that they required his services and appointed him brigadier general of the South Carolina militia. He left Congress and was unable to cast his vote for independence. According to the memoirs of General Moultrie, Brigadier General Gadsden arrived back at Charleston during February 1776 to assume command. The next month, the South Carolina Provincial Congress established a provisional constitution, which resulted in the election of John Rutledge as president and Henry Laurens as vice-president. Soon afterward, Thomas Lynch, Sr., while attending Congress, became seriously ill. His son Thomas, Jr., requested leave to go to Philadelphia to aid his father, but Gadsden, his commanding officer, refused to grant it. South Carolina then selected Thomas Lynch, Jr., as a delegate to the Second Continental Congress to get around Gadsden’s obstinacy. Thomas, Jr., arrived in Philadelphia in time to vote for independence, but later, while returning to Charleston with his ailing father, the latter died en route at Annapolis (See also, Lynch, Thomas, Jr.). On 18 June 1776, Congress resolved that the battalion of artillery, and the two other batallions of foot, raised in South Carolina, and kept up in that colony for the defence of the same, be considered as continental forces, and allowed the same pay, rations and disbursements as other forces on the continental establishment: That the two batallions, under the command of the Colonels Gadsden and Moultrie, be allowed all the advantages of the continental establishment, from the 4th day of November last, and the regiment of artillery, from the time when the same was ordered to be raised by the Provincial Congress or convention of South Carolina: That the two batallions of rifflemen, raised in and for the defence of the said colony, be considered as continental troops from the 25 day of March last, and be entitled to all the advantages of the same: That all the above mentioned troops be liable to the articles for the government of the forces in the said colony: That the said forces be continued on the continental establishment until the expiration of their inlistment, unless they shall be sooner disbanded by Congress.

On 2 August, most of the 56 members of Congress signed the parchment copy of the Declaration of Independence. Some refused to sign

127 and five were absent from the vote and signing due to military or state responsibilities. They were General George Washington (Virginia), General George Clinton (New York), General Christopher Gadsden (South Carolina), General John Sullivan (New Hampshire) and Governor Patrick Henry (Virginia). Word that independence had been proclaimed on 4 July arrived in Charleston on same day. Without delay, Patriots again gathered at the Liberty Tree, located on Alexander Street, slightly north of Boundary Street (later Calhoun Street), in Charleston, where General Gadsden enthusiastically read the Declaration of Independence to the citizens. Later, on 16 September 1776, Gadsden was appointed by Congress as a brigadier general in the Continental Army. When a British fleet under Peter Parker arrived in Charleston Harbor on 1 June 1776, General Gadsden was in command at Fort Johnson; however, the fleet was repelled by Colonel William Moultrie, who defended Sullivan’s Island in a fort that was later ordered abandoned by General Charles Lee, who had arrived during early June to command the forces of the Continental Army. Moultrie and Governor John Rutledge both objected to Lee’s order to abandon the unfinished fort. General Lee also pushed for the construction of a bridge from Sullivan’s Island to Haddrell’s Point to provide a mechanism for escape if the British were able to land on Sullivan’s Island. The bridge was constructed through the efforts and personal expense of Gadsden. Nonetheless, it wasn’t needed. The British were handily repelled on 28 June, and by the 29th, the fleet headed north for New York, leaving Commodore Parker and General Henry Clinton time to decide how to explain why they failed to quash the rebels. The victory brought two additional years of safety for Charleston. During that period, General Gadsden remained in the military, but in October 1777, he resigned his commission in the Continental Army. Meanwhile, he had also served in the assembly and as a member of the privy council. Subsequent to the death of his second wife, General Gadsden married again in 1776, taking Ann Wragg, as his third wife. Gadsden had some difficulties with the chain of command with regard to the Continental Army and the state forces, which contributed to his resignation as a continental brigadier, but the differences also caused a conflict on a more personal note with General Robert Howe. Gadsden refused to apologize for derogatory remarks regarding Howe’s leadership during a campaign against British-held positions in Florida. On 13 May 1778, Howe and Gadsden met in the vicinity of Cannonsburg at Lowndes Grove on the Ashley River to settle their differences. General Howe fired first. His shot barely missed Gadsden’s head. Gadsden returned fire, intentionally firing high. Afterward, Howe declined taking a second shot and the duel ended with both men shaking hands and putting aside their differences. From the harmless duel, the two men both survived and afterward they become friends. During January 1779, the South Carolina legislature, pursuant to the terms of the new state constitution, convened. Also that month, John Rutledge was elected governor and Thomas Bee was elected lieutenant governor. It is unclear exactly when Christopher Gadsden became lieutenant governor; however, the events of the time seem to indicate that he was elected when Thomas Bee gave up the post to become a delegate at the Continental Congress in 1780. When the British invasion became imminent during 1780, the South Carolina legislature dissolved, leaving Governor Rutledge with dictatorial powers, similarly to when Congress fled Philadelphia, leaving General George Washington with the same powers. Nevertheless, when Governor Rutledge was urged to flee Charleston in spring 1780, Christopher Gadsden was lieutenant governor at the time of his departure. Gadsden participated in the defense of Charleston when the British invaded in 1780. The Patriots established a redoubt on Boundary Street (later Calhoun Street) near Charleston’s famous land mark, the Liberty Tree. Some traces of the remains are still visible. The Lib-

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erty Tree was at some later point cut down, but the spot now holds a plaque that pays tribute to General Gadsden’s activities there. On the 13 April 1780, while the British were closing fast and their trenches had reached a point from where Charleston was within striking range, Governor Rutledge was advised by General Benjamin Lincoln and Lt. Governor Gadsden that it was imperative that he evacuate the city, along with the civilian leaders. The military contemplated abandoning the city to enable the Continental Army to regroup and resist the British rather than remain in untenable positions; however, on 26 April, a war council was held and civilians attended. Lieutenant Governor Gadsden and the civilians vociferously opposed any pullout by the Continental Army. They made it clear that they would destroy all the boats rather than watch the troops leave. At the time, the warships under Captain Abraham Whipple were trapped farther up the Cooper River and useless against the British army; they were not positioned to embark with troops. General Lincoln and his officers aborted the plan and chose to remain. Gadsden was seized on 12 May 1780, when Charleston capitulated. General Gadsden had rigidly supported defending the city, but during the last days, he supported surrender to spare the city from further bombardment. He was paroled, but afterward, he was seized and transported to St. Augustine, Florida. Once there he was offered parole if he would pay allegiance to the king, but he refused, despite being informed he would be put in solitary confinement. Gadsden’s response included his intent to “place his trust in God.” The British kept General Gadsden in the “Castle” for ten or eleven months. Subsequent to General Nathaniel Greene’s victory in South Carolina, General Gadsden was released along with other prisoners at St. Augustine and transported to Philadelphia. General Gadsden later returned to Charleston. He was among those who entered the city as the British were abandoning it on 14 December 1782. Prior to the evacuation of the city, Gadsden had been elected to the South Carolina assembly, which convened at Jacksonborough during 1782, and he was a member of the governor’s council. After the war, Gadsden resigned himself to private life; however, he did periodically serve in the assembly, and he participated in two state conventions, including the one in which the federal constitution was ratified and one during 1790 in which the state constitution was modified. General Gadsden had also been elected as governor of the state in 1782, but he did not serve due to his health and advanced years. Throughout his life, General Gadsden had been a close friend of Henry Laurens, who had been a president of the Continental Congress. The two men lived near each other, which increased their friendship during their later years. He was known as a devout Christian and a man who thought unfavorably about lawyers and distrusted doctors. Regarding lawyers, he believed “their pleadings as generally tending to obscure what was plain, and to make difficulties where there were none; and much more subservient to render their trade lucrative than to advance justice.” With regard to doctors, he preferred to rely on “temperance and exercise,” which he considered “superior to all their prescriptions, and that in most cases they rendered them altogether unnecessary.” During 1750, Gadsden became a member of the Charleston Library Society; in 1754, he became a member of the South Carolina Society, an organization that engaged in charitable work and encouraged learning the French language. General Gadsden had also established Gadsden’s Wharf in Charleston and it still carries the name. It was the wharf to which the Redcoats marched when they finally abandoned Charleston. Also, the colonial flag, known as the Gadsden’s flag, was created by him. It depicted a serpent cut into thirteen sections to represent the 13 American colonies; however other variations of the flag were also prominent during the Revolution and they were frequently flown atop U.S. warships. General Gadsden succumbed at his residence, known as the “Anson House,” on 28 August 1805. His demise had occurred from an acciden-

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tal fall rather than from sickness or age. He had been active in St. Philip’s Episcopal Church, which was where he was interred.

Gansevoort, Brigadier General Peter Peter Gansevoort, the son of Harman and Magdalena Douw Gansevoort, was born on 17 July 1749 at Albany, New York. The Gansevoort family had initially arrived in the province when it was controlled by the Dutch and Albany was known as Fort Orange. Peter’s father ran a family brewery and the family also operated farms. The records of Peter’s early life and education are unclear, but having been born into an affluent Dutch family, it is evident that he received a proper education, and it is thought that he received it in New Jersey. The Gansevoort family, similarly to the van Rensselaers and the Schuylers, were prominent supporters of the Patriots’ cause. Peter initially joined the military by raising a company of grenadiers, with each of the volunteers standing at least 6 feet tall. Gansevoort became a lieutenant in the Albany militia during 1775 when men throughout the colonies were rallying around the cause. At nearly the same time, he received a commission as major in the Continental Army. Gansevoort participated in the ill-fated Canadian Campaign. Initially he served as major of the 2nd Continental Regiment, but by 19 January 1776, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel. On 9 January 1776, Congress resolved “that Colonel V. Schaick, Lieutenant Colonel Yates, and Major Gansevoort, be continued in the service of the United Colonies, and that they take the command of the batallion to be levied in the colony of New York, for the service in Canada.” In November Peter was raised to the rank of colonel and became the commander of the 3rd Continental Regiment. The regiment was ordered to repair to Fort Stanwix (Fort Schuyler) to defend it. By August 1776, Burgoyne’s advance was within the Mohawk Valley. On 3 August, a British contingent arrived at Fort Stanwix, displayed their force and demanded surrender of the post. The commander, Colonel Gansevoort, remained unimpressed and rejected the ultimatum with a pledge to “defend the fort to the last man.” A siege was initiated and Gansevoort remained convinced he could hold. Consequently, he discarded repeated ultimatums, which were similar to one issued on 9 August by Barry St. Leger: “I expect an immediate answer, as the Indians are extremely impatient; and if this proposal is rejected, I am afraid it will be attended with very fatal consequences, not only to you and your garrison, but the whole country down the Mohawk River; such consequences as would be very repugnant to my sentiments or humanity, but, after this, entirely, out of my power to prevent.” Gansevoort replied: “In answer to your letter of this day’s date, I have only to say, that is my determined resolution, with the forces under my command, to defend this fort at every hazard to the last extremity, in behalf of the United American States, who have placed me here to defend it against all their enemies.” St. Leger’s attack force of more than 800 troops (regulars, Loyalists and Canadians) was bolstered by about 1,000 Indians. Reinforcements were dispatched to bolster the garrison and a scout was sent by General Nicholas Herkimer to inform Gansevoort of the advancing column. The scout managed to avoid discovery and was able to penetrate the British lines to safely enter the fort. Nevertheless, the column was intercepted at Oriskany. Despite the desperate situation within the fort, Gansevoort that day boldly dispatched a column from the fort to assist Herkimer’s command at Oriskany. The British there were eventually overcome and the column returned to the fort. Meanwhile, the British commander at the siege, Colonel Barry St. Leger, again demanded surrender. And his ultimatum was yet again ignored by Gansevoort. He maintained his confidence in his troops’ ability to withstand whatever St. Leger had planned, and he remained aware of the consequences if St. Legers’ Indians penetrated the walls. Undaunted by the overwhelming pressure, he sent two riders, Lt. Stockwell and Colonel Willet, with orders to gallop fifty miles to Gen-

eral Schuyler’s positions to acquire reinforcements to break the siege. Meanwhile, Gansevoort’s supplies were dwindling and the British were closing fast. With the Indians and Redcoats within about 150 yards of the gates by the 22nd, Gansevoort’s final plan was to fight his way to safety after dusk rather than capitulate. In the meantime, the urgent call for help from Albany had been answered by Benedict Arnold, who advanced with a strategy of pulling off a huge ruse. Arnold dispatched a captured Tory, Yost Schuyler, to inform St. Leger Peter Gansevoort (Pictorial Field Book that a major force was clos- of the Revolution, Benson J. Lossing, ing against his positions. The 1860) propaganda worked far better than expected. Schuyler’s compensation for his part in the lie was his life. The Indians that accompanied St. Leger had already been disgruntled and began to scalp the British during the retreat, fully aware that they were paid per scalp and a British scalp was indistinguishable from a Patriot’s scalp. St. Leger was totally defeated, the Indians abandoned the campaign, and no shots were fired. St. Leger retreated on the 22nd upon word of Arnold’s arrival. It was during that retreat when the British lost their scalps to their former allies. In addition, the Indians established ambushes along the line of retreat and, upon the approach of the quickmoving British, they found themselves the targets. Much of the British artillery and supplies were left outside the gates of the fort, but the supplies with the columns were nearly effortlessly confiscated by the Indians, leaving the officers with no baggage and the column with neither supplies or provisions. Arnold arrived on 22 August and met no resistance. Gansevoort’s indomitable spirit and sheer determination proved sufficient to bolster the spirit of his force to perform above expectations and set an example that proved a fort could be held. The fort remained active until 1778, but it faced no further threats. On 3 September 1777, just days before the first Battle of Saratoga, in response to the heroism of Gansevoort and others, Congress resolved “that the Board of War take into consideration the merits of Brigadiers Stark and Herkimer, and of Colonel Gansevoort and Lieutenant Colonel Willet, and to report to Congress what testimonies of public gratitude should be shewn to these officers for their late signal exertions in the defence of their country.” On the following day, Congress again acknowledged Gansevoort, resolving “that the thanks of Congress be given to Colonel Gansevoort, and to the officers and troops under his command, for the bravery and perseverance which they have so conspicuously manifested in the defence of Fort Schuyler: That Colonel Gansevoort be appointed colonel commandant of the fort he has so gallantly defended.” Gansevoort accepted his new command, but he also spent time in Albany, where his wife, Catherine Van Schaick, whom he married during January 1778, was living. Catherine, also known as Katy, was the sister of General Gosen Van Schaick. Peter and Catherine had three children, Peter, Jr., Leonard, and Maria. Peter’s wife was the sister of another Dutchman, Gosen Van Schaick, dubbed “Goose,” a colonel in the army who later became a brigadier general (brevet). While the garrison at Fort Stanwix was under threat of falling to the British, Colonel Gansevoort was one of the American officers from

129 New York who was entangled in a not so unusual controversy surrounding rank. On 4 September in Philadelphia, Congress settled the problem after receiving a report from the Board of War which stated that it had taken into consideration the dispute with regard to the relative rank of the Colonels Cortlandt, Gansevoort, Dubois, and Livingston, commanding four of the New York regiments, and find that a committee of the convention of the State of New York, being properly authorized for such purpose, did appoint the officers above mentioned to their respective regiments, in the following order, viz. Colonel Cortlandt 2d, Colonel Gansevoort 3d, Colonel Dubois 4th, and Colonel Livingston 5th. As this arrangement must be presumed to have been founded on principles of justice and public utility, the Board of War are of opinion that it would be highly inexpedient to make any alteration in the relative rank of these officers.

Congress concurred with the report. The successful defense of Fort Stanwix played a key part in the ultimate victory of the campaign. General John Burgoyne sustained back-to-back defeats on 19 September and 7 October at the First and Second Battles of Saratoga, which brought about the capitulation of his entire army to General Horatio Gates during October 1777. A story has been passed down that the Stars and Stripes was first unfurled at Fort Stanwix during the siege; however, historians have determined that from it was impossible for that word to have reached Fort Stanwix (Fort Schuyler) in time. The regiment continued to serve in the defense of New York, and during the winter 1778–1789, Gansevoort’s command deployed at various places, including Saratoga and Schenectady. Subsequent to spring 1779, Colonel Gansevoort was directed to accompany General John Sullivan on the expedition to retaliate against the Six Nations, which had been ravaging the region. After that campaign, Colonel Gansevoort repaired to his home in Albany for the winter of 1779–1780 before rejoining his command. In July 1780, Gansevoort’s regiment was based at West Point as part of the defenses there. Later, during the autumn, Colonel Gansevoort received temporary command of a brigade; his forces operated throughout the Hudson Valley but his command was short lived. There were no major actions in the northern states subsequent to the June 1778 Battle of Monmouth in New Jersey. Colonel Gansevoort’s service had been without blemish throughout the war, but that didn’t prevent the loss of his command in the Continental Army. By 1 January 1781, his heroism at Fort Stanwix was a blurred memory in the halls of Congress when it integrated the 3rd New York into the 1st New York and cancelled Colonel Gansevoort’s commission. But the New York leaders and Governor George Clinton’s recollections of Gansevoort’s service remained crystal clear. Gansevoort was appointed brigadier general of the Albany militia and served in that capacity for the duration. At the close of hostilities, the flag carried by Gansevoort’s regiment was given to the general. It was described as “a piece of heavy blue silk, of very fine quality, and which has preserved its color remarkably. Its present dimension are those of a square, being nearly seven feet each way.... The design upon the flag represents the arms of the state of New York, but not as at present, nor yet like the seal adopted in 1778.” General Gansevoort handed the flag down to his son. It was later unfurled once more at the Bicentennial Celebration at Oriskany on 7 August 1877. At the gala celebration that featured various military units, it was noted that the people would not request that the Gansevoorts “surrender the flag” to the state, knowing “that no one of the lineage of Colonel Gansevoort would surrender a flag. The effort to do get him to do that was unsuccessfully tried by St. Leger.” The speaker thanked Gansevoort’s granddaughter for bringing the cherished relic to the gala and the crowd responded with “three hearty cheers, and continued applause.” After the war, General Gansevoort returned to private life and reinitiated his business (family brewery) pursuits in an attempt to rebuild

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his family finances, which had been badly drained during the hostilities. He broadened his farming operations and started new ventures: he established a lumber business and built grist mills. Nonetheless, Gansevoort later returned to public life. During 1788, General Gansevoort accepted an appointment as Indian commissioner and afterward, during 1790, he became sheriff of Albany County and yet more military life was in his future. General Gansevoort was appointed as a U.S. military agent during 1800 by President Thomas Jefferson. In 1809 he achieved the rank that evaded him during the Revolutionary War when he was commissioned a brigadier general in the United States Army. During the winter of 1811–1812, while the nation was gearing up for anticipated hostilities yet again with the British Empire, General Gansevoort became ill. During December of that year, he presided as chair at the court martial of General James Wilkinson, who had been involved with the conspiracy of Aaron Burr with regard to land in the western territory. Wilkinson was acquitted and the court adjourned on Christmas Day; however, en route back to his home, General Gansevoort was stricken with ill health again. He made it back to his residence but never fully recovered. The compounded illnesses became insurmountable and presented the gallant general with a nemesis that struck a fatal blow. General Gansevoort succumbed on 2 July 1812, two days prior to the 36th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and less than one month after President James Madison asked Congress to declare war against the British. The declaration was made on 18 June 1812. General Gansevoort was the grandfather of Guert Gansevoort (son of Leonard), a naval officer who spent about forty-four years (1823–1867) in the service. In addition, he was the grandfather of the author Herman Melville, the son of Maria, who married Alan Melville.

Gates, General Horatio Horatio Gates was born in England at Malden (Essex) during 1728; his mother was a housekeeper of the 2nd Duke of Leeds (Peregrine Osborne). He entered the military before he turned eighteen and served in a regiment as an ensign. After the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle was consummated, Horatio Gates’ regiment was based at Halifax (1748), Nova Scotia, under General Sir Charles Cornwallis. During the French and Indian War, Gates participated in the failed campaign of General Edward Braddock, who was killed during the attempt to seize Fort Duquesne. During the fighting there, many of the officers were killed but Gates survived; however, he did sustain a severe wound. George Washington was one of the few officers who survived unscathed. Remarkably, Washington’s uniform had four holes shot through it, but without any harm being inflicted. The wound sustained by Gates greatly curtailed his service during the French and Indian War. Although he had been a loyal Englishman, like others, he was drawn to the colonies, particularly because at the time of his departure from England, there was little chance of advancement in the British army. Gates also participated in the successful campaign in the West Indies when Martinique was seized by General Robert Monckton during 1762. Horatio Gates (Pictorial Field Book of During the following year, the Revolution, Benson J. Lossing, 1860)

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1763, Horatio, his wife, Elizabeth Philips Gates, whom he met in Halifax and married during 1754, and their son Robert, born in 1758, immigrated to America and acquired a farm in Virginia (later West Virginia). Subsequent to the death of Elizabeth, Horatio married Mary Valence, the daughter of James Valence of Liverpool. Mary joined him in America just before the outbreak of the American Revolution. The Gates family took up residence outside New York City at an estate known as Rosehill. Mary Gates frequently cared for wounded soldiers at their home; the patients included General Thaddeus Kosciuzko. When relations between the British and the colonies deteriorated, Gates was firmly grounded as an American, and with his reputation as an officer, he was among those first chosen as brigadier generals by the Continental Congress. During July 1775, the month following the date of his commission as adjutant general with the rank of brigadier general, Gates departed Philadelphia with General George Washington en route for Cambridge, Massachusetts. On the 16th, Congress had authorized five staff officers. Gates was among those chosen because of his experience and a recommendation from Washington. He held the post until 5 June 1776. Gates remained in Massachusetts during the siege of Boston, and he arrived in New York with General Washington on 13 April, subsequent to Washington’s departure from Boston. On 16 May, Gates was promoted to the rank of major general. He was to succeed General John Sullivan in Canada; however, by that time, the general retreat was in progress and the Canadian Campaign had failed. Gates never assumed command of the Canadian Expedition. Instead he was ordered to the Northern Department to serve under General Philip Schuyler. On the 24th of May, Congress, after meeting with General Washington, Horatio Gates and Thomas Mifflin, directed the commander of the Northern Department to establish a defense to prevent the British from advancing along the St. Lawrence River. Orders stipulated that the forces are to “contest every foot of ground.” Meanwhile, on 5 June, Colonel Joseph Reed succeeded Gates as adjutant general. On 7 July 1776, General Gates and General Schuyler decided to abandon Crown Point. During the war council at which the decision was made, officers, including General Stark, objected, but the withdrawal went forward and the garrison headed for Ticonderoga. General Benedict Arnold, having returned from Canada, oversaw the retreat. On 14 July, Brigadier General Benedict Arnold, at Crown Point, wrote to General Horatio Gates at Ticonderoga explaining that the final boats had departed Crown Point and moved toward the Onion River in search of boards, the latter being required to transfer the army to Ticonderoga. On the 15th, Gates dispatched nearly 100 bateaux under the command of Commodore Wynkoop to Crown Point. On the 21st of July, Gates was informed of a shortage of Marines for the naval vessels at Ticonderoga, but he solved the problem by using seamen and soldiers of the Northern army as Marines. By the 25th, Arnold requested that General Gates dispatch 300 sailors to Ticonderoga to intercept the British fleet. On 7 August 1776, General Gates ordered Arnold to deploy his fleet at a narrow pass on Lake Champlain to intercept the British fleet. Wynkoop’s flotilla arrived at Ticonderoga, but the commodore proclaimed that he was commander and declined taking orders from Arnold, infuriating Gates. Gates ordered Wynkoop’s arrest. On 29 August, Gates dispatched General David Waterbury in place of Wynkoop. During that period of turbulence, the Americans in the Northern Department had another nemesis in addition to the British: smallpox. However, toward the latter part of August, Gates informed General Washington that the disease had been eliminated. On 11 October, Benedict Arnold’s improvised fleet engaged the British on Lake Champlain and took a beating, but still, the beleaguered Americans fought a successful delaying action that prevented the

British from linking with General William Howe. On 15 November 1776, Congress was informed by letter from General Gates that the British were abandoning Crown Point and returning to Canada. On 20 November, Generals Gates, Arnold and Schuyler held a war council and determined the British threat to Crown Point to be over. The troops, except those of the garrison, were directed to return to their homes for the winter. With that threat over, General Gates was able to lead reinforcements who had been participants in the Canadian expedition to join with Washington on 20 December to meet the British threat against Philadelphia. Gates met with Washington at his headquarters in Pennsylvania on the 22nd, but he became sick and unable to participate at Trenton. Instead, he journeyed to Baltimore where Congress was convening. Washington pulled off a spectacular victory at Trenton and then won another victory over the British at Princeton, terminating the threat against Philadelphia. On 20 February 1777, Congress ordered General Gates to resume his position as adjutant general, with retention of his rank. By the following month, on the 25th, Congress directed General Gates to assume command of the Northern Army at Ticonderoga. The assignment was concocted through favoritism of Gates in Congress at the expense of General Schuyler. In less than one week, General Arthur St. Clair was ordered to report to Ticonderoga to serve under Gates, but first, St. Clair was to report to Congress in Philadelphia. On 16 April, Congress, once informed of a plot to destroy the barges above Ticonderoga, instructed Gates to “take timely and effectual measures to prevent the execution of this pernicious project.” However, orders again changed on 15 May; Congress ordered General Schuyler to assume command of the Northern Department and offered General Gates the option of serving under Schuyler or accepting the appointment as adjutant general. On 8 July, General Gates was ordered by Congress to travel to Washington’s headquarters at Morristown, New Jersey. But orders were changed yet again on August 4 and Gates was directed to assume command of the Northern Army. Meanwhile, General St. Clair had abandoned Ticonderoga and General Schuyler had been accused of neglect of duty (he was later acquitted of all charges). Gates assumed command on 19 August and retained the post until April of the following year. General Schuyler remained in the service and immediately offered positive help to Gates. By that time, General John Burgoyne’s Redcoats and their Indian allies continued to press the Americans. On 30 August, Burgoyne protested to Gates about treatment of captive Tories at Ticonderoga, but Gates responded with a list of the specific atrocities committed by the Indians against the Americans, including those Indians operating with St. Leger who failed to reduce Fort Stanwix (Fort Schuyler). Burgoyne continued his advance to hook up with General Henry Clinton, but two fierce engagements, the First and Second Battles of Saratoga on 19 September and 7 October 1777, respectively, halted the British progress and eliminated Burgoyne’s entire army from the conflict. St. Leger had already turned back and headed to Canada, having failed to gain supplies at Bennington due to the tenacity of the Americans under General John Stark on the 16th of August. General Gates became the hero of Saratoga; however, he never left his headquarters. The field command was handled by General Arnold and Daniel Morgan, the former having no command at all. Arnold took to the field despite orders from Gates to remain at headquarters. On 11 October, General Gates was about to be drawn into a conspiracy to oust General Washington. General Thomas Conway, having only recently complained to Congress about General William Alexander (Lord Stirling), penned a letter to Gates detailing his thoughts on stripping Washington of his command. Conway wrote that Gates should be Washington’s replacement. Later, General Alexander handed

131 a copy of the letter to Washington. Others, including General Thomas Mifflin, were allied with Conway. Meanwhile, on 13 October, General Burgoyne, out of options, called for a cease fire, which was agreed upon by General Gates. The next day Burgoyne agreed to surrender. Shortly thereafter, on 17 October, Gates sent Colonel James Wilkinson on the mission to inform Congress of Burgoyne’s capitulation, but intentionally, he failed to inform General Washington. Congress awarded Gates a gold medal, and the messenger, Wilkinson, was promoted to brigadier general. After the defeat of Burgoyne, Gates was charged by Congress with constructing forts along the Hudson and to order vessels to ensure domination of the river. Toward the latter part of November 1777, Gates began to consider a plan to again invade Canada, but his idea was opposed, particularly by General Washington. Nonetheless, the proposal was not totally discarded until 1779. Also in November, Gates was appointed as president of the new Board of War, at a time when some in Congress were working to relieve Washington of command. By the 23rd of December, the plot to replace Washington was exposed and had failed. General Conway, one of the instigators, was later forced to resign. General John Cadwalader, infuriated by the conspiracy, seriously wounded Conway in a duel. Conway thought he was about to die and cleared his conscience in a letter to Washington by acknowledging his complicity in the plot and asking forgiveness. Washington held no grudge and Conway survived. Nevertheless, he never served again; rather, he returned to France where he later died. The failed plot became known as he Conway Cabal. In January 1778, Congress directed that the Board of War travel to meet with General Washington, but on 20 January, the board reported to Congress that Gates was unable to make the trip and that someone should be sent in his place. On 15 April, Congress ordered Gates to repair to Fishkill on the Hudson River and take charge of the troops there. Two days later, Congress resolved “that Brigadier Stark be employed in the northern department [formerly New York Department] under the command of General Gates.” The records of the U.S. Army list General Stark as the commanding officer of the Northern Department from 22 January 1778 until 19 October 1778. With Gates at Fishkill, Congress, on 4 May 1778, directed him to provide protection to the Indians by resolving “that General Gates be directed to afford all that protection to the Oneida and Tuscarora tribes, and others of the Six Indian Nations, which the commissioners for Indian affairs in the northern department, promised them in behalf of the United States; and that a copy of the resolution of the said commissioners, passed on this subject, the 15 day of April last, be transmitted to General Gates.” On the 20th, Gates assumed command of the Highlands Department (New York). He succeeded Brigadier General Alexander McDougal. Gates held the post until 24 November 1778, when he assumed command of the Eastern Department, replacing Major General William Heath. Gates, the final commander of the department, remained at the post until November 1779. On 11 August 1779, General John Sullivan initiated an expedition (Allegheny River Expedition) in conjunction with another force under Colonel Daniel Brodhead, which departed New York and Fort Pitt in Pennsylvania respectively. General Gates moved to Providence to replace General Sullivan, who had commanded there. During 1778, General Gates communicated with various members of the Continental Congress, as well as officers in the military and the press, in an attempt to tear down the character of General Washington. Gates also had an article, titled “Vindication,” published in the Pennsylvania Packet on 3 December 1778 that infuriated friends of Washington, including General Anthony Wayne and Colonel John Laurens, with the latter challenging Gates to a duel for his unflattering remarks. Laurens was unscathed in the contest, but Gates was wounded. General Wayne also challenged Gates, but the wound he

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had sustained in the duel with Laurens prevented Wayne from getting satisfaction. The British regained control of Augusta, Georgia, on 29 January 1779, the month following the fall of Savannah. Afterward the British continued to make progress in the South. Charleston fell on 12 May 1780. Due to the devastating defeat of General Benjamin Lincoln at Charleston, Congress, on 13 June, commissioned Gates as commanding officer of the Southern Department. His selection by Congress was unanimous; however, General Washington had recommended the quartermaster general, Nathanael Greene. General Gates had been on leave since the previous November, leaving him with few things to finalize before heading south. When General Gates departed for the South, his wife, Mary, left New York and returned to their home in Virginia. Gates arrived at his command during July and relieved the temporary commander, General John de Kalb. Gates officially assumed command of the Southern Army on 25 July. Soon after, he prepared to advance and intercept the British. General de Kalb remained with the force. Gates, having no working knowledge of the terrain in the South nor of the southern militia units, set out on the 27th for Camden. He disregarded suggestions by others, including General de Kalb, believing Camden would easily capitulate. Along the route, his army was unable to successfully forage due to the lack of food and the situation became so critical, mutiny nearly overtook the force, when promised food supplies never arrived. The exhausted column arrived at Clermont (Rugeley’s Mills), South Carolina, on 13 August. They made it through the swamps, but still food was scarce, compelling the troops, their ranks slimmed to about 4,000 men, to consume unripened corn, peaches and apples. Gates would have had additional troops, but he turned down the cavalry unit under Colonel William Washington. The Americans under Gates clashed with Cornwallis’ army at Camden on 16 August, fighting British who had been well supplied while the raw fruit and corn eaten by Gates’ force sickened most of the men. The battle erupted in pitch darkness, giving the British yet another advantage, as they had been familiar with the terrain. Gates and his forces hurriedly retired to Charlotte, North Carolina, while Baron de Kalb and the Continental troops attempted to forestall disaster. Gates’ army had been thrashed, but he was not on scene to witness the defeat. It was reported that he made the eighty-mile getaway without ever leaving his saddle. De Kalb was wounded and the British then disregarded his rank when informed of de Kalb’s position by his aide. The British fired again. He died shortly after being taken prisoner. Gates, prior to his premature departure from the field, remained in the rear with the reserves and never entered the fight. De Kalb had been wounded eleven times before he died. On 27 November 1780, Gates arrived at Hillsborough, North Carolina, and on 2 December at Charlotte to confer with his successor, General Nathanael Greene. Within one week, Gates headed north, leaving the Carolinas and terminating his active military career. He retired in Virginia, where his wife, Mary, awaited his return. On 21 May 1781, subsequent to considering a committee report, Congress passed a resolution “directing a court of enquiry to be held on the conduct of Major General Gates, as commander of the southern army....” A congressional committee cleared Gates of blame for the loss at Camden. In 1782, Gates was reinstated in the army, but by that time, there was no further need of his service in the field. About 1790, Horatio and his wife, Mary, having freed their slaves, left Virginia, returned to New York (Manhattan), and established residence in a home located in the vicinity of Twenty-Third and Second Avenue, where he led a private life, except for one term in the New York legislature. General Gates succumbed on 10 April 1806 and was survived by his wife, whom he always referred to as “My Mary.” Gates’ son, an officer in the Continental Army, was killed at the Battle of Camden.

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Gerry, Elbridge (Signer of the Declaration of Independence and Framer of the U.S. Constitution) Elbridge Gerry was born in Marblehead, Massachusetts, on 17 July 1744, the third of five children in the family of Thomas and Elizabeth Gerry. The other children were Thomas, John, Elizabeth and Samuel Russell. The town is located slightly northeast of Boston in the vicinity of Massachusetts Bay. His father, Thomas Gerry, a merchant, immigrated to America from Newton, England, during 1730, and after his arrival married Elizabeth, thought to be the only daughter of Enoch and Rebecca Russell Greenleaf. Enoch was a local merchant. Detailed personal information of Elbridge as a youth is scant; however, it is known that he entered Harvard at about age thirteen. Elbridge completed his studies and graduated with a bachelor of arts during 1762. His intent to enter the medical field got sidetracked when he became involved with commercial enterprises, initially working in the counting house of his father and afterward, independently with the backing of his father. Elbridge’s father engaged in shipping; the family owned vessels that specialized in transporting dried codfish to Barbados and Spain. As a businessman, Elbridge Gerry succeeded extremely well, and as time moved along, he was able to accumulate much wealth. While still young, he became a prominent citizen of Marblehead, and as the tension continued to intensify between the British and the colonies, Gerry had become anchored with the Patriots who were opposing the king’s taxes. Gerry’s fellow colonists in Marblehead elected him to the Massachusetts general court during in 1772. The following year, they again chose him as a representative of Marblehead at the court. Also in 1773, an outbreak of smallpox struck New England, and in Massachusetts, Gerry was among a group that organized the construction of a hospital on an island. The endeavor caused problems, as the building was of insufficient size to accommodate all of the sick, and the less wealthy began to believe they were being ignored. In addition, some people became infected while in the hospital and carried the disease back to the mainland. At about the same time, the Boston Tea Party occurred, then a mob burned the hospital to the ground. Meanwhile, leaders were emerging to oppose the king and Parliament and of those in Massachusetts, John Adams, Samuel Adams and John Hancock had been catapulted to primary roles. Gerry, like them, held firm in his opposition to the Crown. It was Elbridge Gerry’s proposal that prompted the establishment of committees of correspondence that began to emerge throughout the province. Gerry said in a letter to John Adams, dated 12 May 1774: “The whole business of life seems involved in one great question, what is best to be done for our country?” Gerry refused to accept re-election to the general court that month and resigned his position as a member of the Marblehead committee of correspondence due to some unprofessional activity by some in that area. As a member of the new Provincial Congress, Gerry was among those who assembled in Cambridge in February 1775 when it was proclaimed that there was a distaste for violence, yet the Americans had to initiate defensive measures against anticipated British tactics. The Provincial Congress was organized in Salem but adjourned and moved to Concord. The suspected British actions proved true when they advanced toward Lexington and Concord during April of 1775. Part of the British plan was to seize prominent leaders, including Gerry, John Hancock and Samuel Adams, but most — including Samuel Adams, Colonel John Glover, John Hancock and Benjamin Lincoln—had departed the Black Horse Tavern inn in Menotomy (Arlington), a section of the township of Cambridge where the Provincial Congress’ committees of safety and of supplies had been meeting. However, some of the men — Elbridge Gerry, Colonel Azor Orne and Colonel Jeremiah Lee (Massachusetts militia)— remained for he night. The British arrived during the night of the 18th–19th, unaware that the Patriots had been warned of their movement, and they discovered

no rebels. Those who were there made an expeditious exit from their beds and disappeared into a cornfield to the rear of the tavern to foil the plot. The British conducted a thorough search of the premises, going room-byroom, but in vain. Gerry had departed in such haste that he left his watch behind, under his pillow, but the British didn’t notice it, and later it was retrieved. Hancock, another of the target, had departed Menotomy earlier for Lexington. Nonetheless, that Elbridge Gerry (Biographical Sketches incursion at Lexington and of the Signers of the Declaration of Concord, combined with the Independence, Benson J. Lossing, 1854) British manhunt for American leaders, galvanized the Patriots. Colonel Lee, who remained in the cornfield, suffered grave consequences. The chill and the damp air caused him to become ill and he died within a few months. Several days after the incident, the congress again convened. The fire that had been simmering was ignited at that first shot at Lexington, and that small band of rebels survived extinction to join with other colonists to battle the British in a confrontation that would last for about eight years. In Massachusetts, the decision had been made to resist; however, the Patriots were heavily handicapped. They had no magazines containing arms and their stock of ammunition was insufficient to supply the militia. Elbridge Gerry was selected to head a committee to acquire the arms. During June, when the British launched the attack against Breed’s Hill (Bunker Hill), the Massachusetts Provincial Congress was holding session at Watertown. Elbridge Gerry’s colleague who shared a room with him, Doctor Joseph Warren, the president of the congress, departed Watertown on the night of the 16th. He fought and died in the battle on the following day. Gerry, in addition to gathering arms, was also one of the men charged with drawing up a blueprint authorizing the fitting out of privateers. Gerry, chairman of the committee, along with Governor Sullivan, provided a plan that included the establishment of a court of admiralty, essentially usurping the power of the king, the only person with the power to grant letters of marque and of reprisal. The action, from the perspective of the king and Parliament, placed another notch against Gerry as a wanted ringleader of the rebels. Gerry was selected to be a judge on the court of admiralty, representing Essex, Middlesex and Suffolk. By 18 January the next year, Gerry had been selected as a Massachusetts delegate to the Continental Congress, along with John Adams, Samuel Adams, John Hancock and Robert Treat Paine. He traveled to Philadelphia, presented his credentials, which were accepted, and took his seat on 9 February 1776, just as the colonies were nearing the decisive vote on independence. As a member of the Congress, Gerry voted for adoption of the Declaration of Independence; however, he was not in attendance on 2 August 1776, when the members began to sign the document. He added his name later in the year. Gerry remained in Congress well beyond the close of hostilities and also played a key part in many of the decisions made during the war. On 17 April 1777, Congress appointed Elbridge Gerry to a committee to solve the problem of discipline in the army. Subsequently, following the adoption of the Articles of Confederation (15 November 1777) and the announcement of John Hancock’s retirement as president of Congress, a member brought up consideration of a vote of thanks for

133 the president’s actions to bring about the adoption of the articles. Gerry, supposedly a close friend of John Hancock, opposed it, arguing that all had accomplished the success of the articles and each deserved thanks. His stance was based on the concept that no president deserved thanks for carrying out their official duties. Nonetheless, his objections were overcome and Hancock received the vote of thanks. Subsequently, each of the thirteen states ratified the articles and the confederation became effective 1 March 1781. The Continental Congress Journal notes on that day that Elbridge Gerry signed the document. On 28 November 1777, while Congress was in session in York, Pennsylvania, it resolved “that a committee of three be appointed forthwith to repair to the army, and, in a private confidential consultation with General Washington, to consider of the best and most practicable means for carrying on a winter’s campaign with vigour and success.” Elbridge Gerry, Joseph Jones and Robert Morris were placed on the committee. During 1778, Congress passed a prohibition of “theatrical entertainment, horse racing and gaming,” and then in reaction to some officers who ignored the legislation, Congress resolved “that any person holding an office under the United States who shall act, promote, encourage or attend such plays shall be deemed unworthy to hold such office and shall be accordingly dismissed.” At the time, gambling had been spreading about the colonies with enterprises being operated even on the river aboard flatboats. Gerry, as a Democratic-Republican (presentday Democrat), supported those resolutions and other similar legislation. He was also a strong supporter of Congress selecting and proclaiming days of prayer and fasting with thanks to God. Elbridge Gerry had spent much time until 1779 on the Board of Treasury, which oversaw the finances of the Congress, and although Gerry was vehemently against speculators and price fixing, his presence on the committee provided him as a merchant with information that aided his own business interests; however, he apparently was not guilty of unfair practices. In addition, Gerry was instrumental in establishing a general hospital, and he was deeply involved with alleviating the financial problems that plagued Congress and threatened the newly emerging nation. He remained a defender of honest government and an advocate of the military. During 1779, on 14 October, it was Gerry who proposed the expedition commanded by General John Sullivan against the Indians. Gerry retired from Congress in 1780 after a bitter argument with colleagues revolving around the financial dilemma caused by the war. He departed without notice and remained absent until he returned during 1783. In the interim, Gerry became involved in privateering, and he spent some time in the lower house of the Massachusetts legislature. In 1783, after being selected by both houses of the Massachusetts legislature, he took his seat in Congress during August and remained in that position until September 1785. During the conflict with the British, Gerry had become known as the “friend of the soldier,” however, some contradictions were attached to his legacy. He was not a proponent of soldiers’ pensions, and with regard to the military, he favored long-term enlistments while opposing a standard army. While in New York during 1786, Elbridge married Anne Thompson, the daughter of James and Catherine Walton Thompson. Anne’s mother was a sister of Mary Walton, who married Lewis Morris, another signer. Anne’s father was a prominent merchant who afterward returned from New York to Massachusetts. Anne had been born in Dublin, Ireland, during 1763, and at the time of her birth she had two older brothers who attended Edinburgh University in Scotland. Her brothers, after completing their education, entered the British army, but never saw service in the American colonies. In 1787, Gerry and his family relocated to Cambridge and resided on an estate which he purchased that had been confiscated from a Tory. While in retirement, which lasted only a short while, Elbridge Gerry was selected as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention in Philadel-

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phia from which the U.S. Constitution was adopted during September 1787; however, Gerry was opposed to parts of the blueprint and declined giving it his support to the end, when he refused to sign it. Gerry described in a letter his reasons for holding back support: “There is no provision for a representation of the people; that they have no security for the right of election; that some of the powers of the legislature are ambiguous and others indefinite and dangerous.” He penned other objections; however, he also said he believed that the Constitution had “great merit” and with appropriate amendments would lead to the “preservation of liberty.” Nonetheless, Gerry had gained a reputation at the Convention as being cantankerous and against anything that he had not personally proposed. Gerry paid a high political price inflicted by those who supported the Constitution. Ironically, during 1789, after being the greatest adversary of the Constitution in Massachusetts and the person who led the state’s efforts to derail it, he reversed his position and proclaimed that he supported the Constitution. The move revitalized his popularity and he was sent back to Congress, the first under the Constitution. Once there, he advocated policies of the Federalists to the dismay of the Democratic-Republicans. After serving four years, he again took steps to retire from public life during 1793. After returning to private life, Gerry again changed his ideology; having lost confidence in the Federalists, he switched allegiance to the Democratic-Republicans, the latter being pro French. However, once again, his personal plans were derailed when President John Adams, successor to President George Washington, addressed Congress on 15 June 1797 with regard to restoring friendly relations with France. Gerry, along with General Charles Pinckney and John Marshall (chief justice) were appointed as extraordinary ministers, charged with traveling to France to bring about an end to the hostilities (Quasi-War with France) between the two nations. The French informed Pinckney that they would not receive any ministers until the United States rectified the grievance. Upon arrival of the Americans in France, the French court essentially ignored their official status. Lesser government officials stalled them and insisted upon outrageous monetary payments prior to the start of negotiations. In turn, the Americans ignored the coercion, while biding their time. Nevertheless, by spring of 1788, the French remained obstinate and announced that Pinckney and Marshall were no longer permitted to remain in France. Gerry was to remain, which he did, but his refusal to depart with the other commissioners was viewed harshly by many back in the United States. Gerry, convinced he had to remain to keep communications from being totally severed, refused to negotiate; however, he was used by the French during the XYZ Affair (1798–1799), which was the creation of Charles de Talleyrand, French foreign minister. Gerry, in accordance with a recall by President John Adams, finally departed Paris during the latter part of July 1798 and arrived back in the United States in early October. On 15 January 1779, all correspondence between Gerry and the French ministers that occurred since the departure of the other American ministers was placed before Congress on 15 January 1779. Charles Coatesworth Pinckney left for posterity his summation of the French bribery attempt: “Millions for defence, but not one cent for tribute.” Gerry, upon his return to America, delivered assurances to Congress from France that peace could be attained. A new commission later arrived in France and, as predicted by Gerry, peace came about. The conflict was confined to the sea. No land battles between France and the United States occurred during that period. Meanwhile, Gerry, on four separate occasions, lost his bid to become governor due to a majority of his constituents holding much resentment to his condescending or aristocratic attitude. During 1805, Gerry was selected as a member of the Electoral College. In 1810, he was finally elected governor of Massachusetts, a position he held for two years. During his term, Gerry redistricted the state to give his party (De-

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mocratic-Republican) an advantage in future elections. From that action that the term gerrymandering originated. In 1812, Gerry was nominated as the vice president on the ticket with James Madison (second term). Madison and Gerry were elected and sworn into office on 4 March 1813. George Clymer had been vice president during the first term of Madison, but he succumbed in April of 1812. At the time of his acceptance to be vice president on the Democratic-Republican ticket, Gerry’s fortune had diminished to the point where he was close to poverty and his health had also become poor. On 24 November 1814, while en route to the Senate, he succumbed. His death at age seventy was sudden and unexpected. Elbridge Gerry was interred in the Congressional Cemetery in Washington, D.C. His widow, Anne Thompson Gerry, lived until 1849, to become the last surviving wife of a signer of the Declaration of Independence. After the death of her husband, Anne disposed of their home in Cambridge and relocated in New Haven, Connecticut. Elbridge was also survived by three sons and six daughters: Catherine (married James T. Austin); Eliza (married Major David Townsend); Ann; Elbridge; Thomas Russell; Helen Maria; James Thompson; Eleanor Stanford; and Emily Louise. Emily Louise lived until 1894 and was the last surviving daughter of a signer of the Declaration of Independence.

Gibson, Brigadier General John John Gibson, the son of George and Elizabeth De Vinez Gibson, was born on 23 May 1740 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. John’s mother was the daughter of a French count, a Huguenot who had fled to Ireland. John’s father owned a tavern in Lancaster known by the name Hickory Tree. It was located where the Slaymaker’s hotel later stood. George and his wife, Elizabeth, had three other children, George (later a colonel) and two daughters. One daughter married Captain Jacob Slow of the Continental Army and the other married a Mr. Reed. John Gibson received a classical education. At the age of eighteen, he entered the militia and participated in the campaign of General John Forbes that seized Fort Duquesne from the French during 1758. Forbes planned to attack, but the French abandoned the post, permitting the English to seize it without incident on 14 November 1758. The post was afterward renamed Fort Pitt. Gibson then relocated to Pittsburgh, where Fort Pitt was located, and established himself as a trader. Later, when the conflict known as Pontiac’s War erupted in 1763, Gibson, while transacting his business, got snagged in the conflict. The Indians ambushed Gibson’s canoe which was moving down the Ohio River until the canoe was intercepted at the mouth of the Beaver, slightly less than thirty miles from Fort Pitt. Two others were with Gibson. One was instantly put to the stake and killed by a barbarous method; the other was temporarily spared. However, once the band and the captives arrived at the Kanawa, the other man with Gibson received equally torturous treatment and was murdered there. Gibson was spared death through the fortuitous intervention of an Indian squaw, known to have lost her son in battle. She saved Gibson’s life by adopting him. During the following year, 1764, Gibson was handed over to Colonel Henry Bouquet. Afterward, Gibson resumed his life at Pittsburgh. His various experiences with the Indians from his activity as a trader and even as a captive came to be of value during 1774, during the period of turbulence with the Indians known as Dunmore’s War. Gibson’s familiarity with the Indian language permitted him to act as an interpreter for Lord Dunmore during the negotiation that brought about peace. In the meantime, General Andrew Lewis, without the support of Lord Dunmore, the latter never having arrived as anticipated, engaged the Indians in a major battle on 10 October. At the time, there was great animosity between Dunmore and Lewis. Dunmore remained at Fort Pitt during the fighting. At the time, unknown to Lewis, many

Indians in Chief Logan’s tribe had been killed by colonists and huge numbers from various tribes were moving against Lewis’ command. Initially, on 10 October, the Indians were close to annihilating the trapped column, but the tide turned and General Lewis prevailed, scoring a devastating victory. Meanwhile, as Dunmore was holding parleys with the Indians to try to bring a cessation to the hostilities, Gibson translated the reaction of Chief Logan to the massacre of Logan’s family. Chief Logan, an ally of the Americans, said: “I appeal to any white man to say if ever he entered Logan’s cabin hungry, and he gave him nothing to eat. If ever he came cold and naked, and he clothed him not.” With regard to the killings, he said: “I had even thought to have lived with you, but for the injuries of one man, captain Cresap, the last spring, in cold blood, and unprovoked, murdered all the relations of Logan, sparing not even my women and children. There runs not a drop of my blood in any living creature. This called on me for revenge: I have sought it. I have killed many; I have glutted my vengeance ... who is there to mourn for Logan?— not one!” Captain Cresap received blame for the killings, but it is thought that he was not present when the incident occurred. Logan, a Mingo chief, was at the Scioto River in Pickaway County, Ohio, when he made his statements. The speech, noted as remarkably eloquent, initially was accepted as Logan’s; however, as time passed and the passages were scrutinized more closely, certain passages seemed beyond the vocabulary of an Indian chief. It is thought that the “genius” of the translator, who also spoke French and Spanish, might well have embellished the translation with a little poetic license. The elm tree believed to be the place of his speech was later identified. In October 1912, the people in Pickaway County presented the tree to the State of Ohio. It was protected by an iron railing and intended to be in memory of Chief Logan. When the American Revolution erupted, John Gibson was an agent of Virginia at Pittsburgh, but he had still not entered the Continental Army. John’s brother George, who had also served in Dunmore’s War in the west, returned to his residence at Westover Mills in the Sherman Valley, Pennsylvania, where he had relocated from Silver Springs (Cumberland County), Pennsylvania, during 1773. George received his commission as a captain in the 1st Virginia on 2 February 1776, but John did not receive his commission as a lieutenant colonel (13th Virginia) until 12 November 1776. John Gibson’s services to the nation around the time the war erupted was spent among the western Indians in search of allies and peace, while George’s early entrance into the Continental Army placed him with General Hugh Mercer, where he saw duty in New York and New Jersey prior to being charged with a spectacularly dangerous mission by Congress. George was dispatched to Spanish controlled New Orleans to acquire gunpowder. The mission succeeded, with Gibson’s party posing as traders, gaining about 100 barrels of powder and getting it delivered to Fort Henry on 2 May 1777. In the meantime, John’s destiny centered on the frontier. During October 1776, John Gibson was an Indian agent for Virginia at Pittsburgh, but soon was succeeded by Richard Butler. Following that, Congress took it upon itself to negotiate with the Indians in the west by sending George Morgan to Fort Pitt as Indian agent. On 12 June 1778, Congress, after consideration of a letter dated 28 May from General George Washington, resolved “that a commission of colonel in the Virginia line be granted to Lieutenant Colonel John Gibson (6th Virginia Regiment); he to rank as colonel from the twentyfifth day of October, 1777.” He transferred to the 14th Virginia on 14 September 1778. Later that year General Lachlan McIntosh initiated an advance into the Indian territory en route to Detroit; however, no major battles ensued. On 4 November the column departed Fort McIntosh, entered Ohio, and established Fort Laurens and present-day Bolivar. The army advanced no further. McIntosh returned to Fort Pitt during

135 February 1789, leaving a contingent under Colonel John Gibson at Fort Laurens. The winter of 1778–1779 made it especially difficult for Gibson’s command, and the Indians in the region, having become enraged at the erection of the fort, maintained great pressure against the garrison, preventing the troops from venturing out for food and supplies. A relief train departed Fort McIntosh to resupply the troops, but during the return trip, it was attacked and some casualties resulted. Even though Gibson received supplies, soon the stores dwindled to dangerous levels and the fort was threatened. The Indians, through British Captain Henry Bird, demanded surrender. Gibson ignored the ultimatum. the Indians issued new demands, believing Gibson had insufficient food on hand. The demand called for one barrel of flour and one barrel of bacon, and the Indians agreed to lift the siege once it was delivered. Gibson, in an attempt to give the illusion that the garrison was well stocked with food, sent out the barrels. The nearly starved garrison became ecstatic when it became evident that the Indians bought the ruse. They departed on the following day, leaving tracks in the heavy snow as they traveled. The fort survived until the relief column arrived on 23 March. The sight of the approaching column, composed of several hundred regulars, so impressed the troops that they fired in celebration. The pack horses were not impressed. They stampeded, taking many of the provisions with them. Following that duty, Colonel John Gibson returned to Fort Pitt. There Colonel Gibson accused Colonel Daniel Brodhead of misusing public funds, and the accusations led to a court-martial. Gibson succeeded Brodhead as temporary commander at Fort Pitt during September 1779; however, Colonel Brodhead was acquitted of all charges, following his court-martial, held in February 1782. Meanwhile, General William Irvine became the permanent commander of the Western Department in place of Colonel Brodhead. On 12 February 1781, he transferred to the 7th Virginia Regiment. Colonel John Gibson’s service continued at Fort Pitt for the duration of the war. Colonel Gibson later became a delegate to the Pennsylvania Convention (1790) that established the Pennsylvania constitution. In addition, he became a judge in Allegheny County and was appointed a major general in the state militia. During 1800, President Thomas Jefferson appointed General Gibson secretary of the Indiana Territory. He retained the position until Indiana became the nineteenth state during 1816. General Gibson is frequently referred to as the second territorial governor of the Indiana Territory; he only assumed the duties of governor when Governor William Henry Harrison was absent. Once Indiana became a state, General Gibson left and returned to Pennsylvania. General John Gibson succumbed at Braddock’s Field, Pennsylvania, and was interred in Allegheny Cemetery in Pittsburgh. The general’s tombstone states that he died on 16 April 1822. His wife, Ann was buried in the same place. Ann’s tombstone states that she was born in Carlisle on 15 November 1762 and that she died on 19 July 1833. Traditional stories have been handed down that General Gibson had married a daughter of Chief Logan, but there is no evidence to validate any such marriage or the accompanying tale that a child was produced through the marriage.

Gilman, Nicholas (Signer of the U.S. Constitution) Nicholas Gilman, the son of Nicholas, Sr., and Ann Gilman, was born in Exeter, New Hampshire, on 3 August 1755. His parents had seven other children, including Nicholas’ brothers John and Nathaniel. Nicholas’ father was an affluent merchant; the family also was involved in ship building. Nicholas, Sr., also served in the militia as well as holding public office as state treasurer. Earlier, an ancestor of Nicholas, John Gilman, established the Gilman Garrison House at Exeter during 1690, and later generations of the Gilman family continued to improve it. (During the 1950s, the garrison house on Water Street was restored.)

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During the French and Indian War, Nicholas, Sr., served as commander of the Exeter militia. The younger Nicholas attended school in the town of Exeter and later worked in the family business. During the American Revolution, when Congress issued the Declaration of Independence, Nicholas was about twenty years old, but later he served in the military and as an officer on General George Washington’s staff while the Continental Army was headquartered for winter 1777–1778 at Valley Forge. Meanwhile, Nicholas’ father was deeply involved with the crisis. Like Colonel (later general) Enoch Poor and Nathaniel Folsom, the elder Nicholas was looked upon in Exeter as a leader. He was a member of the Provincial Congress and served as state treasurer during the war. When the British marched against Lexington and Concord during April 1775, John (later governor), an older brother of Nicholas, participated with the Exeter militia when it advanced to Boston to support the forces already there. At the time, John held the rank of sergeant. Later, just prior to the Battle of Bunker Hill, John took a break from his military duties to marry Deborah Folsom, the daughter of General Nathaniel and Mary Smith Folsom, on June 13 1776. By the following year, Nicholas Gilman was in the midst of the war activity. In November 1776, he was appointed as adjutant of the 3rd New Hampshire Regiment and at the time, the unit was being reorganized under the command of Colonel Alexander Scammel. Initially Nicholas was an important link in the regiment due to his natural talent with administration skills. With his assistance, Colonel Scammel was able to build the regiment into a seasoned fighting force, by gathering veterans who received their baptism under fire at Trenton and beyond during 1776–1777. In addition, recruits were pulled into the regiment from all points in the state. By spring 1777, the regiment was on the march pursuant to orders to advance to Ticonderoga, where a British threat had developed. General John Burgoyne was in the process of driving through the state toward Albany, where he intended to link with General Henry Clinton, who was en route from New York to Albany. The regiment was at Ticonderoga when General Arthur St. Clair ordered a retreat. Occupation of Ticonderoga by Burgoyne’s forces bolstered the morale of the British. In the meantime, General Horatio Gates replaced General Philip Schuyler as commander of the Northern Department, a move prompted by the abandonment of Ticonderoga; however, Schuyler was not there at the time and the retreat was ordered by General St. Clair. Both general officers were later exonerated of wrongdoing. Meanwhile, aggressive measures were taken to slow progress and Burgoyne fell victim to his extended supply line and harassment action, while the Americans began to bolster their positions. Burgoyne sustained further setbacks at the Battle of Bennington and the failed siege of Fort Stanwix. Reinforcements continued to flow into American lines near Saratoga; some were from New Hampshire, commanded by Nicholas’ father, and another, John Langdon (later signer of the Constitution). The British also were defeated at the First and Second Battles of Saratoga, which compelled Burgoyne to surrender his army during October. And the Americans also blocked General Clinton from reaching Albany or linking with Burgoyne. During the Saratoga Campaign, Nicholas Gilman was primarily confined to training troops; however, he did participate in the two major battles in which General Benedict Arnold and Colonel Daniel Morgan vanquished Burgoyne. General Gates received credit for the victory, but he never entered the field, remaining in his headquarters during both major battles. In the meantime, General George Washington remained under great pressure at Philadelphia since the seizure of the capital by the British. Following the British capitulation at Saratoga, many of the militia units returned to their homes, but the Continental units either remained or were sent to another hot spot. The 3rd New Hampshire was ordered to bolster Washington. Gilman had the pleasure of being

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introduced to a frigid winter at Valley Forge that rivaled winter in New England, but lacked many of the necessities that he would have had at hand’s reach back in Exeter. Nevertheless, one would suspect that Gilman, through some luck, did encounter some comfort. His commanding officer, Colonel Scammel, was appointed as adjutant by Washington. Subsequently, Scammel selected Gilman to be his assistant. About the time the army broke camp to pursue the British, who abandoned Philadelphia, Gilman was promoted during June 1778 to the rank of captain. Despite his lower level rank, Captain Gilman, as assistant to Scammel, had been directly in the circle of the various commanders, including Washington, and his diligence during the campaigns had paid dividends by allowing him to acquire deeper experience and become introduced to the challenges faced by the high command, while simultaneously gaining insight into the trials and tribulations of the average fighting man, militia and Continental Army. Following the clash at Monmouth on 28 June 1778, the British retired to New York, while the Americans began to modify their strategy to gain the advantage as the theater of war switched to the South. Captain Gilman accompanied the main body under Washington from the field of Monmouth to the siege of Yorktown. Monmouth became the final battle in the northern states, but the British were quick to attempt to regain the South. Savannah fell during January 1778 and Augusta followed, giving the British domination of Georgia, but afterward, on 12 May 1780, the situation worsened when Charleston fell. With its capitulation, General Benjamin Lincoln was compelled to surrender his entire army. The Continental Navy contingents that were at Charleston were unable to break to open seas. For a while, the preservation of the South relied only on some scattered militia and guerrilla units. Later, during January 1781, Colonel Scammel resigned as adjutant general to take command of the 1st New Hampshire; Captain Gilman also joined the regiment that day. In the meantime, General Nathanael Greene was ordered south to assume command in place of General Horatio Gates, who sustained yet another severe loss at Camden, South Carolina, on 16 August 1780. The defeat cost Gates his military career. Meanwhile, in South Carolina, the remnant forces held together until Greene assumed command and turned the corner toward success. Later, General Charles Cornwallis abandoned the Carolinas, leaving Lord Rawdon in command there, while he moved to Virginia. General Lafayette had been sent to evict British forces that were plundering parts of Virginia and, later, subsequent to the arrival of Cornwallis, a French fleet met Washington and the Continental Army at Philadelphia when they arrived after departing the North undiscovered by the British. The fleet, carrying the main body, sailed south to deliver the final blow to the British. Captain Gilman’s regiment participated in the siege of Yorktown, but for Gilman, the jubilance of victory was subdued due to the loss of his friend and commander Colonel Scammel. On 30 September 1781, less than one month before Cornwallis surrendered, Colonel Scammel was mortally wounded and captured. He died in captivity on 6 October. Nonetheless, Captain Gilman remained with the regiment for the duration. His father died during 1783, and at that time he resigned his commission. Within about three weeks his mother also died. Upon his return to Exeter, Gilman assumed the responsibilities previously handled by his father and continued to run the family business. He was also a lawyer, but at what time he was admitted to the bar was not determined. During 1786, Nicholas was elected to the Continental Congress and selected as a delegate to the Annapolis Convention called to devise ways to improve navigation and expand interstate commerce. Each state was requested to send delegates to the convention, but only a few did. Gilman did not attend. He was selected as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention held in Philadelphia during 1787 (May–September).

Gilman was a proponent of the Constitution and worked for its adoption; however, both he and John Langdon arrived late. The debates, discussions and proposals continued for some time without progress, but a proposal by New Jersey regarding equal representation in the Senate and representation by population in the House of Representatives seemed to satisfy those who feared domination by the large states to move toward a compromise for the good of the nation over regional convictions. The “Great Compromise,” was the key that opened the door to the birth of the republic under the U.S. Constitution, which was adopted on 17 September 1787. On the day following adoption of the Constitution, Gilman noted his opinion on the accomplishment by referring to the Constitution as “the best that could meet the unanimous concurrence of the States in Convention; it was done by bargain and Compromise, yet, notwithstanding its imperfections, on the adoption of it depends (in my feeble judgment) whether we shall become a respectable nation, or a people torn to pieces ... and rendered contemptible for ages.” Following adjournment, Gilman remained behind to resume his duties in Congress; however, his brother, John, also a fervent supporter of a strong and effective central government, worked with other supporters to gain ratification. It was required that nine states ratify the U.S. Constitution to make it effective. New Hampshire ratified on 21 June 1788, by a slim vote, which gave it the honor of casting the historical vote and becoming the ninth state to enter the union. The next March, the new Congress, acting under authority of the Constitution, opened its first session in conjunction with the termination of the old Congress. Nicholas Gilman was elected as a member of that initial U.S. Congress, and he remained in the House until 1797. In 1800, Gilman was elected to the New Hampshire Senate, where he served one term. Afterward, during 1801, in conjunction with a change in his political leanings from Federalist to a supporter of the Jeffersonian Democratic-Republicans (present-day Democrats), Gilman received a presidential appointment from President Thomas Jefferson as a federal bankruptcy commissioner. Gilman is said to have changed allegiance due to his conviction that there was a “need to protect the common man from abuses of power by government.” During 1804, Gilman was elected to the U.S. Senate. He served there from 1805 until his death on 2 May 1814, while the War of 1812 remained in progress. At the time of his death, the Senate had recessed and he was heading home to his brother Nathaniel’s house, where he lived. Gilman bequeathed most of his estate to Nathaniel. He was interred at the Winter Street Cemetery in Exeter. Nicholas’ brother John, a Federalist, served in the Continental Congress during 1782–1783 as successor to General John Sullivan, and he served as governor of New Hampshire from June 1794 until June 1805. He repeatedly lost bids for re-election until June 1813, when he was returned to the governorship and held the position until June 1816. John Gilman married three times: Deborah Folsom, Mary Adams, and Charlotte (Peabody) Hamilton. His brother Nathaniel served in state politics, but not nationally. Nathaniel’s first wife, Abigail Odlin, died after giving birth to her fourth child. Nathaniel later married a granddaughter of General Folsom, Deborah Folsom, having the identical name as his brother John’s wife, her aunt. Subsequent to the death of Nicholas, Sr., during 1783, Nathaniel inherited the family home on Front Street in Exeter, which had been purchased by his father during the year prior to his death.

Gist, Brigadier General Mordecai Mordecai Gist, the son of Captain Thomas and Susan (Susanna) Cockey Gist, was born on 22 February 1742 in Maryland. The history of the early years and those preceding the American Revolution regarding the life of Mordecai are scant at best; however, it is known that his family was affluent and had a strong military tradition. Mordecai married Cecil Carman of Baltimore during 1769; however, Cecil

137 succumbed during 1770. As early as 15 October 1774, Mordecai Gist was involved in the Patriots’ cause in Baltimore when Anthony Stewart, who had signed the pledge regarding non-importation, received a shipment of tea. The Patriots accepted his apology, but still demanded that the tea be destroyed. The ship Peggy Stewart (named for Anthony’s daughter) and its cargo of tea was burned on 19th; the occasion is still celebrated in Maryland as “Peggy Stewart’s Day.” Gist, prior to entering the military, was a member of the committee of observation in Baltimore County. At that time, Baltimore still had its share of Loyalists. Gist served in Major William Smallwood’s battalion and later as commanding officer of a unit known as the Baltimore Independents. During 1776, Maryland was directed by Congress to dispatch troops to New York to bolster the Continental Army under General George Washington. Gist was attached to the brigade of General William Alexander, Lord Stirling. During that campaign, the Battle of Long Island, Colonel William Smallwood was away (August 21–27) in New York on a court-martial, along with Lt. Colonel Francis Ware, leaving command of the 1st Maryland Regiment to Major Gist. Under his leadership, the Maryland regiment covered the retreat of the army. As the British pressure mounted, General Alexander (Lord Stirling) personally selected 400 troops under Gist and led them into the fire in the vicinity of the Cortelyou house, while directing the remainder of his force to retreat as best they could. Gist’s troops repeatedly lunged forward with their bayonets fixed. The British were stymied five times, and during the desperate thrusts, art times, the Marylanders were outnumbered by about ten to one. The troops displayed absolute fearlessness, yet all other troops had been ordered into retreat. Initially, as Gist’s troops advanced, it appeared to onlookers, including General Washington, that General Charles Cornwallis’ brigade was about to capture the gallant 400, until the bayonets flashed, then slashed through the lines of Redcoats, just after Washington had remarked: “Good God! What brave fellows I must this day lose.” On the sixth attack, the Marylanders inflicted more than punishment. The British lost their momentum and pulled back haphazardly. And then suddenly, other British troops, General James Grant’s brigade, struck from the rear, plucking victory from sure defeat. The little band was unable to overcome the superior numbers. General Lord Stirling and about forty men at the point were compelled to surrender, but three companies and Gist, again resorting to the bayonet for extra incentive to the British, fought their way through the lines and escaped. In October, Colonel Smallwood became wounded and again command of the regiment came under Gist. The combat at Long Island and afterward at White Plains and beyond, took a high toll on the Marylanders. When the regiment arrived in New York, it was composed of about 750 troops; by November 1776, it had been cut to about 300, and by the following month, it was barely operational, standing at only about 200 men. Gist was among those who were placed in hospitals. He was hospitalized in New Jersey as late as 12 October. The Maryland regiment was not the only unit that was hard hit. The British were badgering the Continental Army. Nevertheless, General Washington persevered, and after being chased through New York, out of New Jersey and into Pennsylvania, he rebounded by stunning the British, taking Trenton, New Jersey, on 26 December 1776. Shortly thereafter, Gist, having been promoted to colonel, returned to Maryland with Colonel Smallwood to recruit replacement troops and acquire supplies for the regiment. Recruiting had been much more difficult that anticipated and in the midst of that, the British instigated the Loyalists along the eastern shore to create havoc. Colonel Gist was diverted from recruiting and sent to quell the trouble. At the same time, the region was hit by an epidemic of smallpox. Nonetheless, after about six months, despite the multiple handicaps, Colonel Gist had recruited about 200 troops and sent them to join the main army under General Washington.

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Colonel Gist did not return; rather, he and Smallwood were directed to command the Maryland militia, move to the Head of the Elk, from where the British were to advance against Philadelphia, and strike the right flank; however, Gist lacked a sufficient number of men and officers, impeding progress. Finally he was able to advance from the eastern shore on 10 September, but it was too little too late. By then the British were in the process of defeating General Washington at the Battle of Brandywine (September 10–11, 1777). Orders were immediately Mordecai Gist (Pictorial Field Book of changed and both Gist and the Revolution, Benson J. Lossing, 1860) Smallwood were directed to strike the rear of the British, which they did, but their movements were not coordinated. Gist and Smallwood acted independently. Meanwhile, Washington, concerned with his main body, also became increasingly worried about the Marylanders and the possibility of them being in the rear without any chance of receiving reinforcements. Both units were directed to join with Washington rather than risk being encircled and captured. While the Marylanders were in the process of joining General Anthony Wayne, the British found him first. Wayne was attacked at Paoli on 23 September in what is remembered as the “Paoli Massacre.” The Marylanders (militia) became unnerved, but the calm leadership of Colonel Gist brought about cohesion. The militia handily covered the rear, while the main body retreated. It became a harrowing mission and although Gist escaped serious harm, his horse was hit twice. Gist luckily was able to mount another horse and continue the mission. Afterward, Gist’s command joined with General Washington, and the Marylanders participated in the Battle of Germantown on 4 October 1777. Three days later, on 7 October, Washington was informed of British movement, and in anticipation of a general attack, he dispatched a contingent to intercept and delay the advance. The Marylanders under Colonel Gist and the Virginians under Colonel Morgan, through effective fire, persuaded the British to abort the advance. Cornwallis failed once again to draw Washington into a major duel. Meanwhile, the British returned to Philadelphia. Washington, in turn, moved to Valley Forge to establish winter quarters. Colonel Gist up to that point had maintained a balanced disposition, accepting the hardships of the conflict, but he began to change his attitude after having to promote some he believed were undeserving. He also was adamantly opposed to Valley Forge as the site selected for winter quarters, due to his belief that it was a poor location and that Germantown would have been better. In January 1778, Colonel Gist found time to get married, taking Mary Sterret, also of Baltimore, as his second wife. Later that year, Mary became grievously ill while being pregnant; however, circumstances prevented him from getting home until October. He remained with his wife until, in January 1779, a son was born. At nearly the same time, on 9 January Gist was promoted to the rank of brigadier general. General Gist was afterward charged with the defense of Maryland. In April 1780, the situation in the South was becoming precarious. The British were closing against Charleston, defended by General Benjamin Lincoln. By 12 May, the city capitulated and General Horatio Gates was ordered to assume command of the Department of the South

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in place of Lincoln, who was captured with the fall of the city. General Gist and his Marylanders, along with units from Delaware, arrived in time to participate in the fiasco at the Battle of Camden on 16 August 1780. General Gates, the commander, remained at headquarters and fled from Camden to Hillsborough, North Carolina, along with North Carolina and Virginia militia. Gist remained in the thick of the fighting along with General John DeKalb, and both brigades performed meritoriously. The British, already familiar with Gist’s brigade being skilled with the bayonet, acted cautiously. Nevertheless, the brigades were forced from the field, due in great part because the force lacked cavalry. Gates had turned down Colonel William Washington when he committed his cavalry to the advance. General de Kalb was mortally wounded during the fighting at Camden. During September of that year, prior to being replaced by General Nathanael Greene, General Gates ordered General Gist to return to Maryland to initiate yet another recruiting mission. The recruiting program did not progress smoothly due to a variety of reasons, not the least of which was the absence of finances. In addition, Gist became ill. He was eventually able to raise a moderate force and lead it to Virginia; it was there when General George Washington vanquished General Charles Cornwallis at Yorktown in October 1781. Gist remained committed to the cause despite some disturbing events that, on occasion, had him pondering about resigning from the service, but apparently, the memories of the misery vanished upon his arrival at Yorktown. He later noted: “I feel my happiness augmented, by having had the honor to become one of the Generals commanding in the Trenches for the three last days of the Siege and particularly so when I reflect that the Surrender of Cornwallis and his Army must establish our Independence and pave the way to an honorable peace.” Gist’s brigade was composed of the 3rd and 4th Maryland Regiments, commanded by Lt. Colonel Peter Adams and Major Alexander Roxburg, respectively. Nonetheless, the glorious sensation of being among the victors did not immediately bring about the close of hostilities. General Nathanael Greene was still engaged in clearing the final pockets of British presence in the South and reinforcements were needed. Units from Maryland were among those dispatched to augment Greene during the final stages of the war in the Carolinas. General Gist had received command of light infantry corps prior to departing for South. Once there, the most pernicious enemy was the weather. Gist, amazingly, avoided sickness during the blistering heat of the summer, and he was a participant at the contest at Combahee Ferry on 27 August, but by October 1782, he was victimized and stranded on Kiawa Island without any genuine medical help. The British abandoned Charleston on 14 December 1782, but General Gist had not yet recovered and was too ill to participate in the re-occupation of the city. Due to his poor health, General Gist was assigned command of James Island, a non-strenuous task. He remained in South Carolina until July, and at that time, he returned to Maryland. Following his retirement from the army during November 1783, General Gist remained in Maryland only a short while. He was involved with the Maryland Chapter of the Society of the Cincinnati while there. He relocated to a plantation outside Charleston. General Gist, having also lost his second wife, Mary Sterret Gist, remarried, taking Mary (Polly) Cattell of Charleston as his third wife in 1784. Mary’s maiden name was McCall, and she was originally from Philadelphia. She was the widow of Benjamin Cattell. Mordecai Gist succumbed in Charleston on 12 September 1792. Some sources vary on his date of death; however, he was buried in the cemetery of St. Michael’s Church in Charleston and the date of death on his tombstone is 12 September. General Gist had two sons, whom he named Independence and States; Independence was born January 1779 during his second marriage to Mary Sterret Gist, and States was born in 1787 during his third marriage to Mary McCall Cattell. His daughter, Susanna, was born in 1784, also during his third marriage.

The Tombstone of General Gist states: “HERE Lie the remains of Major General MORDECAI GIST, An Officer of the Maryland Line In the Revolutionary War. He died 12th. of Septr. 1792, Aged 44. Here also lie those of his youngest Son, STATES GIST, who died 1st. of Febry. 1822, aged 35. And those of his daughter. SUSANNAH GIST, who died 23d. July, 1785 aged 8 months and 11 days.”

Glover, Brigadier General John John Glover was a descendant of Charles Glover, who arrived in the colonies from England during 1630. The family settled in Salem, Massachusetts. John’s parents were Jonathan, Jr., and Tabitha Bacon Glover; he was one of four children. The others were Jonathan III, Samuel and Daniel. John and his brothers, along with their mother, subsequent to the death of his father, moved to Marblehead. John took up the profession of a shoemaker; however, he apparently wasn’t satisfied by the challenges of the trade. At Marblehead his interests focused on the fishing industry and shipping, which prompted him to venture into the profession of a fisherman. John Glover was able to use his ships to sell his cargoes in the West Indies and beyond, in France and Spain. His endeavors increased his knowledge of the sea and provided him with additional skills that would later prove valuable. Glover’s shipping ventures also proved lucrative and catapulted him to a place of prominence among the citizens at Marblehead. Later, according to the vital statistics of Marblehead, John married Hannah Gale Glover on 30 October 1754 and they had eleven children: John (b. March 1756, married Fanny Lee); Hannah I (b. May 1757, died as an infant); Daniel (b. April 1759, died as an infant); Hannah II (b. April 1761, married Richard Cowell); Samuel (b. December 1762, married Martha Bowden, then Betsy Skillins); Jonas (b. April 1764, married Sally Pierce); Tabitha (b. December 1765, married William Brooks); Susannah (b. March 1767, married Captain Nicholas Broughton); Mary (b. January 1769, married Robert Hooper); Sarah (b. February 1771, married Samuel Lewis); and Jonathan (b. May 1773, never married). During the Seven Years’ War (French and Indian War), Glover served in the military with a commission as ensign in the 3rd Company of Foot (Marblehead), which was commanded by Richard Reed. Then he served in the Essex County militia (5th Regiment of militia, commanded by Colonel Jacob Fowle). Glover’s commission was signed by Governor Thomas Powell on 12 March 1759. Later, he received yet another commission, that of a captain lieutenant, and was attached Marblehead’s military company of foot, commanded by Azor Orne. Following the close of hostilities, Glover received yet another commission (12 February 1762, signed by Governor Francis Bernard) while he served in the Essex County militia regiment as lieutenant under Colonel Fowle. After the conflict with France terminated, Britain began to press the colonies hard to help pay the cost of the war, and the colonists, who had paid a high price in the cost of lives, as well as financially, became incensed as time passed due to the Crown’s heavy taxations. The Stamp Act of 1765 added fuel to the simmering fire and from there, relations took a severe down-slide. The House of Commons passed legislation during 1767 that initiated custom duties on the colonies to pay for the cost of John Glover (Memoir of General Glover, a permanent British military William P. Upham, 1863)

139 presence on American soil. The Crown caused further consternation by adding a section that mandated paying the salaries of the colonial governors and judges. By 1768, the Patriots in Boston sensed that the far-reaching power of the mother country was in the process of eliminating their liberty. They reacted by distributing a circular letter in an attempt to galvanize the thirteen colonies to stand together to end what they perceived as tyranny. Soon after, the British in Massachusetts seized a ship, the Liberty, which was owned by John Hancock. The incident sparked a nasty reaction by the colonists. Britain, once informed of the reaction, retaliated by dispatching British regulars to Boston. By that time, the minor trembling of the land was building to a crescendo. On the 25 July, Richard Henry Lee of Virginia made the initial recognized call for a break with the crown, stirring the fires of liberty in that state. As the colonists began to link their grievances together, the British were in the process of executing quick action to suppress any further trouble. The Redcoats arrived in Boston on 23 September 1768. However, the presence of what the colonists considered an occupational force merely stoked the fire, and although some believed reconciliation was still possible, the subsequent actions of the British, both in Great Britain and on the American shores, created fires in the hearts of the Patriots, making the entire land a combustible cauldron susceptible to a catastrophic explosion. All the while, John Glover was becoming deeply entrenched in the cause. During 1773, Glover was appointed captain of a company in Colonel John Gallison’s regiment; his commission was signed on 8 February by Governor Thomas Hutchinson. That year, a pernicious epidemic swept across New England, and Marblehead was not spared. While most of the population panicked, Colonel Glover and others, including Elbridge Gerry and Azor Orne, took steps to isolate those infected. A hospital was built at their expense on an island (given various names, including Cat Island, Essex Island and Lowell Island) in Salem Harbor. The hospital was not supported by many inhabitants on the mainland and some at one point threatened to attack Glover’s home, but he was prepared with a cannon and the assault never occurred. Nevertheless, the hospital remained open for more than one year, and the cost was covered by those who built it. Tension remained high while the hospital remained open. The period was sometimes referred to as the “Smallpox War.” During April 1775, the sparks that ignited the American Revolution occurred at Lexington and Concord on 19 April 1775. Two primary targets of the British were Samuel Adams and John Hancock, but they had been warned of the British movement. At the time, Orne and other members of the committee of safety were at the Black Horse Tavern located on the British route of advance toward Lexington, but the forewarning outfoxed the British. When they arrived at the tavern they discovered no rebels. Adams, Orne, Elbridge Gerry and the others exited from the tavern and vanished into a cornfield behind it. The colonists cast aside their hopes of reconciliation and raised tenacious opposition. The break with Britain had reached the point of no return. About one month later, around the 22nd of May, Colonel John Gallison’s regiment was abruptly transformed from a unit of King George’s Massachusetts militia to one of the first contingents (Marblehead Regiment) of the forthcoming Continental Army. It received a new colonel, John Glover. Colonel Glover’s oldest son, John, served as lieutenant (later captain). Glover’s men were all experienced mariners and were familiar with the use of both oars and sails. With hostilities imminent, their new commander was ensuring that they became proficient in drill to instill discipline into his regiment. Shortly after the Battle of Bunker Hill, on 21 June, Colonel Glover was directed to repair to Cambridge. The regiment moved out the following day and was in place when General George Washington arrived on the 3rd of July. Shortly thereafter, the

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Marblehead Regiment encountered its first clash; however, not with the British. While encamped near a contingent of Virginians — the latter being uniformed partially in Indian attire and the former donning “reefing jackets”— each side taunted the other. The verbal chants escalated until blows were struck. The infighting quickly terminated when General George Washington arrived and clasped two of the riflemen simultaneously, holding one in each arm as he vigorously began to shake them, while exclaiming that they should reserve their aggressiveness for their enemies. The ruckus ended abruptly. The skills of the men in Glover’s regiment did not get overlooked by the commander-in-chief. On the 2nd of September, Glover lost one of his officers. Captain Nicholson Broughton was commissioned as captain of the schooner Hannah by Washington. Consequently, the Hannah had the distinction of becoming the first warship in the American navy, and the first ship in the unit known as “Washington’s Fleet.” The general’s order for the Hannah was to “seize all enemy vessels bound to or from Boston, laden with soldiers, arms, ammunition, or provisions for the British army.” The fleet, during its time of operation, consisted of seven schooners and one brigantine. Despite its slim numbers, the fleet seized 55 British vessels, with the first victim being the Unity (actually a recapture). Meanwhile, Colonel Glover’s command continued to prepare for combat. On 4 October, Glover was ordered to depart Cambridge for Beverly with a task of fitting out additional ships. He acquired the Franklin and the Hancock. At the time, Colonel Glover was essentially carrying out duties that would have been the responsibility of a secretary of the navy; however, that post was not yet established. During the operation to fit the ships, more of Glover’s regimental troops were collected to serve in the fleet. Meanwhile, the Patriots maintained the siege of Boston, which kept the British penned in the city and impeded their foraging operation. Colonel Glover’s Marblehead Regiment was designated the 14th Continental Regiment on New Year’s Day, 1776; however, it continued to be referred to as the Marblehead Regiment and even Glover’s Regiment much more so than its official designation. Glover’s command remained in the vicinity of Marblehead beyond the evacuation of Boston by British General William Howe on 17 March 1776, until it was ordered on 20 July to repair to New York. The regiment arrived at its destination on 9 August and was immediately attached to General John Sullivan’s brigade. Once again, some of Glover’s troops became involved in sea duty. On the 16th, two fireships were commanded by Captains Fosdick and Thomas, with instructions to rid the Hudson of two menacing British warships that were patrolling the river. The ships were not destroyed, but the patriots compelled both vessels to withdraw, essentially accomplishing their mission. Nevertheless, many other British vessels and land forces were poised to strike and destroy the rabble forces of General Washington. It would be Glover’s experienced troops who forestalled disaster. On the 25th, the British prevailed at the Battle of Long Island, and on the following day, Glover was ordered to cross onto Long Island. The force arrived prior to noon and deployed at Wallabout Bay. As the pressure mounted, Washington, on 29 August, ordered every available vessel to be sent expeditiously to the East River prior to dusk. As directed, the boats were at Brooklyn, and, as previously directed, Glover’s command took on the task of sailors, with responsibility for safely ferrying the beleaguered army across the river. It was a daunting experience. Inclement weather wreaked havoc on the boats with no reprieve until about midnight (29th–30th), when the winds shifted to calm the sea. Peculiarly, a dense fog permeated the Long Island sector, but all was perfectly clear on the New York side of the river. The operation was successful and Glover’s regiment preserved Washington’s army in the nick of time. A large force of British warships arrived afterward that would have trapped the entire command, leaving no avenue of escape.

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On 18 October 1776, Glover’s force was deployed near Pell’s Point (Pelham), and while Glover was scanning the area from a position atop a hill that overlooked Long Island Sound and the Hutchinson River, he spotted a large British landing force through his spy glass. At the time, he had four regiments, and no reinforcements were nearby. As the highest ranking officer, Colonel Glover chose to deploy and oppose the Redcoats. Three regiments were staggered. Two concealed themselves behind a stone wall, a third laid back near what became known as “Glover’s Rock,” while the fourth, the Marblehead Regiment, held the final line and was bolstered by artillery. The British were hit hard at the first line, after Glover and forty troops marched toward the British as bait. After being stung, the British advanced and were pounded by the second concealed regiment. Undaunted, they advanced again and hit another unexpected hurricane of fire. The Redcoats lost their discipline and retired to New Rochelle, never testing the final line. While the British were being delayed, General Washington safely arrived at White Plains. Glover’s command stood at about 850 men against several thousand British troops. His regiments included 14th Marblehead Regiment, 13th Regiment under Colonel (later brigadier general) Joseph Read, the 3rd Regiment led by Colonel William Sheperd, and the 26th Regiment, commanded by Colonel Loammi Baldwin. The British units that were repulsed included the 1st, 2nd and 6th Brigades and the 3rd Hessian Battalion. On the following day (19th), Colonel Glover penned a letter to his mother and stated: “Our loss yesterday was seven killed and thirteen wounded, the enemy’s loss, as near as I can learn was between two hundred and three hundred.” Colonel Glovers’ regiment also fought at the Battle of White Plains on 28 October and again the enemy greatly outnumbered the Americans under Glover. The British pounded against General McDougal’s positions on Chatterton’s Hill, and they received ferocious opposition; however, the pressure compelled McDougal to withdraw. Afterward, the British moved against Glover’s positions on a hill near McDougal’s lines and dominated a primary road leading to Albany and New England. The British, with a strength estimated at about 12,000, forged ahead. Glover’s orders to hold fire were strictly obeyed. Each of the defenders peered downward into the valley, while four columns of Redcoats moved confidently, unaware of Glover’s artillery (three brass cannon: a 24-pounder, 6-pounder and a 3-pounder, augmented by several iron 12-pounders). The fire was so precise that the disciplined columns broke under fire and the disorder was never rectified. The British aborted the advance and retired. Next Glover joined with General Charles Lee’s division and remained in North Castle until the latter part of November, when Lee’s division, including Colonel Glover’s contingent, was directed to repair to New Jersey to reinforce General Washington, who at the time was accelerating his retreat with the British in hot pursuit. General Lee procrastinated en route to support Washington, but his tardiness cost him his command when the British seized him while he was dining on 5 December. General McDougal, on 10 December, assumed command of Lee’s division and pushed harder to join with Washington. The hook-up occurred on 15 December, which, for General Washington, turned into a bit of luck. When the attack against Trenton was scheduled to commence, the Delaware River was a deadly natural obstacle with ice blocks bouncing about the unruly river. Washington called for volunteers to take charge of the boats, needed to ferry about 8,000 troops and ammunition to the Jersey (east) bank of the river. Glover’s troops yet again were transformed into sailors, and the operation unfolded flawlessly. Glover’s contingent of mariner-soldiers had saved Washington’s army at Long Island, making it a grand occasion to have preserved the army to fight another day, and that day came on 26 December with the momentous victory at Trenton, followed by the victory at Princeton on 3 January.

On 23 February, Colonel Glover was promoted to the rank of brigadier general. He then moved to Peekskill, where he received his brigade (General Putnam’s command), then remained there and for a short while at Middlebrook until he received orders to advance to Saratoga, New York, to support the defenses there against the threat of General John Burgoyne’s army, which had plowed its way south from Canada to hook up with General William Howe, in what was to be the grand scheme to finish off the Continental Army in New York and terminate the rebellion. At the time, the British also controlled Philadelphia. General Glover left Peekskill on 27 July en route to Saratoga. On 3 August, Glover advanced from Saratoga to Stillwater, then later, on 19 August, his command was with the army when it retreated to Van Schaick’s Island. By that time, General Charles Lee was in command of the Northern Department. Glover’s brigade participated at the First (September 29) and Second (October 7) Battles of Saratoga, the latter confrontation being responsible for devastating Burgoyne’s offensive. Part of Glover’s brigade was not engaged; it was part of Gates’ reserve. Nonetheless, the Marblehead Regiment was at the front with General Benedict Arnold and Colonel Daniel Morgan. General Glover, himself, was unscathed, but three of his horses were shot from under him. General Glover, already proving to be a skilled seaman and soldier, fared well as a cavalryman, but yet he was destined to play yet another role in the war: interrogator. On 11 October, an attack ordered by Gates was aborted after Glover interrogated a British soldier who failed to pull off a ruse by informing Glover that he was a deserter. With a threat of execution if he lied and a fine time as captive for telling the truth, the soldier revealed Burgoyne’s plan and that, in fact, Burgoyne’s entire force was in motion. Word of the enemy movement was sent back to Gates, along with the captive. With the new knowledge, Gates saved his force from destruction, and he was able to outfox Burgoyne and allow his army to enter a trap from which it could not escape. The entire British army under Burgoyne was surrendered on 13 October. General Glover’s brigade was part of the escort that marched Burgoyne’s army to Cambridge, arriving on 9 November 1777. From Cambridge, General Glover’s command moved to Valley Forge to rejoin General Washington and arrived there during January 1778, in time to share all of the hardships that were endured during that harsh winter. In June 1778, General Glover was appointed commander of Fort Arnold, a support post of West Point. Meanwhile, General John Sullivan was hard pressed by the British, who held Newport, Rhode Island. In an effort to bolster Sullivan, General Lafayette dispatched the Marblehead Regiment and some other contingents to Providence to strengthen Sullivan’s force. General Glover met his regiment while it was en route to Rhode Island, and upon his arrival, his reputation having preceded him, General Sullivan handed him the task of enlisting 200 sailors with a commitment of 15 days’ service. Glover expeditiously moved to Salem, Marblehead and Boston, and with equal speed he arrived back at Providence on 10 August, delivering the 200 sailors Sullivan had requested. Nevertheless, a major problem developed when the French sailed away, leaving Sullivan on his own while the British moved to Boston, purportedly to make repairs necessitated by a storm. In addition, many of the troops’ enlistments had expired. Despite pleas from Sullivan, a large number of men departed as their time expired, but the Marblehead Regiment remained intact. The British launched an attack on 28 August and both sides sustained high casualties. By the following day, it was decided at a council of war that retirement was imperative. General Sullivan, similarly to Washington, fortuitously had Glover at his side when the evacuation became imminent. Glover took command of the boats and his men yet again executed the operation with great skill. The operation began after dusk with Glover’s soldier seamen in control of the flat boats. Before dawn on the 30th, the entire

141 force was safely ferried across the Narragansett River and out of harm’s way on the mainland. Generals Nathanael Greene and Lafayette were among the ferry passengers. Soon after, from the mainland, the entire army (all supplies and ammunition also evacuated) had an even greater appreciation of the Marblehead Regiment when about 100 British sail came into sight. The colossal fleet, transporting the army of General Henry Clinton, was closing to reinforce the garrison at Newport, and if not for Glover, the entire army might have suffered a similar fate as Burgoyne at Saratoga. While General Glover was still in Rhode Island, his wife, Hannah, succumbed on 13 November 1778. In February 1779, on the 27th, Congress took a letter of resignation from General Glover under consideration, but declined his request and resolved “that Congress, sensible of Brigadier General Glover’s past merit, and in expectation of his future services, direct the Commander in Chief to indulge him with a furlough for such time as may be necessary to settle his private affairs.” General Glover took leave and returned to visit his family at Marblehead. He returned to Providence and stayed until 20 June 1779, when he led his brigade to the Hudson Valley to join with the main army, but he remained there only a short time. On 23 July he was ordered to Ridgefield to monitor the movements of the enemy and forward the intelligence to headquarters. By 25 November 1779, General Glover’s brigade was at Peekskill, then deployed at West Point by the summer of 1780. At the time, the treachery of General Benedict Arnold was unfolding. Although Arnold escaped West Point by boarding a British warship, the Vulture, one of his accomplices in the conspiracy to allow the British to seize Wet Point, was captured. British Major John Andre was snagged at a checkpoint after getting past another as he made his escape. General Glover was among the officers at Andre’s court-martial on 29 September, when Andre was convicted and sentenced to be executed by hanging. Andre requested a firing squad, but the request was denied because he was caught as a spy and was not wearing his uniform. His execution occurred on 2 October 1780. The brigade remained in the vicinity of West Point throughout the winter of 1780, and during the following year when General Washington moved south to engage the British under General Charles Cornwallis in Virginia, General Glover’s command was one of the units selected to remain to ensure that General Clinton at New York did not gain any advantages in the Highlands. Washington, supported by the French, forced Cornwallis to capitulate at Yorktown, Virginia, on 19 October 1781. During spring of 1782, General Glover was directed to repair to Massachusetts to supervise mustering and to forward the recruits to their respective units; however, by that time, the general’s health had deteriorated, cutting his service short. He was compelled to retire the following July. Congress accepted his resignation on 22 July 1782 and awarded him half-pay for the remainder of the conflict. Nonetheless, General Glover’s pension was not sufficient to make up his great financial contributions during the war. He had remarried in March of the previous year, taking Frances Fosdick as his second wife. General Glover’s financial wealth had been drained during the war, which compelled him to find a source of income. He reverted to a trade he learned as a young man. General Glover used a small section of one room in his home to set up his workshop and once again became a shoemaker. He was elected to the state legislature during 1783 and again in 1788 and 1789. He had also served as a selectman in 1787, 1788, 1789, 1790, 1791 and 1792. General John Glover succumbed on 30 January 1797 and was interred at the Old Burial Ground in Marblehead.

Godfrey, Brigadier General George George Godfrey, the son of Captain John and Joanna Gooding Godfrey, was born on 19 March 1721 in Taunton, Massachusetts. Little is

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recorded of his early life and education, but it is known that George married young, taking Lydia Hodges as his wife on 19 March 1739. Together the couple had one child, Deborah (b. October 1740), but the marriage ended prematurely when Lydia succumbed during 1741. George remarried on 9 May 1744, taking Bethiah, the sister of Lydia, as his second wife. George and Bethiah, according to the New England Historical and Genealogical Register (Volume 17, 1863), the children of George and Bethiah were Lydia (b. 1745); Bethia (b. 1747); Lindsay I (b. March 1766); Joanna (b. November 1747); Bethia (b. 1749); Mary (b. November 1751); Welthea (b. May 1756); George (b. September 1758); Rufus (b. July 1761); and Lindsay II (b. March 1766). (According to the History of Pittsford, Vermont, 1876, their children were Mary, Joanna, Lydia, Wealthy (Welthea), Jersuha, George, Rufus, John, and Melinda). George Godfrey first saw military service when joined the militia as a private and served during the French and Indian War. In 1770, Godfrey was elected to the general court, where he served through 1772 as a delegate from Taunton. He served additional terms during 1775, 1779 and 1784. Godfrey also became the treasurer of the town of Taunton during 1775. On 9 November 1774, the commissioned officers of the East Division held a meeting in Norton, Massachusetts. At that time, George Godfrey was elected colonel, George Williams was elected lieutenant colonel and Nathaniel Leonard was elected first major. The East Division was composed of men from Easton, Raynham and Taunton (Bristol County). On 3 July 1775, at Taunton, the town established a committee of inspection and correspondence. The members included Colonel George Godfrey, Captain Henry Hodges, Lieutenant Solomon Dean, and Major Richard Godfrey. By January of 1776, Colonel Godfrey was catapulted to the top echelon of the state’s militia. He was appointed as a brigadier general during early 1776, with command of a brigade composed of four regiments that had been raised in Bristol County. His duty in the field was sparse, but he did lead his command into Rhode Island on more than one occasion, including December 1776, when his brigade and that of Joseph Cushing of Hanover were ordered by the general court on 8 December to advance to Providence. Other units from other regions were ordered to Providence at that same time. Subsequent to the close of hostilities, he remained active and, as mentioned previously, he did return to the legislature. General Godfrey’s second wife, Bethiah, succumbed on 27 January 1786. He married a third time on 5 September 1786, taking Abigail Dean (maiden name Abigail Shaw) as his wife. General Godfrey was listed in the History of Pittston, Vermont, as having succumbed at Taunton on 30 June 1793 (sources vary on the date of his death). The residence of General George Godfrey at 125 County Street in Taunton was designated a National Historical Place during August 1984.

Gorham, Nathaniel (Signer of the U.S. Constitution) Nathaniel Gorham, the son of Captain Nathaniel and Mary Soley Gorham, was born in Charlestown, Massachusetts, on 27 May 1738. Nathaniel’s father was the son of Stephen and Elizabeth Gardner Gorham. His mother was the daughter of John and Dorcas Coffin Soley. In addition to Nathaniel, his parents had the following children: Mary, John, Elizabeth and Stephen. Nathaniel did not receive a formal education. His father operated a packet boat, but Nathaniel did not join with his father, rather, he began his career as an apprentice in the mercantile business in New London, Connecticut, under Nathaniel Coffin about 1753. Around 1759, Nathaniel returned to his home in Charlestown, where he established himself in the mercantile business. The endeavor quickly proved successful. In 1763, Nathaniel married Rebecca Call; they had the following children: Nathaniel; Rebecca (married Warham Parks); Mary (married George Bartlett); Elizabeth; Ann (married Peter C. Brooks); John;

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Benjamin; Stephen; and Lydia (married John Phillips, became the mother of Bishop Phillips Brooks). Nathaniel Gorham’s lack of a classical education did not prove to be an obstacle to his success. His business prospered and he became a prominent Patriot. Prior to the outbreak of the American Revolution, he served in the General Court of Massachusetts (the state legislature, 1771–1775, and at times as speaker of the House). Prior to his election to the legislature, Gorham had been a notary. In 1774, he was elected as a delegate to the Provincial Congress, and he served there again the following year. His public life during the war included his appointment to the Board of War, 1778–1781, and service n the lower house in 1781 (he continued in the lower house until 1787 and served as speaker during 1781, 1782 and 1785). In the meantime, Gorham was selected as a delegate to the Massachusetts state constitution convention of 1779–1780. Other posts included being elected to the Continental Congress, where he served 1782–1783 and 1785–1787. During his time in the Continental Congress, he was president from June 1786 until January 1787. Meanwhile, during 1785, he was appointed as a judge of common pleas (Middlesex County) and retained that post until 1796. During 1787, Nathaniel, as a Massachusetts delegate, attended the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia that convened during May and continued until September. Simultaneously, Gorham held responsibilities in the Continental Congress. Nevertheless, he took his seat as a delegate in the convention on 28 May 1787. On the second day of the convention, Gorham was “called to the chair, then was elected chairman of the whole, and as such presided over the convention during the greater part of its deliberations.” Gorham’s selection, despite his lack of a classical education and the absence of any legal credentials, indicates the depth of feelings and opinions held by his fellow delegates, which included some of the brightest minds in the nation at the time. He shared the stage with George Washington, James Madison, John Dickinson, Alexander Hamilton and others. Following adoption of the Constitution on 17 September 1787, Gorham retired from Congress. While at the convention, although he represented one of the larger states, he maintained his concern for the smaller states with regard to not being overpowered. He was aligned with those who supported a strong, effective central government that would also have the authority to hold jurisdiction over the respective state militias. One of his priorities was to permit long terms of office for those elected as president; his sentiments for election to the Senate were identical. Gorham also supported the government’s regulation of paper currency. After adoption of the U.S. Constitution, ratification by nine states was necessary for it to become effective. Massachusetts ratified in Boston on 6 February 1788 to become the sixth state to join the union. On 21 June 1788, New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify the Constitution. In March 1789, the new Congress convened in conjunction with the termination of the old Congress, which had operated under the Articles of Confederation. During the following year, 1788, Gorham was appointed to the Governor’s Council, and he remained a member until the following year. Also in 1788, Gorham and Oliver Phelps (possibly some others were involved) acquired from the state of Massachusetts “the preemption right of that state in and to all that part of Western New York lying between Seneca Lake on the east, Genesee river on the west, Pennsylvania on the south and Lake Ontario on the north.” The transaction is known as the “Phelps and Gorham Purchase.” Purchased for one million (devalued Massachusetts scrip), the tract was massive, composed of about six million acres in western New York. The value of the land increased when Massachusetts scrip gained value, which created financial problems for Gorham and Phelps. By 1790, they had cleared Indian titles to about 2,600,000 acres, and much of it had been sold to settlers, but the revaluation of the scrip prevented them from

keeping up with the mortgage payments. Some of the Indians had previously found the transaction favorable; at the time the scrip was worth about 50 cents on a dollar, but with revaluation the scrip essentially doubled in value. The Indians refused to accept payments of $5,000 and insisted upon payments of $10,000. At an Indian council held during November of that year in Tioga at the request of Timothy Pickering, Indian representatives (Chief Red Jacket and a brother of Chief Farmer) were disgruntled, claiming “that the sum to be paid by Mr. Phelps, was ten instead of five thousand dollars; alleged that they had been cheated; that their ... heads had been confused by treaties with the ‘thirteen Fires,’ with ... fires kindled by the Governor of New York, and by ... Livingston.” The Indians claimed fraud and stated that the money they received from the transaction amounted to “one dollar each.” Although Gorham never traveled to the territory, settlers who had relocated there during May of 1780 included General Israel Chapin (Indian agent during Revolution); Benjamin Gardner; Daniel Gates; Nathaniel Gorham, Jr., and Frederick Saxton. Nonetheless, the elder Gorham was forced into bankruptcy. Just as suddenly, he found himself no longer included in the gatherings of those who considered themselves part of the Boston society. Nathaniel Gorham had truly become a self-made man and until his death his reputation remained sterling and his character above reproach. To add to his successes over and above his previously mentioned contributions, including his commitment to get the Constitution adopted, he bounced back from financial disaster during the Revolution after the British ravaged his property when they occupied Boston. His involvement with privateers during the conflict enabled him to regain much of his lost fortune. Nathaniel Gorham succumbed on 11 June 1796. He was interred at the Phipps Street Cemetery in Charlestown, Massachusetts.

Greaton, Brigadier General John John Greaton, the son of John and Catherine Greaton, was born in Roxbury, Massachusetts, on 10 March 1741. The Greyhound Tavern, a gathering place for many of the locals that later formed the nucleus of the Sons of Liberty, had been operated by his father, John Sr. The younger John also became a member of the Sons of Liberty. During 1760, John married Sarah Humphreys, the daughter of Richard and Ann Humphreys. John and Sarah had seven children: Ann (Nancy, b. December 1762, married Samuel Heath); Richard (b. August 1765); Lucretia (b. December 1769); John (b. October 1771); Caty (b. January 1773, later married James Dana); Salley (Sally, b. January 1775 and died that year); and Sarah (b. February 1781). John Greaton leased property from Samuel Sumner during 1765, and from there he operated a business (separate from the tavern) in Roxbury for about ten years. Greaton carried and sold West Indian goods. During 1774, he was appointed colonel in the militia and his commission was signed by Samuel Huntington, who later became a member of Congress and a signer of the Declaration of Independence. During that period, the British were tightening the noose on the Bostonians. General Thomas Gage, the royal governor, sealed the port of Boston on 1 June 1774 in reaction to the Boston Tea Party (16 December 1773). Gage deployed troops at the Neck a point between Boston and Roxbury. At Roxbury, John Greaton was involved with the countermovements by the Patriots against the British oppression. Roxbury sent delegates to the Provincial Congress during the latter part of September. On 28 November 1774, the Boston Gazette published the following: “At a meeting in Roxbury last week for choice of military officers for the first parish, Rev. Mr. Adams opened the meeting with prayer, after which he was chosen moderator. The officers chosen were, Capt. JOSEPH HUTH, Captain. Mr. JOHN GREATON, Lieutenant, Mr. JOSHUA FELTON, Ensign....” Later on 26 December, Greaton was appointed to a 15-man committee to “carry into execution

143 the agreement (Non-importation Act) and association of the late Continental Congress.” Roxbury was eager to execute its responsibility. Greaton was also a member of a unique outfit of the area, the Governor’s Horse Guards of Boston, which was formed by prominent citizens as an escort contingent used for ceremonial occasions. At about that same time, Roxbury formed their Minute Men, and John Greaton became a colonel of one of the Roxbury regiments. Greaton was involved in the turbulence at Lexington and Concord on 19 April. William Heath, Lieutenant Greaton and others were reforming scattered Minute Men and overseeing their deployment at various points along the path of retreat taken by the British as they returned to Boston. During the following month, he was appointed lieutenant colonel in Colonel Heath’s regiment. On 2 June, Colonel Greaton led a raid that succeeded in gathering about 800 sheep and lambs on Deer Island and some cattle to prevent the bottled-up British from acquiring the animals for food. The Americans also seized a British barge and captured some prisoners. The bold deeds incited other Patriots to take action and raid the other islands in the harbor. The islands between Chelsea and Point Alderton became prime targets. The British also discovered that the Patriots had succeeded in burning down the lighthouse that had stood at the entrance to the harbor. With each passing day, it became more difficult for the British to forage for food. Greaton rapidly rose in rank while gaining more responsibility. In July 1775, he was promoted to colonel of the Continental Army. His commission, signed by the president of Congress and a fellow patriot of Massachusetts, John Hancock, was dated 1 July. He became commander of the 24th Continental Infantry Regiment when the Continental Army was reorganized on 1 January 1776. During that period, Greaton was involved with the siege of Boston and he commanded various missions against the British positions, including a raid against Long Island (Boston Harbor), which succeeded in destroying some buildings. Boston was evacuated on 17 March 1776, and during April Greaton was ordered to Canada. However, by that time, the Americans had already sustained bitter defeats and the campaign was coming to a close. However, sufficient time remained for Greaton to reach Montreal and participate in the grueling retreat. En route back to Crown Point, many of the troops in his regiment, as well as every other contingent, were struck down by sickness. Greaton’s regimental chaplain, the Rev. Caleb Barnum, spent most of his time tending the sick troops, but his contribution took a high toll. The Reverend Barnum was stricken at Ticonderoga and before he reached his home in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, he succumbed. Colonel Greaton was also among the casualties of disease. During July, while at Fort George, he wrote on the 31st to General William Heath in an effort to describe the conditions of his force: “Our fatigues and hardships have been very great. The men are in very low spirits. You would hardly know the regiment now, it is so altered in every shape.” The next month, Colonel Greaton became severely ill; however, he regained his health and survived. Toward the latter part of 1776, he was ordered to join with General George Washington, who was at that time engaged in the Trenton and Princeton campaigns. Greaton’s regiment volunteered to remain with Washington until he was reinforced even though the enlistment term had expired. Subsequently, Colonel Greaton moved to New York with General Heath’s division and participated in the campaign that permanently terminated the threat of the army under General John Burgoyne. The British army under Burgoyne was compelled to surrender after two devastating defeats at Saratoga during September and October 1777. Greaton’s command also served under General John Nixon. Greaton completed the Saratoga campaign without injury; however, General Nixon had a close encounter with an enemy cannon ball. The projec-

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tile passed so near his head that it inflicted severe damage to one of his eyes and caused him to bring his military career to an end. Afterward, Colonel Greaton was based in other points in the Northern Department, including West Point and at Albany. Colonel Greaton had not caught the attention of Congress during the conflict. Though he had not accomplished any spectacular victories, he served well and he had been consistent throughout the war. Well after the surrender of Lord General Charles Cornwallis at Yorktown during October 1781, Colonel Greaton finally received his promotion. Congress promoted him to brigadier general on 7 January 1783. He headed home that October, though his retirement date was 3 November. General John Greaton died on 16 December 1783, soon after he returned to Roxbury. He was interred without fanfare at the old burying ground in Roxbury and no stone marked his grave. General Greaton’s son, Richard Humphrey Greaton, had served as an ensign in his father’s regiment. Richard was commissioned as a captain in the United States Army. Captain Greaton participated in the illfated campaign of General Arthur St. Clair against the Indians and was wounded in the vicinity of Fort Recovery (Ohio) on 4 November 1791. He recovered, remained in the service, and received an honorable discharge on 1 June 1802. He died in 1815.

Greene, Major General Nathanael Nathanael Greene was born on 27 May 1742 ( July 27, 1742; see note at end of entry), the second of six sons from his father’s second marriage and the fourth of eight sons of Nathanael Sr., a Quaker minister who was pastor of the Meeting House in East Greenwich for almost forty years. His ancestors arrived in the colonies from England during the seventeenth century and settled in the vicinity of Warwick, Rhode Island, along Potowhommett Creek on land acquired from the Narragansett Indians. The original settler was John Greene, and it was Nathanael, Sr., third in descent from John, who established a mill and forge in the area. Nathanael, Sr., had no daughters who survived infancy. His only daughter, Phoebe, was the oldest child of his second marriage and she received the name of his first wife, his cousin Phoebe Greene. However, baby Phoebe died before reaching her first birthday. His two older sons, Benjamin and Thomas, were also from his first marriage. Subsequent to the death of his first wife, Nathanael, Sr., married Mary Mott, and from that marriage six additional children who reached maturity were born. They were Jacob (served as commissary of purchases while his brother was quartermaster general and state legislator, died 1805); Nathanael; William (never married); Elihu; Christopher (married twice, both times to daughters of Governor Samuel Ward) and Perry. Nathanael’s mother, Mary Mott, died while he was still young. His father married a third time, taking Mary Rodman as his wife in November 1754. Although Mary had no children of her own, she immediately cared for the boys as if they were hers. Nathanael’s father placed heavy emphasis on the Bible, leaving his family without the comfort of other books. Nathanael Greene (Pictorial Field Book Nathanael eventually found a of the Revolution, Benson J. Lossing, thirst for knowledge from a 1860)

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friend in East Greenwich and afterward focused on learning from books belonging to other families in the area. As he increased his knowledge on various subjects, including Latin, mathematics and surveying, he continued to work at the mill as a blacksmith, but when not officially working, Nathanael devoted time to making toy anchors and other toys out of iron. He sold those novelties to raise money to purchase his books in Newport. Whenever possible, Nathanael traveled to Newport in search of new books to add to his personal library when sloops were heading there with wares from the mill. On one such visit, he became acquainted with the Rev. Ezra Stiles, later the president of Yale. Nathanael was taken under Stiles’ wing and from that point, he was assured of helpful guidance from an excellent teacher. He increased his knowledge on the subjects of logic, philosophy and one of his favorites, navigation. Nevertheless, he was not a typical Quaker. His father maintained a strict household with specific rules, including that all doors being closed and bolted at a particular time with his children safely inside. Nathanael was always in the house on time, but often when his father had fallen asleep, Nathanael would creep out a window and head for the village to join other youths in dances and other activities. However, as is usually the case, his father was not as uninformed as he thought. Following his suspicions, his father waited patiently one night for the reveler to return home and a whip was in his hand. Nathanael approached the house but spotted his father. He paused momentarily and then, knowing there was no way to talk his way out of the predicament, he walked up to his father and received a stern punishment, and to his father’s astonishment, without a cry or complaint. During his pause, Nathanael quickly slipped some shingles under his clothes so that the whipping would be painless. Both father and son were satisfied with the punishment. Nathanael’s father had also acquired another mill at Coventry. By that time, Nathanael was old enough to operate it. At Coventry, although only a young man of about 23, he became popular, and one of his early achievements was being involved in the establishment of a public school. By 1765, with the passage of the Stamp Act, Nathanael’s attention turned to politics, and as relations continued to deteriorate between Britain and the colonies, he became more involved. During July, a group of unidentified patriots seized the HMS Liberty at Newport and let it drift ashore, where it was set afire. The British never discovered the men who were responsible, but it was thought that most were from Connecticut. Later, during 1772, the HMS Gaspee, operating in the Providence River, was burned. Nathanael was not involved with the incident, but he was wrongly accused of being a participant. By that time he had also become a serious student of military history, causing quite a stir among typically pacifist Quakers. Nathanael was greatly pressured to abandon his new tendencies, but the threats had no effect. He was written out of the Quaker books of brotherhood. In 1774, he left the Quaker religion. During 1770, Nathanael Greene was elected to the general assembly of Rhode Island. In 1774, he joined a corps known as the Kentish Guards, and although he did not secure an officer’s appointment due to a lame knee that caused a slight limp, he served as a soldier. The corps was commanded by General James Varnum. Greene, having been a Quaker, had no weapons, but to rectify that, he traveled to Boston, which at the time was controlled by the British. Dressed in plain Quaker attire, he innocently entered Boston and traversed the streets without notice. While in the city, he spent time observing British regiments, all the while trying to cram his observations under his Quaker hat. After Greene acquired a musket and ammunition, a wagoner stashed it in the bottom of a wagon in a pile of straw. Greene departed the city and returned to Coventry, but he arrived with more than his

weapon. A British deserter who was skilled in British drill had accompanied him; the new recruit was a grand addition to the Kentish Guards. Greene, who had earlier been whipped for sneaking out to go dancing, married a girl he met while on his excursions, Catherine Littlefield, the daughter of John Littlefield, on 20 July 1774. Most of the dances had been at her house. Greene would later become a close friend of General George Washington and one of his trusted generals. Greene named two of his children after the Washingtons. During 1775, Greene experienced a meteoric rise in rank from private to brigadier general. During the crisis following the clash at Lexington and Concord, Rhode Island raised three regiments in support of Massachusetts. Greene was appointed commander with the rank of a brigadier. He then led the force to Cambridge. On 17 June, the British launched an attack to dislodge the dominating American positions on Breed’s Hill, just under Bunker Hill. The Americans were compelled to pull back due to expending their ammunition, but the British sustained severe casualties, particularly among the officers. The American resistance was so fierce that the British would never again launch a massive frontal attack against entrenched American lines. Following the battle, General Greene stated: “I wish I could sell them another hill at the same price.” Five days later, Congress commissioned eight brigadier generals and Greene was the eighth man selected. On the following day (23rd), General Washington initiated the organization of the Continental Army. General Greene and General John Sullivan were assigned brigades in General Charles Lee’s division and ordered to deploy on the left wing, from where they could defend against an advance from the Charlestown peninsula. The recent successes at Boston kept the British penned within the city. Even foraging parties faced danger when they ventured out of the city. The British awoke on 5 March 1776 and to their surprise discovered that the heights were fortified with artillery. The Americans had accomplished the feat overnight without detection. The situation compelled General William Howe to make a choice, either attack or abandon the city. In the meantime, Washington had prepared to meet the assault. Generals Sullivan and Greene were positioned at Cambridge, and other forces at Dorchester were poised to strike; however, the British chose to abandon Boston on 17 March. On 5 August, General Greene, in conversation with Washington on Long Island, proposed that New York be burned to prevent its use by the British. Washington had pondered the identical strategy, but he decided that the city had to be retained. Soon after, on 9 August, Congress promoted General Greene to the rank of major general. On 15 August, Washington was informed by Greene that British transports had debarked Hessian troops at Staten Island. Washington was confident that his forces would be able to handle the threat, but he became distressed to learn that Greene had been stricken with a severe fever. Meanwhile, the British defeated the Americans at Long Island, and fighting continued in the region with yet another battle at Harlem Heights during mid–September. Afterward, Greene was placed in command of Fort Lee in New Jersey and Fort Washington in Manhattan. On 8 November, General Washington suggested to General Greene the possibility of abandoning Fort Washington, but the decision was left for Greene and he chose to hold the post. On 13 November, Washington arrived at Fort Lee. The situation at Fort Washington deteriorated by the 15th. The British moved to seize it, and the defenders had no time to evacuate or ferry reinforcements across the river. Nevertheless, the commander, Colonel Robert Magaw, rejected an ultimatum to surrender and eventually was forced to capitulate. Afterward, Greene abandoned Fort Lee rather than lose his force to capture. The Americans continued to retreat with the British in pursuit, but Washington outmaneuvered General William Howe and made it to

145 Pennsylvania. On Christmas Day, Washington re-crossed the Delaware and at dawn on the 26th stunned the Hessian force at Trenton to gain a spectacular victory. On 3 January, with General Greene’s command participating, the Americans scored yet another victory at Princeton, taking the pressure off Philadelphia and allowing Congress, which had fled Baltimore, to return. Meanwhile, Generals Greene and Sullivan, along with Colonel Henry Knox, had become upset due to the promotion of a recently arrived Frenchman (Philip du Coudray) and forwarded their feelings to Congress, which responded on 7 July by resolving “that the president transmit to General Washington copies of the letters from Generals Sullivan, Greene, and Knox, to Congress, with directions to him to let those officers know that Congress consider the said letters as an attempt to influence their decisions, and an invasion of the liberties of the people, and indicating a want of confidence in the justice of Congress; that it is expected by Congress the said officers will make proper acknowledgments for an interference of so dangerous a tendency; but, if any of those officers are unwilling to serve their country under the authority of Congress, they shall be at liberty to resign their commissions and retire.” On September 9–11, 1777, General Greene’s command participated at the Battle of Brandywine. He was ordered to advance to bolster General Sullivan, but by that time, the British had Sullivan’s force in retreat. During the following month, Greene again was engaged at the Battle of Germantown; but due to early morning fog and confusion, there too, the Americans were compelled to retire. Nonetheless, at Germantown, the Americans had done well and were on the verge of victory until friendly fire struck Sullivan’s column and added to the confusion. The British, however, were not able to liquidate Washington and were unable to totally dominate the Delaware River. While Washington engaged the British at Philadelphia, the Northern Army was in the process of vanquishing General John Burgoyne at Saratoga. Combined, the actions at Germantown and Saratoga by the Americans changed the tide of battle. Burgoyne was prevented from reaching New York and lost his entire army in the process, and Philadelphia was becoming untenable. On 2 March 1778, General Greene was appointed quartermaster general. He succeeded General Thomas Mifflin. Greene was not especially happy about the position, but he accepted it with the condition that he would also continue to command in the field. He held the position until August 1780. A major clash occurred on Sunday, 28 June 1778, at Monmouth. After some skirmishing and a combination of miscommunications, in conjunction with orders to retreat from General Charles Lee, the British were set to thoroughly defeat the Americans without even receiving serious resistance before Washington reached the front lines. General Greene was ordered by Washington to speed to positions from which to protect the right flank of the main body as it pushed forward. Washington was able to rally the disoriented columns and turn a rout into a fight. The British formed to launch a final thrust to liquidate Washington’s exhausted force, but Generals Greene and William Alexander (Lord Stirling) remained fresh and waited in the woods, and Washington also had General Wayne’s contingent holding atop a hill. Repeatedly, the British were repelled, and during one charge, against the hill held by Wayne, the British sustained catastrophic losses among the officer corps. By midnight (28th–29th), General Henry Clinton abandoned his lines and the British marched toward Sandy Hook without being discovered by the Americans. General Greene had participated in what became the final battle in the Northern States. During August 1778, General Washington ordered General Greene to Rhode Island to support General Sullivan. Greene was directed by Sullivan to command the right wing of the army, and during the fighting at Newport, Greene performed heroically. Despite abandonment by the French, Sullivan was able to extricate his force and reach the

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mainland safely. The next June, on the 23rd, British forces, including cavalry, struck General Greene’s positions at Springfield and Elizabeth, New Jersey. The British were unable to break through to Morristown, but they were able to destroy property in Springfield and at Connecticut Farms. The British retreated to De Hart’s Point, from where they would jump over to Staten Island, but Greene initiated pursuit and informed General Alexander that he did not need the militia. On 5 August, Congress reacted to a letter from General Greene that said he would no longer serve as quartermaster general due to the reorganization of the department. Congress passed a series of resolutions, including “that the Commander in Chief be directed to inform Major General Green [Greene] that the United States have no further occasion for his services, and that it is expected he will proceed immediately to the settlement of his accounts.” General Washington had recommended Greene for the Department of the South, to succeed General Benjamin Lincoln, but Congress ignored the advice and chose Horatio Gates. By September, Congress was about to receive more distressing news regarding another general, Benedict Arnold. On the 27th, Congress learned from a letter sent by General Greene that Arnold had betrayed the nation while serving at West Point. At the time, Congress was already greatly concerned due to the defeat of General Gates in the Carolinas at Camden. On 5 October 1780, General Greene was appointed to command the Highlands Department. He succeeded General Alexander McDougal, but only for a short time. On 14 October, Congress appointed Washington’s first choice, General Greene, as successor to Horatio Gates as commander of the Southern Department. On the 27th of October, Greene paused in Philadelphia to confer with Congress and afterward reinitiated his journey south, accompanied by Baron Von Steuben, who later stopped in Virginia. Greene arrived in Charlotte, North Carolina, on 2 December, conferred with Gates, and officially assumed command on the following day. Greene immediately became aware of the terrible condition of his troops, who lacked supplies and proper clothing. General Greene, unlike his predecessor, Gates, immediately sensed the value of the militia commanders and he disregarded their unique uniforms, most of which were quite ragged. On the day after Greene assumed command, General Daniel Morgan arrived at Charlotte and introduced himself to the new commander. On 4 December, General Greene met Francis Marion, the “Swamp Fox.” By that time, Greene had discerned that Charlotte was not a practical position for his army. On 29 December 1780, the army, including militia units, departed for Cheraw, South Carolina. In the meantime, Greene had split his force, placing part of it under General Morgan. On 17 January 1781, Morgan’s contingent vanquished Tarleton’s force at Cowpens, South Carolina, but General Charles Cornwallis remained a huge threat and his location remained unknown to the Americans. Morgan retreated to evade Cornwallis. On the 31st, his force and that of General Greene hooked up at Morgan’s camp. In February, Greene arrived at Guilford Court House in North Carolina and resumed command of the entire force. Afterward, the Americans continue to retreat with Cornwallis in pursuit, but Greene was able to ford the Dan River into Virginia without being intercepted. On 22 February, with Cornwallis having established his headquarters at Hillsborough, North Carolina, General Greene, having been reinforced, re-crossed the river and marched toward Cornwallis. The two sides finally clashed at Guilford Court House on 15 March; the cost was high for both sides after the slugfest that lasted more than two hours. The Americans were eventually forced to leave the field, but Cornwallis lost about 25 percent of his force to the casualty list and was unable to mount pursuit of Greene. Within three days, he was compelled to initiate his departure from the Carolinas and move toward Virginia. Meanwhile, Greene made it to positions near Troublesome Creek and the music was soon playing “Yankee Doodle Dandy.”

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Greene, having halted Cornwallis’ progress, was not immediately aware that his men had saved the Carolinas. Following the fighting at Guilford Court House, Greene focused on retaking the Carolinas, where forces under Francis Rawdon-Hastings and Colonel Watson were still operating. On 24 April, General Greene’s forces arrived at Hobkirk’s Hill, which stood only about one mile from Lord Rawdon’s lines at Camden. Greene was betrayed by a deserter who informed Rawdon of the American positions. The British immediately planned to launch a surprise attack at dawn on the following day. The Americans took the shock of the assault and for a while rebound, but the ferocious resistance was fleeting, as discipline was lost. Greene was compelled to order a retreat and preserve his supplies. The British sustained too many casualties to give serious pursuit. The Americans reached Rugley’s Mills while the British moved back toward Charleston. In the meantime, Cornwallis, whose force numbered more than 7,000, continued toward Virginia, but other Patriot forces were moving to meet that threat, leaving Greene free to continue his task in the Carolinas. British-held posts, including Forts Motte, Watson, Granby and others, had been surrendered, but others still flew the British ensign, including Fort Ninety Six. Forces under Greene initiated a siege of Fort Ninety Six on 22 June, and although the garrison was ordered to abandon the post, the message never arrived. The Americans took high casualties in an unsuccessful assault and were pursued by the British on the 20th after reinforcements arrived. Nevertheless, Greene had not withdrawn in a full retreat; rather he only crossed to the opposite bank of the Broad River. The British however, believing Greene was in full retreat, abandoned the fort. On 22 August, Greene departed Santee, South Carolina, en route to Charleston. On 8 September the Battle of Eutaw Springs erupted. The contest was again tenacious, but the Americans finally forced the British to retire; however, they repositioned themselves securely and the Americans were unable to reduce the stronghold. Greene ordered his force to disengage and retire. Nonetheless, on the following day, the British retired to Charleston, leaving large numbers of wounded on the field. Greene’s success at Eutaw Springs compelled the British to remain within the confines of Charleston. British domination of the region was terminated at the battle, which became last one fought in South Carolina. Congress, on 29 October, in recognition of General Greene’s leadership at Eutaw Springs, resolved “that the thanks of the United States in Congress assembled, be presented to Major General Greene, for his wise, decisive and magnanimous conduct in the action of the 8th of September last, near the Eutaw Springs, in South Carolina; in which, with a force inferior in number to that of the enemy, he obtained a most signal victory over the British army commanded by Colonel Stewart.” In the meantime, General Greene was continuing to subdue the remaining British forces in the Carolinas. Meanwhile, his cavalry under General Andrew Pickens became involved with eliminating some hostile Cherokee Indians. During the latter part of April 1782, a group of Pennsylvania troops, about 10 or 12, primarily foreigners, who were disgruntled due to a lack of supplies and provisions, plotted to seize General Greene and turn him over to the British, but they failed. Several of the instigators were hanged. The British abandoned Charleston on 14 December 1782. General Greene resigned from the army in 1783, having served as a major general from 9 August 1776 to 3 November 1783. While en route home from the south, he paused in Princeton, where the Congress was temporarily in session. Congress presented him with two pieces of ordnance that had been seized from the British. General Greene arrived back at Newport, Rhode Island, on 25 November 1783. He set up residence in a home owned by Colonel Archibald Crary, but he never purchased a home there. Greene was also awarded land by Georgia as well as North and South Carolina in appreciation of his earnest service in those states during the latter part of the war.

The tract he received from South Carolina, located on the Edisto River, was sold to provide him with funds to pay back his indebtedness for the supplies he acquired for his army. On 13 April 1782, the North Carolina assembly presented Greene with a 25,000 acre tract on the Duck River. Nevertheless, General Greene and his family embarked for Savannah during October 1785 to make their home there. The plantation, known as Mulberry Grove, was on the Savannah River about 10 miles below Savannah. The estate had formerly been the property of a Tory, Lt. Governor Graham. The following year, General Greene visited the home of Major Nathaniel Pendleton, one of his aides during the war, and after staying the night, he and his wife arrived at the plantation of William Gibbons the morning of the 12th. Gibbons and Greene were checking out the Gibbons’ rice crop. General Greene was hatless and the sun took a high toll. After departing the Gibbons home, on that Tuesday evening, General Greene came down with a severe headache, suffering from sunstroke. The following day, he got worse. Doctors arrived, but medication was of no value. His head had by that time swollen and he became delirious. The severity of the stroke inflicted a fatal inflammation of his brain, which caused his death on 19 June. Prior to his death, word was rushed to one of his friends and a neighbor, General Anthony Wayne. General Wayne sped to Greene’s house and was with him when he succumbed. Word of Greene’s death quickly spread. The shops in Savannah closed and the ships in the harbor placed their colors at half-mast. General Greene’s corpse was carried by boat to Savannah, where he was interred on the 20th. Georgia Gazette in the edition of 22 June described the funeral: “When the military reached the vault in which the body was to be entombed, they opened to the right and left, and resting on reverse arms, let it pass through. The funeral services being performed and the corpse deposited, thirteen discharges from the artillery and three from the musketry closed the scene. The whole was conducted with a solemnity suitable for the occasion.” The paper did not specify where General Greene had been buried, but it was later determined to be the cemetery of Christ Episcopal Church in Savannah. Nathanael Greene was survived by his wife and five children. The children were: George Washington, Martha Washington (Patty), Cornelia Lott, Louisa, and Nathanael Ray. A sixth child, Catherine, died during infancy. On 11 August 1786, Congress resolved that a monument be erected to the memory of Nathanael Greene, Esq. At the seat of the federal government with the following inscription: “SACRED to the Memory of the HON. NATHANIEL GREENE, who departed this Life the 19th of June, MDCCLXXXVI, late Major-General in the Service of the U.S. and Commander of the Army in the Southern Department. The United States, in Congress assembled, in honour of PATRIOTISM, VALOUR, AND ABILITY, have erected this MONUMENT.”

The monument was never built. Subsequently, during the 1800s, the city of Savannah constructed an obelisk in Johnson Square, which was to pay tribute to General Greene and to General Count Casimir Pulaski; however, the monument remained without any inscriptions. Later, one was added, but only for General Greene, and afterward, the city erected another monument in honor of General Pulaski for his heroism during the ill-fated attack against Savannah during 1779. General Greene’s inscription read: “Soldier, patriot, the friend of Washing-

147 ton. This shaft has been reared by the people of Savannah in honor of his great services to the American Revolution.” Several years after the death of Nathanael, his wife, Catherine, remarried, to become the wife of Phineas Miller. After the marriage, she moved from Savannah to Dungenness House on Cumberland Island, Georgia, more than 100 miles from Savannah, where she lived until her death in September 1814. With regard to General Greene’s expenses in acquiring items for his troops, a nineteenth century biographer, Judge William Johnson, repeated a statement from Greene: “At the Battle of Eutaw Springs ... hundreds of my men were as naked as the day they were born. Posterity will scarcely believe, that the bare loins of many brave men who carried death into the enemy’s ranks at the Eutaw, were galled by their cartouchboxes, while a folded rag or tuft of moss protected the shoulders from sustaining the same injury from the musket. Men of other times will enquire by what magic was this army kept together? By what supernatural force was it made to fight?” In 1902, the government of Rhode Island was informed that the remains of General Greene (in Georgia) had been located in a vault at Colonial Park, which had been an ancient cemetery at Savannah. Steps were taken by Rhode Island in coordination with Georgia to have the general’s remains re-interred in a permanent place of honor. Letters from the government of Rhode Island were sent to eighteen descendants of General Greene with requests that they provide their preference with regard to the permanent resting place for the general. Fifteen responded that they preferred that he be re-interred in Savannah and three suggested Guilford Court House, North Carolina. None preferred Rhode Island, his birthplace. The remains of General Greene and his son, George Washington Greene, were located in the GrahamMossman vault. On 12 November 1902, the remains of both were reinterred in the monument to General Greene that had been erected in Johnson Square in Savannah. The inscription on the tomb read: The Graham Vault Here rested for 114 years The remains of Maj. Gen. Nathanael Greene b. in Rhode Island Aug. 7, 1742 Died At Mulberry Grove June 19, 1786.

Note: The date of Greene’s birth was noted in the records as being “born in 1742, on the 27th day of the fifth month,” but at the time of his birth, the old system was in effect, making March the first month until the system was changed in Britain and the colonies during 1752, which made January the first month of each new year. Consequently, the fifth month at the time of Nathanael’s birth was July, not May. An entry by his father stated: that General Greene’s birth date was Tuesday, May 27, 1742; however, May 27, 1742, fell on a Thursday. To further complicate the mixture of dates, the plaque on which his name was inscribed when he was re-interred at the monument in Savannah during 1702 lists his date of birth as August 7, 1742.

Gregory, Brigadier General Isaac Isaac Gregory, the son of William and Judith Morgan Gregory, was born in Pasquotank County, North Carolina, about 1737. Information regarding his early years was scarce; however, it is known that he married twice, and that his first wife was a daughter of Caleb Sawyer. Subsequent to the death of his first wife, Isaac married Sarah Lamb, the daughter of Thomas and Sarah Beckwith Lamb. Isaac had the following children, but is unclear which of his wives were the mothers: William (married Martha Long); Isaac; Mary (married Enoch Sawyer); Sarah (married Nathan Snowden); Penelope (also married Nathan Snowden) and Harriet. Isaac Gregory’s public life was initiated during April 1775, when he

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attended the second Provincial Congress of North Carolina as a delegate from Pasquatank County (Elizabeth City), and he participated in the following Provincial Congress which convened at Hillsborough that August. On the next to last day of the second congress, 9 September, Gregory was appointed lieutenant colonel of the Pasquotank Regiment of North Carolina militia; but his services were not limited to the military. Congress also appointed him to the committee of safety, Edenton District. During 1776, two regiments were organized in Pasquotank County. On 22 April, Gregory was promoted to colonel and given command of the 2nd Pasquotank Regiment. He was also placed on a committee charged with acquiring arms and ammunition for the militia and for the continental troops to be raised by North Carolina. Command of the 1st Regiment went to Colonel Thomas Boyd. Later that year, Colonel Gregory was a member of the Provincial Congress that convened at Halifax, North Carolina, during November. With Congress still in session on 23 December, the members elected Colonel Gregory as a justice of the court of Pleas and Quarter Session (Pasquotank County). Meanwhile, North Carolina was in the process of carving out a new county, Camden, which was formed from a portion of Pasquotank, with the Pasquotank River becoming the border. The county of Camden (northeastern side of Pasquotank River) was approved by both houses of the legislature by mid–May 1777, and it was named in honor of Charles Pratt, 1st Earl of Camden, known to be an ally of the American cause. Colonel Gregory was named one of the commissioners charged with selecting a county seat and overseeing construction of a county jail. Colonel Gregory found himself with yet additional responsibilities during 1778. He became the initial state senator from Camden County (Edenton District) when he was elected to that seat during 1778. He retained his position in the state senate until 1788. After a pause, he was again returned to the body during 1795 and served through 1796. Meanwhile, on 15 May 1779, Colonel Gregory was promoted to the rank of brigadier general; his command (district) was composed of Camden and Edenton, North Carolina. A year later, Charleston, South Carolina, fell to the British when the city capitulated on 12 May. In North Carolina, Governor Richard Caswell assumed command of all North Carolina militia. General Gregory received command of a brigade, which he led at the ill-fated Battle of Camden on 16 August. The commander of the Southern Department, General Horatio Gates, planned his strategy poorly at best, and he had no confidence in the militia officers. Gates disregarded advice from various skilled southern leaders and moved against British General Charles Cornwallis, lacking artillery and proper food. Gates fled the field while the battle was fully engulfed and headed back to Hillsborough, North Carolina. He moved so swiftly that is has been said that he was to the front of the fast-moving North Carolina militia. General Gregory; however, did not run. He was among the heroes like Baron John de Kalb, who stood and fought. Like de Kalb, Gregory was seriously wounded twice from the enemy bayonets, and in the heat of close-quarteredfighting, he had a horse shot from under him. Unlike de Kalb, however, General Gregory survived his wounds. General Gates survived injury, but his military career was abruptly terminated after the devastating defeat. Gregory’s brigade fought tenaciously at the Battle of Camden. Most of the men in Gregory’s brigade who were wounded had their injuries inflicted by the thrust of a bayonet. Initially, reports on the battle caused confusion on both sides and rumors were rampant, both by correspondence and word of mouth. General de Kalb, General Gregory and General Rutherford were reported captured, and the British commander reported General Gregory as having been killed at the battle, as well as de Kalb. Nevertheless, although the capture of Gregory continues to be told, he actually, despite his wounds, escaped capture. About a month after the fighting at Camden, on 11 September, the

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North Carolina Assembly passed a joint resolution to get General Gregory back in the saddle. It said “that Brigadier-General Gregory be furnished, at the expense of the State, for immediate service, with a gelding of the first price in consideration of the one by him lost in the late action near Camden.” Soon after, with his new steed, General Gregory returned to the field to again become acquainted with General Lord Cornwallis. Gregory’s command included remnants of two of the regiments which fought alongside him at Camden, that of Jarvis and of Exum, and amounted to about 200 troops when he was in the vicinity of Charlotte (Cornwallis’ headquarters) with General Thomas Sumter, who was operating to the front of Cornwallis positions. Following the loss at Camden, on the heels of a devastating defeat at Charleston, only the diminutive militias were able to try to hold the line until reinforcements from the Continental Army could arrive to deprive Cornwallis of gaining total domination of the southern states. Subsequent to the arrival of General Nathaniel Greene and the success of his campaign, Cornwallis departed the Carolinas for Virginia. General Gregory remained in North Carolina and focused his command on protecting the northern frontier. It was during that period that General Gregory’s reputation and integrity as well as his patriotism were the object of an obscene ruse, invented by a British officer with the intent to damage General Gregory by implying he was in collusion with the British and setting plans to surrender his force. Two letters intended to be discovered by the American command were planted. One said: “G. G.— Your well formed plan of delivering those people now under your command into the hands of the British General at Portsmouth gives me much pleasure. Your next I hope will mention the place of ambuscade, and the manner you wish to fall into my hands, etc., etc., etc. And am, Dr. Gregory, Yours with esteem.” The other: “Gen. Gregory, A Mr. Ventriss was last night made prisoner by three or four of your people. I only wish to inform you that Ventriss could not help doing what he did in helping to destroy the logs. I myself delivered him the orders from Col. Simcoe [Queen’s Rangers]. I have the honor of your acquaintance.” The fraudulent notes were captured when British Captain Stevenson’s baggage was seized in a boat at Great Bridge. Gregory was thought to be a traitor. For a while, he was placed under arrest by his own troops. General Gregory endured a court-martial at which it was effortlessly proved that the British planted the false conspiracy. When the British learned of Gregory’s circumstances, Lt. Colonel Simcoe communicated to the Americans the story behind the letters that could have brought about the hanging of General Gregory. Simcoe wrote: “Ties of humanity summon me to declare that Captain Stevenson mentioned to me, some hours before it was known that the gunboat was taken, the fictitious letters you found among his papers. At a distance the matter appeared in a ludicrous light: as it may otherwise lead to serious consequences, I solemnly confirm the truth of Captain Stevenson’s explanation of the affair; and add upon the sacred honor of a soldier and a gentleman, that I have no reason to believe or suspect that Mr. Gregory is otherwise than a firm adherent of the French King and of the Congress.” General Gregory retired to private life following the conclusion of hostilities. In 1798, he recorded a deed as a gift to his son, William. General Isaac Gregory died in April 1800. During the same period covering the life of General Gregory, at least one other Isaac Gregory lived, and at times complications develop that cause one to be confused with the other. An Isaac Gregory who was born in Virginia later relocated to North Carolina in a section that became part of South Carolina after being annexed (1772). The latter Isaac Gregory (married to Alse Gerard or Gerrard) had six sons who served in the military during the American Revolution. That same Isaac Gregory resided in the vicinity of Brown’s Creek (Union District, later Union County), South Carolina, on land that he received in a grant from Governor William Tryon. Isaac of South Carolina succumbed

during 1797, possibly in March. His last will and testament (according to South Carolina law at the time) had to be filed within thirty days of his death. It was written during August 1796 and was filed during May 1797. The will listed Isaac’s seven children (six sons and one daughter).

Griffin, Cyrus Cyrus Griffin, the son of Leroy and Mary Ann Bertrand Griffin, was born during 1748 in Lancaster County, Virginia. Cyrus’ paternal greatgrandparents were Colonel Leroy (justice of Rappahannock County) and Winifred Griffin. Winifred was the daughter of Colonel Gawin Corbin. Cyrus’ paternal grandparents were Thomas (House of Burgesses, Richmond County, 1718–1723) and Sarah (maiden name unknown) Griffin. Cyrus’ father was the high sheriff of Richmond County. Cyrus’ mother, Mary Ann, was the only daughter of the Rev. John and Charlotte Jolly Bertrand. And Mary Ann became the heiress of Belleisle (Lancaster County, Virginia); Charlotte’s brother William died during 1760. In addition to Cyrus, Thomas and Mary Ann had three other sons, Corbin (later Doctor Corbin, surgeon with the Virginia Line); William (later, colonel of militia); Samuel (later colonel of militia and member of Congress). Cyrus, the youngest of the brothers, received his education in Europe. He studied in Edinburgh and in London and received his degree in law at the Temple. While in Edinburgh, Cyrus became close to Charles Stuart (Lord Linton), the son of John (6th Earl of Traquair, Lord Stuart of Traiquair, Linton and Caberston) and Christian Anstruther Stuart. Charles was also the brother of Lady Christina. Charles invited Cyrus to the family estate where the latter was introduced to Lady Christina, who later became his wife. The marriage, however, did not come about without obstacles due to the stark differences in their religious beliefs. Lord Stuart, a Catholic, denied his permission for Lady Christina to marry a Protestant, but Cyrus and Christina paid no heed; rather, they left the castle and sought out a priest who married them. After the birth of their first child, named John (April 1771) after his maternal grandfather, the Earl apparently dropped his opposition to the marriage. The Griffin family, by tradition, claims the couple was married by a minister. After living in the Traquair House in Scotland for about one year, the Griffins sailed for America. Cyrus and Christina, in addition to John, had the following children: Samuel Stuart (married Sally Lewis); Mary (b. 1774, married Thomas Griffin, her cousin) and Louisa (married Hugh Mercer, the son of General Hugh Mercer). Cyrus and Lady Christina settled in Williamsburg, where Cyrus Griffin established his law practice, was elected to the state legislature, and was appointed as a judge. In 1778, Griffin was elected as a Virginia delegate to the Continental Congress, where he served from August 1778 until 1781. In the meantime, on 18 January 1780, Congress established the “Court of Appeals in Cases of Capture” and appointed three judges, Griffin, William Paca (signer of Declaration of Independence) and Titus Hosmer. Griffin was the president of the Supreme Court of Admiralty from its inception until it was abolished. With regard to his appointment, the president of Congress, Samuel Huntington, wrote to Griffin in a letter dated 1 May 1780: “I have the Pleasure and Satisfaction of presenting you with the enclosed Act of Congress & Commission by which you are appointed and constituted one of the Judges of the Court of Appeals.” Later, during 1786, Griffin was unsuccessful in his attempt to become governor of Virginia to succeed Patrick Henry. Edmund Randolph won, and he was later succeeded by Beverly Randolph. During the following year, 1787, Griffin was again elected to the Continental Congress. That same year, the Constitutional Convention met in Philadelphia and adopted the United States Constitution on 17 September 1787, effective upon ratification by nine states. New Hampshire ratified

149 the Constitution on 21 June 1788, to become the ninth state to ratify and the ninth state to enter the union. Meanwhile, Griffin was elected president of the Continental Congress. He succeeded General Arthur St. Clair (15th president) to become the sixteenth and final president of the Continental Congress. Griffin was president when the new Congress, operating under the U.S. Constitution, convened on 4 March 1789. During the following month, on 30 April 1789, George Washington was inaugurated as the first president of the United States. In the meantime, on 27 December 1788, the state House of Representatives and Senate elected Griffin as a judge of the General Court. He succeeded Edmund Randolph, who had been elected governor of Virginia. Subsequently, during October 1789, Griffin became privy councilor, and that same year, he was appointed as federal judge of the District of Virginia, a post he retained until his death. In addition, Griffin was called upon to deal with a problem with the Creek Indians under Alexander McGillvray, but the talks, intended to gain a treaty, despite a warning that troops would be dispatched to quell the hostilities, failed to gain any success. A campaign to end the hostilities also failed. By the time Griffin ended his service in Congress, his health had been failing. He made several trips to places with more favorable climate, but he was unable to regain his health. Cyrus Griffin died on 14 December 1810, three years after the death of his wife, Lady Christina.

Gunby, Brigadier General John John Gunby, the son of John and Sarah Gunby, was born at the family residence outside of Crisfield along Gunby’s Creek in Somerset County, Maryland, on 10 March 1745. John’s grandparents were also named John and Sarah Gunby. John’s home was initially built by his grandfather during 1721. His siblings were Kirk, Mary, Elisha, David, and Betty. John’s children were George, Nancy, and Sally. John’s father and his grandfather served as vestrymen in the Anglican Church, but his son founded a Presbyterian church (Gunby Memorial) in Worcester County. John’s father was a fervent Loyalist, while John, the subject, was equally committed to the Patriots’ cause. The split in John’s family erupted in a storm during 1775, when John joined the Minute Men and returned home to give his father the news. The dinner table became a conference table and the family debate continued until beyond midnight with John, Sr., urging his son to remain loyal to the Crown, which would assure him of later awards. He also informed his son that to be a Patriot would surely bring about his hanging. But the repeated pleas fell on deaf ears. The younger John said he would “rather sink into a patriot’s grave than wear the crown of England.” At the conclusion of the stalled talks, John departed the house and set out to raise an independent company to lead against the British. On 2 January 1776, John was elected captain of the 2nd Independent Maryland Company, drawn from Somerset County. Uriah Forrest was elected first lieutenant, William Brown second lieutenant and Benjamin Brooks third lieutenant. On 21 May 1776, while the Maryland Convention was in session, it considered a petition from Lt. Uriah Forrest on behalf of himself and Lieutenants William Sprigg Bowie and Benjamin Brooks. It complained of John Gunby’s conduct and questioned his patriotism. The complainants asked to be moved to another unit. The convention, after consideration, ruled: “That it is the opinion of this convention that the said captain John Gunby, far from having given any just cause to suspect his zeal for the rights and liberties of America, hath by his conduct manifested a laudable zeal in defence of the rights and liberties of America in general, and this province in particular. Resolved, therefore, that the said petition be rejected.” Captain Gunby saw service New York and New England. He participated in the Battles of Long Island and the confrontation that followed at White Plains, New York. In addition, he participated in the

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defense Philadelphia, including the battles of Brandywine and at Germantown, followed by the Battle of Trenton during the latter part of December 1776 and at Princeton on 3 January 1777. In the meantime, Captain Gunby had been promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel on 10 December 1776, just prior to the fighting at Trenton. Later that same year, on 17 April, Gunby was promoted to the rank of full colonel. In conjunction, on 1 April, 1777, the General Assembly resolved to raise seven battalions for continental service. Records are somewhat confusing on Gunby’s service at that time; his name is listed as lieutenant colonel of the 7th Maryland Regiment, and on the same date as colonel of the 2nd Maryland Regiment. Nonetheless, he was subsequently placed in command as colonel of the 1st Maryland Regiment. After the British abandoned Philadelphia in June 1778, the Americans broke camp at Valley Forge and initiated pursuit. Colonel Gunby participated with the Continental Army’s pursuit of British General Clinton. General George Washington’s vanguard under General Charles Lee intercepted the British at Monmouth on 28 June 1778, but Lee, under orders to fight, instead, ordered a retreat. Washington was able to rally his troops and withstand the British pressure. Following the battle, the British reinitiated their retreat to New York to terminate the final major battle in the northern states. In addition to serving in combat, Colonel Gunby also participated in five separate courts-martial. At one court martial, that of Peter Buise, the soldier was accused of desertion and left his command without authorization to see his wife. He was found guilty of the charge and sentenced to death. In another instance, Richard Ennis was accused of “aiding and abetting desertion.” The board reached the same conclusion and Ennis received the identical sentence, “that he shall be hanged until he is dead.” During the time of the Revolution, desertion was not treated lightly and death was most often the consequence when caught. Colonel Gunby moved his regiment to the Southern Department, and it participated in the ill-planned Battle of Camden on 16 August 1780. The American commander, General Horatio Gates, fled from the field; however, the Marylanders under Gunby remained in the thick of the battle with General John de Kalb, who refused to retire. The Marylanders sustained severe casualties and Baron de Kalb was mortally wounded. The devastating defeat ended Gates’ military career. He left the service and retired to live the life of what some would call that of a hermit. Gunby’s battered regiment remained in the South and soon fought alongside the new commander, General Nathanael Greene. During the latter part of 1780, the situation in Hillsborough, North Carolina, was less than favorable; the town was quite crowded due to many who arrived there following the Battle of Camden. During that time Colonel Gunby was appointed commandant of Hillsborough, and he retained the responsibility through January 1781. That month, a contingent of Gunby’s regiment was attached to Lt. Colonel John Eager Howard’s command and directed to bolster Daniel Morgan at Cowpens, South Carolina, where Morgan stunned the British by inflicting a devastating defeat upon them. Gunby’s contingent performed meritoriously while they subdued the British 71st Regiment. Afterward, Gunby’s Marylanders fought at Guilford Court House, North Carolina, on 15 March 1781. The militia buckled and the 2nd Marylanders got caught in the confusion of the moment; however, the 1st Maryland was ordered by Gunby to turn around and charge the British Guards. The Marylanders obeyed the command and inflicted severe punishment on their foe. By that time, General Greene had already directed the Virginia reserves to retire. Greene was forced from the field; however, his goals were achieved. More cat-and-mouse games between General Charles Cornwallis and Greene continued, but Greene eventually prevailed and Cornwallis abandoned the Carolinas. In the meantime, on 25 April 1781, a fierce fight developed at

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Hobkirk’s Hill. Some historians later recorded that General Greene blamed the loss on Gunby’s Marylanders. Nonetheless, although history is not crystal clear on the matter, Gunby’s men performed heroically on every field of battle, and at Hobkirk’s Hill, the British sustained equally severe casualties. Greene saved all of his supplies and artillery during the retreat. The British, too badly hurt to pursue Greene, moved back into Charleston, while Greene headed toward Rugeley’s Mills. At the same time, Cornwallis was beginning to move into Virginia, leaving Lord Francis Rawdon-Hastings in command to deal with Greene. At the Battle of Hobkirk’s Hill, the confusion of the battle caused conflicting accounts of Colonel Gunby’s actions. The British caught Greene by total surprise and the commander was not on the field at the end of the fight. Part of Gunby’s regiment faltered, but those two companies were reformed. Afterward, Gunby ordered his command to fall back and regroup around the “colors.” A retreat was not ordered and the act was accomplished, but Gunby is often given blame for the loss at Hobkirk’s Hill. At the end of the day, although both sides sustained severe casualties, the Americans still held the ground, which makes it difficult to assess the tenacious contest as a loss. A court of inquiry was held on 2 May 1781, and nothing in the report points to Gunby’s actions as the cause of a defeat. Actually, Gunby’s move to retire and reform was a tactic often used, and it was used similarly by Daniel Morgan and others at Guilford Courthouse without being condemned. The court of inquiry’s report stated: It appears to the Court that Colonel Gunby received orders to advance with his regiment and charge bayonet without firing. This order he immediately communicated to his regiment, which advanced cheerfully for some distance, when a firing began on the right of the regiment, and in a short time became general through it. That soon after two companies on the right of the regiment gave way. That Colonel Gunby then gave Lieutenant Colonel Howard orders to bring off the other four companies, which at that time appeared disposed to advance, except a few. That Lieutenant-Colonel Howard brought off the four companies from the left and joined Colonel Gunby at the foot of the hill, about sixty yards in the rear. That Lieutenant-Colonel Howard there found Colonel Gunby actively exerting himself in rallying the two companies that broke from the right, which he effected, and the regiment was again formed and gave a fire or two at the enemy, which appeared on the hill in front.

At the time the two companies became disoriented, one of the key officers, Captain Beatty, was killed. Confusion on the matter will never be completely over, but in the interest of fairness, it is imperative to note that the inquiry members, which included Colonel William Washington and Brigadier General Isaac Huger, included nothing grave in the report, but they discerned that Gunby should not have ordered the four companies to move back. The call by Gunby will remain arguable, but with the loss of the two companies that broke, it is equally arguable that without them, it was imperative to reform. And with all such inquiries, the element of what the commanding general expects is a consideration. Colonel Henry (Lighthorse Harry) Lee, General William Moultrie and others, not member of the inquiry team, concurred with Gunby’s actions. Lastly, after the Marylanders reformed, they returned to punish the British. In 1783, General Nathanael Greene paused at Baltimore on his way north and paid tribute to the troops of the Maryland Line, stating his thoughts “of every opportunity of expressing my obligations to the officers and troops of this state affords me the highest satisfaction. They have been companions with me in the hours of adversity, and have greatly contributed to all our little successes.” Colonel Gunby was awarded the brevet of brigadier general by Congress on 30 September 1783. General Gunby retired and attempted to live as a recluse; however, he did attend the meeting of the Society of the Cincinnati on 5 July

1784. General John Gunby succumbed on 27 May 1807. The Republican Star or Eastern Shore General Advertiser (Talbot County) published the general’s death notice on 8 June 1787: “Died on the 27th ult., at his farm near Snow Hill, General John Gunby, in the sixty-third year of age. This gentleman early embarked in the cause of his country during the late war which ended in the independence of the United States, and from almost the commencement to the close of the conflict with Great Britain, he was an officer of distinguished rank, activity and zeal in the services.” General Gunby was interred in the family cemetery on the plantation about fifty yards from his residence. The general’s wife, Amelia, and their son, Doctor John Gunby (died 1888), were also interred there; only one tombstone detailed their deaths. One slight error on the tombstone was that the engraver spelled General with a “J.”

Gunn, Brigadier General James James Gunn, the son of John and Sarah Gunn, was born in Virginia on 13 March 1753. He received his education in Virginia and studied law. At the outbreak of the Revolution, he joined with the Patriots and served with the rank of captain in a contingent of dragoons. Subsequent to the surrender of General Lord Charles Cornwallis at Yorktown, Virginia (October 1781), he participated under General Anthony Wayne in Georgia during 1782 to regain Savannah. That same year, James Gunn relocated to Savannah. After settling in Georgia, Gunn resumed his law practice, and he was appointed a colonel of the 1st Georgia Regiment of militia (Chatham County). Afterward, he was promoted to the rank of brigadier general. While in that capacity, General Gunn participated in conferences with Governor Edward Telfair as the state moved to subdue hostile Indians. Gunn also instigated trouble with General Nathanael Greene, who had also relocated in Georgia. Gunn challenged Greene for allegedly abusing his power over Gunn while he was Gunn’s commander in the southern theater. General George Washington intervened and sided with Greene’s response, which was that accepting Gunn’s complaint would “prove totally subversive of all military discipline.” General Gunn was elected to the Continental Congress on 10 February 1787, but he never took his seat. The U.S. Constitution was adopted on 17 September 1787 and ratified by nine states. General Gunn served in the U.S. Senate from March of 1789 through March of 1801. During that time, he was involved with speculators who attempted to acquire land through a scheme known as the Yazoo Land Scheme, in conjunction with the Georgia state legislature passage of the Yazoo Land Bill, signed by Governor (formerly general) George Matthews during his second term. The bill opened up land west of the Mississippi River (Alabama and Mississippi). The Georgia assembly convened during January 1795 and immediately proclaimed the Yazoo Land Bill invalidated. All documentation and records pertaining to the act were destroyed. Retirement was again suspended during 1796. General Gunn, while in the Senate, was one of three grantees of the Georgia Company, which would have benefited immensely had the plan worked. The man primarily responsible for foiling the scheme was another prominent Georgian, General (and U.S. Senator) James Jackson. On 3 July 1801, General James Gunn died while in Louisville, Georgia. He was interred in the Old Capitol Cemetery. A letter dated 31 July and published in the Georgia Gazette on 6 August 1801 stated: “General Gunn arrived here [Louisville] last Sunday, and died last night [30 July] at eleven or twelve o’clock, a very short illness indeed. It is said that his death was greatly owing to a draught of cold water after the taking of medicine; and, what is strange, the doctor and several men were in the room, and not one observed his death till sometime after he expired.” General Gunn’s will was probated on 10 May 1808 in Chatham County.

151 Gwinnett, Button (Signer of the Declaration of Independence) Button Gwinnett was born in Down Hatherly, England, about 1732–1735. Little is known about his early life, except that he came from a good family, but not one of wealth, and that his family was large. Button was the second son in a family of seven children or possibly more. His father, of Welsh ancestry, was an Anglican vicar, and his mother was English. After learning the merchant trade, Button relocated to Wolverhampton, Staffordshire, during 1757, and while there, he married Ann Bourne, the daughter of a grocer. Button and Ann had three daughters, Amelia, Ann and Elizabeth. For about two years, Button Gwinnett worked in partnership with his father-in-law, and then he initiated a business that exported goods to the American colonies. From that experience, he eventually immigrated to America. The exact date Gwinnett arrived in Savannah, Georgia, is unknown; however, during 1765, he acquired a store there. He retained the business for less than one year and then bought a plantation on St. Catherine’s Island off Sunbury. At the time, his funds were not sufficient to buy the estate outright, but he was able to borrow £3,000. Gwinnett later acquired other tracts on the mainland with borrowed funds. Afterward, he acquired more land from grants from the colony. He also acquired slaves to work on his property. In 1768, Gwinnett was appointed justice of the peace and a local pilotage commissioner. The next year he was appointed to the assembly as a representative of St. John’s Parish, which convened in Savannah, but by that time, his finances were spiraling out of control, which restricted his attendance. Gwinnett’s financial condition continued to deteriorate, and he abandoned politics for about five years. His excessive borrowing eventually brought about financial ruin, causing him to lose his land as well as his slaves during 1773. The creditors claimed the island, but in a display of empathy, Gwinnett was permitted to remain in his home, where he stayed until his death. Despite being an Englishman, he did not side with the Loyalists; however, due to his family in England and many old friends, Gwinnett did not immediately side with the American resistance. His wisdom was given extra depth from his time in England, where he had a vast knowledge of the tactics of the English; however, as time moved along, and most probably through the influence of men like George Walton and Lyman Hall, the latter a member of the same church (Midway Congregational Church) Gwinnett chose the American cause by about mid–1775. On 13 September 1775, subsequent to an August recess, the Georgia delegates were seated in Congress after not having officially sent representatives to the First Continental Congress; however, Button Gwinnett was not yet selected. The Continental Congress’ journal notes the admittance of Archibald Bulloch, John Houstoun, Esquires, the Rev. John J. Zubly, Noble Wimberly Jones and Lyman Hall. On 7 January 1776, the royal governor of Georgia, James Wright, while in conversation with the council of safety in Savannah, was arrested by a group of patriots under Major (later colonel) Joseph Habersham. The governor later escaped on 11 February and found refuge on a British warship on the Tybee Button Gwinnett (Story of Georgia, River. Meanwhile, on the 11th of George Smith, 1900)

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January, Colonel Lachlan McIntosh was ordered by the council to prepare to defend Savannah in the event of a British invasion by sea or by the British forces in East Florida. By that time, McIntosh was having problems with Gwinnett, the latter not having received a high command in the militia. On February 2, 1776, the Georgia delegates to the 2nd Continental Congress were selected by the Provincial Congress and Button Gwinnett, among the group, took his seat on 20 May. Another of the delegation, a holdover from the previous year, the Reverend Zulby, at the last minute, after having switched his allegiance to the British, was exposed. He fled from Congress, chased by John Houstoun, who had been charged by Congress to give pursuit and to seize Zulby. Consequently, Houstoun, who supported the Declaration, missed the vote. Gwinnett supported the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, and on 2 August, he placed his signature on the parchment document. Shortly thereafter, he completed his congressional work and returned to Georgia with great expectations of becoming a commanding officer in the militia, but the appointment went to his political opponent, Lachlan McIntosh. That October, Gwinnett was again selected as a representative of the Continental Congress, but he declined and instead became a member of the Georgia legislature. While in the legislature, he was involved with coming up with a blueprint for the state’s constitution, but he also devoted time to work against his adversary, McIntosh. During March 1777, Gwinnett became the acting governor (or president of the council of safety) of Georgia when he succeeded Archibald Bulloch, who succumbed. His term lasted only two months because Gwinnett was not re-elected. Meanwhile, the animosity between him and McIntosh intensified, the latter being dismayed with Gwinnett’s appointment as the president of the council. The legislature had, in the meantime (February 1777), adjourned after transferring authority to the council of safety. Gwinnett held the position that the civilian government had the authority to try military officers for offenses, while General McIntosh declared that only the military held that power and officers charged with offenses would be tried by court-martial. As president, the council authorized him to assemble the militia and initiate an expedition into Florida (Second Florida Invasion), in conjunction with Congress’ authorization of an invasion into Florida if feasible. On 17 March, Gwinnett, as president of the council of safety, ordered that George McIntosh, the brother of General Lachlan McIntosh, be arrested on charges of treason. Meanwhile, Gwinnett was unable to raise a sufficient number of troops, which compelled him to seek assistance from the Continental Army, which in Georgia was commanded by McIntosh, who had received a commission in the Continental service as brigadier general. The militia under Gwinnett arrived at Sunbury on 13 April, followed the next day by the Continental contingent under McIntosh. On the 15th, at Sunbury, the officers of the Continental Army refused to attend a war council called by Gwinnett. Shortly thereafter, on the 17th, elements of the Continental Army prepared to move out of Sunbury, and at that time, McIntosh learned that Gwinnett ordered the militia not to advance. On 1 May, a contingent led by Colonel Samuel Elbert departed Sunbury en route to Florida (Second Florida Invasion). Both Button Gwinnett and Brigadier General Lachlan McIntosh had been recalled to Savannah, leaving Elbert in command of the expedition. Nevertheless, the mission failed. Gwinnett was charged with malfeasance, but he was subsequently cleared of any wrongdoing. However, the blood-feud with McIntosh erupted into deadly violence when the two agreed to a duel. On the morning of 16 May 1777, the men met on the field on the Wright Plantation (Sir James Wright) on the outskirts of Savannah. The two antagonists each fired and both were wounded; however, Gwinnett’s wound to the leg became infected with gangrene and he

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succumbed on the 19th. Allies of Gwinnett pressed charges against McIntosh and he was tried on charges of murder, but he was acquitted. McIntosh departed Georgia and joined General George Washington at Valley Forge, where the Continental Army encamped for the winter (1777–1778). Gwinnett County, South Carolina, was named in honor of Button Gwinnett. (Several nineteenth century sources report that Button Gwinnett first arrived in South Carolina at Charleston during 1770 and remained there in business for two years prior to relocating in Georgia; however, the National Park Service reports that documentation showed that Gwinnett had acquired his business in Savannah during 1765 and the same year acquired his plantation. Also, some sources at times differ on the date of Gwinnett’s death, with some stating 19 May 1777 and others stating May 27 or some other date. The National Park Service, Department of the Interior, concurs that his death occurred several days after the duel; the same date is used by the Georgia Encyclopedia and in the Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress.)

Hall, Lyman (Signer of the Declaration of Independence) Lyman Hall, the son of John and Mary Street Hall, was born on 12 April 1724 in Wallingford, Connecticut. He was one of five children and the third son born to the Halls. Lyman received a fine education, including attendance and graduation from Yale during 1747, when he was 23 years old. In addition, he received instruction in theology from a relative and Congregationalist minister, the Rev. Samuel Hall. During 1749, Lyman began to preach, but as a candidate for the ministry, not as a pastor. That September, in the face of opposition by some, he was ordained, only to be fired during 1751 due to charges of immoral conduct. Subsequently, he was restored after offering repentance. He resumed preaching, but not from a stationary post; rather, he essentially was a fill-in preacher for the Congregationalist Church. Lyman, during May 1752, married Abigail Burr, the daughter of Thaddeus and Abigail Burr of Fairfield, Connecticut. Abigail, according to the Vital Statistics of Fairfield, succumbed during June of 1753 at age 24. Lyman remained close with her family, which included her brothers Thaddeus and Gershom. Abigail’s mother died during 1753 and her father in 1755. Lyman was one of the executors of Thaddeus’ last will and testament. Subsequent to the death of Abigail, about 1757, Lyman remarried, taking Mary Osborn as his wife. She was the daughter of Samuel and Hannah (Couch) Osborn, who also resided in Fairfield, Connecticut. Meanwhile, Lyman Hall also began to study medicine. Dissatisfied with his progress as a minister, he became a doctor. Later, Hall and his family set out for South Carolina to establish a medical practice. After his arrival there, he began his practice in Dorchester, but later relocated at Medway (Midway), Georgia, in St. John’s Parish (later Liberty County). Hall’s medical experience became an asset, as the area was located in swamplands and many colonists came down with malaria. Subsequently, Hall, who also maintained a home in Sunbury, departed his plantation and returned to South Carolina, where he remained until 1764 before again returning to Georgia. In 1765 the colonies had come under additional pressure from Britain; however, Georgia remained more closely aligned with the mother country than the other colonies. Nonetheless, by that time, many of the colonists had already begun to resist the British tactics, particularly after passage of the Stamp Act. Hall’s activities as a conspicuous leader of the Patriots did not find great favor with the royal governor, James Wright, who became familiar with the name Doctor Lyman Hall and with the man. Nevertheless, Hall found no reason to restrict his activities. His political activity thrust him into the forefront of the resistance to actions by the British that the colonists found oppressive. He participated in the meetings held in Savannah during 1774–1775. In St. John’s Parish,

the sentiments of the residents, primarily Puritans, were strong in support of the Patriots’ cause, but the parish stood alone. During December 1774, the Patriots of St. John’s Parish moved to secede from Georgia and join with South Carolina and during that same month acted to ratify the acts of the First Continental Congress in Philadelphia. Nevertheless, South Carolina declined accepting the parish. In March 1775, St. John’s Parish held its convention Lyman Hall (Biographical Sketches of and elected Lyman Hall as its the Signers of the Declaration of Indedelegate to Congress. At the pendence, Benson J. Lossing, 1854) time, intercourse with Georgia (except for St. John’s Parish) had already been prohibited by Congress. Savannah was considered a Loyalist stronghold, but it was also home to a few steadfast patriots, including George Walton. Hall, while at Congress, remained a non-voting member because he represented only one parish. Subsequently, on 13 September 1775, following a meeting of the Georgia Provisional government during July, when the colony selected delegates, three Georgians — Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall and George Walton—took their seats in the Second Continental Congress. Back in Georgia, the situation was rapidly changing. On 11 January 1776, subsequent to the arrest of the royal governor, James Wright, Colonel Lachlan McIntosh was ordered by the council of safety to prepare for a possible invasion by the British. At the same time, political problems emerged within the ranks of the Patriots in Georgia due to ever-growing friction between McIntosh and Button Gwinnett, the latter frustrated due to not receiving command of the militia. Nonetheless, on 2 February 1776, the Georgia delegates to the 2nd Continental Congress — Archibald Bulloch, Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, John Houstoun, and George Walton — were selected by the Provincial Congress. Doctor Hall and his close friend Button Gwinnett were seated on 20 May, but Bulloch remained in Georgia as president of council. Another delegate, the Reverend Zubly, a holdover from the previous year, was caught corresponding with the royal governor and exposed on the floor of Congress by Samuel Chase, just prior to the vote for independence. He escaped from Philadelphia and John Houstoun was ordered to give chase and apprehend him. Consequently, Houstoun, a strong proponent of the Declaration, missed the vote on independence and Zubly escaped. Doctor Hall, Button Gwinnett and George Walton voted in the affirmative and later added their names to the parchment document. On 20 December of that year, Doctor Hall and four other delegates — Nathan Brownson, Button Gwinnett, John Houstoun and George Walton — arrived at Congress, which had convened in Baltimore. Doctor Hall was re-elected to Congress through 1780; however, due to a request from Gwinnett, Hall returned to Georgia to support his friend. Gwinnett had become president of council during March 1777 subsequent to the death of Bulloch. Button Gwinnett died after duel with General Lachlan McIntosh during May of that year, and Hall was named executor of Gwinnett’s will. The task was overwhelming due to the complicated estate of Gwinnett. Doctor Hall was in Georgia when the British invaded during 1778, but he escaped capture by moving to Charleston. Soon after the invasion, the British controlled the coast of Georgia, permitting them to

153 initiate ravaging raids. On 2 January 1779, while Savannah was controlled by Hessian troops, a British force advanced to reduce Fort Morris at Sunbury, defended by only about 200 troops. The Americans, unable to neutralize the British artillery and the overwhelming force (including regulars and Loyalists) of about 2,000, capitulated. The British destroyed Doctor Hall’s home in Sunbury and devastated Hall’s Knoll. Charleston fell on 12 May 1780 after a long siege, but Hall again escaped capture and possible hanging by fleeing to Connecticut before the city surrendered. Hall remained in Connecticut until 1782. At that time, after the British were compelled to abandon Georgia, he returned home. The next year, Hall was elected to the Georgia state assembly, where he served for one year. In 1784, Hall was elected governor of Georgia and one year later, during 1785, he returned to the House of Assembly. He remained in the House for a year before leaving public life for retirement. Doctor Hall remained in Savannah until 1790, when he moved to a place below Augusta in Burke County to settle on his new property, Shell Bluff Plantation, located along the Savannah River. It was the last move he would make. Lyman Hall succumbed at age 66 on 19 October 1790, usually a day of grand celebration in Savannah, known as Victory Day because it was on that day during 1781 that Lord Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown. More than sixty years had passed since the death of Lyman Hall, the people of Georgia erected a monument in Augusta to honor their three favorite sons — Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall and George Walton — each of whom had pledged their lives, fortune and sacred honor during the War for Independence, then voted for and adopted the Declaration of Independence (4 July 1776) and afterward signed their names to the parchment document. In addition to the monument, their remains were re-interred there; however, to this day, there is no evidence to verify that Gwinnett’s remains are there. The original stone that marked Lyman Hall’s grave site was later transferred to Connecticut. The solemn marker was placed in a public cemetery in Wallingford, where he was born. The epitaph on the tombstone proudly proclaimed him a Patriot and underscored the description with: “A True Christian and an Honest Man.” Lyman’s widow, Mary, lived several years longer. She succumbed during 1793, outliving both her husband and their only child, John, who predeceased his parents. John Hall had married Laura Wolcott and together they had a son, named Lyman after his grandfather. He died while serving as a captain in the Massachusetts militia on 14 January 1807.

Hamilton, Alexander (Signer of the U.S. Constitution) Details on the early life of Alexander Hamilton, including his birth date and ancestry, are not clear. Hamilton himself left no documentation to clarify what is based on tradition. Alexander was born of a common law marriage between a Scottish merchant and an English–French Huguenot mother who was the daughter of a planter. He was born in the West Indies on the island of Nevis during 1757. Alexander’s father later suffered financial losses. The family, including Alexander and his brother, moved to St. Croix in the Danish (later United States) Virgin Islands. At some point, Alexander’s father departed St. Croix and returned to St. Kitts, but his family remained on St. Croix. Alexander’s mother opened a store in an attempt to provide the basics for her family, and a Presbyterian minister provided some support by overseeing Alexander’s education. Alexander lost his mother during 1768, when he was only about eleven years old. There is no indication that he and his brother received any aid from their father after that. Alexander, however, gained employment in a mercantile business and while there, his abilities impressed the owner, who took it upon himself to become one of Alexander’s benefactors. By that time, thanks to the minister, Alexander had

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also mastered the French language. In 1772, Alexander was sent to America. He first arrived in Boston during October 1772, and from there he traveled to New York, where he was met by his new patrons, who prepared his way for his college education. He was also fortunate to have met William Livingston (later brigadier general and signer of Constitution). Alexander was invited to stay for a while at Livingston’s estate. After being entered in Barber’s Academy in Elizabethtown (Elizabeth), Alexander completed his studies there during the following year and jumped to King’s College 127 Alexander Hamilton (American Elo(later Columbia) in New quence, Vol. 1, Frank Moore, 1859) York. During 1774, the First Continental Congress convened in Philadelphia, and immediately after it adjourned, a minister (later bishop) named Seabury published his opinions which criticized the Congress He published two pamphlets, “Free Thoughts on the Proceedings of the Continental Congress” and “Congress Canvassed by a Westchester Farmer” under the pseudonym “A Westchester Farmer.” The pamphlets received a response penned by Alexander Hamilton, “A Full Vindication of Congress,” and his second and more strongly worded response, “The Farmer Refuted.” During 1775, Hamilton published a pamphlet in response to the Quebec Act. On 11 May, a mob threatened Myles Cooper, a Loyalist and the president of King’s College. He was saved from injury by Hamilton, who managed to get him out of harm’s way to a place of safety. In addition, Hamilton joined a company of militia in New York. He would have graduated King’s College during 1776, but he had begun writing for the Patriots’ (Whigs) newspapers. In the meantime, Hamilton had diligently studied artillery. On 14 March 1776, he was commissioned as a captain in the Provincial Company, New York Artillery. He participated in the various New York campaigns and during that time distinguished himself. General George Washington selected him as his primary aide-de-camp with the rank of lieutenant colonel on 1 March 1777, a rank he held for the duration of the war. In the meantime, during the attack against Trenton on the morning of 26 December 1776, Captain Hamilton’s artillery unit, along with that of Captain Thomas Forrest, was synchronized with the signal to attack. When the guns commenced fire, the thunderclap became the wake up call for the Hessian defenders as the shells effectively poured down upon King and Queen Streets. The city was quickly taken, and it became a turning point in the war. The Americans, who had a tremendous fear of the Hessian bayonets, discovered that they had nothing to fear. Shortly after seizing Trenton, Washington defeated the British at Princeton on 3 January 1777. During the following month, on 16 February, Alexander Hamilton was succeeded by Captain John Doughty of Morristown, New Jersey, as commander of the artillery company. Hamilton in turn had been elevated to the position as aide-de-camp to General Washington. The 1st Battalion, 5th Field Artillery, Fort Riley, Kansas, is the descendent of Hamilton’s artillery company, the only Army unit dating back to the Continental Army. In May 1777, at Washington’s headquarters at Morristown, New Jersey, Lt. Colonel Hamilton reported 5,738 officers and men (excluding

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artillery and light horse regiments) ready for duty. He also reported 1,057 men present and sick, with the greater part of the sick from the Pennsylvania Line, where men became ill from their smallpox inoculations. After the surrender of General John Burgoyne at Saratoga (October 1777), General Washington sent Hamilton to Albany to request that General Horatio Gates dispatch reinforcements to join the Continental Army to assist in evicting General William Howe’s army from Philadelphia. In April 1778, Hamilton was selected as one of the commissioners designated by Washington to negotiate with the British regarding a prisoner exchange. Later, after heated debate, Congress on 21 April resolved that it approved of “the conduct of Colonel Grayson, Lieutenant Colonel Harrison, and Lieutenant Colonel Hamilton, and Elias Boudinot, Esqr. commissioners appointed by General Washington to meet the commissioners appointed by General Sir William Howe, and with them to confer, determine and agree upon a treaty and convention for the exchange of prisoners of war, and for all matters whatsoever which may be properly contained therein, in the several meetings held at Germantown and Newton, with the commissioners of General Howe.” Afterward, Hamilton participated at the Battle of Monmouth on 28 June 1778, when the Continental Army intercepted General Howe’s army while it retreated through New Jersey en route to New York. Hamilton was at Washington’s side as the battle was erupting, and at that time, he said: “I will stay with you my dear general and die with you. Let us all die rather than retreat.” The battle ended with both sides claiming victory; however, after dusk, the British abandoned their camp and resumed the march toward New York, ending what became the final major battle in the northern states. Also in 1778, Hamilton became involved with the emerging idea to establish a national United States Bank, which through the efforts of others, including Robert Morris, a main financier of the war, would come to fruition. Later that year, General Horatio Gates, who had been corresponding with Congress and officers in the military in an attempt to scar General Washington’s reputation, caused many of Washington’s admirers to take offense. Colonel John Laurens, after the publication of a piece penned by Gates appeared in the Pennsylvania Gazette on 3 December 1778, challenged Gates to a duel. Alexander Hamilton acted as second to Laurens. Gates was wounded, but Laurens was unscathed. In 1779, General Philip Schuyler visited General Washington at his headquarters, and Schuyler’s daughter Elizabeth accompanied him. During that stay, Hamilton and Elizabeth were engaged; they were married on 14 December 1780. Alexander and Elizabeth had the following children: Philip; Angelica (b. September 1784); Alexander (b. May 1786); James Alexander (b. April 1788); John Church (b. August 1792); William Stephen (b. August 1797); Eliza (b. November 1799); and Philip (2, b. January 1802, named after his brother, who was killed in a duel in 1801). Subsequently, Hamilton and General Washington had a disagreement that led Hamilton to resign from the general’s staff; however, Hamilton remained in the army. After his wife had a baby, he was out of active service and studying law after having settled in New York. Nevertheless, he became restless and sent a letter to Lafayette in 1781: “I have been employed for the last ten months in rocking the cradle and studying the art of fleecing my neighbors.” Lt. Colonel Hamilton had moved to join Lafayette in Virginia during the campaign against the British commander, General Lord Charles Cornwallis. On 14 October 1781, Hamilton commanded the vanguard during a major thrust against British lines. One part of his force, led by Colonel John Laurens (former captive at Charleston), hit fast and hard to overwhelm the forward position. Cornwallis surrendered his army on 17 October. That year, the idea of a national banking system earlier discussed by

Alexander and Robert Morris re-emerged. Morris and George Clinton worked to eliminate the Continental paper money that held no value and replace it with currency of value. Morris proposed the idea of a national bank and, during July, he and others managed to have the USS Trumbull secretly sail under the pretense of delivering cargo, though its mission would be acquiring silver. The ship was captured, but the secret papers were thrown overboard. Later a French warship delivered the hard currency (2,500,000 livres and 18 sous) to agents in Boston. An escort met the train about sixteen miles outside of Philadelphia, and it arrived safely in the city and immediately transferred to the U.S. treasurer, Mr. Hillegas. Congress chartered the bank (North American Bank) located at 3rd and Chestnut Streets on 7 January 1782. Hamilton’s military service terminated after the victory of Yorktown. He returned to New York, but in December 1783, he was awarded the rank of brevet colonel. In 1782, Hamilton was admitted to the bar of the Supreme Court and that May, Robert Morris appointed him as receiver of the Continental taxes in New York. In November 1782, the legislature appointed Hamilton as a delegate to Congress. In autumn 1783, he resumed his law practice. Hamilton was elected to the General Assembly in 1786; also that year he attended the Annapolis Convention, where delegates from each state were expected, but only a few were sent. From that convention it was concluded that a Constitutional Convention was needed to either strengthen the Articles of Confederation or design a new government. Hamilton was appointed a delegate to the Constitutional Convention held in Philadelphia during 1787. He was an aggressive supporter of a strong, effective central government. Hamilton was also one of the principal authors of the Federalists Papers. The others were James Madison and John Jay. Eighty-three essays, published under the name “Publius,” were out prior to the Constitutional Convention, and they clearly exposed the dangers of foreign influence upon the nation and bolstered the necessity of a having an effective constitution. Hamilton was also was a delegate at the New York state constitutional ratification convention, which ratified the U.S. Constitution on 26 July 1788, to become the eleventh state to join the union. Hamilton was a staunch Federalist, but he was also a fervent defender and supporter of Christianity. Concerned about faith, he stated: “In my opinion, the present Constitution is the standard to which we are to cling.” Hamilton proposed organizing “the Christian Constitutional Society, to support the Christian religion and the Constitution by means of pamphlets, and concerted action to elect fit men.” In September 1789, while living in New York, Hamilton became the secretary of the treasury, a post he held until January 1795. He relocated in Philadelphia during August 1790 and remained there until he resigned in January 1795. At that time, he traveled to Albany and remained at his father-in-law’s estate until autumn, when he returned to New York to resume his law practice. In August 1790, Congress authorized acquiring ten boats to be used to counter smugglers. The fleet became known as the Revenue Marines or Revenue Service Cutters. The acquisition of the fleet was at the urging of Alexander Hamilton. Later, the size of the fleet is increased and during 1848, it became the United States Coast Guard. Alexander Hamilton is considered the father of the Coast Guard. During his tenure as secretary, as a member of President George Washington’s cabinet, he worked tirelessly to straighten out the nation’s finances. During that period, Britain and France again were at war with each other and Hamilton was opposed to entering the conflict; rather, he advocated neutrality. He published essays supporting neutrality under the pseudonyms of “No Jacobin” and “Pacificus.” Hamilton was one of Washington’s allies who supported the Jay Treaty in 1794. There was much opposition to the treaty, but it was finally ratified by the Senate in June 1795.

155 After completing his term as secretary of the treasury, Hamilton returned to private life and resumed his law practice, which expanded rapidly. In the meantime, relations with France deteriorated, and all the while, the British continued to instigate trouble. During 1798, Hamilton again put his effective pen to work to detail the dangers hovering over the nation due to the French actions. The essays, published under title of Titus Manlius, essentially formed the blueprint that was followed during the Quasi-War with France. On 19 July 1798, Hamilton was commissioned as major general and inspector for the United States Army, and on 15 June 1800, he received an honorable discharge. The national election caused a lot of turbulence in 1800. At the same time, there was friction within the Federalist Party. The election brought about a tie between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr, and both were disliked by the Federalists. Nevertheless, the possible election of Burr created even more conflict. The tie had to be settled in the House of Representatives. After thirty-eight ballots, Thomas Jefferson finally emerged the winner to become the third president of the United States. Hamilton was deeply involved and his sway with the Federalists gave the win to Jefferson. In 1804, Aaron Burr attempted to win the governorship of New York and again, Alexander Hamilton worked to defeat him. After Burr’s defeat for governor, his animosity toward Hamilton intensified. The political rhetoric turned into violence. Burr instigated and accused Hamilton of making derogatory remarks, then challenged Hamilton to a duel. The two met on 11 July 1804 at Weehawken, New Jersey. Hamilton fired into the air, but Burr scored a fatal hit. Hamilton died from his wound on the following day. It was never determined whether Alexander Hamilton intentionally fired off target or if his shot was fired after he was hit. Alexander Hamilton was interred in the Trinity Churchyard in New York City. His widow, Elizabeth, and seven children survived him. At the time of his death, Hamilton had no large estate, nor had he acquired a large fortune in either money or tracts of land; rather, he was in heavy debt. His son, Philip, died in a duel with George I. Eaker during 1801, and both Alexander and Elizabeth were grief stricken; however, their eldest daughter, Angelica, never recovered from the shock. She was not able to cope with the loss of her brother and literally went insane. Elizabeth, in addition to caring for her invalid daughter, also had to care for her younger daughter and her five sons. Hamilton, on 4 July 1804, wrote two letters to his wife, one of which follows: This letter, my very dear Eliza, will not be delivered to you unless I shall first have terminated my earthly career, to begin, as I humbly hope, from redeeming grace and divine mercy, a happy immortality. If it had been possible for me to have avoided the interview, my love for you and my precious children would have been alone a decisive motive. But it was not possible, without sacrifices which would have rendered me unworthy of your esteem. I need not tell you of the pangs I feel from the idea of quitting you, and exposing you to the anguish which I know you would feel. Nor could I dwell on the topic lest it should unman me. The consolations of Religion, my beloved, can alone support you; and these you have a right to enjoy. Fly to the bosom of your God and be comforted. With my last idea I shall cherish the sweet hope of meeting you in a better world. Adieu best of wives — best of women. Embrace all my darling children for me. Ever yours A. H. July 4, 1804.

Hancock, John (Signer of the Declaration of Independence) John Hancock, the son of the Rev. John and Mary Hawke Hancock, was born on 23 January 1737 in Braintree (later Quincy), Massachusetts. John’s father died during 1744, but his uncle, Thomas Hancock, made sure he was raised and that he received an excellent education. All the while, John retained contact with his mother, his brother Ebenezer and his sister Mary. John attended the Boston Latin

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School, which was operated by John Lovell, and afterward, he attended Harvard and graduated in 1754 at age seventeen. John gained employment in the mercantile house of his uncle. Later, he was sent to England, where he increased his knowledge about the mercantile business. While in England, John attended the funeral of King George II in 1760, and he was present at the coronation of his grandson and successor, King George III. Shortly after his return to America, John’s uncle died during August John Hancock (Biographical Sketches 1764 at his mansion at Bea- of the Signers of the Declaration of con Hill, leaving John the Independence, Benson J. Lossing, 1854) beneficiary of a vast estate. This made him one of the most affluent men in Boston, if not the most. John’s wealth had no effect on his character. He remained down to earth and was known to have been charitable. However, he greatly expanded his business endeavors and acquired more wealth. John’s attire was quite noticeable, and he was described as a gentleman: “He wore a coat of scarlet, lined with silk, and embroidered with gold, white satin embroidered waist coat, dark satin small-clothes, white silk stockings, and shoes with silver buckles.” He also wore a “three cornered gold laced hat.” John’s carriage was pulled by “six blooded bays” and they ignited much conversation among the Puritans, as a coach such as his had never been seen in Boston. John also enjoyed all sorts of entertainment and celebrations, including singing, dancing, fine wines and elegant dinners. Nevertheless, he had acquired so much wealth that the Puritans who quietly complained were unable to cause him any discomfort from their criticism. During 1765, Parliament passed the Stamp Act, which caused turmoil back in the colonies once word of the legislation arrived. The act was to become effective during November of that year; however, the colonists reacted brashly well ahead of its effective date. Stamp agents were intimidated and worse to ensure that they would not distribute the stamps. During 1766, the year the legislation was repealed, John Hancock was elected to the General Assembly, along with Patriots Samuel Adams, Thomas Cushing and James Otis. Prior to his election to the assembly, Hancock had served as a selectman in Boston. He rose quickly to become one of the radical leaders who openly opposed the policies of the Crown and Parliament. At one point, Hancock was elected as speaker of the assembly, but an irate royal governor, Francis Bernard, rejected the appointment. In 1768, one year before he was recalled, Governor Bernard dissolved the assembly. Soon after, due to some other incidents, the British dispatched troops at Nova Scotia to Boston to increase the animosity of the Patriots. During spring of 1768, Hancock, who had earlier been appointed captain of the Boston Cadets, declined calling out the unit to provide escorts during the general election in a show of open opposition to the royal government and the Crown. For a while, the governor attempted to win over Hancock and even Sam Adams, but neither relinquished their principles to submit to the bribery through offers of advancement. The governor then changed tactics to eliminate his formidable foes. The British seized the sloop Liberty, owned by John Hancock, after it

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arrived in port with a cargo of wine. The cargo was unloaded during the night and no duties were paid, prompting the seizure, but the Bostonians took action by initiating riots despite facing a British warship, the HMS Romney. John Hancock was accused of making erroneous entries regarding the cargo by the commissioner of customs. The action of seizing the vessel backfired when the Bostonians watched the Liberty being towed by the British ship and riots broke out. The riots succeeded in gaining the release of the vessel, and Governor Bernard was compelled to order the officers who oversaw the seizure of the ship to leave Boston. The HMS Romney took the officers aboard and carried them to Castle William (later Fort Independence). The governor used the riots as a reason to bring British troops into Boston. John Hancock was arrested, but the charges against him could not be proved. The arrival of the Redcoats during 1768 caused a furor, and the tension continued to mount. Hancock, Sam Adams and others spread the word not to quarter the troops. During 1770, a mob confronted a group of British troops, and during the confrontation of 5 March, the troops were pelted by stones hidden within snowballs. The soldiers, after being reinforced, still amounted to less than ten men. The mob continued to instigate and even pressed their bodies into the bayonets. Finally, violence occurred and three of the civilians were killed and five others were injured. The incident became known as the Boston Massacre. The British troops afterward were removed from the city by Governor Thomas Hutchinson, Bernard’s successor. The troops were later defended by Josiah Quincy, Jr., and John Adams. Six of the soldiers were acquitted and two others were handed minor sentences. The day before the incident, John Hancock and others, particularly Sam Adams (who became the spokesman), had been designated to speak with the governor to convince him to transfer the troops out of the city, but the governor dismissed the plea. Committee of Correspondence was established at the insistence of John Adams, but John Hancock was unwilling to serve, thinking the action to be too insolent. Hancock was still holding out for reconciliation. Nonetheless, later he participated in the proceedings. During 1773, the colonists were stunned when the British imposed a tax on tea. Hancock was adamantly opposed to it. Patriots gathered at Faneuil Hall on the 5th of November to deal with the crisis, and Hancock was selected as moderator. A vessel, the Dartmouth, arrived in the harbor on 28 November. On the following day, it was decided that the cargo should be sent back to England. It was decided to place a watch to ensure no tea was unloaded, and Hancock was quick to volunteer for the duty, saying: “I should be willing to spend my fortune, and life itself, in so good a cause.” Meanwhile, two other vessels laden with tea arrived. With three ships in the harbor, the Patriots moved to end the problem and simultaneously switch from passive opposition to active resistance. On 16 December 1773, the Sons of Liberty, disguised as Mohawk Indians, advanced to the wharf. The Patriots, including John Hancock, boarded the vessels and dumped the tea into the harbor without interference by the British, taking the resistance into a state of open violence. During March 1774, the British retaliated with a series of bills known as the Intolerable Acts. One of those bills, the Boston Port Bill, was enacted during March 1774, and it galvanized the Patriots throughout the colonies. Closing the port endangered all of the citizens in Boston and the region. During August, British General Thomas Gage, the governor (successor to governor Hutchinson), called for the General Court to convene at Salem; however, the tension in Massachusetts had risen to uncontrollable limits, prompting him to cancel the session of the House. Nevertheless, the House convened despite the governor’s edict. After the session began, the body was immediately transformed into a Provincial Congress. After that action, the body adjourned then reopened its session in Concord. The members elected John Hancock as their initial president.

Hancock wasted little time as president. The House appointed a committee of safety and handed it the authority to call out the militia. In other immediate action, three generals — Jedediah Preble, Artemas Ward, and Seth Pomeroy — were appointed to command the militia and the Minute Men. In yet other activity sure to aggravate the governor as well as the Crown, the Provincial Congress directed the various tax collectors to halt the payment of taxes to the royal government and instead, pay the taxes to a new treasurer to be appointed by the House. In the meantime, word had been sent throughout the colonies as the situation in Massachusetts continued to become more unsettling, but it was the Port Bill that caused the most consternation and from it, the colonies galvanized to get help to the citizens of Boston while taking steps to defend their own colonies. While the Patriots continued to move toward a war footing, the British were still convinced that the trouble was caused only by a few rabble-rousers, and they had no concerns about a countrywide rebellion. During November 1774, on the 23rd, the Provincial Congress called for raising 12,000 militia and Minute Men. In addition, two more generals ( John Thomas and William Heath) were appointed. John Hancock was elected as a delegate to the Second Continental Congress. By spring of 1775, the British took a more adamant position toward suppressing the rebels and seizing their leaders. On 17 April 1775, Paul Revere communicated with Doctor Jeremy Belknap, giving him the signal once British movement was identified. He stated: “If the British went out by water, we would show two lanterns in the north church steeple; and if by land, one, as a signal.” On the following night, Paul Revere, William Dawes and Doctor Samuel Prescott, after getting word that the British were crossing the Charles River in boats en route to Concord, set out to warn the Patriots. Revere was able to warn Samuel Adams and John Hancock; however, afterward, he was halted by the British and detained. While the British moved to the Black Horse Tavern, where they had been told they would find Hancock, he was on his way to Lexington, but several other Patriots from the Committee of Safety had spent the night at the tavern and just barely escaped capture by hiding in a cornfield in back of the inn. Meanwhile, John Hancock had some enjoyable diversion from the sound of the guns and the danger he faced if the British caught him. He had earlier evaded capture several times; the first attempt occurred at Salem when the British rode to the church expecting to nab their prey; however, the column was spotted and the congregation was told to leave. A contingent under Colonel Timothy Pickering sped to the bridge, but the British chose to retire rather than engage the troops. Hancock and Sam Adams had been in hiding at various places ever since the arrival of General Gage, but he had also met a young woman, Dorothy Quincy, the daughter of Judge Edmund and Elizabeth Wendell Quincy. Hancock had been at the Clarks’ house when he was warned by Paul Revere. During that time Dorothy was a guest at the home of the Rev. James Clark, a relative of John Hancock. Dorothy’s father had been out of town, and the invitation to stay with the Clark family came from Lydia Hancock, an aunt of John’s who lived in the same house as the Reverend Clark. Hancock was warned to remain in Lexington until British intent was discovered, and when he was told that Dorothy was a guest at the Clarks, he was easily convinced to stay. Sam Adams also stayed there. The two sides clashed at Lexington and Concord on 19 April, ending all paths to reconciliation. The British were met by the Minute Men, and the Redcoats were forced to retire to Boston, but for the entire line of retreat they were hit by fire from Minute Men scattered about the entire route. Afterward, the British were corralled within the city limits while the Patriots awaited reinforcements. In Philadelphia, Congress was taking action to resist the British. On 24 May 1775, John Hancock was elected president of the Second Continental Congress. He succeeded Peyton Randolph. Randolph,

157 like John Hancock and Sam Adams, was on the list of condemned rebels who were to be seized and hanged. An armed guard escorted Peyton Randolph back to Virginia. Shortly after Hancock assumed the presidency, General Gage expressed his thoughts on the election. On 13 June, Gage declared martial law and proclaimed “that all who lay down their arms, except Samuel Adams and John Hancock, shall receive a pardon.” On the following day, Congress established the Continental Army and the next day named George Washington as commander-in-chief. Hancock had himself hoped to be named commander-in-chief, but John Adams and others believed that they needed a southerner to command to keep the southern states aligned with the conflict. Afterward, Washington moved to Cambridge, while Congress continued to adjust to open hostilities. On 17 June, the British moved to take Bunker Hill (Breed’s Hill), and at the end of the day, the British held the field after the Patriots had expended their ammunition and had to retire. The British, however, sustained severe casualties, and with the militia from neighboring colonies speeding to the area and the gathering of the Continental Army, it was the British who were immobilized. The siege continued throughout the winter of 1775–1776 until the British were compelled to abandon Boston on 17 March 1776. Hancock traveled to Fairfield, Connecticut, in August and while there, on the 23rd, he married Dorothy. Together, the couple had two children, a daughter who died while an infant and a son who died young. Dorothy was as bold and daring as her husband. She and John’s Aunt Lydia watched the fighting at Lexington from the house. After the battle, Lydia told John that she was returning to her father’s house in Boston and John had forbid her to go due to the British occupation, saying: “No madam, you shall not return as long as a British bayonet remains in Boston.” Lydia was less than intimidated and retorted: “Recollect, Mr. Hancock, I am not under your authority yet. I shall go to my father’s house.” Nonetheless, Aunt Lydia afterward persuaded Dorothy of the great danger. Together, Lydia and Dorothy instead traveled to Fairfield and remained there at the residence of the Rev. Thaddeus Burr. When Dorothy Quincy finally got to return to Boston, she was Dorothy Hancock. On 26 September 1775, John Hancock wrote to Washington to instruct him to select winter quarters for the army. Later that year, Washington wrote to John Hancock to inform him that it was “impossible” to enlist troops who would serve for the duration. On 14 December, Hancock was appointed to the committee that was charged with fitting the armed ships. On 1 January 1776, General Washington reorganized the Continental Army, while Congress continued to devise methods of acquiring supplies and ammunition for the troops. Congress was aware of the great pressures upon it, and without much time for relaxation, the members remained in session at times even on Sundays to cope with the never-ending task of maintaining the government and the armed forces. In February 1776, although John was weighed down with his responsibilities as president of the Congress, Massachusetts commissioned him as a major general of militia. Later that year, as the nation was moving toward declaring independence, Hancock, on 4 June, encouraged the colonies to make preparations to defend against the British and to encourage their citizens “that you will be able to lead them to Victory, To Liberty and to Happiness.” On the Fourth of July, Congress officially declared independence. John Hancock was the only member to sign the document at that time. The other signatures came later, beginning in August 1776. During the ceremony, Hancock stated to Benjamin Franklin: “We must all hang together,” and Franklin quipped: “We must all hang together, or most assuredly we shall each hang separately.” John Hancock’s signature was quite large and recognizable. Legend has it that Hancock also remarked as he was signing the document, “King George can read that without his glasses.”

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Hancock remained president of Congress until 1 November 1777, the month following the surrender of British General John Burgoyne at Saratoga. Poor health prompted Hancock to resign, but he remained in Congress into 1779. During 1778, John recuperated sufficiently that he was able to take command of the militia. He led the Massachusetts troops during the Rhode Island campaign commanded by General John Sullivan during the unsuccessful attempt to retake Newport from the British. A French fleet was to support the offensive, but it did not arrive. The Americans were compelled to retire to the mainland in late August. During 1780, John Hancock was elected governor of Massachusetts, becoming the first governor to serve under the new constitution. Hancock received 11,000 votes out of the 12,281 votes cast for a total of seventeen candidates. He held the post until 1785, when he declined to run for another term He was succeeded by James Bowdoin, who was elected by the legislature. Hancock was also elected as a member of the Massachusetts Constitutional Convention. Meanwhile, Hancock was returned to the Continental Congress and served in 1785 and 1786. He was returned as governor during 1787 and remained in office for the rest of his life. It was during that same year, 1787, that the Constitutional Convention convened in Philadelphia. The United States Constitution was adopted on 17 September 1787, effective upon ratification by nine states. Governor Hancock supported ratification and used all of his persuasive powers to bring it to fruition; however, during the state ratification convention, his gout caused problems that forced him to miss some sessions. Out of the three hundred and sixty delegates, Hancock had been selected to preside over the convention. Nonetheless, he recovered and returned to Congress. Massachusetts ratified the Constitution on 6 February 1788 to become the sixth state to enter the union. John Hancock died unexpectedly on 8 October 1793. His wife, Dorothy Quincy Hancock, remarried several years after the death of John. She married Captain James Scott, who had been a friend of Governor Hancock. Dorothy Hancock Scott died on 3 February 1830.

Hand, Brigadier General Edward Edward Hand, the son of John and Dorothy Hand, was born in Ireland at Clyduff, Kings County, on 31 December 1744. Prior to arriving in the American colonies, Edward was educated in Ireland. His courses at Trinity College in Dublin centered around the medical field. After completing his studies he was reluctant to serve a prolonged apprenticeship of five years, so he entered the military and became a surgeon’s mate with the 18th Royal Irish Regiment, a unit of the British army. Hand’s arrival in America occurred in 1767 (during the French and Indian War) while he was in the military. After arriving at Fort Pitt along the frontier in western Pennsylvania, he left the army (1774) after selling his commission. Shortly thereafter he established residence in the vicinity of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where he later (1785) acquired a farm near the Conestoga River, which he named Rockford (Rock Ford). Hand, once settled in Lancaster, established a medical practice. Despite his service with the British, he quickly became aligned with the colonists, who were increasing their opposition to the actions of Edward Hand (Campaign of 1776, the Crown. By the following year, Henry Phelps Johnston, 1878)

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Edward married, taking Katharine Ewing, the daughter of John and Sarah Ewing, as his wife on 13 March. The couple had eight children: Sarah (b. December 1775, married Samuel Bethel), Dorothy (b. November 1777, married Edward Brien), Katharine (b. December 1779), John (b. March 1782), Jasper (b. February 1784, married, wife unknown), Mary (b. May 1786, died unmarried), Margaret (b. May 1789, died young during 1800) and Edward (b. January 1792). Meanwhile, during 1775, shortly after the Battle of Bunker Hill in Massachusetts, Hand re-entered the military, but not for the English; rather the emerging American army. On 25 June 1775, he was appointed lieutenant colonel of Colonel William Thompson’s Rifle Battalion (formed in Carlisle), which was the initial battalion authorized by the Continental Congress. Colonel Thompson’s commission was also dated 25 June 1775. Without any delay, Thompson and Hand led the battalion to Massachusetts and joined with General George Washington on 14 August. Shortly thereafter, the contingent participated in the siege of British-held Boston. On 14 November 1775, the battalion repelled a British landing at Lachmere’s Point. On 1 January 1776, the Continental Army was reorganized; however, the rifle contingents were not immediately affected, as the enlistments did not expire until 1 July. However, the units were redesignated as Continental Army units. The Pennsylvania Rifle Regiment, formed by William Thompson, with Edward Hand as lieutenant colonel, became the 1st Continental Regiment. It included the attached rifle companies from Virginia and Maryland. Two other companies were detached to participate in the Quebec Campaign. After Colonel Thompson was ordered to New York in conjunction with his promotion to brigadier general, Colonel Hand assumed command of the regiment on 7 March 1776. The regiment under Hand’s command was in the thick of the fighting at Long Island and the exasperating retreat from New York. Afterward there was little leisure time. Colonel Hand’s regiment participated in the Battle of Trenton on 26 December 1776 and during the fighting in the same vicinity on 2 January, when the British unsuccessfully attacked to regain Trenton. During the day’s heavy fighting, the British moved to ford Sabakunk Creek, but Washington had anticipated the move and ordered Hand to defend there, the northern edge of the city’s defenses. The British hit a stone wall as Hand’s troops prevented a crossing for about three hours, before pulling back to a preset position to reinitiate the delaying fire. The superior British force was again stymied for about one hour before Hand ordered his command to withdraw across Assunpink Creek to keep from being surrounded. The unit assigned to cover the retreat, Hitchcock’s brigade, bolted for safety after being struck by German grenadiers and British infantry. While the disorganized brigade was being re-formed, Washington modified his strategy by calling upon artillery, and it rained effective fire that quickly ended the British surge. At about the same time, Colonel John Cadwalader and his Pennsylvania militia and its attached Marine contingent commanded by Major Samuel Nicholas plugged the gap at the bridge and ended the ground fighting, leaving the remainder of the day’s combat to the opposing artillery, while General Charles Cornwallis pondered how his 6,000 troops would finally crush the rebels. During the night of the 2nd–3rd, Washington abandoned his camp, but the fires continued to burn brightly. On the following day, Cornwallis, once again outsmarted by Washington, was defeated at the Battle of Princeton. Hand’s regiment again delivered severe punishment upon the enemy. On the 3rd, General Cornwallis received two surprises. He discovered the American encampment had been abandoned, but there was no time for jubilation. At about the same time, he heard artillery fire and it was not to his front. Washington had maneuvered from where he could bang against the British rear. The left flank was drilled by Colonel Hand’s riflemen, who took a high toll on the Redcoats while Colonel Cadwalader pounded against the opposite flank. The British were compelled to retreat toward New Brunswick, and

the Jersey route to Philadelphia had been sealed. General Sullivan pushed right into Trenton. During the tenacious exchange, General Hugh Mercer was mortally wounded. On 1 April 1777, Colonel Hand and Colonel Charles Scott of Virginia were promoted by Congress to the rank of brigadier general. General Hand’s duty in New Jersey soon ended, and he did not participate in the defense of Philadelphia later that year. On 10 April, Congress directed General Hand to repair to Fort Pitt to assume command of the Western Department (Department of the Frontier) and to maintain the western frontier. He retained the position until 26 May 1778. When he repaired to Fort Pitt, he took his brother-in-law, Major Jasper ( Jesse) Ewing along as his aide-de-camp. General Hand received additional instructions on 15 April 1777. Congress resolved “that 4,000 dollars be advanced to brigadier General Hand, to erect such works at Pittsburg as he shall think necessary, and towards contingent expences; he to be accountable.” In addition to Fort Pitt, slightly less than 250 miles from Britishcontrolled Detroit, General Hand’s command included Fort Henry and Fort Randolph at Wheeling, Virginia (later West Virginia), and several smaller posts. While he was in command at Fort Pitt, his forces were frequently engaged with Loyalists and Indians. Later, on 19 July 1777, Congress resolved that an expedition was to be mounted against British-held Pensacola, Florida, under the command of General Hand; however, the invasion was never executed. During that same month, General Hand was informed by Nonhelema, the sister of Chief Cornstalk, that the British had made a secret treaty with the Indians along the frontier, and she also brought intelligence that Forts Henry (formerly Fort Fincastle) and Randolph at Wheeling, Virginia, were to be attacked. Both forts were contacted and told of the possibility of attack, but after a while, when none came, the garrisons became complacent and some of the militia returned to their homes. On 1 September, the attack against Fort Henry was launched, but the Indians had no British artillery and the thinly manned garrison, supported by women and children, held until reinforcements arrived. Nonetheless, the settlement at Wheeling was devastated. On 26 September, the Indians, led by Half-King, ambushed a contingent commanded by Captain William Foreman at Grave Creek and devastated the column before it could return fire. Foreman and two of his sons were among the dead. The survivors raised strong resistance and were able to get back to Fort Henry. Meanwhile, during autumn 1777, Fort Hand was established to replace Fort Kittanning, which was ordered abandoned, and the garrison of the former moved to the latter. On 20 November 1777, Congress dispatched Colonel Crawford to Fort Pitt to take command, under General Hand, of the continental troops and the militia. Also that month, Cornstalk, while at Fort Randolph after informing the commander of an imminent Indian raid, was murdered by militia along with his son and two other Shawnee. Cornstalk was detained while awaiting word from General Hand, but he was erroneously accused of being part of a conspiracy. However, his information was accurate. The death of Cornstalk caused previously friendly Indians to take up the tomahawk. Cornstalk’s sister was also known as the Grenadier Squaw, but she had another name, Catherine, which she received when she was baptized. Subsequent to the death of Cornstalk, she decided to leave her tribe. Nonhelema, with just under fifty head of cattle, relocated at Fort Randolph and frequently acted as interpreter for the garrison. At the conclusion of the war, she moved to Pittsburgh and requested a land grant, but Congress never took action on her behalf. The frontier remained combustible, but no major confrontations occurred. The Indians launched swift raids against the settlers and the threat of Indian attacks remained high throughout spring of 1778. General Hand requested funds from Congress to construct armed boats for use as patrol boats on the Ohio. He also requested to be

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replaced as commander at Fort Pitt, to which Congress responded affirmatively. On 26 May 1778, Congress appointed Brigadier General Lachlan McIntosh as Hand’s successor. General Hand was appointed commander of the Northern Department on 19 October. He repaired to Albany as successor to General John Stark. Nevertheless, on 20 November, Hand was succeeded by General James Clinton. During the summer of 1779, General Hand’s brigade participated with General Sullivan during his expedition against the Indians, and on 28 August, the brigade departed Tioga for Newton, New York. Three other brigades, those under Generals James Clinton, William Maxwell and Enoch Poor, destroyed Indian villages as they advanced. On the following day, Loyalists and Indians under Major Walter Butler and Chief Joseph Brant respectively were thrashed at the Battle of Newton (Battle of Chemung). During August 1780, General Washington handed command of one of the two recently established light infantry corps to General Hand, with the other corps going to General Enoch Poor. Hand’s corps was attached to General Lafayette’s division. On 8 January 1781, General Hand was appointed adjutant general. He was with General Washington when he departed for Virginia to command the Yorktown Campaign. The party paused at Mount Vernon and from there moved to Williamsburg. General Hand was involved with the preparations and strategy intended to vanquish Lord Charles Cornwallis’ army. He remained an adjutant general for the duration of the conflict. Shortly before he left the service, he received the rank of brevet major general on 30 September 1783, then retired on 3 November. That year, General Hand was elected to Congress (1783–1784). Afterward, he served in the Pennsylvania legislature (1785–1786). His public service after leaving the legislature included his election during 1789 as chief burgess of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. One of his goals at the time was to have Lancaster chosen as the location for the federal capital, but his idea lost out to a different location, one carved out of Maryland and Virginia and called the District of Columbia. In addition, he was a member of the Pennsylvania constitutional convention of 1790 that drew up a new state constitution. In 1798, General Washington was again called upon to command the United States Army, due to the anticipation of imminent war (Quasi War with France). Washington requested that General Hand be reappointed adjutant general of the army. Congress affirmed the appointment. Nevertheless, a land war never occurred. The conflict was confined to the sea. He again retired during 1800. Edward Hand succumbed from cholera at his home (Rockford) in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, on 3 September 1802. He was interred in the St. James Episcopal cemetery in Lancaster. His wife, Katharine, succumbed on 21 June 1805. The family mansion was initially located on 160 acres. It expanded by an additional 15 acres in 1792 and remained in the family until 1810. By the mid–twentieth century, the ancient Georgian styled mansion had long ago lost its elegance and was destined to be reduced to rubble, but a group of people aware of the significance of the property and its link to the past saved it from destruction. The mansion (Rock Ford Plantation) was later restored by the Rock Ford Foundation and it, as well as a museum on the spacious grounds, remains open to the public.

John had married Joan Contee, but details of Joan’s life are unknown. John and Joan had three children: Alexander Contee, Peter Contee and Samuel Contee. John and his son, Alexander Contee, during 1774, were selected as delegates to the General Congress held at Annapolis, and both were appointed as members of the Committee of Observation, with John presiding as presiJohn Hanson (Pictorial Field Book of dent. the Revolution, Benson J. Lossing, 1860) During July 1775, as a member of the Provincial convention, Hanson asserted his position, declaring that British force would be met “by force.” Hanson was engaged in raising troops for Maryland and was involved in the manufacturing of ammunition and gunpowder. He was also a member of the committee of correspondence. Just after the engagement of Bunker Hill, the committee received a letter that requested reinforcements to support the Patriot forces in the vicinity of Boston. Two companies were raised by Hanson and dispatched to Massachusetts. The column, composed of the two companies, commanded by Captains Michael Cresap and Thomas Price, reached Boston on 22 August 1775. In addition, Hanson had donated two hundred pounds sterling to alleviate the problems of the needy in Boston after the Port Bill, which closed the Boston port, was passed during 1774. In June 1775, Hanson was elected treasurer of Frederick County. Maryland was a center of activity, and John Hanson, although more than sixty years old, had totally committed himself to the cause. He was also concerned with Loyalist activity and, as the leader of Frederick County, continually signaled preparedness and ensured that Patrols were vigilant in search of signs of British-Indian incursions along the western frontier. During early 1776, the Maryland Council of Safety appointed Hanson to a committee charged with procuring gold and silver from citizens in the county to help support the war costs. Later that year, on 9 October, Hanson was appointed to a commission established to reorganize the Maryland armed forces and to seek the re-enlistments of the veterans. During 1780, Hanson was elected to the Continental Congress. On 1 March 1781, Maryland, a holdout, finally signed the Articles of Confederation. With Maryland’s concurrence, the thirteen states had completed their path to becoming a nation. On 5 November, Hanson was elected president of the Continental Congress. He succeeded Thomas McKean and served as president until the following November. He was succeeded on 4 November 1782 by Elias Boudinot. John Hanson died at the home of his nephew in Oxen Hill (Prince Georges County), Maryland, on 22 November 1783, about nine months after Britain officially declared an end to the war.

Hanson, John

Henry Harrington was born about 1748 in England, but later he immigrated to the West Indies, where he resided in Jamaica before relocating in the colonies. Initially, Henry established himself in South Carolina along the Pedee (now Pee Dee) River, but afterward he relocated in the Pedee sector of North Carolina in Richmond County, which at the time was a section of Anson County. Prior to moving to North Carolina, Henry married Rosana, the daughter of Major James Auld of Anson County, North Carolina. Their children were Rosana (married Robert Troy); Henry William; James Auld (married Eleanor Wilson); and Harriet (married Belah Strong).

John Hanson was born on 3 April 1715, in Maryland at Mulberry Grove (Charles County). Details of his early life are unclear, but it is thought that he was sent to Europe for his education. In 1757, Hanson was elected to the state assembly as a representative of Charles County. He remained in the assembly until 1758, but later, during 1765, he was returned and served into the following year. After a year out of office, he again returned to the assembly during 1768. Then in 1773, John relocated to Frederick County. He was totally aligned with the Patriots’ cause.

Harrington, Brigadier General Henry

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Henry and Rosana settled in North Carolina in 1776; however, before Henry made the jump to North Carolina, he had secured a commission that gave him a captaincy in St. David’s Parish (Craven County) with command of a volunteer company. His commission was issued on 3 August 1775, and about that same time, Harrington was appointed chairman of the committee of observation of St. David’s Parish. On 25 November 1779, Harrington was appointed colonel of militia in Richmond County (carved from Anson County that year). During the following year, Colonel Harrington saw some action in South Carolina prior to the fall of Charleston (12 May 1780); however, he was not in Charleston when it fell. Nevertheless, other North Carolinians, including General Griffith Rutherford, were among those who were captured. Rutherford, only recently promoted during spring of 1780, was replaced by Harrington, who was promoted to brigadier general. In addition to his military responsibilities, General Harrington also took on political responsibilities after being elected in 1780 to the North Carolina House of Commons as a delegate from Richmond County. Later that year, the Loyalists became active in the area near Cross Creek, and General Harrington, during September, set out with about 500 men drawn from Albemarle and Cape Fear to liquidate the problem. The Loyalists were scattered, and afterward Harrington moved into South Carolina to acquire needed supplies; however, while he had been in the process of quashing the insurrectionists, the House of Commons bypassed him and appointed Colonel William Lee Davidson as brigadier general. The move apparently did not sit well with Harrington, who, after completing his mission, resigned his commission (Salisbury District) during autumn 1781; however, General Harrington is known to have again served in the militia in 1782. While the war raged and General Harrington worked to protect his region against Loyalists and hostile Indians, the Loyalists managed to destroy his home by fire, setting him alongside many other prominent Patriots who lost more than just their fortunes during the war. In addition to setting his home afire and destroying his personal possessions, including a well stocked library, the Loyalists carried away many of his slaves. Nonetheless, after hostilities ended, many of his former slaves found their way back to Harrington’s plantation. Harrington was able to ascertain one of the ringleaders who was responsible for his great loss. After the war he pursued the man in court for damages. The court ruled in his favor and the Loyalists in turn lost everything; however, the fact that he succeeded in placing the Loyalist’s family into poverty caused the general more discomfort. Harrington, when informed that the man’s family was about to be homeless with his acquisition of their property, handed the family the deed for their home, ending their crisis. Another anecdote about the general occurred during the war when two of his escort riders rode ahead while he took a diversionary turn to spend the night at the home of a friend. While traveling to rejoin his men, a highwayman held him up at pistol point. The robber took the general’s money, then returned some, stating that the general might need it to complete his journey. The man who robbed Harrington was detained and arrested, along with a group of Loyalists. Harrington spotted the man who relieved him of only part of his money and inquired what had possessed him to take such a course. If satisfied with his answers, Harrington would ensure that he was not among those hanged. Apparently, Harrington was satisfied. The man was spared and he joined Harrington’s forces to become a loyal soldier to the Patriots’ cause. After the war, General Harrington returned to his estate to rebuild his plantation. In addition, he served in the North Carolina legislature. During 1791, the legislature selected General Harrington as a commissioner charged with selecting the site of the state capital. He was also a trustee of the University of North Carolina, a post to which he was elected during 1789 and held through 1795.

General Henry Harrington succumbed on 31 March 1809 at his residence in Richmond County. Two newspapers, the Raleigh Register and the Raleigh Star, on 13 April 1809, published the identical obituary: Died — At his seat in Richmond County, on the 31st ultimo, in the sixty-second year of his age, General Henry W. Harrington. He was an active and useful officer, and acquired honor in the Revolution which secured to this country its independence. In private life he exercised all the virtues that recommend a man to our confidence and regard. The nicest sense of honor and strictest principles of justice marked every transaction of his life. In his more domestic relations he was eminently amiable — the most tender and affectionate husband, the kindest and most indulgent father, a sincere and zealous friend. His memory will ever be cherished by all the virtuous and good of his acquaintance.

With regard to the general’s sons, William served in the U.S. Navy and in the North Carolina House of Commons. Afterward, he was a member of the state’s constitutional convention of 1835 and sided with those who sought to repeal the parts of the constitution that were targeted against Catholicism for the “removal of this stain on the escutcheon of North Carolina.” James Auld relocated in South Carolina and like his father became a planter.

Harrison, Benjamin (Signer of the Declaration of Independence) Benjamin Harrison was born in Virginia on the family estate (Berkeley Plantation) on 5 April 1726. The origin of the Harrison family in America began about 1640 with the arrival of his great-grandfather, also named Benjamin, who settled in Surrey. Benjamin had several sons, one of whom he named Benjamin, the oldest, and another named Nathaniel. Benjamin of Surrey, the grandfather, acquired a plantation known as Berkeley in Charles City along the James River about 24 miles from Williamsburg. His brother Nathaniel purchased his tract of land along the same river, but slightly more than ten miles below Berkeley Plantation. The estate presented a riverbank view of City Point, the port of both Richmond and Petersburg. Benjamin of Surrey married Elizabeth Burwell of Gloucester, the daughter of Lewis Burwell. Benjamin succumbed during April 1710, when he was about 37 years old. He was survived by his wife, Elizabeth and two children, Benjamin, the father of Benjamin the Signer, and a daughter, Elizabeth (married Peyton Randolph, president of Continental Congress). Benjamin, the son, married Anne Carter, the daughter of Robert Carter, known as King Carter of Carotoman (Lancaster County, Virginia). The marriage ended in tragedy when Benjamin was about thirtyseven years old. A storm struck and Benjamin, along with two of his daughters were each killed when lightning struck the home. Benjamin was survived by his wife, six sons and two daughters. Their sons were: Benjamin, Charles, Nathaniel, Henry, Colin and Carter. Their daughters were Betty and Anne. Benjamin (the Signer), the Benjamin Harrison (Biographical oldest of the boys, had been Sketches of the Signers of the Declaraattending William and Mary tion of Independence, Benson J. LossCollege in Williamsburg ing, 1854)

161 when the fatal accident occurred. Subsequent to the death of his father and prior to graduation, he returned home to Charles City to assist his mother, Anne (daughter of the king’s surveyor general), and to take over the responsibilities of the estate. By that time, the family had become acquainted with another prominent family of Virginia, the Randolphs. Benjamin later became the brother-in-law of both Peyton and William Randolph. One of his sisters, Betty, married Peyton and another, Anne, married William. Like his father before him, Benjamin Harrison became a member of the provincial legislature and was seated in the House of Burgesses, although he was known to be younger than the minimum age stipulated by law to qual. By that time, he had married Elizabeth Bassett, the daughter of Colonel William and Elizabeth Churchill Bassett of Kent County. Seven of their children, three sons and four daughters, lived past their infancy. They were: Benjamin III (married Anne Mercer and later Sussannah Randolph); Carter Bassett (married Mary Howell Allen and later Jane Byrd); William Henry (married Anne Symmes; he became major general, 9th president of the United States, and great-grandfather of Benjamin Harrison, 23rd president); Lucy (married her cousin Peyton Randolph, a nephew of Peyton Randolph, the initial president of Continental Congress, and then Anthony Singleton); Elizabeth (1752, married Doctor William Rickman and later John Edmondson); Anne (1758, married David O. Copeland); and Sarah (married John Minge). While his family was growing, his business ventures also prospered. He invested in constructing ships and in shipping, but not at the loss of farming. He eventually owned eight separate plantations and some other tracts. During 1764, Benjamin was one of the house (burgesses) members appointed to draw up an address to King George III and to Parliament with respect to the recent resolutions passed in the mother country. His conspicuous opposition did not lead to offering his support to Patrick Henry’s resolutions of the following year, which included violent resistance if required. Harrison had been a member of the house since about 1749 and frequently acted as speaker. Nevertheless, as time passed, the split between the colonies and the motherland widened beyond the point of reconciliation. Harrison then gave his complete support to the Patriots’ cause. Harrison remained in the House of Burgesses until Governor Lord Dunmore ( John Murray, 4th Earl) dissolved it during his waning days as royal governor. In August 1774, Benjamin Harrison was one of seven men appointed as delegates to the Continental Congress. Harrison arrived in Philadelphia at Congress on 5 September. He and Braxton Carter became two of the most conservative members of the Virginia delegation. Other Virginians were Richard Bland and Patrick Henry. A Virginian, Peyton Randolph, Harrison’s brother-in-law, was elected as president of the First Continental Congress. The representatives maintained strict secrecy regarding the proceedings. While Congress was in session, it declared support for Massachusetts and created a “Declaration of Colonial Rights” in response to a series of eleven acts passed by Parliament since 1760. Congress adjourned on 20 October. Early the next year, on 20 March 1775, Harrison was among the members of the Virginia convention that assembled in Richmond. The delegates decided to establish a military force to prepare to defend the colony. Prior to adjournment of the convention, Harrison was again appointed a delegate to Congress. All the while, Lord Dunmore had publicly and strongly opposed the convention and described the activity as being “highly displeasing to his majesty” King George III. He also declared that the convention was to cease. Nonetheless, the Patriots continued with the business of the convention and elected their delegates in defiance of Dunmore. The turmoil in Virginia caused the president of Congress, Peyton Randolph, to relinquish his position to return home. On the 24 May

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1775, John Hancock succeeded him as president, with a little playful help from Harrison. John Hancock was reluctant to take the president’s chair due to a combination of the huge responsibility attached to the office and his natural modesty. Harrison, who had been standing nearby, moved quickly and literally lifted Hancock into the air, then placed him into the chair, saying: “We will show mother Britain how little we care for her, by making a Massachusetts man our president, whom she has excluded from pardon by a public proclamation.” At the time Hancock was a hunted man, and if caught, he was subject to be hanged. At the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia, on 26 June 1775, Benjamin Harrison was appointed to the committee charged with preparing the militia for the anticipated hostile action by the British. The resolution, passed on Saturday, the 24th, stated “that a Committee of seven be appointed to devise ways and means to put the Militia of America in a proper state for the defence of America.” Congress adjourned on 1 August, and afterward, Harrison was again appointed as a delegate. He took his seat on 13 September. He was appointed on 30 September to a committee charged with going to New England to consult with General George Washington. By mid–October, more than 22,000 troops had been encamped in Massachusetts, far more than the number initially proposed by Congress. On the 29th of November, Congress established the Committee of Correspondence, the initial foreign intelligence organization established in the United States. Benjamin Harrison, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Johnson (a delegate from Maryland) were appointed to the committee. In the meantime, the fluid situation in Virginia caused concern in Congress. At that time Virginia still had no genuine military defenses on either land or sea, and the royal governor, Lord Dunmore had been ousted from office. On 8 June he boarded the HMS Fowey. Congress looked upon Harrison for direction and dispatched him to his home state to oversee the operations in reaction to Dunmore. While back in Virginia, he succeeded in having a small flotilla fitted out with arms. After arriving back in Philadelphia, Harrison, during January 1776, was appointed to a committee charged with establishing a department of war. In a coordinated effort, Harrison and others traveled to New York to confer with General Charles Lee and to map out a plan to defend New York. By March, Harrison was a supporter of the congressional action that authorized letters of marque and reprisal, a power reserved for the sovereign. And during June of 1776, he was sitting on the first meeting of the Board of War. By the time of the Declaration of Independence, Harrison had already chaired several committees of importance and gained much wisdom regarding the affairs of the struggling Congress. He firmly supported the Declaration, voted in favor of it, and afterward, affixed his signature to the parchment document, an act that catapulted him and the other signers into a period of peril. If caught they were subject to hanging. At the time of the signing, despite the solemnity of the occasion, Harrison’s sense of humor again emerged. He glanced at Elbridge Gerry, over whom he towered, and said: “When the hanging scene comes to be exhibited, I shall have all the advantage over you. It will be over with me in a minute, but you will be kicking in the air, half an hour after I am gone.” His words were not prophetic. Both he and Gerry avoided capture and execution. On 11 August, Benjamin Harrison’s term in Congress ended. He returned to his home state and by the time he arrived, Virginia had already adopted a new state constitution, which brought about eight councilors of state, and he had been selected as one of them. Subsequently, when Virginia decided on delegates to the next Congress, the number was reduced from seven to five. Harrison was not among the chosen number. Stories still linger that he was omitted due to political differences circling around his support of a Doctor Rickman for a

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position as physician for the continental hospital, but there seems to be no evidence to support the theory. Harrison was heralded by his peers for his service in Congress as well as in Virginia. Upon the resignation of Thomas Jefferson from Congress to become Virginia’s governor, Harrison was elected to succeed him. The vote, taken on 10 October 1776, passed with only five members withholding their support. In less than one month, following a three-month absence, Harrison again took his seat in Congress on 5 November. His colleagues immediately took action to make use of his skills. They placed him back on the Board of War and to each of the committees that he had previously been a member of. Benjamin was not one of the fiery orators, but he was a serious contributor to the business of Congress and participated in many committees, including foreign affairs and financial, as well as chairing the committee of the whole in 1776–1777. Harrison soon received an opportunity to prove he was agile when Philadelphia became imperiled. He and the others fled to Baltimore and were able to return only after General Washington scored the great victory at Trenton in December 1776. Later, on 22 May 1777, Virginia again elected Harrison as a delegate to Congress by both houses of the legislature. It wasn’t too long before Congress was again compelled to hurriedly depart Philadelphia. The British encroached, and on 18 September, the members headed to Lancaster, where they paused temporarily before moving on to York. Toward the end of the year, Benjamin Harrison retired from Congress and returned to Virginia, where he resumed his position in the House of Burgesses. His colleagues elected him as speaker of the House, a position he retained until 1782. During his time in the House, Virginia had been targeted for raids by the British. Benedict Arnold, subsequent to his betrayal of the nation, arrived at Hampton Roads on 30 December 1780. Afterward, the British caused some chaos in the state to disrupt even the legislature, which was forced to jump from town to town to convene. However, no major confrontations occurred, and the slimly numbered militia was the primary resistance, as many of the Virginians were at the time with George Rogers Clark in the West. Initially, help was sought from the Continental Army, but Harrison was unable to get it, as Washington was unwilling to sacrifice total victory to defend his native state. Later, however, American troops under Lafayette arrived to check Arnold and British General William Phillips. In the meantime, Lord Charles Cornwallis arrived in Virginia from the South, but it was there in Yorktown that the master stroke was struck and Lord Cornwallis capitulated during October 1781. Subsequently, during 1782, after the resignation of Governor Thomas Nelson, Benjamin Harrison was elected governor and then re-elected twice. He was the fourth successive governor of the state who had also been a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Any additional term was prohibited by the state’s constitution. His terms were described as very successful; however, his political adversaries remained active. Also, during his first term, he became concerned about the river defenses and authorized Brigadier General George Rogers Clark to prepare patrol boats for a mission on the Ohio River. Clark informed Harrison in May that he had two gondolas ready to be armed and that he had one galley near completion. He initiated the project at Fort Nelson at the Falls of the Ohio in Louisville, Kentucky. A contingent of Virginia Marines served aboard the Miami; the second vessel never received an official name. The galley proved of no value. Nonetheless, the Miami had a positive effect on the enemy. A large force of British and Indians were preparing to attack Wheeling, but upon sight of the Miami, the force abandoned the effort and retired. Around early September 1782, the Miami was sunk in the vicinity of Louisville. Subsequent to Harrison’s terms as governor, he was nominated for the legislature. Around that time his adversaries struck. They used one of his earlier actions (when he ordered militia to reduce the embankments at Yorktown) to defeat him. After the setback, Harrison moved

across the James River to Surrey, and once there he was elected to the legislature from that district. His political adversaries, who gained temporary jubilation after preventing Harrison from serving in the legislature, were soon greeted with a stunning surprise. Harrison was elected speaker of the House to the chagrin of his opponents. Subsequent to the adoption of the U.S. Constitution during September 1787, Harrison was a member and chair of the Virginia convention of 1788, which was to ratify the Constitution. He opposed particular items in the document, but following amendments, he supported its ratification. The majority of the members opposed the document, but Harrison and others siding with him were able to persuade the majority to postpone their opposition, ratify the Constitution and afterward seek modifications. Although in poor health, Harrison was nominated as governor during 1790. He declined, aware of a political ploy to use him to defeat his friend and ally, Beverly Randolph. Even Benjamin’s son, Carter, a legislator at the urging of his father, voted against him. Consequently, Beverly Randolph was re-elected. Harrison was, however, despite his poor health, again elected to the legislature. Although Harrison’s health continued to deteriorate with ongoing bouts with the gout, he maintained an active life at home and continued to entertain friends. In addition to keeping up with his reading, he also spent much time with his two pets, a spaniel and a cat, the latter described as “large.” He found joy in teaching them some tricks. During April 1791, Harrison became extremely ill from his condition, but for a while, seemed to recover. He held a gathering and was in good spirits, enjoying the company, but the illness struck again. Some medicines were prepared for him while awaiting the arrival of his doctor. A servant arrived at his side and explained that his medicines had been prepared, and he responded: “And here is a dying man.” Benjamin Harrison succumbed on the following day, 24 April 1791. He was interred in the family cemetery on the Berkeley Plantation. During his lifetime, Benjamin, blessed with a great sense of humor enshrined around his large frame, had been known for enjoying his life of wealth and luxury and his taste for fine wines and excellent food, which gained for him the nickname “Falstaff of Congress.” Nonetheless, he had also gained a reputation for integrity and high patriotism as well as his staunch commitment to the cause when he risked his fortune and honor during 1776. His son, William Henry Harrison of Ohio, was elected the ninth president of the United States in 1840. William Henry was inaugurated on 3 March 1841, but soon after he came down with pneumonia and succumbed one month later on 4 April 1841. Benjamin’s great-grandson, also named Benjamin Harrison (of Ohio) was elected 23rd president of the United States in 1888. He served as president during 1889–1893. The Berkeley Plantation was the place occupied by Union troops during 1862, while Confederate forces were posted on the opposite bank of the James. It was at that time that Union General Daniel Butterfield composed “Taps.” The Berkeley Plantation is one of the colonial plantations along the James River that remains standing and open to the public. Also, some of the Harrison family contend that their ancestry links back to a Thomas Harrison, who had been a butcher in England and later discarded his profession to enter the military and serve as an officer with Oliver Cromwell, the Protector, and as one of the Regicides; however, there is no evidence to support the connection and it is thought to be erroneous.

Hart, John (Signer of the Declaration of Independence) John Hart, the son of Edward Hart, a veteran of the French and Indian War, was born about 1711 in Stonington, Connecticut, and by the following year, his father moved from Connecticut to Hopewell, New Jersey, where he acquired a large estate and lived as a farmer. During the conflict with France, Edward Hart organized a military unit known as the Jersey Blues. John also took up farming; however, he

163 spent no time in the military during his early life. Upon the death of his father, he inherited an extremely large estate. In the meantime, he had married Deborah Scudder (1740) and together they raised a family of thirteen. Along the way, John Hart had also begun to expand his property with the acquisition of mills, and he became involved with the local community. His character and integrity were clear and not in the least ostentatious, which earned him a nickname, “Honest John,” among his friends and neighbors in Hunterdon County. Although he had no formal education in law, Hart, prior to his ascendancy as a delegate to the Continental Congress, had held the position of justice of the peace and of county judge (court of common pleas). Hart also dedicated himself to the improvement of the region by working with local legislators on projects involving construction of roads and bridges, as well as introducing additional seminaries into the area. Later, he entered politics. During 1761, he was elected to the New Jersey Assembly, and as the rift between the colonies and Britain widened, he remained solidly with the cause of the patriots. During 1765, in reaction to the Stamp Act, Hart was involved in the selection process that approved and sent delegates to New York to participate in the congress held there during October. Although at the time, independence was not a priority to the colonists, it was declared at the assembly that taxation by the king and Parliament without representation was tyranny. In 1774, Hart participated as a member of the state’s Provincial Congress and the succeeding ones through 1776 in positions including the Committee of Correspondence, Council of Safety, and as vice president. During July 1774, Hart was selected as a delegate to the First Continental Congress. He was elected during January 1775 as a delegate to the Second Continental Congress. He easily crossed the Delaware River on 10 May and attended sessions until Congress adjourned during August, but he remained on his farm when Congress reconvened during September. Due to his advancing years and his personal affairs, he requested that his resignation be accepted, and during November 1775, it was. Nonetheless, during the following year, just before the great discussion regarding the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, Hart and four other men were selected to replace the delegates who were in attendance. Hart arrived during early July, which placed him in that body when the vote for independence was taken on 4 July 1776. At the time, Hart was more than sixty years old, but still of keen mind and well aware of the dangers he placed upon himself and his family, particularly with an imminent threat by the British. It did not take too long for Hart to become a recipient of the repercussions of the Declaration. Following the Battle of Long Island, the British prepared to jump the Delaware to initiate the drive to Philadelphia to quash the rebellion. Much of New Jersey was plundered and John Hart’s property was among the debris. Fortunately, Hart’s children were able to evade harm and escape prior to the arrival of the British, but his wife, Deborah, had been too sick to even attempt escape. Hart, himself, barely escaped capture because he was with his wife, who was near death when the raiders descended upon the property with the intent of seizing Hart. He bolted into the woods John Hart (National Park Service)

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with Redcoats giving chase. Nevertheless, despite his age, he was able to outrun the pursuers and lose them in the brush. The days that followed continued to bring ill-fortune to Hart. He had to jump from one place to another on a daily basis and be prepared to even seek refuge in caves to avoid capture. Unable to stay in one place for any length of time, the constant threat of capture did little for his health. Finally, General George Washington checked the British advance with his stunning victory at Trenton during December of 1776 and with the unexpected stamina of the Continental Army at Princeton in early January 1777. The defeats forced the British to postpone their advance and withdraw most of their forces to New York, relieving Hart of his role as fugitive. In the meantime, Hart’s wife, Deborah, died on 8 October 1776. All the while he was under enormous stress and had opportunities to renounce the cause and pledge loyalty to the king for a pardon, but Hart never wavered from his decision as a signer of the Declaration. With the departure of the British, he was able to reassemble his family; however, the scars of the experience were never erased. Hart was able to reinitiate his life at Hopewell, but not for a prolonged period. By May of 1777, evidence survived that material from his mills had been salvaged. Congress on 7 May 1777, after having learned that material at Hart’s mill had been saved from the British, resolved: “That the quarter master general, and his deputies, deliver to John Hart, Esqr. all such cloth as he or they may have in their possession, taken from Mr. Hart’s fulling-mills, near Rocky Hill, in New Jersey, in December last; and also account and pay for all the cloth taken from thence, which has been used and cannot be delivered.” Hart again became a member of the New Jersey Assembly and served during 1777–1778; however, illness forced him to resign. He had celebrated when he learned of the defeat of the British at Saratoga in October 1777, and the accompanying surrender of British General John Burgoyne’s entire army. He also found some jubilation upon learning that the British under General Henry Clinton abandoned Philadelphia during June 1778. While the British were retreating through New Jersey with the Continental Army in pursuit, the columns were traversing near Hart’s farm. On 22 June, General Washington shared a meal with Hart, while more than 10,000 troops were encamped in the fields making preparations for a major clash with Clinton at Monmouth. On that same day, Washington held a council of war at the Hart House. The army remained there until 22 June and afterward advanced to strike the British. Essentially, John Hart, pledged his life, fortune and sacred honor and paid a high price for his devotion to his country, but he was able to witness some fruits of his great sacrifices, including the alliance with France, but his health gave out before he could participate in the great celebration that followed the surrender of General Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown during October 1781. John Hart succumbed on 11 May 1779 at age sixty-nine. Although the British ravaged Hart’s farm, his contributions, along with those of the other fearless Patriots who signed the Declaration, brought about the greatest harvest a small band of men could produce by spreading the contagious seeds of liberty, a free and independent nation. John Hart, a Presbyterian, was interred in the First Baptist church cemetery in Hopewell.

Hart (Heart), Brigadier General Selah Selah Hart, the son of Nathaniel and Abigail Hooker Hart, was born in Connecticut at Kensington on 23 May 1732. Selah’s mother was the daughter of John Hooker. Selah married Mary Cole, the daughter of Stephen and Abigail Hart Cole of Kensington, on 4 March 1754. Selah and Mary had one child, Mary, but she died young. In addition, Selah’s young wife also died prematurely. Selah remarried on 22 December 1763, taking Ruth, the daughter of Matthew and Mary Newell Cole, also of Kensington, as his second wife. Selah and Ruth had no children; however, Selah adopted his brother’s son, Cyprian (Hart),

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the son of Nathaniel and Martha Norton Hart. Selah had established his residence in the vicinity of where his grandfather, Elijah Hart, lived. In 1775, Hart joined the militia, and following the clashes at Lexington and Concord, he served as a officer. That year, Hart was charged by the General Court with responsibility of acquiring lead to be used by the militia of the state. Hart served as a captain in Colonel (later general and governor) Oliver Wolcott’s regiment, and he participated in the siege of British-held Boston. Subsequent to the British evacuation of Boston on 17 March 1776, he participated in various actions during the defense of New York. On 20 June 1776, Hart was appointed lieutenant colonel in Colonel Fisher Gay’s 15th Connecticut Regiment. Gay was killed during the action in New York, the Connecticut Assembly appointed Hart as colonel of the regiment and Noadiah Hooker as lieutenant colonel. During that same period, when New York was abandoned, a contingent under Hart got caught in a squeeze by the British after the Redcoats landed to their front and blocked passage, preventing the regiment from rejoining the main body of the retreating forces. Colonel Hart was captured in September 1776 and held until exchanged the next March. During his captivity, the British never acknowledged that Hart was a prisoner, leaving the authorities and his wife unaware of his fate, with the latter believing he had been killed. Colonel Hart was exchanged and resumed his service with the militia, and he remained in active service until the close of hostilities. During 1779, Colonel Hart was promoted to brigadier general of militia. That year, his force focused on the defense of the state, and similarly to other states, ammunition was always a priority, along with salt. While Hart’s command was deployed in the vicinity of Farmington in July, he dispatched a party to acquire powder at Glastonberry from George Stocking, who operated a powder manufacturing facility. The authorization signed by Hart said: “Sir / Please to deliver to the barer [sic] Mr Hinsdale ten hundred wait [sic] of powder and take his recaite [sic] therefore — Farmington ... / To Mr Joseph Temple at Glastonbury.” The back of the back authorization slip read: “Rec’d — one thousand and fourty two weight one quarter of Powder to deliver to General Hart for the use of this State — Elijah Hinsdale.” Subsequent to the close of hostilities, General Hart resumed his civilian life. In 1785, the newly incorporated town of Kingston convened its first town meeting, and Hart presided as moderator. At that time, General Hart was selected as town treasurer and as one of three selectmen, along with Elijah Buckley and David Mather. He also was appointed to a 5-man committee charged with “settling accounts with Farmington and Berlin” from which Kensington was carved. He was named to the committee charged with drawing the boundary lines of Kensington. General Hart was a delegate to the state convention in 1788 that adopted the U.S. Constitution. General Selah Hart died at Kensington on 10 June 1806. His wife, Ruth (b. 29 October 1742), survived him and lived until 15 January 1844. At the time of her death, Ruth was “aged one hundred and one years, two months, and sixteen days.” Cyprian Hart, the adopted son of Selah and Ruth, predeceased his mother on 1 March 1806. His family, including his widow, Lucy Hooker Hart, inherited the estate. Ruth Hart and her daughter-in-law continued to reside at the Hart House.

Hazen, Brigadier General Moses Moses Hazen, the son of Moses and Abigail White Hazen, was born in Haverhill, Massachusetts, on 1 June 1733. Moses’ mother was the daughter of John and Lydia Gilman White. Abigail had a twin brother, Joseph (died young), and she was one of fourteen children. The family was of Puritan stock. In addition, Moses, Sr., and Abigail had the following children: Abigail (b. January 1728–1729, married Moses Moors; became the mother of General Benjamin Moors of New York); John (b. August 1731, married Ann Swett of Haverhill); Anna (b. July

1735, married Robert Peasley); William (b. July 1738, married Sarah LeBaron of Plymouth; they had sixteen children); and Sarah (b. during 1770s, married Major Nathaniel Merrill of Haverhill). The records of Moses’ early life and education were undiscovered by the author; however, it would appear that he did receive a good education. When the French and Indian War erupted, he became an officer in the British army and participated in several campaigns, including Crown Point, Louisbourg (1758), and he fought at the decisive Battle of Quebec (1759). At Quebec, Hazen sustained a severe wound that required hospitalization. He was a member of Rogers’ Rangers during the campaign against Quebec. Hazen remained loyal to the Crown after the war, and he settled in the vicinity of St. Johns, Nova Scotia. Hazen also was able to retain his lieutenant’s commission, although at half-pay. While residing in Canada, Moses married Charlotte La Saussee, but the couple had no children. He used his skills to amass a huge fortune by selling supplies to the British. At the outbreak of the American Revolution, the British used him as a spy. He was directed to monitor movements of the Americans, but in addition, he intentionally deceived the Americans by feeding them erroneous information regarding British troop strength in Canada. Nevertheless, by the time General Richard Montgomery initiated the Canadian Campaign, Hazen apparently had a change of heart. The merchant increased his clientele by selling supplies to the Americans, an act not taken to kindly by the British. Once aware of Moses’ actions, they retaliated by burning his home, ransacking his businesses and confiscating his property. For Hazen, the British provided the incentive for him to return his loyalty to his country of birth and join the Patriots. He was commissioned a colonel of the 2nd Canadian Regiment on 22 January 1776. Hazen raised a regiment (not full strength) which was known as the 2nd Continental Regiment; however, it was also dubbed “Congress’ Own and Hazen’s Own.” By the action of Congress, Hazen’s regiment was separate from the quotas of any state, which brought about the name. Moses was elected colonel and Edward Antil was elected lieutenant colonel. Hazen raised about 500 troops, but when the regiment arrived in Albany in August 1776, its numbers had been reduced to less than 100 men. After arriving in Albany, Hazen and Antil repaired to Philadelphia to seek help from Congress. The Congress authorized Hazen to raise troops in any or all of the states. Once in the Continental Army, Colonel Hazen immediately became a loyal officer, and he served meritoriously throughout the war. Nevertheless, he did not get along with Benedict Arnold, who lambasted Hazen with allegations of insubordination during the Canadian Campaign. Hazen’s record discounts Arnold’s accusations. Arnold had Hazen arrested for disobeying orders, and he received a court-martial. Colonel Philip Van Courtlandt was appointed to the board. Hazen was acquitted of the charges and Van Courtland reported later that Arnold should have been arrested due to his actions, including misappropriation of goods seized in Montreal from merchants, and Arnold’s “improper conduct before the court.” During 1777, Hazen’s regiment participated in the defense of Philadelphia, including the Battles of Brandywine (11 September) and of Germantown (4 October). In August, the regiment participated in the raid led by General John Sullivan against Staten Island. Later, during November 1778, Congress rejected the continuation of Colonel Timothy Bedel’s regiment in the service of the Continental Army. Consequently, responsibility for the sector that encompassed western Grafton fell to Colonel Hazen’s regiment. Hazen’s command operated as rangers, but in the service of the Continental Army. Although Bedel left the field, he remained committed to the cause, and he remained a close friend of Hazen’s. Bedel focused on gathering and distributing supplies, but he later re-entered the service as a brigadier general of militia.

165 During spring of 1779, an attempt was made to gather the units of Benjamin Whitcomb’s rangers to deploy at Haverhill; however, they were too widely scattered. Instead, Hazen’s 2nd Regiment moved to Haverhill and his continental contingent, composed of about 600 men and officers, was ordered to move to the Lower Coos. Subsequent to the departure of Hazen’s regiment, the frontier became the responsibility of a regiment commanded by Colonel Moses Nichols, but shortly thereafter, Nichols was ordered to West Point. At that time, the available troops under the command of Major Benjamin Whitcomb held responsibility for the frontier. In the meantime, following the service at Haverhill, Colonel Hazen during autumn of that year was ordered to Congress to submit his plan for a new invasion of Canada. Some officers were in favor of a new offensive and various ideas were considered. Hazen’s blueprint was presented, but the invasion was eventually canceled. His regiment deployed at Fishkill, New York, and remained there during the winter of 1780–1781. From there, it moved to West Point, but from there Hazen repaired to Virginia to participate in the Yorktown Campaign against Lord Charles Cornwallis, who surrendered his army during October 1781. At Yorktown, Hazen commanded a brigade (Lafayette’s division). After the capitulation of Cornwallis, Hazen’s regiment was ordered to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, with orders to guard British prisoners. Following that duty, Hazen’s regiment moved to New York for its final service. Furloughs began during June 1783, and by November the regiment, at White Plains, was disbanded. Another of Hazen’s contributions to the cause was the construction of the Bailey-Hazen Military Road at the behest of General George Washington. Congress awarded Colonel Hazen the rank of brevet brigadier general on 29 June 1781. He remained in the army until June 1783 and afterward relocated in Vermont. After the French and Indian War, Hazen’s brother John, Timothy Bedell and Jacob Kent paused in Vermont while en route to their homes in Massachusetts. Afterward, they sought to receive grants, and they enlisted the help of General Moses Hazen and others. Consequently, the towns of Newbury and Haverhill, Vermont, were established during 1763. It was Jacob Bailey who suggested to General Washington that a road be cut to shorten the route by about ten days and nearly 75 miles for reinforcements moving into Canada, and it was Bailey who initiated the work at the direction of Washington to establish a road from Vermont leading to St. Johns, Canada. Hostile Indians and British forces compelled Bailey to suspend the project, which by that time had been cut through to a point beyond Peacham, but it was later completed by General Moses Hazen, who cut the highway through to Hazen’s Notch. (See also, Bailey [Bayley], Brigadier General Jacob.) Hazen again moved, and relocating Troy, New York, on a tract that he received for his service in the war. General Hazen succumbed in Troy on 3 February 1803. His widow received from Congress a grant of just under 1,000 acres and a pension of $200 for life. She died during 1827.

Heard, Brigadier General Nathaniel Nathaniel Heard was born in Woodbridge (Middlesex County), New Jersey, during 1730. He married Mary Ford, also of Woodbridge, on 14 February 1752. Nathaniel and Mary had seven children. The three sons were John (married Mary, a daughter of Samuel Sargant of Amboy; also served in Sheldon’s Dragoons and rose to rank of general); James (served in Revolution; married a daughter of General Daniel Morgan); William (never married, died by suicide subsequent to the death of his father). The author was unable to discover the names of General Heard’s four daughters. During the winter of 1774–1775, subsequent to the close of the Provincial Congress, Nathaniel Heard was appointed to the Woodbridge committee of observation. The British

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clashed with the Patriots at Lexington and Concord on 19 April 1775, and on 24 April, word reached Middlesex County. The general committee of correspondence convened at New Brunswick and it was decided to call a Provincial Congress to convene on 23 May. Heard was a delegate of Middlesex County. The Congress decided upon a 14-man committee of safety, and Heard was appointed to the committee as a representative of Middlesex County. He was one of the first men in New Jersey to race to the field. He raised a contingent of troops and committed them to the committee of safety and the Provincial Congress. Heard became colonel of the 1st Middlesex Regiment and later commanded a battalion of Minute Men, followed by command of a battalion that became known as Heard’s Battalion. He commanded with the rank of brigadier general; however; the rank of brigadier general of militia was not awarded until 12 February 1777. In November 1775, Heard was appointed as colonel (New Jersey militia) and by the following year, he was charged with responsibility of offering the royal governor a choice between parole or confinement. Prior to dealing with Governor William Franklin, the Provincial Congress ordered Heard to lead his force of militia into Long Island to search out Loyalists and relieve them of their arms. Initially, Congress preferred William Livingston as the commander of the troops that were to be sent to New York, but he declined and Congress gave the command to Colonel Heard. A New England contingent under Colonel David Waterbury was to participate but was cancelled. The mission, launched during February, succeeded. Loyalists discovered in various towns, including Hempstead, Jamaica, and Oyster Bay, retained an unfavorable memory of Heard’s hunt. Another Patriot from Middlesex, John Neilson, raised a company, and it was placed under the command of Colonel Heard. Neilson, as captain, participated in the Long Island mission and was later that year promoted to colonel (later brigadier general) of militia with command of the 2nd Middlesex Regiment. Colonel Heard apprehended nineteen Loyalist leaders and transported them to Philadelphia, and from there they were transferred to New York. Shortly after the Long Island raid, Heard was called upon for another task. He was directed to repair to the residence of New Jersey’s royal governor, William Franklin. Heard’s orders were clear. He was directed to offer Franklin a parole, but if the conditions were not agreed upon by the governor, he was to be arrested. On the night of 17–18 June 1776, at midnight, a contingent of continental troops under Captain Nathaniel Heard arrived at an estate (The Heritage) in Perth Amboy, where the royal governor and his family resided. Governor William Franklin, the son of Benjamin Franklin, was arrested. The parole that Franklin declined said: I, William Franklin, being apprehended by an order of the Provincial Congress of New Jersey, do promise and engage on my word and honor, and on the faith of a gentleman, to depart within two days from hence to ———, in the Province of New Jersey, being the place of my destination and residence, and there, or within six miles thereof, to remain during the present war between Great Britain and the said United Colonies, or until the Congress of the said United Colonies, or the Assembly, Convention, or Committee, or Council of Safety of the said Colony, shall order otherwise, and that I will not directly or indirectly give any intelligence whatsoever to the enemies of the United Colonies, or do or say any thing in opposition to or in prejudice of the measures and proceedings of any Congress for the said Colonies, during the present troubles, or until I am duly discharged. Given under my hand this day of A.D. 1776.

Franklin’s wife remained on the estate for a short time after her husband’s detainment, but departed after a while, and the Continental Army used the residence as headquarters. Congress ordered Franklin to be transported to Connecticut and placed in the custody of Governor Jonathan Trumbull. Franklin was detained (lived in residence of Captain Ebenezer Grant) until 1778. He arrived in New York after

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exchange on 1 November and remained there until August 1782, when he embarked for England. In the meantime, just before Colonel Heard’s raid, Congress had asked New Jersey to commit more than 3,000 troops to bolster the defenses of New York. The New Jersey forces, including Heard’s command, fought under the command of General Nathanael Greene and participated in various contests, including the Battles of Brooklyn and the succeeding skirmishes in New York, including White Plains in October 1776 after New York City was evacuated by the Continental Army the month before. General Heard participated in the Battle of Trenton on 26 December 1776 and the Battle of Princeton and 3 January 1777. Following the contest at Princeton, Heard’s forces were deployed in the vicinity of Morristown. The regiment participated in various skirmishes with the British and Loyalists throughout the summer. During the following year, after the British abandoned Philadelphia ( June 1778), General Heard’s command participated in the Battle of Monmouth on 28 June as the British fought their way back to New York. The contest at Monmouth was the final major battle in the northern states. Nevertheless, General Heard remained active for the duration. For his service to his state and the nation, the British retaliated. General Heard’s residence was burned to the ground and his other structures were destroyed in similar fashion. The enemy carried away his stores of hay, wheat and other food supplies. Following his service in the military, General Heard returned to civilian life. He was appointed marshal of New Jersey, and following the adoption of the U.S. Constitution, General Heard became the revenue agent at Amboy. He succumbed on 28 October 1792.

Heath, Major General William William Heath, the son of Samuel and Elizabeth Payson Heath, was born on 2 March 1737 in Roxbury, Massachusetts. As a youth, William held interest in agriculture and military tactics. His entry into politics occurred during 1761 when he became a member of the Massachusetts General Court as a delegate from Roxbury. On the 19 April 1759, William had married Sarah Lockwood of Cambridge. Together, they had five children, four sons and one daughter. In 1765, the year the Stamp Act was passed by British parliament, Heath became a member of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company in Boston, and shortly thereafter, at the request of the commander of the 1st Regiment of militia (Suffolk), Heath was appointed commander of the colonel’s company. He was afterward promoted to lieutenant and then to captain. During that period, a friendship developed between Heath and Royal Governor Francis Bernard. Heath had been a farmer, but he had also trained himself on such things as military tactics. Despite the growing friendship with the governor, Heath retained a strong commitment to the colonies as the relationship with Great Britain continued to deteriorate. At the time of the Boston Massacre, Heath flexed his literary muscles regarding British power and on several occasions issued pieces to encourage the citizens to familiarize themselves with weapons. The addresses were signed “A Military Countryman.” An unintended consequence from his opposition to the Crown’s policies was his ouster from the Suffolk militia by Governor Thomas Hutchinson, the successor to Governor Bernard, the latter having been recalled to England during 1769. Nevertheless, the reorganization of the Suffolk militia by Hutchinson backfired, as the troops demanded that they appoint their own officers. They elected Heath as colonel. Heath’s popularity continued to grow. During 1771, he was re-elected to the General Court, and during 1774, he was elected as a delegate to the First Provincial Congress of Massachusetts, which convened during 1774–1775, and he was appointed to the committee of safety. In February 1775, Heath was appointed brigadier general of militia by the provincial assembly.

The colonists clashed with the British at Lexington and Concord during April. General Heath was on the field during the clash at Lexington and during the evening deployed his troops in the vicinity. On the following day, Heath was ordered to move his regiment to Roxbury, near the British positions in Boston. Heath was promoted to the rank of major general of militia in June. He participated at the Battle of Breed’s Hill, and several days later, on 22 June, he was appointed as brigadier general of the Continental Army. Meanwhile, Heath remained at Roxbury until July 1775. While there, he convinced Henry Knox of the Boston Grenadiers to join the army. Knox required little persuasion and later rose to commanding officer of the Continental Army’s artillery. On 23 November, Heath was directed by General George Washington to move to Cobble’s Hill, and on 18 December, a contingent of several hundred men under Heath was ordered to Leechmore Point to relieve a work party attached to General Israel Putnam’s command and finish the work on defenses there. While the project continued, British warships were able to initiate barrages, and similar attacks were launched against Cobble’s Hill by British floating batteries. Nevertheless, other than minor skirmishes, the British mounted no offensive to dismantle any of the American positions outside Boston. The British, unable to break the siege of Boston, abandoned the city on 17 March 1776 and embarked for Halifax. Soon after, General Washington departed Boston for New York. On the 18 March, Washington entered Boston triumphantly. On that same day, General Heath was selected to lead five regiments into New York to join the main contingent, which had been dispatched on the 17th. General Artemus Ward remained in Boston to maintain its security. During August, General Heath was promoted to the rank of major general, effective on the 9th. On 1 September, General Washington reorganized the army and formed three divisions, one of which was placed under General Heath, while Generals Israel Putnam and Joseph Spencer commanded the other two. General Heath was appointed commander of the Highlands Department on 12 November. During the following month, on 14 December, a contingent of Heath’s command struck Tory positions at Hackensack, New Jersey, and captured a large number of prisoners and some supplies. Two days later, a combined force composed of troops under Generals Heath and George Clinton attacked Tory positions at Paramus. The Tories and Patriots clashed in the vicinity sporadically until summer 1781. General Heath was succeeded by General Alexander McDougal as commander of the Highlands Department on 21 December 1776. During January of the following year, on the 7th, General Washington directed General Heath, at Westchester, to advance with his three divisions toward New York to feint an attack. The columns arrived at Fort Independence, garrisoned by about 2,000 Hessian troops. On the 17th, after some action, Heath issued an ultimatum, giving the garrison “twenty minutes in which to surrender or to abide the consequences.” The Hessian commander ignored the ultimatum, and Heath failed to take action. For ten days he placed the fort under siege, but he never launched an assault. On the 25th, the British mounted a counterattack that dislodged a forward position and created panic in the army. By the 29th, the Americans were compelled to lift the siege. Heath’s lack of aggressiveness did not get him drummed out of the army, but it did have an indelible negative effect on his career. Washington, after the incident, wrote the following to Heath: “This letter ... is to hint to you, and I do it with concern, that your conduct is censured (and by men of sense and judgment who have been with you on the expedition to Fort Independence) as being fraught with too much caution; by which the army has been disappointed and in some degree disgraced. Your summons, as you did not attempt to fulfil your threats, was not only idle but farcical, and will not fail of turning the laugh exceedingly upon us.” After the fiasco at Fort Independence, General Washington ensured that General Heath never again took command of any key operation in the field.

167 On 20 March 1777, General Heath was appointed commander of the Eastern Department. He succeeded General Artemus Ward. Subsequent to the victory over British General John Burgoyne at Saratoga, General Heath was directed on 8 November by Congress to detail information on the British captives that were transported to Boston. The resolution said “that Major General Heath be directed forthwith, to cause to be taken down the name and rank of every commissioned officer, and the name, former place of abode, occupation, size, age, and description of every non-commissioned officer and private soldier, and all other persons comprehended in the convention made between Lieutenant General Burgoyne and Major General Gates, on the 16 day of October, 1777.” The congressional action was necessitated to ensure that none of the captives could rejoin the British army in the colonies without being detected if recaptured. Burgoyne arrived at Boston on 7 November and was met by General Heath. On the following day, British Generals Burgoyne, Phillips and Baron von Riedesel were invited to dine with Heath, and while the enemy officers were under the jurisdiction of Heath, they received excellent treatment. General Heath remained as commander of the Department until 7 November 1778, when he was succeeded by General Horatio Gates. During the following summer, General Heath was appointed to the Board of War on 22 June. He inquired whether he would retain his rank and was informed that he would; however, his pay would be that of a commissioner. On 27 July 1779, General Heath requested that he be removed from the board. During the summer of 1780, General Washington directed Heath to head to Rhode Island to greet the French fleet and the commanders, Rochambeau (army) and Chevalier Ternay, the fleet commander. During that time, Heath assisted in making the French feel welcome and helped to acquire accommodations for the officers. On 17 October 1780, General Heath became commander of the Highlands Department, succeeding General Nathanael Greene, the latter having been ordered to the Department of the South to relieve General Horatio Gates. At that time he departed Newport, Rhode Island, for West Point. General Heath, the initial commander of the department, retained the position until 11 May 1781. That May, General Washington ordered Heath to return to New England to help with the deteriorating condition of the army by making contact with the state authorities and acquiring supplies and provisions. Meanwhile, Heath was placed in command of the main army, which was in the Highlands, by Washington, when the latter departed for Virginia to engage the British under Cornwallis. The Virginia Campaign concluded in victory with the surrender of Lord Charles Cornwallis during October 1781. On 18 January 1782, General Heath was appointed commander of the Highlands Department for the fourth time and retained the post until succeeded by General Henry Knox on 24 August 1782. Upon the return of General Washington during April 1782, he established his headquarters at Newburgh, New York. General Heath received a personal thanks from Washington for handling his responsibilities with the army while Washington was engaged against Cornwallis. On 10 June 1783, General Heath was general of the day. At that time, he stated: “It is a little remarkable, that the general by whose orders and under whose direction the first guard in the American Army was mounted at the foot of Prospect Hill, on the evening of the 19th of April, 1775, after the battle of that day, should happen, in the course of service, to be the last general of the day in the American main army, on the l0th of June, 1783, to inspect, turn off, and visit the guards.” General Heath arrived back at his farm on 1 July. Following his military service, General Heath participated in the state’s convention regarding ratification of the Constitution during 1788. He was elected to the state Senate, serving 1791–1792. During the latter year in the senate, General Heath was appointed as a judge in the

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probate court of Norfolk County, Massachusetts. He published his memoirs in 1798. Heath was elected lieutenant governor of Massachusetts, during 1806, but he declined. William Heath succumbed on 24 January 1814 in Roxbury. On the following Friday, he was interred at Forest Hills Cemetery (present-day Boston) after a service by the Reverend Porter. During a legislative session on the 26th, General Heath’s death was announced by Mr. Otis, who described the general as “The venerable Heath [1765]— the companion of Washington — the honest patriot — the Christian soldier — has paid the debt of nature. He was, before his decease, probably, the only surviving major-general of that army which gave us Independence; and his memory is dear to his country.” Sarah Heath succumbed on 14 October 1814.

Henderson, Brigadier General William William, the son of Samuel and Elizabeth Williams Henderson, was born in the vicinity of Nutbush Creek and Williamsboro, North Carolina, on 5 March 1748. William’s early life and education escaped the family and colonial records; however, it is known that he moved to South Carolina prior to the outbreak of the war with Britain and that after pursuing the profession of a merchant, he became a staunch advocate of the Patriots’ cause. Shortly after the clashes at Lexington and Concord outside of Boston on 19 April 1775, Henderson was appointed major of the 6th South Carolina. His appointment was made the same day that the British attempted to quell the insurrection by attacking Bunker Hill (Breed’s Hill), 17 June 1775. The British on that day took the hill, but at great cost, and from that day forward, they were reluctant to again launch a direct frontal attack against American positions. At Bunker Hill, the British sustained 1,050 casualties from their 2,000-man force. Twelve percent of the officer casualties of the entire war were sustained at that battle. Major Henderson was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel of the regiment on 16 September 1776. Later, on 11 February 1780, when Charleston was preparing to meet a British invasion, Henderson was transferred to the 3rd South Carolina Regiment and, several months later, while fighting as part of that regiment, he was among the captured on 12 May 1780, when the city capitulated to the British. In November, Lt. Colonel Henderson was exchanged. Immediately thereafter, he returned to the field and joined General Nathanael Greene and his army at the siege of Ninety Six. Afterward, he participated in the remaining major skirmishes in South Carolina. Henderson again transferred units, when he was attached to the 1st South Carolina Regiment on the first day of 1781. Although Henderson served as a lieutenant colonel in the Continental Army, that same year, 1781, he was appointed a brigadier general of the South Carolina state troops. He participated in the Battle of Eutaw Springs on 8 September 1781 and during the tenacious contest, he was wounded. On 18 January 1782, the South Carolina Assembly convened and shortly thereafter General Thomas Sumter resigned his commission. The assembly appointed General William Henderson as his successor. Henderson attained the rank of full colonel in the Continental Army on 30 September 1783. He died in Pacolet, South Carolina, on 29 January 1788. On 11 February, the State Gazette of South Carolina published a death notice regarding the demise of General Henderson: “Died on Tuesday the 29th ult. at his plantation, General William Henderson. He was a brave and intrepid officer, and much beloved and respected for his many virtues.” General Henderson had served in the Second Provincial Congress (1775–1776) and in the South Carolina House. General Henderson’s brother, Major Pleasant Henderson, fought in the war as a commander of Orange County, North Carolina, militia. The author was unable to confirm the name of General Henderson’s wife, but according to the

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South Carolina Historical and Genealogical Magazine, South Carolina Historical Society, General Henderson had only one child, Eliza. According to the article (Vol. 28, 1927), written by B.F. Taylor, Eliza Henderson married Simon Taylor to become his second wife. Simon and Eliza relocated at Louisiana.

Henry, Patrick Patrick Henry, the son of John and Sarah Winston Syme Henry, was born at Studley in Hanover County, Virginia, on 29 May 1736. Patrick’s mother was the daughter of Isaac and Mary Dabney Winston and the widow of Colonel John Syme. John and Sarah lived in her residence about fifteen miles from Richmond. At the time of the death of Colonel Syme, his widow Sarah, had one child. John and Sarah had eight children in addition to Patrick. Soon after Patrick’s birth, his parents moved into a new home along the South Anna River in the vicinity of Rocky Mills, but still in the same county and only a few miles farther away from Richmond. Initially the home was referred to as Mount Brilliant, but later it became known as “The Retreat.” Patrick received his initial education in a local school, but when he was about ten years old, his father removed him from the school and took over responsibility for educating him. Patrick was not a diligent student and much preferred to go fishing or take a hunting trip. He was gaining a reputation of taking a path to nowhere. When Patrick reached the age of twenty-one, he and his brother William, funded by their father, began to establish themselves as merchants, but the initiative failed, partly because they trustingly allowed too much credit. The business ended in bankruptcy. By that time, Patrick had been married about three years. During autumn of 1754, Patrick Henry married Sarah Shelton, the daughter of John Shelton. Patrick and Sarah had six children: Martha (married John Fontaine); Anne; Elizabeth; John; William; and Edward. After receiving some land from his parents and a tract that was given to his wife, Henry again tried to become a businessman, but his farm-

Patrick Henry (Harpers Encyclopedia of U.S. History, Benson J. Lossing, 1906)

ing enterprise failed due to a bad crop. He established another store but that too failed, and fire destroyed their house during 1757. Nonetheless, at that crucial time in his life, he turned law. After studiously focusing on the subject for about six weeks during 1760, Henry was admitted to the bar. Henry received his license to practice law from the king’s attorney at the time, Peyton Randolph. Randolph noted “that the applicant knew very little, but might learn later, being an able man.” Henry, despite his sprint from bankruptcy to the legal profession, did not actually make him a sudden success, nor did he transform himself into a man with a more serious demeanor. Later, about 1764, his fortunes began to change when he handled a case in Hanover Court House. Henry displayed his talents in outstanding fashion, dazzling the courtroom with his eloquence and spirited oratory, which catapulted him to the forefront of the law profession. During March 1765, Parliament passed the Stamp Act, effective November of that year, and it passed other legislation, including modification of the Mutiny Act. Another was the Quartering Act, which mandated that the Americans had to provide quarters for British troops and provide other items including candles, bedding, drink, and soap. Word of the acts reached the colonies during April 1765 while the assembly was holding sessions. At that time, Patrick Henry, new to politics, introduced five protest resolutions and they all passed. Afterward, similar resolutions were voted upon in other colonies as the path toward reconciliation was becoming clogged with obstacles. The resolutions created harsh debate that rose to a crescendo during the final proposal. Henry took on several of the dissidents when he proclaimed: “Caesar had his Brutus, Charles I, his Cromwell, and George III....” In mid-sentence, Patrick was interrupted as various members began to call out “treason.” Nevertheless, Henry remained steadfast in his position as he let another man bellow. Then, Henry, still silent, peered at the speaker, raised his voice and finished his sentence: “may profit by their example.” Still commanding the floor, he concluded: “If this be treason sir, make the most of it.” The fifth resolution stated that only the General Assembly had authority to tax the colonies and “that an attempt by an entity other than the General Assembly to tax the colonies would be an attempt to destroy both English and American freedom.” The motion passed by only one vote, but on the following day, when Henry was not at the session, Peyton Randolph cancelled the fifth resolution, claiming Patrick Henry’s resolutions were of no value to the Americans’ cause. In 1769, Patrick was elected to the General Court. During February 1773, the royal governor, Lord Dunmore ( John Murray, 4th Earl) dissolved the assembly, but the Patriots in the House of Burgesses, including Thomas Jefferson, Richard Henry Lee and Patrick Henry, ignored him and gathered despite his action. Subsequently, on 1 August 1774, the Virginia assembly selected Patrick Henry, Peyton Randolph and George Washington as delegates from Virginia at the First Continental Congress held in Philadelphia beginning 5 September. During the following year, Henry sustained a grievous loss when his wife, Sarah, died. Nevertheless, Henry remained involved with the cause. On 20 March 1775, at the second Virginia convention, he introduced legislation to strengthen the militia, but he hit opposition from those who continued to lean toward reconciliation. Several days later, on the 23rd, during a session of the House of Burgesses held at St. John’s Church in Richmond, Patrick Henry, defiantly holding to his convictions of defending the nation and Virginia, gave his inspiring speech that included his proclamation: “I know not what course others may take, but for me, give me liberty or give me death.” During April, Lord Dunmore sent Royal Marines to seize the gunpowder at the Williamsburg magazine. Patrick Henry and others reacted by taking up arms, but they were persuaded otherwise by Peyton

169 Randolph. On 6 August the Virginia convention overlooked Henry’s lack of military experience and appointed him commander-in-chief of Virginia’s regular troops. He retained the command until February of the following year. In September, Henry rode to Williamsburg to rendezvous with his command, and upon his arrival, there were cheers. Many of the troops had no arms, but they proudly flaunted their colors, which was emblazoned with a snake and the words also used in South Carolina and other places, “Don’t Tread on Me.” Henry was also appointed as Indian commissioner, but he declined the post and it was filled by Thomas Walker. During the latter part of 1775, the convention was working to squeeze out Henry as commander-in-chief, and during the following year, when the regiments were reorganized, Robert Howe and Andrew Lewis had been commissioned as brigadier generals, leaving Patrick Henry as commander only of his regiment, while officers of a lower rank were promoted over him. The action caused a crisis among the troops, but Henry was able to calm the situation. He resigned during February and that month was offered a commission as colonel in the Continental Army. He declined without much consideration of the offer, and he remained acutely aware of the conventions’ lack of trust in his military abilities. On 29 June 1776, in conjunction with the adoption of Virginia’s constitution, the assembly elected Patrick Henry as the first governor of Virginia. The convention notified him of his election on 1 July. Although he was one of the most fervent advocates of independence, Henry had left Congress prior to the Declaration of Independence on the Fourth of July. The term of governors was set at one year; however, Patrick served three successive terms, then following the close of hostilities, he was returned to the post of governor for two terms. Fort Fincastle in western Virginia was renamed Fort Henry in September 1777 in his honor. On 25 November 1776, Congress directed the Board of War to request that Governor Henry dispatch the Virginia light horse to northward to join with General Washington, who was under great pressure from the British, who had during the summer taken New York. Washington was in retreat attempting to stay out of harm’s way to prevent the army from being destroyed in a direct confrontation with British General William Howe. Congress abandoned Philadelphia for Baltimore during the threat, but Washington reversed the retreat after arriving in Pennsylvania by recrossing the Delaware River on Christmas night and seizing Trenton on the 26th of December, ending the jeopardy. During February 1777, on the 26th, Congress adjourned and agreed to reconvene in Philadelphia. Prior to adjournment, Congress directed that “Governor Patrick Henry and the council of Virginia be desired to consider of the propriety of ordering an expedition from the western frontier of that State against the settlement of Indians west of the river Ohio, commonly known by the name of Pluggy’s town.” However, on 25 March, Congress rescinded its order and resolved “that the governor (Patrick Henry) and council of Virginia, be desired to suspend any operations against the gang of Indians, commonly called Pluggy’s people, till they shall receive farther advice from Congress.” In the meantime, George Rogers Clark had been requesting authority to attack the British stronghold in the Northwest. On 9 October 1777, Patrick remarried, taking Dorothea Dandridge, the daughter Colonel Nathaniel West Dandridge, as his second wife. Nathaniel was a brother of John Dandridge, the father-in-law of George Washington and the father of Martha Washington. Patrick and Dorothea had eleven children: Dorothea; Sarah; Martha Catharine; Patrick; Fayette; Alexander; Spotswood; Nathaniel; Richard (died in infancy); Edward Winston; and John (of Red Hill). Patrick had sold his property and relocated in Henry County where he raised his new family.

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On 2 January 1778, Governor Henry proposed such an attack to the privy council and the plan was accepted. Clark received two separate sets of orders, one of which was a diversion to help keep the entire campaign a secret. Clark was authorized to raise seven companies from any point in Virginia for the expedition. In October, Congress directed Governor Henry to dispatch the 1,000 troops to bolster the forces in South Carolina, and at the same time, Governor Richard Caswell of North Carolina was requested to send 3,000 troops for the same purpose. During June 1779, Henry’s terms as governor ended. He was succeeded by Thomas Jefferson. After concluding his governorship, Henry resumed his law practice and was returned to the assembly, where he served frequently until 1791. After the war, Henry supported leniency for the Loyalists and allowing them to return to their homes. He met heavy opposition, but he prevailed in the assembly. He also favored trade with Britain without restrictions, and that legislation, too, he was able to get passed, but another, his bill during 1784, to encourage marriage between the settlers and Indians, failed. That year, Henry was again elected governor. He was not a delegate to the Constitutional Convention that convened in Philadelphia during 1787, but he was an opponent and at the Virginia state constitutional convention; he worked against ratification out of concern of the state losing its rights to a federal government. Despite his efforts, he was only able to slice the majority, not defeat ratification. Virginia ratified the Constitution in Richmond on 25 June 1778 to become the tenth state to join the union. During the period when Henry opposed ratification, political mischief entered the picture when rumors floated regarding George Washington making disparaging remarks about Henry, including an accusation that Henry was a “factious, seditious character.” At that time, a long-term friendship ended; however, Washington never made the statements and the letters regarding them were forgeries. Nevertheless, it wasn’t until the final stage of Patrick Henry’s life that the misunderstanding got straightened out. In 1791, Henry chose not to run for re-election to the assembly. He retired from public life. Later, during 1794, he declined serving in the U.S. Senate and declined a position as minister to Spain. The next year, Henry was offered the position of secretary of state by President George Washington, but he declined, and during 1796, he declined a post as chief justice of the Supreme Court. In 1796 he was again elected as governor but declined. His reluctance to return to public life did not deter others from seeking his contribution to the nation. Henry was nominated by President John Adams as minister to France in 1796, and the senate confirmed his appointment. Nevertheless, he again declined serving. During March 1799, Patrick Henry, at the urging of George Washington, appeared in public to announce that he was a candidate for office. It was his last public appearance. Henry was elected to the assembly and John Randolph was elected to Congress, but Henry never served. By then his health had badly deteriorated. He died on 6 June 1799. His widow, Dorothea, later married Patrick Henry’s cousin, Judge Edmund Winston.

Herkimer, Brigadier General Nicholas Nicholas Herkimer, the son of John ( Johan) Jost and Catherine (Katherine) Herkimer, was born at Herkimer, New York, during 1728. Initially, the family name was spelled Ergheimer and sometimes as Herchhcimer. Nicholas was one of thirteen children. The others were Henry, John I Joseph (Yost), George, John II (again), Elizabeth Barbara, Delia, Gertrude, Madaline (Lana), Catherine, Elizabeth, Mary and Anna. The area around present-day Herkimer was not quite as tranquil as a visitor finds it during modern times. However, the German settlers were not unaccustomed to hostilities. The area in the valley was settled by Germans from the Palinate of the Rhine territory within

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Germany, but bordering France, prompting both nations to frequently wage war against each other for domination of the ground, with the people living in towns; Manheim and Heidelberg were ravaged by both antagonists. Peace was consummated during 1697, but the region was left barren from the warfare. The emigrants at first moved to England, where they were welcomed; however, England was unprepared to handle the enormous numbers, which prompted the Germans to seek out America. The Germans were not especially welcome in their new home. Life west of the Hudson, where it began for the Germans, was harsh and often their children were treated horribly. The Germans, convinced their settlement would fail, moved toward present-day Schoharie County and the Mohawk Valley. During the arduous trek, the settlers lacked proper clothing and possessed little food, which compelled them to seek support from the Indians in the region. They were well received by the Indians, who forestalled disaster by providing food and shelter. In addition, they shared their hunting grounds. The good relations existed between the new settlers and the Indians for several years, while they essentially lived together. Some, including the Herkimers, were able to acquire land grants in the Mohawk Valley, which to many seemed as if they had been transplanted back to the Rhine. The Herkimers were descendants of Palatines who immigrated to America. Nicholas’ father arrived in what was known as the “third immigration” during 1721. Nicholas’ paternal grandparents ( Jurgh [George] and Madaline) accompanied the new arrivals. Nicholas received a fundamental education and the common language among the settlers in the region was German. A group including Nicholas’ father petitioned Governor William Burnett to authorize a purchase of land from the Indians, and the governor, after consulting with his council, approved of the acquisition. The group’s request was granted on 9 September 1721. The Herkimers and others consummated the agreement with the Indians on 9 July 1723, which gave the settlers terrain on both sides of the Mohawk River and encompassed the terrain from below Little Falls to present-day Frankfurt. Ninety-four people (24 families) received the patent, dated 30 April 1725, which provided 100 acres (Burnettsfield Patent) for each person. By the time Nicholas was a teenager, he was living in what became known as the Herkimer Mansion within the walls of Fort Herkimer, called Fort Kourai by the Indians. Nicholas’ father maintained a farm and successfully engaged in the mercantile business among the many Palatine Germans who resided in the region encompassing the Mohawk Valley. The colonists built a trading post at Oswego and used it to solidify their friendship with the Six Nations. In addition, the settlement required a method of acquiring food. The route was difficult. Food and supplies for the garrison had to be transported by bateaux. Nicholas’ father apparently began a transportation operation shortly after arriving in the valley. The bateaux carried the supplies “up the Mohawk river to Rome, thence to Wood Creek and through the Oneida Lake and Oswego River to Lake Ontario.” Nicholas, after reaching maturity, also initiated a successful enterprise that included a profitable farm as well as a business. He also operated a portage business with which he transported goods by water between the area of Herkimer and Little Falls. The settlement at the fort was rocked during 1756 when a French-Indian force attacked German Flats. The colonists sought protection at the Herkimer house. The compound, fortified by Sir William Johnson, included the Herkimer mansion, the stone church and a few other structures bolstered by earthworks. During 1758, German Flats came under yet another savage attack by Indians, compelling the settlers to flee to the fort, which at the time was commanded by Colonel Charles Clinton (father of Generals George and James Clinton) and Captain Herkimer (Nicholas’ father). The enemy

struck on the 30th of April and although many reached the safety of the fort, the Indians reduced the settlement and seized almost 100 colonists and carried them away. Subsequent to the ravaging raid, the Herkimers relocated at Canajoharie (Tryon County). Herkimer served throughout the conflict as a lieutenant in the militia. As the war was winding down, Nicholas married in 1760, taking Lany Tygert (Dygert), the sister of Peter Tygert (Dygert), as his Nicholas Herkimer (Herkimers and wife. After Lany died, Nic- Schuylers, Phoebe Strong Cowen) holas married Myra (Maria) Tygert, the daughter of Peter Tygert. No children were born during either of Nicholas’ marriages. Meanwhile, tensions between the Indians and the settlers continued even after the French and Indian War was terminated. During 1772, the colonists at German Flats were again compelled to seek protection; however, not from the French. By that time, the divide between the Americans and Britain had continued to widen and the Indians had new allies, the Tories, prompting the settlers to again gather in the fort. All the while, the relationship between the colonies and Britain continued to deteriorate. During 1775, Nicholas was appointed colonel of the Canajoharie Regiment. His responsibilities grew in 1776 when he was appointed brigadier general of the county’s four militia regiments. General Herkimer replaced Sir John Johnson, who sought refuge in Canada. By 1777, the British moved to link two armies. General John Burgoyne was advancing from Canada to join with General Henry Clinton’s forces. Clinton advanced up the Hudson, but he was unable to reach Albany. Meanwhile, Burgoyne had penetrated deeply and was threatening to overrun the resistance. Fort Stanwix (Fort Schuyler) was one of the obstacles in his path. A force under Colonel Barry St. Leger laid siege and American reinforcements were gathered to rescue the trapped garrison. General Herkimer departed Fort Dayton on 4 August and reached positions near Oriskany on the following day. Express riders were dispatched to beleaguered Fort Stanwix to coordinate with Colonel Willet, who was to fire a cannon three times to signal that the riders safely reached the fort. The communications from Herkimer were delivered at about 1000 on the 6th; however, Herkimer was expecting to hear the signal, despite being about eight miles from the fort. He had preferred to await reinforcements before launching his attack or hearing the cannon fire, but he never heard the sound of the guns. Meanwhile, some of his troops instigated trouble. Herkimer was accused of cowardice and of being a Loyalist. Other derogatory remarks were also forthcoming. Herkimer, at that point, discerned that he would advance without waiting for the additional strength. General Herkimer told his detractors that their anxiousness to attack would terminate at first sight of the enemy and that they would be the first to flee. His remarks were prophetic. General Herkimer, leading the Tryon County militia’s four regiments and allied Oneida Indians, advanced toward the beleaguered garrison, but the British commander had been informed of the column’s advance. On 6 August 1777, while Herkimer’s column reached a point in the vicinity of Oriskany, there were no signs of enemy presence in the high ground. Nevertheless, the heights north of the river held a large force of Loyalists and Indians in well concealed positions.

171 Without warning, the ambush was sprung and Herkimer’s force was caught by complete surprise just as it crossed a ravine and reached a curve. Herkimer fell to the ground when his horse was shot. However, he remained calm under fire and his militia performed admirably in what became a heated battle that lasted for about five hours and included gruesome close-quartered fighting. The bayonet, tomahawk and knife became the weapons of necessity during the close-quartered donnybrook. During the opening portion of the fight, General Herkimer was shot in the leg, but still, the wound did not deter him from his command responsibility. He refused shelter even after a storm struck in the midst of the fighting and forced a suspension of the contest. When Herkimer’s troops attempted to move him, he refused to budge and replied: “I will face the enemy.” Many of the men on opposing sides knew each other and some were blood relatives. The most stark example of relatives opposing one another involved General Herkimer himself. His brother, Johan Jost Herkimer, fought on the side of St. Leger. The battle between the Loyalists and the Patriots was essentially a civil war; an unintended but not unexpected consequence was pitting brother against brother. And at Oriskany, hatred ran deep. Herkimer disregarded his pain to direct his forces; however, he was neither re-mounted nor fighting at the point of the fight. He was compelled to sit, leaning against a tree. From there, he bellowed orders while smoking his pipe. The wound and the bleeding did not deter him from losing his composure under stress. Meanwhile, the tenacious resistance of his militia stunned the Loyalists ( Johnson’s Greens) and Indians under Chief Joseph Brant, who had anticipated a rout. Some of the troops retreated after crossing Oriskany Creek as the tomahawks approached, but the majority of the militia stood fast and skillfully covered each other, sometimes in pairs, with one loading while the other fired. Those who chose to abandon the fight soon found that their path of retreat was blocked by the enemy, who anticipated a haphazard retreat. While Herkimer watched the cowards run, he was confident of what would occur and had already determined that once across the causeway that passed over a swamp, there was no option except to stand and fight or be annihilated. Those who ran found themselves in a shredder. The opposing force was composed of twice Herkimer’s numbers and stood at about 2,000. During the combat, despite being under siege, a contingent of troops under Colonel Marinus Willet was able to move out of Fort Stanwix and bolster Herkimer’s forces. The Loyalists and Indians were stymied, and after receiving more punishment than they doled out, the enemy was forced to pull back. The Indians had been told by the British that they would not have to engage, but instead could just watch the British trample the Patriots; but like the British, they sustained heavy casualties. Willet’s contingent returned to the fort, having participated in the ferocious contest without sustaining any casualties. Herkimer’s warriors also equalized the enemy when the struggle included knives. Herkimer had not been able to break through, but the enemy was unable to dislodge the militia, which held the field with such determination that they were able to remove their wounded without any disruption to the fight. The Indians, apparently stunned, were the first to desert the field, with the Loyalists following on their heels, leaving Herkimer’s troops standing and alone on the bloodied field along with the enemy dead and wounded that had been left behind. The Patriots held firmly, but at the time, they had no realization of how important their task had been. That night, they retired and moved back to join the main body, which continued to hold the fort under siege. By not being overwhelmed and forced to run, that small band of fewer than 1,000 troops under General Herkimer and his allied

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Oneida braves saved Albany and brought about the lifting of the siege at Fort Stanwix. When another force under Benedict Arnold moved toward the fort to reduce the siege, the British, also aware of his approach, retired without a fight, but afterward, the Redcoats sustained many casualties to the Indians who had become disgruntled. Indians began to scalp some of the British during the retreat from Fort Stanwix, knowing they were compensated per scalp with no means of proving their origin. Meanwhile, St. Leger was unable to convince Colonel Gansevoort, commander of Fort Stanwix, to capitulate. Sir John Johnson and others moved to coerce the inhabitants of the area to switch their allegiance, but the mission was interrupted when a contingent under Colonel Weston dispatched troops from his base of operations at Fort Dayton. The contingent galloped to Mr. Shoemaker’s home at German Flats to interrupt the meeting. The patriots captured Lieutenant Walter N. Butler (St. Leger’s force) and almost thirty enemy soldiers and Indians. Following the battle on the 6th, the militia had the task of getting General Herkimer back to friendly lines for medical attention. The militia returned to Fort Herkimer, but they still had to get Herkimer back to his residence at Little Falls, a trying task, considering his condition. From the fort, the general was carried to his home, with the greater part of the journey by boat. By the time he arrived at his residence after a grueling trip of about 35 miles, the wound, which he ignored during the fighting, had become life threatening. It was determined by doctors that it was imperative to amputate his leg. The operation took place; however, the surgeon was not skilled and afterward, General Herkimer’s leg became infected. On 16 August, General Herkimer succumbed. According to many reliable sources, General Herkimer was reading his family Bible at the time of his demise. He died knowing he had done his duty for his country; however, he had no idea how important his actions and those of his men had been for the survival of the nation. If Herkimer had been routed, Albany surely would have fallen and the Loyalists would have soon dominated the region. General Herkimer’s father succumbed during August 1775 and his mother died soon afterward. General Herkimer was interred at his estate (Herkimer Home) at Little Falls. The inscription on the marble slab at his grave site stated: “General Nicholas Herkimer, died ten days after the battle of Oriskany, in which he received the wounds which caused his death.” The estate passed to Nicholas’ brother, George, but later during 1814, George’s son, John, sold the property to someone other than a family member. In 1913, the Herkimer Home in Little Falls, New York, was acquired by New York State. The mansion is seasonally open to the public.

Hewes, Joseph (Signer of the Declaration of Independence) Joseph Hewes was born in the vicinity of Princeton, New Jersey, on 23 January 1730. His parents, Adam and Providence Worth Hewes (originally Hughes), both Quakers, departed Connecticut hurriedly after some anti–Quaker laws were passed. Their flight was quite hazardous due to hostile Indians along the route. When Adam and his wife forded the Housatonic River, Indians in pursuit closed and fired upon them. Providence, the daughter of Joseph Worth, was wounded in the neck by musket fire, but she survived and the couple made it safely to New Jersey. There, they established a farm at a place known as Maybury Hill. As a young man, Joseph was reared as a Quaker; however, his instincts for pleasures such as dancing and his propensity to defend liberty worked to dissuade him from being a pacifist. Joseph entered Princeton College. Following graduation, he entered an apprenticeship in nearby Philadelphia and afterward was employed with a mercantile business in that city.

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For a while Joseph Hewes traveled back and forth to Philadelphia gaining additional experience within the maritime industry, and he used that knowledge to begin his own shipping business. Later, Hewes settled in Edenton, North Carolina, where he became involved in shipping during 1760 and was able to succeed enormously in the endeavor to accumulate a large fortune. In the meantime he entered politics. He was elected to the provincial assembly of North Carolina during 1766, one year after the Stamp Act was passed by Parliament, and he remained as a member of that body until the royal governor disbanded it during 1775. Hewes worked with the Whigs to oust the royal government. On 8 April 1775, Josiah Martin, the royal governor of North Carolina ordered that the state assembly be dissolved, and on 3 May, he received direction from Britain to establish a militia composed of Loyalists. Patriots assembled in Mecklenburg County on 8 May 1775 and declared independence from Britain. The action (five resolutions) became known as the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence. At the time the patriots acted, they had been informed of the battles at Lexington and Concord. Those sparks in North Carolina began to expand into a rapidly moving force by the end of the month. On the 31st of May, the governor fled New Bern and took refuge aboard the HMS Cruzier, which had been on the Cape Fear River. Afterward, Governor Martin was carried to Fort Johnston, but only for a short while, as the Americans torched the fort on 18 July. Subsequent to the flight of the royal governor, Cornelius Harnett, Jr., became president of the council of safety (government of the province), making him the chief executive of North Carolina. Hewes was elected as a member of the provincial legislature installed by the Patriots, and he had also been a member of the committee of correspondence prior to being selected as a delegate to the Second Continental Congress, which convened in Philadelphia during 1775. By that time, Hewes had abandoned the Quaker faith and moved far from pacifism; however, he was still unwilling to discount reconciliation with Britain. Hewes was appointed to various committees, including one created on 14 June 1775, by a resolution of Congress, to design rules: “Resolved, That Mr. [George] Washington, Mr. [Philip] Schuyler, Mr. [Silas] Deane, Mr. [Thomas] Cushing, and Mr. [Joseph] Hewes be a committee to bring in a dra’t of Rules and regulations for the government of the army.” June 14 is known as the Birthday of the United States Army. On the 13th of October 1775, Congress authorized the establishment of the Naval Committee, initially composed of three men. Four others, including John Adams and Joseph Hewes, were added on 30 October. The action was the birth of the United States Navy. Subsequently, Hewes, as chairman, nominated John Paul Jones to be the commander of the navy, but Adams, who had earlier agreed to a Virginian, George Washington, as the commander-in-chief of the Continental Army, resisted Jones for a man from New England. Eventually, Adams prevailed and Esek Hopkins was chosen; however, within a year he was expelled. Joseph Hewes remained in Congress during 1776, but maintained that he was unwilling to break from Britain until just before Joseph Hewes (Biographical Sketches that fateful decision. During June 1776, Hewes of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence, Benson J. Lossing, 1854) refused support for the reso-

lution for independence presented by Richard Henry Lee. He continued to ignore North Carolina’s instructions to its delegates to vote for independence; however at some point during the debate, according to John Adams, Hewes conspicuously reversed his position and loudly exclaimed, while still seated with his hands outstretched toward heaven: “It is done! And I will abide by it.” His reversal catapulted him into that band of Patriots who adopted the Declaration of Independence while pledging their lives, fortunes and sacred honor. In the case of Hewes, there was no pretense of being an orator, nor was he among those who spent much time debating on the floor; however, his contributions to Congress were total commitment and immovable fortitude, but he also backed his support with his fortune. Without hesitation, Hewes also pledged his ships to the cause. His massive knowledge of the maritime industry was an added bonus for Congress as it struggled to neutralize the overwhelming sea power of the British Empire. Hewes was appointed secretary of the Naval Affairs Committee, a post he retained until his premature death. He also was a member of several other key committees, including the Secret Committee. During 1777, Hewes, who had not been re-elected to Congress, returned to North Carolina to contribute within his home state in the assembly (1778–1779). In 1779, Hewes was returned to Congress, but by that time, he was in extremely poor health. The stress that plagued all of Congress had in his case taken a high toll and his health had greatly deteriorated. Nonetheless, he resumed his duties and continued to devote his remaining energy to the cause. Soon all his strength was drained. He last attended on October 29, 1779. His illness by that time had totally incapacitated him. Joseph Hewes succumbed during the night of 9–10 November. On the morning of the 10th, Congress was notified of Joseph Hewes’ death and that his interment was scheduled for the following evening, Thursday, 11 November 1779. Congress resolved “that Congress will, in a body, attend the funeral to-morrow evening, at three o’clock, with a crape round the left arm, and will continue in mourning for the space of one month.” Hewes died a bachelor. Early in his career, Hewes became engaged; however, prior to his wedding, his fiancee, Isabella Johnston, the sister of Governor Samuel “Sam” Johnston, died. Joseph Hewes was interred in the cemetery of Christ Church in Philadelphia at a service attended by all of Congress, as well as the General Assembly and the Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania. The solemn ceremony was celebrated by the chaplain of Congress, Bishop White. The memory of Hewes was honored by a large military force attendance by other dignitaries. He was remembered as one of that outstanding group of patriots who contributed everything within his means to bring about the birth of the nation, devoid of all ulterior motives and bound only by a sense of unbridled dedication and a high sense of honor, honesty and integrity until his final breath. Hewes and Caesar Rodney and were the only bachelors to sign the Declaration of Independence. In addition to Joseph Hewes, four other signers were interred in the Christ Church cemetery: Benjamin Franklin, Francis Hopkinson and George Ross and Benjamin Rush. The cemetery remains open to the public and is within walking distance of Independence Hall.

Heyward, Thomas (Signer of the Declaration of Independence) Thomas Heyward, the son of Colonel Daniel and Mary Miles Heyward, was born on 28 July 1746 at the Old House Plantation in St. Luke’s Parish ( Jasper County), South Carolina. The Heywards first arrived in Charleston during 1670 when Captain Thomas Heyward (1) and his brother Daniel emigrated from little Eaton, England. Thomas married after arriving in America. Upon his death, Captain Thomas was survived by two sons, and both, Daniel and Thomas (2),

173 were sent to England to live with another of their father’s brothers to ensure they received an excellent education. Thomas (2) returned from England after completing his education and married. Upon his death, he left one son, also named Thomas (3), the grandfather of Thomas (the signer). When Thomas (3) was about eighteen years old, he was drafted into the British army during a time of turbulence with Indians. He remained in the service, made the rank of captain, and was stationed at Fort Johnson on James Island in Charleston Harbor. Thomas (3) was rewarded for his meritorious service with a grant of land in St. Luke’s Parish (Beaufort District) that included the “Old House” tract. Later, at the age of about 35 years, Thomas succumbed, leaving six sons, one of whom was named Thomas (4). The other sons and brothers of Thomas (4) were Daniel, the father of Thomas (signer), John, Samuel, Nathaniel and William. Thomas’ (signer’s) parents had two other children, John and William. Thomas’s father remarried, taking Jane Elizabeth Gignilliat as his second wife, giving Thomas two step-brothers, James and Nathaniel, and a step-sister, Maria. Elizabeth died and Thomas’ father remarried, taking Elizabeth Simons as his third wife. From this marriage one child, Benjamin, was born in 1776. The plantation where Thomas Heyward (signer) lived was about twenty-five miles above Savannah, Georgia. His birth into a wealthy family assured him of an excellent education in the province. He furthered his studies by taking up law in both America and England. Prior to departing to London to complete his education, he studied law under Mr. Parsons in Charleston. During the course of his education, similarly to another of the signers, Charles Carroll of Carrollton, Heyward became a serious student of Greek and Roman classics, which he continued to enjoy throughout his lifetime. Those topics, always percolating about liberty and republican freedom, at times mesmerized him and essentially guided his thinking toward freedom for the colonies. He sensed irregularities with the law and the way Britain treated her colonies and colonists. After spending about five years in England, where he furthered his legal studies at one of the inns of court at the Temple, he took a short trip about Europe. By the time he returned to the colonies, he had clear and unwavering feelings toward Britain’s policies. Heyward was about 25 years old when he arrived back in South Carolina, and because of what he considered condescending attitudes of the British toward him and other Americans, while he was in England, he was personally disappointed by their actions and anxious to become involved in the American cause. His father, one of the rice kings of Charleston, undertook a project during 1760 to have a house constructed in the city for his son. During 1772, Heyward was elected to the South Carolina Assembly and remained in that capacity until 1775. At the time of his election, he had been practicing law for about one year. His entry into political life converged with the ongoing struggle of the colonists who were, with each passing day, increasing their disgust with the policies of Parliament and the Crown over taxation and other tactics they saw as oppressive. In 1773, Thomas Heyward married Elizabeth Matthews, the daughter of one of the prominent planters of the area and the sister of Governor John Matthews (1782–1783). Thomas and Elizabeth had five children, but only one son, Daniel, reached adulthood. The others died in infancy. Heyward built a plantation known as White Hall. In 1775, he was elected a delegate to the Second Continental Congress in place of John Rutledge, who was called home to take measures against an anticipated invasion by the British. Nevertheless, Heyward declined, explaining that he believed he was too young. However, he remained active in the Provincial Congress and was elected again as a delegate to Congress during 1776, which he accepted. He was then propelled into the midst of those Patriots who pledged their lives, fortunes and sacred honor in the course of supporting, adopting and signing the Declaration of Independence.

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As a South Carolinian, Heyward was hesitant at first regarding the Declaration due to differences, including the topic of slavery; however, after holding back support on 1 July, he relented and voted in the affirmative in the crucial unanimous vote on 2 July. Independence was formally adopted 4 July 1776. Heyward also signed the parchment document during August and remained with Congress when it fled to Baltimore to evade capture by the British army that threat- Thomas Heyward, Jr. (Biographical ened Philadelphia. Although Sketches of the Signers of the DeclaraGeneral Washington termi- tion of Independence, Benson J. Lossnated the threat with the vic- ing, 1854) tory at Trenton during the latter part of 1776, Congress remained in Baltimore. On 3 January, Heyward was appointed to a committee of three, along with Abraham Clark and Francis Lightfoot Lee, charged with amending the Articles of War. On the 31st, he was appointed to a committee delegated to draw up a schedule of honors due to the late General Joseph Warren (slain at Bunker Hill) and to the late General Hugh Mercer, who was killed at Princeton on 12 January 1777. Heyward was appointed on 19 March as one of three men charged with investigating the conditions of the French officers serving in the Continental Army. Congress had resolved that all applications by those officers were to be referred to the committee. During 1777, Thomas’ father, Colonel Daniel Heyward, succumbed, leaving Thomas to oversee the family estate. That year, 1777, Congress adopted the Articles of Confederation on 15 November. The Articles were afterward sent to each state for ratification, and on 1 March 1781, the Articles became effective. The entry in the Journals of the Continental Congress for that day records the acceptance of the ratification and the accompanying signatures. The Articles dictated U.S. law, specified the powers and responsibilities of the federal government, and underscored its limitations. Heyward’s congressional career closed during 1778, but not his conviction and commitment to the cause of liberty. By war’s end, he paid dearly for his convictions. Heyward returned to South Carolina during 1778 and assumed a position as a judge (criminal and civil courts), but soon he was fighting in the military. He was with the forces under General William Moultrie that fought and repelled the British under Major Gardener at Port Royal Island on 3 February 1779. Heyward, a captain at the time, was wounded during the fighting. Edward Rutledge, another signer of the Declaration, also fought at that battle, a fight that caused the British to postpone their invasion. Heyward was also with the military at Charleston. One of Heyward’s colleagues, Lyman Hall, had been in Charleston, but he fled for New England before the city fell during May 1780. Heyward, badly wounded and left with an indelible scar, was seized and transported to Florida to be imprisoned in St. Augustine. He was not the only signer snagged by the British at Charleston. Edward Rutledge and Arthur Middleton were also captured and Lyman Hall barely escaped. Hall had been in Georgia and fled to South Carolina when the British invaded there; however, he departed Charleston and made it to New England, depriving the British of his company. Rutledge and Middleton, similarly to Heyward, received extremely harsh treatment. The British, while in South Carolina, devastated Heyward’s estate and confiscated his slaves, most of whom were afterward

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transported to Jamaica. He survived his time in captivity and was released from his dungeon during July 1781. During the voyage to Philadelphia, by accident, Heyward fell overboard, but he was able to grasp the rudder of the ship until he was rescued. While a prisoner, Heyward used his literary skills to modify the British national anthem by changing the lyrics to suit his pleasure and changing the title from “God Save the King” to “God Save the Thirteen States.” His songwriting seemed quite successful, as the Patriotic rip-off tune spread rapidly through the colonies. The feeling of exhilaration for Heyward was dimmed when he saw his estate in absolute ruins, but by the following year, things turned worse when his wife, Elizabeth, succumbed. Also in 1782, Heyward resumed his judgeship, a position he retained until 1789. He became a member of the state legislature and served two terms (1782–1784). During 1790, Heyward participated in the establishment of the constitution of South Carolina. Several years after the death of his first wife, he remarried, taking Elizabeth Savage as his second wife. During 1794, Heyward sold his house in Charleston but retained his plantation. Thomas Heyward, Jr. (assigned Jr. by his father, Daniel, to distinguish him from his uncle Thomas, his father’s brother), succumbed on 6 March 1809 at age 62 while at the Whitehall Plantation. Thomas Heyward was interred in the family cemetery at the Old House Plantation. Scant information remains regarding the children from both of his marriages, but it is known that he was survived by his wife, Elizabeth, and four children. Daniel married Anne Sarah Trezevant, the parents of Elizabeth, who married Captain James Hamilton in the U.S. Army and brigadier general in the militia. Hamilton later became governor of South Carolina and afterward was engaged for a while as a diplomat of the Republic of Texas before Texas was admitted to the union. Later during 1857, he was lost at sea when a collision occurred between the vessels Opelousa and the Galveston in the Gulf of Mexico off Texas. The other surviving children from his second marriage were Thomas (married Ann Elisa Cutbert, the daughter of General John A. Cuthbert of Bethel); James Hamilton Heyward (married Decima Shubrick, the sister of William Branford Shubrick, rear admiral, U.S. Navy); and Elizabeth (married Henry Middleton Parker). The Heyward House in Charleston, later known as the Heyward-Washington House, still stands. During 1791, when President George Washington traveled to Charleston, he stayed at the townhouse. Some sources differ on the date of the death of Thomas Heyward, Jr.; however most reliable sources, including Dwight, Goodrich, Lossing, and Sanderson’s Lives of the Signers each supply March 1809. Another source from the nineteenth century, Sages and Heroes of the American Revolution by Judson and the National Parks System, also list his death as occurring March 1809. Harper’s Encyclopedia of U.S. History by Lossing, 1906, lists the date as 6 March 1809.

Hiester (Heister, originally Huster), Brigadier General Daniel Daniel Heister, the son of Daniel and Catherine Schulerine Hiester, was born on 25 June 1747. Daniel, Sr., and Catherine had six other children: Margaretha (b. June 1743, married Philip Hahn); Johannes ( John, b. April 1745, married Hannah Pawling); Gabriel (b. June 1749, married Elizabeth Bausman); Katarina (Catherine, b. September 1751, married Jonathan Bischoff ); Samuel (b. April 1754, died young); and Wilhelm (William, b. June 1757, married Anna Maria Meyer). Daniel’s father and his two brothers ( John and Joseph) emigrated from Germany (Borough [Dorf ] Elssof, Grafschaft [township] Witgenstein) during the early 1700s and settled in Goshenhoppen, which then was considered to be in Philadelphia, but later, Montgomery County. John (known as Jost Husterr, prior to arriving in the colonies) was the first brother to arrive (1732). He was followed shortly thereafter by Joseph and Daniel, who both arrived at Philadelphia on the vessel St.

Andrew from Rotterdam. Upon their arrival, Joseph and Daniel took an oath of allegiance, then traveled to join their older brother, John. Daniel’s mother, Catherine, the daughter of Gabriel Schulerine (native of Germany) was born in Skippack (Montgomery County), Pennsylvania. Daniel, Sr., immediately acquired a farm, but later, he and his brothers acquired 2,000 to 3,000 acres in Bern Township, later Berks County. Daniel, Sr., remained on his original land, but his brothers relocated to Bern Township. The Hiester family became prominent in the region and sided wholeheartedly with the Patriots’ cause. In 1770, Daniel married Rosina (Rosanna) Hager, the daughter of Captain John and Elizabeth Krischner Hager of Hagerstown, Maryland. Daniel and Rosina had two children, Martin (b. 1765 or 1767, according to family records) and Susan (b. 1768). The three sons of Daniel, Sr., each joined the Patriot forces at the outbreak of war. They enlisted in the organization known as the Associators. On 4 July 1776, at Lancaster, two brigadier generals were appointed, and Daniel and John Hiester were appointed colonels, while Gabriel received the rank of major. The youngest brother, William, also served, but due to the combination of his age and the poor health of his parents, William only served early in the war. Another Hiester, Joseph, the son of John (Daniel’s uncle) also joined the service. Joseph fought as a captain of the Pennsylvania part of the Flying Camp. He was captured during the fighting on Long Island (1776) and confined on the British prison ship, New Jersey, in New York. After the war, Joseph became the governor of Pennsylvania (19 December 1820 to 16 December 1823). During May 1782, Colonel Daniel Hiester was commissioned as a brigadier general of militia. General Hiester’s service in the field appears to have been limited within the state of Pennsylvania. Following the close of hostilities, Hiester continued a life of public service as a civilian and held state offices as well as federal. From 1784 through 1786, he served on the Pennsylvania supreme council. In 1787, he was appointed as a commissioner charged with bringing about a resolution to the ongoing dispute between Connecticut and Pennsylvania regarding claims on land (Connecticut Land Claims) in the Wyoming Valley. General Hiester also became the initial representative from Berks County in the U.S. Congress following adoption of the United States Constitution. By that time, he had relocated in Berks County. His service in Congress as a Pennsylvania representative spanned 1789 to 1796 (First, Second, Third and Fourth Congresses, 4 March 1789 to 1 July 1796). During his final year as a representative from Pennsylvania, Hiester and his family relocated in Maryland, the place of his wife’s birth. They settled in Hagerstown, which had been founded in 1762 by Rosina’s father and initially called Elizabethtown after Rosina’s mother. Daniel’s father died in June 1795. Catherine, Daniel’s mother, died during August 1789 at age 72. At the time of her demise, she had been married to Daniel’s father for 46 years. After settling in Maryland, General Hiester again was returned to the U.S. Congress. He served in the Seventh and Eighth Congresses (4 March 1801 to 7 March 1804). General Hiester died in Washington, D.C., while in office. He was interred in the Zion Reformed Graveyard in Hagerstown, Maryland.

Hogan (Hogun), Brigadier General James James Hogan was born in Ireland, but the exact date is unknown. His early history also remains a mystery. In Ireland his surname is usually Hogan, which is the spelling used in this work. James arrived in the colonies and settled in North Carolina at Halifax County in a section known as Scotland Neck. On 3 October 1751, James married Ruth Norfleet, the widow of Thomas Norfleet. During 1774, Halifax County created a committee of safety. The committee was composed of eleven men including James Hogan. When the Provincial Congress met during August 1775, Hogan again

175 represented Halifax County. In April 1776, the Provincial Congress took a series of steps regarding the defense of the state, and it reorganized the militia into six brigades. Allen Jones was appointed brigadier general of the Halifax district, with Willis Alston selected as colonel, David Sumner as lieutenant colonel and James Hogan as first major. The congress also appointed a committee to design a blueprint for a state constitution. Word of the Declaration of Independence reached the congress on 22 July 1776. In November 1776, the congress assembled at Halifax and one of the primary items on the agenda was to adopt a state constitution. Hogan served on the committee on the Bill of Rights and Constitution. Hogan was also appointed paymaster of the 3rd Continental Regiment, which was commanded by Colonel Jethro Sumner, a position he held only for a short time. On 26 November, he was elected colonel of the 7th North Carolina Regiment. Subsequent to his appointment as colonel, he resigned from the Provincial Congress. Afterward, the 7th Regiment, along with the 8th, commanded by Colonel John Armstrong, moved north to join with General George Washington. Both regiments arrived in time to participate in the unsuccessful defense of Philadelphia. In conjunction, another North Carolina force, a brigade under General Francis Nash, also participated in defending Philadelphia. At Brandywine, the Americans were pushed back and the British occupied the city. On 4 October, another major confrontation occurred at the Battle of Germantown. It was there that Colonel Hogan displayed great heroism. Following the contest at Germantown, Hogan’s command wintered at Valley Forge. There were actually nine North Carolina regiments encamped at Valley Forge. On May 29, 1778, less than one month before the British abandoned Philadelphia (18 June), Congress ordered a reorganization of the regiments. As part of that action, North Carolina was authorized to raise four more battalions for the Continental Army. Colonel Hogan was sent back to North Carolina to raise and organize the units. He was also selected to command the first new regiment. By July, Hogan was prepared to move back to the northern states to join with the main army under Washington at White Plains, New York. During November 1778, Hogan’s command was deployed at West Point and engaged in fortifying the post. On 9 January 1779, Colonel Hogan was promoted by Congress to the rank of brigadier general. Colonel Jethro Sumner also of North Carolina was raised to brigadier. There were some complications with regard to Hogan, as another officer, Colonel Elijah Clark, was being pushed for promotion by the North Carolina legislature and by Clark’s brother-in-law, William Hooper, who was at the time a member of the Continental Congress. Nonetheless, the officers of the brigade prevailed and Hogan, who held seniority over Clark, was promoted. The vacancies occurred due to the promotion of Brigadier General Robert Howe and the death of General Francis Nash at Germantown in October 1777. General Hogan remained in the northern states until 1780; however, General Sumner was ordered to return to North Carolina to participate in the defenses of Georgia and South Carolina. General Hogan received orders in early 1780 to lead his command south to participate in the defense of South Carolina. He reached Wilmington, North Carolina, during February and proceeded from there to Charleston, where he arrived in April, but by then the American army under General Benjamin Lincoln and a U.S. naval squadron was corralled in Charleston, with the ships land-locked and the army besieged by the British. The defenders raised resistance as long as possible, and the Continental Army units that were about to abandon the city to live to engage the enemy were coerced by politicians to remain. General Hogan and the regulars he commanded were part of the army that was surrendered when Charleston fell on 12 May 1780. North Carolina was hit especially hard when the city was lost. In addition to the regulars, a large force of North Carolina militia was in

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Charleston. However, General Sumner had been back in North Carolina when the city fell, allowing him to escape imprisonment. The militia was paroled by the British, but the regulars under General Hogan were crammed onto Sullivan’s Island at Haddrell’s Point. The British ensured that the conditions of their captives were inhumane to the point that the militia was improperly fed and medical help was essentially unavailable. The British maintained such barbaric methods that even a simple request by the prisoners to receive permission to fish to gather some additional food was rejected. General Hogan was offered parole, but he concluded that for the good of his command he wouldn’t accept it. General Hogan’s decision to endue the same sufferings as his men became a fateful moment. He was unable to survive captivity. General Hogan succumbed at Sullivan’s Island on 4 January 1781, but his death was not an unusual occurrence. About 1,800 troops of the Continental Army were imprisoned on the island and of those, about 900 died prior to paroles being granted. About 700 men survived Haddrell’s Point (vicinity of present-day Mount Pleasant) to eventually return to their homes. No military honors were afforded General Hogan, who was buried in an unknown grave. At some point during the war, General Hogan’s papers were taken by federal troops, but there is no record of what happened to them. Consequently, the general’s correspondence was never available for posterity. General Hogan was survived by one son, Lemuel. During 1786, as the heir of General Hogan, his son received from the state of North Carolina a tract of 12,000 acres in Davidson County, Tennessee, and later, during 1792, Congress awarded Lemuel the sum of $5,250 (seven-year half pay), the amount awarded to the heirs of brigadier generals who sacrificed their lives during the fight for independence. Lemuel, in 1786, married Mary Smith of Halifax County. Subsequent to the death of Lemuel (1814), his widow and children moved to Tuscumbia, Alabama.

Holden, Brigadier General Thomas Thomas Holden, the son of John and Deliverance Greene Holden, was born in Warwick, Rhode Island, on 7 June 1741. Thomas’ mother was the daughter of James and Mary Jones Greene. Thomas’ parents had three other children: Welthian (b. December 1733); Charles (b. June 1737); and Deliverance (b. September 1738). The details of Thomas’ early life and some family records have not survived the ages. Even the maiden name of Thomas’ wife remains uncertain. Thomas married a woman named Freelove, but her parentage remains a mystery. Some nineteenth century historians recorded Freelove’s last name as Barton and listed her father as Rowland Barton. Historians also say a man named Rowland Barton did have a daughter named Freelove, but records indicate that Freelove Barton never married. Nonetheless, Thomas and Freelove Holden, according to Eben Putnam’s work (The Holden Genealog y, 1923), had the following children: John (date of birth unknown); Thomas Holden (b. October 1758); Hannah (b. May 1762); Edward (b. January 1764, married Sarah Burlingame); Oliver (b. March 1766); Catherine (b. May 1768); Ruth (b. February 1770); William (b. March 1772); Freelove (b. January 1775); Mary (b. January 1777); Elizabeth (b. June 1780); Welthian (b. August 1782) and Susan Archer (b. April 1785). Thomas Holden leaned heavily toward the Patriots’ cause. Around the time of the outbreak of hostilities in Lexington and Concord (April 1775), Holden was appointed captain in Colonel James Varnum’s regiment (later Continental 1st Rhode Island Regiment). He was a captain in the continental service from 3 May 1775 until December that year. Holden was recommended for promotion to major, but continental records give no indication that the promotion came to fruition. He also served as quartermaster of a Rhode Island brigade (state troops) during 1776. Thomas, Jr., declined an appointment as 2nd lieutenant of the

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Kentish Guards, and sometimes Thomas, Sr., is erroneously thought to have rejected the appointment. The younger Thomas, however, did serve with his father as “waiter.” Subsequently, during spring 1778, Thomas, Sr., was elected captain of the Warwick Alarm Company, but in May he received a commission of the 1st Regiment (Kent militia). Colonel Holden’s force deployed in and around East Greenwich; however, at nearly the same time, plans were becoming operational to launch an attack against British-held Newport. That summer Holden’s command participated in the campaign of General John Sullivan, who moved to evict the British. Nevertheless, French support faltered and the Americans had to operate without the French fleet. The Americans failed to retake Newport, but Sullivan was able to extricate his forces and get back to the mainland just before the arrival of a fresh British fleet. Subsequently, during June of 1779, Colonel Holden was appointed as brigadier general (Kent County brigade). Two years later, during 1781, General Holden was appointed to the Council of War. After the close of hostilities, General Holden retained his rank and later, during 1790, he was promoted to major general of the Rhode Island militia. In the meantime, during 1788, he was elected to the Continental Congress, but there is no record of General Holden ever taking his seat. During the following year, again, he was elected to Congress; however, still no record exists of him serving. General Holden had served as deputy at the General Assembly. General Holden’s wife, Freelove, died at an undetermined time. He remarried in June 1793, taking Mercy Gorton Wightman (widow of Philip Wightman) as his second wife. Mercy was the daughter of Othniel and Theodosia Hopkins Gorton. No children were born to Mercy and General Holden. In 1800, the year of his father’s death (age 100), General Holden was appointed a judge on the Rhode Island Supreme Court. Thomas Holden succumbed on 23 February 1823. He was interred in the family cemetery at Natick, Rhode Island in an unknown location. A memorial stone was later erected in the East Greenwich Cemetery to commemorate his service to the nation. General Holden’s father, John, subsequent to the death of his wife, Deliverance, also remarried, taking Hannah Fry, the daughter of Thomas and Welthian Greene Fry, as his second wife. No children were born during the marriage of Thomas and Hannah.

Hooper, Brigadier General Henry Henry Hooper (4), the son of Henry (3), was born during 1720 in Dorchester, Maryland. That year, Henry (3) acquired a tract known as “My Lady Sewall’s Manor, referred to as Warwick. Henry (4) was the great-grandson of Henry (1) and Sarah Hooper, who arrived in present-day Calvert County during 1651. Henry (3) acquired more land on the eastern shore and the estate became known afterward as Warwick Fort Manor. Henry (3) was the son of Judge Henry Hooper (2) and Elizabeth Denwood. The mansion at the time of its construction was located in an area frequented by the Choptank Indians, which prompted Henry (3) to fortify it against attack. The fortress-home was constructed with English brick and the walls were two feet thick. The doors were fortified with iron bars and each had hinges four feet long. Henry (3) was a member of the Maryland Assembly and the House of Burgess, but he also served in the militia and rose to the rank of colonel during 1733. Upon the death of Henry (3), during 1767, Henry (4) inherited the estate, which at the time encompassed more than 2,000 acres. The property was located along Secretary Creek (later Warwick River). Early twentieth century sources list Henry as having married about 1735, which would have made him about fifteen years old. He married Anne Ennalls, the daughter of William and Ann Smith Ennalls. Henry and Anne’s children were William, who became a physician (married Sarah Ridgeway); Henry (5) (married Mary Ennalls); John (served as

major during Revolution); Mary (married Denwood Hicks); Sally; and Anne Elizabeth (married William Barrow). Henry Hooper (4, the subject) became solidly aligned with the Patriots, and he played a significant role in the region during the days preceding the outbreak of the American Revolution. Hooper participated as a delegate at several Provincial Congresses that convened in Maryland during 1775 and 1776. In 1774, he participated in what was known as the convention of deputies. After the passage of the Port Bill (British closure of Boston’s port) in March 1774, the Marylanders convened a meeting of deputies at Baltimore on 31 May 1774. Hooper was a participant. In response to a call for another meeting, Hooper participated in the gathering at Annapolis on 22 June 1774, and yet again was a delegate when the deputies convened in April 1775. During the latter convention word arrived regarding the clash with the British at Lexington and Concord (19 April 1775). During the April convention, it was decided that new deputies be elected for the upcoming convention (known as the Association of the Freemen). The convention met on 26 July 1775 and Hooper was a delegate from Dorchester County. At that convention it was decided to form a Committee of Safety and from each county a Committee of Observation was to be formed to bolster the former committee. Hooper, by that time a colonel of militia, was appointed to the committee of observation in September 1775. On 7 December, another convention was held at Annapolis. The four-man delegation from Dorchester County included Henry Hooper, John Ennalls, William Ennalls and James Murray. The delegates focused on improving the state’s defenses and resolved to establish a Maryland battalion composed of eight companies and another force of seven independent companies. During the early part of 1776, Colonel Hooper was appointed as brigadier general and his district included the lower portion of the Eastern Shore of Maryland. The deputies gathered on 6 January at Severn and elected the following general officers, in order of rank: (1) Thomas Johnson, Jr. (Upper District); (2) Henry Hooper (Lower District Eastern Shore); (3) John Dent (Lower District); (4) James Loyd Chamberlaine (Upper District) and (5) Andrew Buchanan (Middle District). General Johnson, a lawyer and a member of the convention had no military experience when he assumed command of the Maryland militia. The Marylanders continued to improve their defenses and build their military forces. During May 1776, yet another convention met, and while it was in session, a letter from Lord Germain destined for Governor Robert Eden was intercepted and expeditiously delivered to the convention. The intelligence gained included the British plan for launching an invasion of Maryland (and other colonies) to bring it back into the royal fold. General Hooper was a delegate in attendance when the captured correspondence arrived. The delegates voted on Eden’s fate after it was determined that he was in collusion with the plan. The vote was 41 to 14 to permit the governor and his officers to depart the state. General Hooper and the other three delegates from Dorchester were among those who opposed the governor’s departure. The group reconvened on 21 June and during that time it was determined to draw a new state constitution. For that purpose, a new convention convened on 14 August 1776. The constitution was drawn and afterward ratified when the citizens elected delegates to a general assembly to convene on 5 February 1777. The newly elected delegates from Dorchester did not include General Henry Hooper. Meanwhile, one of the initial threats faced by General Hooper was a force under Lord Dunmore, royal governor of Virginia, known as Dunmore’s fleet, a roving band of vessels that intended to plunder the coastal towns. During July 1776, General Hooper distributed his militia at various points along the eastern shore to intercept any of Dunmore’s pirates. Hooper stationed a force of more than 100 men under Colonel Richardson at Cambridge, and a similarly sized contingent

177 under Lt. Colonel Benson Stainton established positions at Cook’s Point. A slightly larger force was deployed at Honga River and smaller contingents of about 15 men were posted at Ascom’s Island, Hooper’s Island, James’ Island, Meekin’s Neck and Taylor’s Island. General Hooper also deployed a 30-man contingent under Major Fallen at Hooper’s Straits, providing a formidable ring of protection around the lower portion of the eastern shore. On 13 January 1777, pursuant to a directive from the General Assembly, a force under General Hooper and a naval flotilla under Captain James Campbell, bolstered by a contingent of Virginians led by Colonel Southey, moved into Somerset and Worcester to terminate trouble instigated by bands of Loyalists. Many prisoners were seized and held captive for a long period of time. The British devoted little time to Maryland, and during the entire war the state was spared major battles. The British did, however, land a major force in Maryland in 1777, but its objective was Philadelphia and the major exchange occurred at Brandywine, Pennsylvania, as the Redcoats closed against the city. Nevertheless, General Hooper’s forces maintained pressure against the Loyalists, and Hooper also held responsibility for sending replacement troops to the Continental Army (Maryland Line). The British privateers began raiding coastal towns. In spring of 1781, the militia faced a raid against Vienna, and other British vessels were in the vicinity. The British raised a flag of truce and informed the Americans that they wanted only the grain and added that they would pay for what they took. General Hooper had arrived on scene by the time the offer was made. He evaluated the enemy strength and concluded that his militia lacked the strength to repel an attack, which had been promised if the offer was declined. Hooper acquiesced and the British kept their word. After re-boarding the vessels, the British departed; however, the decision by Hooper was not well received by his militia, who stood idly by and observed the entire operation. Although Hooper’s action was detested by other officers, he was never officially admonished. He retained his rank for the duration General Henry Hooper succumbed during 1790. The estate, Warwick Fort Manor, subsequent to the general’s death, was inherited by his son Henry (5), and afterward, he sold the estate in separate parcels.

Hooper, William (Signer of the Declaration of Independence) William Hooper, the son of the Rev. William and Mary Dennie Hooper, was born in Boston on 17 June 1742. The Reverend Hooper, originally a Congregationalist, changed to the Episcopal Church during 1746. He was born in Scotland on a farm located at the convergence of the Eden and Tweed Rivers in the vicinity of the village of Kelso into the family of Robert and Mary Jaffray Hooper. The Reverend Hooper and his wife, Mary, had four other children: John, George, Mary and Thomas. William Hooper (signer) was born in Boston on 28 June 1742, the oldest of the family’s five children. As a young boy of about seven, following instruction at home, William attended Boston Latin School under John Lovell for about seven years. Later he entered Harvard College as a sophomore due to his earlier education. Subsequent to graduation from Harvard during 1760, William expanded his education by studying law under James Otis, to the dismay of his family. Although his family hoped William would follow his father and become a minister, he chose to become a lawyer, but in addition, his father was also a Loyalist and aware that Otis was a radical patriot. William was a Harvard grad, but his father and paternal grandfather both graduated from Edinburgh University. Like some of the other men who entered that group of patriots who pledged their lives and fortunes for the cause of liberty during the quest for independence, William Hooper developed a deep interest in the clas-

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sics. Nonetheless, he did not practice in Boston. He moved to North Carolina and established himself in Wilmington during 1764. There he met and married Ann Clark, the daughter of high sheriff Thomas and Barbara Murray Clark, during autumn 1767 in Boston. They had three children, William (1768), Elizabeth (1770) and Thomas (1772). Ann was the sister of Colonel Thomas Clark, the latter having been put up for promotion to brigadier general at the death of General William Hooper (Biographical Sketches James Moore (1777), but it of the Signers of the Declaration of was never approved by the Independence, Benson J. Lossing, 1854) North Carolina assembly. Consequently, he remained a colonel of the North Carolina regiment for the duration. Hooper raised his status in the colony by familiarizing himself with the various courts, and moving from one to another he gathered affluent planters as clients. He had a residence in Wilmington, but in addition, the family estate (Finian) was located outside the city at Masonboro Sound, slightly less than ten miles from Wilmington. Hooper was in Wilmington during 1766 when the group known as Regulators (later Whigs) emerged in the Carolinas. The group formed to punish offenders for crimes such as stealing horses. Another group known as Scovilites (later Loyalists or Tories) was formed in opposition. By 1768, the Regulators in North Carolina swore to refuse paying taxes to what they perceived as a tyrannical government and they condoned violence against government officials. The next year, the North Carolina Assembly was dissolved. Nevertheless, the representatives gathered and voted against purchasing any items from Britain. By the following year, after judges were driven from their offices and other violence threatened law and order, William Hooper proposed that the military quash the threat by attacking the Regulators. His counsel was accepted. On 16 May 1771, Governor William Tryon led militia to Alamance to dismantle the Regulators. A large number of the Regulators, most without weapons, were killed or wounded. Of the captives, twelve were tried and convicted of high treason. Of those, six were executed. Initially, the group opposed corrupt government, but they shifted priorities and were perceived as too extreme. Prior to being knocked out of action, they had intended to kill all the lawyers, one of whom was Hooper. And Hooper, at the time an ally of Tryon, participated at the battle. Meanwhile, as his practice prospered and his personal contacts expanded, Hooper was able to attain the office of deputy attorney general of North Carolina by about 1770. During June of 1771, Tryon removed to New York to become governor there and was replaced by Josiah Martin. At the time, some of the royal governors were switching places. Lord Dunmore, replaced by Tryon, moved to Virginia to become its royal governor. Back in North Carolina, Hooper was elected to the assembly during January 1773 and served 1773–1775. Afterward, the Crown became acutely aware of his staunch opposition to the policies imposed upon the colonies and of his literary skills. The state assembly, taking advantage of the expiration of the court system, moved to modify it by permitting the colony to confiscate American property owned by foreigners who owed money. The act would have included the British, prompting the governor Josiah Martin to prevent its passage. A huge

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confrontation occurred, placing control of the colony in dispute for a period of about four years. For Hooper, the battle became a financial disaster, as he lost his means of income from his law practice. Nevertheless, Hooper led the opposition. He published a series of essays exposing the unfairness of the system of taxation and other heavy-handed policies, while simultaneously exhibiting that he stood with the American cause and had greatly distanced himself from his previous tendencies to side with the motherland. He became a leading figure with the Whigs (formerly Regulators) and later predicted the break from Britain, which earned him the name “Prophet of Independence.” During the early 1770s, although New England was receiving the brunt of the British tactics, the South was engaged and in sympathy. During 1773, Josiah Quincy of Massachusetts journeyed to the South and met with a group of patriots including William Hooper and John Ashe, the leader of the Whigs. The conference was designed to get the South to participate in the continental correspondence. On 8 December that year, the assembly appointed a standing committee of correspondence, composed of nine members, one of which was William Hooper. During 1774, Hooper was re-elected to the assembly, and during that session, North Carolina followed the action of Virginia (Virginia Resolutions) and proclaimed it was prohibiting acceptance of British tea or other products. Hooper’s actions were observed by the people, who began to depend upon him as a trusted friend of the colonists. His popularity grew immensely and he was easily elected on 25 August as a delegate to the First Continental Congress. Back in North Carolina on 23 November 1774, the assembly established a committee of safety and Hooper was appointed to it. During the following year, he was again sent to Philadelphia as a delegate to the Second Continental Congress. On 4 April 1775, Hooper was a member of the assembly and of the convention that convened at New Bern, and at that time he was selected as a delegate. That year, Lord North proposed legislation to restrict the commerce of New England (Connecticut, New Hampshire and Rhode Island) to England, Ireland and the West Indies and it forbid fishing on the banks of Newfoundland and some other places, but the action was not confined to New England. The British expanded its policies to most of the other colonies; however, North Carolina was one of the exceptions. Meanwhile, tension continued to build between the Americans and the British. On 8 April 1775, the governor ordered the abolition of the state assembly, and during the following month, orders arrived from Britain directing Governor Josiah Martin to raise a force of Loyalist militia. By that time, the flames of independence had already begun to spread throughout the colony; however, Britain remained focused upon retaining the loyalty of the North Carolinians, due in part to the huge amounts of naval stores in the colony. At the time, there still were strong feelings within the populace that the rift would be healed. The mood swing in North Carolina became drastic on 8 May, upon the arrival of the news of the confrontations at Lexington and Concord. By that time, Hooper and the other delegates to the Continental Congress had departed for Philadelphia. On 19 May 1775, one month after the battles of Lexington and Concord, the patriots assembled in Mecklenburg County and in a convention declared independence (Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence). By the end of the month, communications had opened between Philadelphia and New Bern. Hooper had sent a dispatch to Cornelius Harnett explaining the urgency of action. On 31 May, the Wilmington committee pressed Sam Johnston (moderator) to convene a new provincial congress for the purpose of arming the colony. The royal governor had failed in his attempt to raise a sufficient force of Loyalists. He was compelled to flee from his seat during the latter part of May, and by July he was pushed from North Carolina. On 7 June, while Hooper was in Philadelphia, the Continental Con-

gress resolved “that Thursday the 20th of July next, be observed throughout the twelve United Colonies, as a day of humiliation, fasting and prayer.” John Adams, William Hooper and Robert Treat Paine were charged with drawing the address. The proclamation was delivered by the committee on 23 June 1775 and adopted: As the great Governor of the World, by his supreme and universal Providence, not only conducts the course of nature with unerring wisdom and rectitude, but frequently influences the minds of men to serve the wise and gracious purposes of his providential government; and it being, at all times, our indispensible duty devoutly to acknowledge his superintending providence, especially in times of impending danger and public calamity, to reverence and adore his immutable justice as well as to implore his merciful interposition for our deliverance: This Congress, therefore, considering the present critical, alarming and calamitous state of these colonies, do earnestly recommend that Thursday, the 20th day of July next, be observed, by the inhabitants of all the English colonies on this continent, as a day of public humiliation, fasting and prayer....

The proclamation was directed at twelve colonies, because Georgia did not send representation to the First Continental Congress. Meanwhile, in reaction to Hooper’s original communication with the assembly in North Carolina during the previous May, the third provisional congress (North Carolina) convened during August at Hillsborough. At that time, the Provincial Congress raised two continental regiments and six battalions of Minute Men. In addition, the entire membership of the congress signed their names to a document that pledged loyalty to the king, but simultaneously proclaimed that the members were also pledged and bound to the direction of the Continental Congress by either action or resolution. In the meantime, Hooper, a member of the Provincial Congress, was again elected as a delegate. During 1775, as a member of the Second Continental Congress, Hooper served on several key committees, including the Marine Committee and the Committee of Secret Correspondence. He was again elected as a delegate and served in the Continental Congress during 1776. All the while, the turmoil continued in North Carolina as the British worked to coordinate a liaison with a large force of Highlanders (Loyalists). The British fleet waited in vain as the Highlanders were intercepted on 27 February at Moore’s Creek Bridge. The Loyalists sustained a devastating defeat and the victory by the Patriots foiled the grand plan of the British. The Loyalists, after the battle, were never again able to build a large force in North Carolina. Within one week, the North Carolinians met at Halifax in the Fourth Provincial Congress and, on 12 April, the convention informed the delegates to support independence. Several days later, on 15 April, William Hooper and John Penn arrived at the convention from Philadelphia and participated in the business at hand. Hooper was appointed as chair of a committee charged with ensuring the defenses of the North Carolina seacoast, and he was appointed to another charged with acquiring arms and ammunition. He was also a member of other committees, including the committee of secrecy, war and intelligence. That same year, 1776, Hooper became one of that select group who pledged their lives, fortunes and sacred honor in support of the Declaration of Independence; however, he was absent when the vote was taken due to the situation in his home state, particularly with the British in control of Cape Fear. Nonetheless, Hooper, subsequent to the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, signed the parchment document in August along with the other members. On 11 October 1776, Hooper was one of three men added to the Committee of Secret Correspondence; however, his days in Congress were coming to a close. On 21 December, Congress delegated Hooper to investigate the condition of the prisoners from North Carolina being held in Baltimore. His instructions directed him to have the seriously ill removed from their holding cells and placed in private homes with

179 the stipulation that they each have a guard and access to a doctor. He returned on the following Monday, 23 December, with dismal news about the jail, prompting Congress to resolve “that until the apartments of the jail of the town of Baltimore shall be repaired, and put in such a condition as not to endanger the health of those who may be confined in them, that the prisoners from the state of North Carolina be removed from thence to different rooms in the court house, or wherever else they can be procured, and there safely locked up and secured....” During February 1777, Hooper requested and received a leave of absence to attend to his personal affairs. He did not return to Congress. At the time, he was aware of the toll his actions had already taken on his family. Loyalists had been harassing them. Although he had been in Congress when North Carolina adopted its state constitution and was unable to participate, upon his return to his home state, he remained active in the provincial government of the state and continued to contribute to the war effort. He served in the assembly nearly continually until 1786. He was a representative from Wilmington until 1784 and after moving to Orange County, he was elected that year to represent it. While in the North Carolina assembly during the latter part of April of 1777, he resigned his congressional seat. The situation in the state remained fluid, but the situation began to drastically change during September 1780, when the British under Lord Cornwallis launched an invasion of North Carolina from their positions in South Carolina. The Hooper family fled from their estate and moved to Wilmington; however, during January of the following year, the city was seized. Mrs. Hooper was treated terribly and when the British let her depart, they placed her in great jeopardy. She was forced to leave in a boat and somehow made it to Rocky Point on the northeast branch of Cape Fear. From there, with the help of General Rutherford, she made it to Hillsborough, southeast of Greensboro and about 170 miles from Wilmington at a point about fifty miles from the Virginia border. In the meantime, William Hooper was out of contact with his wife and without any place of security for himself. He had fled further inland after he sent his wife to Wilmington. Nevertheless, the Loyalists, led by Major Craig (Craige) failed to seize him. All the while, he had lacked funds and became dependent upon friends, primarily at Edenton, to provide shelter and food. During the ordeal, he came down with malaria, but he recuperated. In the meantime, Cornwallis maintained his effort to demolish the American forces and regain control of the Carolinas; however, following setbacks in South Carolina, General Nathanael Greene arrived to assume command. At Guilford Court House, Greene’s forces, including regulars and militia, fought a heated battle with the British and were forced from the field. Despite Cornwallis’ claim of victory, his army was shredded and he was unable to continue his offensive. Greene was not yet aware that the gallantry of his force had saved the Carolinas. Cornwallis retreated to Wilmington and departed from there on 27 March en route to Virginia. In November, the British remaining in Wilmington abandoned it following the total defeat and surrender of Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown during October 1781. During the time the enemy controlled Wilmington and the region, a plan had been in place for Hooper’s family to be transported to the West Indies for protection by the French, but it did not become necessary. Shortly after the British evacuated the city, Hooper was able to return, but only to find his property, including his estate, destroyed. At that point, he apparently concluded that to rebuild a career and his estate would be fruitless. He left the area after a short while and traveled to Hillsborough to join his family. Once there, he again began to practice law. By that time, Hooper again changed his ideology. He became dissatisfied with the Republicans (Whigs) and became a conservative, but he also began to be perceived as condescending by the people and that

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problem was compounded by his sympathy for the Loyalists. Hooper was unable to regain any type of popularity or retain any of the admiration he had earlier earned by his actions in support of the Declaration at the risk of his life and fortune during the war. Still, he continued to contribute to the cause through his beliefs. During 1786, on 22 September, Congress, operating under the Articles of Confederation, appointed Hooper as a federal judge and delegated him as one of the judges charged with intervening in a controversy that emerged between New York and Massachusetts regarding a tract of land claimed by both parties. The dispute was settled amicably by the two parties in Hartford, Connecticut, that December. By 1787, Hooper remained engaged in the business of the state, but his health was failing, and simultaneously, he had been moving further from his previous allies who adamantly demanded harsh terms for the Loyalists. In the case of Hooper, he remained absolutely loyal to the American cause, but his indifference to stiff retaliation was due to many of his family members in New England having remained loyal to the king and Britain. The hostilities between the various lawyers and judges continued to mount as the lawyers most often represented Loyalists. Hooper, during 1788, devoted his remaining energy to getting the U.S. Constitution ratified in North Carolina. It was ratified the following year and North Carolina entered the union as the twelfth state on 21 November 1789. By that time, Hooper’s health had become extremely poor. William Hooper succumbed prior to his 49th birthday on 14 October 1790. He was survived by his wife, Ann, and their three children: William, who married Helen Hogg; Thomas, who never married; and Elizabeth, who married Henry Hyrne Watters. Initially, William Hooper was interred at Hillsborough, but later, during 1894, he was re-interred at Guilford Courthouse National Military Park near Greensboro, North Carolina.

Hopkins, Commodore Esek Esek Hopkins, the son of William and Ruth Williamson Hopkins, was born on 26 April 1718 at what was then a sector of Providence, Rhode Island, and later became Scituate. The town was known as Chopomisk by the Indians. In addition to Esek, William and Ruth had the following children: William; Stephen (signer of the Declaration of Independence); Rufus; John; Hope; Samuel; Abigail; and Susanna. Esek worked his father’s farm as a boy. When he was about twenty years old he went to sea. Shortly thereafter, Esek became the captain of a vessel, and from there he increased his skills as a mariner. Later, during November 1741, on the 28th, Esek married Desire Burroughs, the daughter of a prominent merchant and ship master, Ezekiel Burroughs. The ceremony was performed by the Rev. Nicholas Eyres. Esek and Desire established residence at Newport, rather than Providence, where Esek was living at the time. They had the following children: John Burroughs (b. August 1742, d. December 1796); Heart (b. September 1744, d. 1825); Abigail (b. October 1746, d. April 1821); Samuel I (b. February 1748, d. September 1750); Amey (b. January 1751, d. December 1835); Stephen (b. March 1753, d. July 1761); Susanna (b. May 1756, d. 1803); Esek, Jr. (b. June 1758, d. 1777); Samuel II (birth date unknown, d. 1782) and Desire (b. May 1764, d. May 1843). Prior to the Revolutionary War, during the French and Indian War, Esek Hopkins for some time was a privateer and often at sea. Afterward, he was elected to the general assembly several times. In August 1775, after the clashes at Lexington and Concord in April, the town committee at Newport designated Captain Esek Hopkins as commander of the battery at Fox Hill. Later that year, a committee (Recess Committee) formed by the general assembly to act when it was not in session commissioned Esek Hopkins as a brigadier general and commanderin-chief. General Hopkins’ commission, dated 4 October 1775, was signed by Deputy Governor Nicholas Cooke and by Henry Ward, secretary.

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That year, while General Esek Hopkins was in command, a British naval force under Captain James Wallace closed the harbor and threatened to bombard the town. At the time, Hopkins had about 600 troops under him, when the town of Newport refused to provide the fleet with provisions. Meanwhile, the British were punishing the town by isolating it from the fishermen as well as the ferries and other commercial vessels. Nevertheless, negotiations began between the town leaders and Wallace and a truce was declared by the British. Wallace’s undated letter included this: “I will suspend hostilities against the town till I have further orders, upon their supplying the King’s ships with fresh beef, &c. Let it remain neuter. The ferry and market boats to supply it unmolested. If the rebels enter the town, and break the neutrality, I hold myself disengaged and at liberty to do my utmost for the King’s service. JAMES WALLACE. His Majesty’s ship, Rose.” The letter was published in a newspaper, the Providence Gazette, on 9 December 1775. The town was spared and the British received provisions as agreed upon, on a weekly basis; however, it is questionable whether the British would have bombarded the town realizing that they were going to attempt to seize it as a naval base. While the British were in pursuit of General George Washington as he led the army across New Jersey and into Pennsylvania, the British, on 8 December 1776, landed and occupied Newport. In the meantime, on 13 October 1776, Congress established the Naval Committee, and by the end of the month it had seven members. Except for John Adams, the members were politically committed. The establishment of the Naval Committee was considered the beginning of the United States Navy. In December 1776 Congress appointed Esek Hopkins, the brother of a delegate to Congress, Stephen Hopkins, as the first commander-in-chief. On 22 December, Congress accepted the names for the officer corps of the Continental Navy. Those named to fit out and command the ships were: Esek Hopkins (commander in chief of the fleet) and Captain Dudley Saltonstall (Alfred); Captain Abraham Whipple (Columbus); Captain Nicholas Biddle (Andrew Doria); and Captain John Burrows Hopkins (Cabot), son of Esek Hopkins. John Paul Jones was appointed first lieutenant. Abraham Whipple was a close friend of Esek Hopkins and Dudley Saltonstall (brotherin-law of Silas Deane, Naval Committee member). On 14 February 1776, Commodore Esek Hopkins was at Cape Henlopen (Delaware Bay) under secret orders to strike the British in either Virginia or the Carolinas; however, he also had another option, the Bahamas. Hopkins apparently chose the Bahamas. He directed Captain Biddle to maintain close contact with his flagship, the Alfred, and if any vessel in the squadron lost contact for a period of four days, the rendezvous point was announced as Great Abaco Island in the Bahamas. At the time, the British realized that the Americans were in motion, but they had not anticipated the Bahamas as a target, giving the squadron the element of surprise. Nonetheless, on 25 February, word reached New Providence that an attack against it was possible. Nevertheless, Royal Governor Montfort Browne did not remove the ammunition as suggested by General Howe due to fear of an attack by the Spanish or the French. Commodore Hopkins and his Marine contingent were in position and prepared to launch the invasion on Sunday, 3 March 1776. New Providence was protected by two forts, Montagu and Nassau at either end, but they were in poor condition and the garrisons were especially thin. At the first stroke of dawn, the governor was informed of the enemy fleet in the harbor, but there was little that he could do to prevent a landing. Three cannon were fired as a warning, but two of them collapsed. In the meantime, the militia began to beat their drums as a signal of distress. Unaware of the chaos in New Providence, the fleet passed the guns of one of the forts, somewhat taken aback when no defensive fire commenced. By 0900, some of the militia had rallied and moved toward Fort Montagu, the back door to Nassau. Despite deplorable weather, nearly 250 Marines bolstered by about

fifty seamen landed at Fort Montagu, making the landing the first by the Continental Marines, and it was unopposed. Nevertheless, Commodore Hopkins had neglected to seal off the main entrance of the harbor. The British dispatched a messenger under a white flag to inquire about the incursion. The response was that it was an American force dispatched by Congress of the United Colonies to seize the powder and ammunition of the King of England. All the while, no shots were fired and the townspeople were becoming more anxious. By midnight, the British were able to get some of the ammunition aboard vessels, and because Hopkins did not block the harbor, the ships were able to escape and make it to East Florida. At about dawn on 4 March, the Marines were back in motion after a night of undisturbed sleep. Many of the militia on the island had already deserted and still, the Americans received no opposition. Captain Nicholson advanced down Main Street and requested the keys to Fort Nassau; they were handed to him. Afterward, the Americans moved into the fort and found forty cannon, prepared to fire, but no crews. The Marines lowered the British ensign and raised the American flag, the first time the flag was hoisted on foreign soil. Meanwhile, the governor was detained by Marine guards, while the remainder of the land force continued loading the supplies. The operation was completed on the 16th and the fleet departed on the 17th, having sustained no casualties from the enemy; however, many got sick. The force was struck by fever and smallpox prior to arriving back in America. The fleet departed having elevated the conflict for the British, who had believed they were facing only some rebels. The invasion of the Bahamas informed the British that the conflict was no longer confined to the ground in the colonies and they from that point also had to be concerned about amphibious invasions by the Marines. The landing by the Marines under Commodore Hopkins also set a precedent that has continued. Since the founding of the Marine Corps, the Marines have never been pushed back to the sea after landing on hostile terrain. While en route to America in early April, Hopkins’ fleet encountered British warships HMS Hawk and HMS Bolton off Block Island. Both British vessels were seized along with two others that were being escorted; however, the jubilance that was raised after taking the prizes soon ended. Afterward, the HMS Glasgow appeared and soon the Cabot was struck with a broadside. The barrage continued, killing Captain John Hopkins. The other ships sped to the rescue, but in vain, and the Glasgow was able to escape. Hopkins’ squadron was badly damaged. The incident was considered to have been a consequence of too much celebrating while heading home and that same reason was given for the poor marksmanship of the American gunners. After arriving back at port, Captain Tom Hazard was dismissed from the navy for his actions aboard the Providence. Hazard was succeeded by John Paul Jones. During October 1775, after Captain John Paul Jones arrived back in port from a successful cruise, he sought permission to initiate another cruise based upon his belief that many lucrative British merchant ships would be in the vicinity of West Africa, but permission was denied by Commodore Esek Hopkins. Hopkins had also been aware that Jones’ 49-day cruise gained sixteen prizes. However, the next month, Hopkins sent John Paul Jones on another cruise. At the time, Jones had been appointed captain of the Alfred, subsequent to Captain Dudley Saltonstall being reassigned. Jones departed Newport en route to raid Cape Breton (formerly Isle Royale). The cruise was successful and Jones received a bonanza that would be transferred to the Continental Army. One of his prizes was carrying a cargo that included uniforms for about 10,000 troops. Commodore Hopkins was faced with a threat from a British fleet during December 1776. When warships arrived, Hopkins moved quickly and led the fleet up the Providence River to prevent the British from destroying it; however, by that time the weather in New England was becoming nasty. Hopkins held the fleet upriver to prevent damage

181 from either the British or the storm. On 2 January 1777, Commodore Hopkins received intelligence that the HMS Diamond had become grounded near Warwick Neck in Narragansett Bay. Hopkins, acting on advice from Lt. John Trevett, a Marine aboard the sloop Providence, moved to capture the prey. The crew of the Diamond spotted the Providence and the Americans received heavy fire. The contest continued throughout the day, with the Diamond determined not to be taken. During the engagement, Hopkins went ashore to confer with ground troops; however, the boat never returned to retrieve him. Consequently Hopkins remained ashore for the night and in the meantime, the Diamond broke free and escaped. Commodore Hopkins had been the recipient of many complaints regarding his leadership and his action. On 26 March 1776, Congress considered the charges and resolved “that Esek Hopkins be immediately, and he hereby is, suspended from his command in the American navy.” Some of the charges emerged after Commodore Hopkins failed to seize the HMS Diamond; they included “blasphemy against God and the Continental Congress, of inhuman treatment of prisoners, and the blamable manner in which he handled himself during the engagement with the British frigate.” Despite the Congressional action, Hopkins remained another year before he was actually dismissed from the Continental Navy. On 16 August 1776, Congress resolved “that the said conduct of Commodore Hopkins deserves the censure of this house and this house does accordingly censure him.” Nevertheless, on 19 August, Congress ordered Commodore Hopkins “to repair to Rhode Island and take command of the fleet formerly put under his care.” In the meantime, on 12 August 1776, John Adams, one of Hopkins’ supporters, wrote: “Commodore Hopkins had his hearing; On this occasion I had a very laborious task against all the prejudices of the gentlemen from the Southern and Middle States and of many from New England. I thought, however, that Hopkins had done great service, and made an important beginning of naval operations.... I saw nothing in the conduct of Hopkins which indicated corruption or want of integrity. Experience and skill might have been deficient in several particulars; but where could we find greater experience or skill? I knew of none to be found....” On 14 May 1777, after receiving new complaints, Congress ordered a new inquiry into the actions of Hopkins. Finally, on 2 January 1778, Commodore Esek Hopkins was again discussed in Congress and afterward, it was resolved: “Congress having no further occasion for the service of Esek Hopkins, Esqr. who, on the 22 December 1775, was appointed commander in chief of the fleet fitted out by the Naval Committee, Resolved, That the said Esek Hopkins, Esqr. be dismissed from the service of the United States.” Subsequent to being dismissed, Hopkins returned to being a privateer, something he had earlier been involved with during the French and Indian War. Back in Rhode Island, Hopkins’ reputation was not harmed. He was again elected to the General Assembly shortly after he arrived home. He served there as a representative from North Providence from 1777 through 1786. In 1777 he was appointed a member of the Council of War. In 1785, Esek was elected as collector of imposts (County of Providence), a position he retained for one year. Other activity undertaken by Esek included becoming a trustee of Rhode Island College (later Brown University). Toward the latter part of his life, Hopkins suffered a stroke that caused partial paralysis, and from that sickness, he was compelled to use crutches to walk. In December 1796, Esek’s oldest son, John Burroughs, died on the 5th, and that tragic loss caused him severe grief. John Burroughs had served in the Continental Army with his father. Esek, another of Esek’s sons, also served in the Continental Navy and died while held captive by the British. Commodore Esek Hopkins died on 26 February 1802 at the age of 84. His five sons predeceased him, but his five daughters survived him. Hopkins was interred in a cemetery known as the “burying place,” lo-

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cated about one mile from his home. The tract was donated to North Providence by Hopkins with the stipulation that it be used as a burial ground. When a portion of North Providence was annexed by Providence, the burial ground was located within the city limits of Providence. The cemetery later became known as Hopkins Park. (See also Hopkins, Stephen.)

Hopkins, Stephen (Signer of the Declaration of Independence) Stephen Hopkins was born in a village known as Scituate, which at the time, 7 March 1707, was a section of Providence, Rhode Island. Stephen’s paternal grandfather, Thomas Hopkins, was among the first colonists to reside in Rhode Island. He married Elizabeth Arnold, the sister of Governor Benedict Arnold. Stephen’s parents were William and Ruth Wilkinson Hopkins. There is no record or evidence that he received any formal college education. He apparently received excellent instruction at home by his mother and other relatives. Stephen easily mastered mathematics and he devoted much time to science. He learned farming on his parents’ farm; however, he also became a surveyor, again most probably by instruction from relatives. At age nineteen, Stephen married Sarah Scott, the daughter of Silvanus and Joanna Jenckes Scott. Together they had seven children. They were Rufus, John, Lydia, Silvanus, George, Simon and Ruth. The latter two did not reach maturity and none survived their father. Hopkins was employed in various jobs in addition to his work as a surveyor. The position included town clerk and clerk of the Court and Proprietaries of the County about 1731–1732. During that period, due to the constant recording of various names and facts, he also acquired excellent penmanship. In 1731, the section of Providence known as Scituate became separate from Providence. Providence at the same time was further divided with the establishment of Gloucester and Smithfield. Hopkins was elected to the Rhode Island general assembly in 1732 and remained in the body for six years, followed by a six year term beginning in 1735 on the town council, where he served as president for six years. In addition, despite having no formal study of law, he was appointed justice of the peace and judge of the common pleas court, before being elevated to chief justice of common pleas court during 1733, a position he held until 1754. Hopkins had continued his work as a surveyor when possible. His surveying projects included mapping out the streets of Providence. Hopkins and his brother, Esek (later, commander-in-chief of the U.S. Navy), established a mercantile company that engaged in shipping and continued to operate for about thirty years. In the meantime, after an absence of several years, Stephen Hopkins returned to the state assembly during 1741 and during the following year, he moved back to Providence and continued his political career there. He was elected in 1742 to the assembly as a member from Providence and he followed that by becoming speaker of the house. Tracing his earlier career, he was elected as justice of the peace and afterward, during 1759, he was elevated to the position of chief justice of the Superior Court. Stephen Hopkins (Biographical Sketches Nonetheless, his career did of the Signers of the Declaration of not hold in place with the Independence, Benson J. Lossing, 1854)

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judiciary. During that same year, 1759, he was yet again elected to the assembly. Hopkins was charged with another task during 1754, when he was a delegate to the convention held in Albany in an effort to persuade the Six Nations to remain neutral early in the French and Indian War. The convention also designed a blueprint for a union of the colonies, similarly to the Articles of Confederation, the latter being the guidelines designed by the Continental Congress. In the midst of Hopkins’ political career, his wife died prematurely following a long illness on 9 September 1753 at age 47. In the year following his mission with the Indians, 1755, Hopkins remarried, taking Anne Smith, the widow of Benjamin Smith, as his second wife. Anne was a descendant of John Smith, one of the four associates of Roger Williams when his party departed Massachusetts for Connecticut. Stephen and Anne were married in the Friends’ Meeting House in Smithfield. Anne was about 38 years old and she had three children from her first marriage, Benjamin, Ruth and Emery. At about the same time, Hopkins rose to power within the group of radical Patriots who enjoyed the support of the colony’s merchants, but his success as leader received an immediate nemesis, Samuel Ward, who led the conservatives from his base at Newport. In 1756, Hopkins became the chief magistrate (governor) of Rhode Island. He suffered a political setback when his adversaries blocked re-election; however, despite the intense opposition from his enemies, Hopkins retained the post with some interruptions until 1767. Meanwhile, the British had been sustaining heavy losses inflicted by the French and their Indian allies, prompting Lord Loudoun to call for colonial troops to join with regulars to invade Canada. The force was raised; however, a French fleet arrived and the move to strike Halifax was suspended. Meanwhile, the French and Indian War continued to rage. Despite his age, Hopkins received command of militia in Providence following the loss of Fort William Henry in New York to the French on 9 August 1757 and the slaughter of many of the garrison force by Indians. Hopkins signed his name on an agreement of volunteers, for men who joined the militia, which stated that once the force reached 250 men, “recommending ourselves and our cause, to the favourable protection of Almighty God,” it would advance. British reinforcements later eased the situation for the militia at Providence and they afterward saw no enemy action. Subsequently, Hopkins was re-elected as governor during 1759 and again during 1760. By 1760, the British reversed their fortunes and the French, who had initially dominated on the field, were faced with total defeat. Hopkins was yet again elected chief magistrate of the colony in 1761. He would later hold the post during 1763, 1764 and 1767, for a total of seven terms, while his political opponent, Samuel Ward, held it four times. By the time the British taxes were imposed upon the colonies beginning in 1760, Hopkins was in his early fifties, yet quite vigorous and determined to continue his ongoing opposition to the policies of the king and Parliament. About two years later, Stephen was involved with the establishment of two newspapers, the Country Journal and the Providence Gazette. Later, during 1764, he would pen a piece titled “The Rights of the Colonies Examined,” and it was afterward reprinted as a pamphlet that spread from colony to colony, then beyond, reaching England, where it antagonized the British. Hopkins also displeased the Crown during his time as governor by authorizing Rhode Island ship owners to engage in trade with Spain’s colonies and with the French colonies; however, the action was not in violation of any of the laws of Britain. Hopkins’ vocal opposition to the enactment of the Stamp Act during 1765 did little to endear him to the king. Aside from the agonies of dealing with the strategy of Britain, Rhode Island moved into a period of political turmoil bordering on civil unrest which caused Hopkins to quit his post (1767) as chief magistrate, against the advice of his

supporters, in an attempt to return tranquility to the colony. He addressed the general assembly on 28 October 1767. Meanwhile, as the 1770s roared forward, Hopkins intensified his opposition to Britain. He returned to the assembly as a representative from Providence during 1772 and served there for three additional years (1772–1774). He was also elected a delegate to the First Continental Congress on 10 August 1774 and attended sessions when it convened in Philadelphia on 5 September 1774. Stephen Hopkins and Samuel Ward, the delegates from Rhode Island, joined with fifty-one others from twelve of the thirteen colonies that day, initially at City Tavern (also known as Smith’s Tavern), and from there the delegates walked to nearby Carpenter’s Hall. Only Georgia failed to send representation. In the meantime, while contributing to Congress, Hopkins was still antagonizing the king by actions in Rhode Island, such as a bill to outlaw the importation of slaves, presented by Hopkins and passed by the assembly. Hopkins had during the previous year freed the slaves that he had held. In 1775, again Hopkins was elected as a Rhode Island delegate to the Second Continental Congress, but still he remained deeply involved in the affairs of his home state. On 24 June 1775, Congress resolved “that a Committee of seven be appointed to devise ways and means to put the Militia of America in a proper state for the defence of America.” Stephen Hopkins was appointed along with Benjamin Harrison and Thomas Jefferson. Subsequently, on 24 October 1775, Hopkins was appointed to a five-man committee charged with intervening in the land dispute between the colonies of Pennsylvania and Connecticut in the Wyoming Valley. Congress appointed Hopkins to a key committee which began on 13 October that was actually the beginning of the U.S. Navy. The resolution: Resolved, That the second vessel ordered to be fitted out on the 13th Inst, do carry 14 guns, with a proportionate number of swivels and men [and] that a Committee be appointed to carry into execution with all possible expedition the resolution of Congress of the 13th Inst, the one of ten and the other of 14 guns, and, Resolved, That two other armed vessels be fitted out with all expedition; the one to carry not exceeding 20 Guns, and the other not exceeding 36 Guns, with a proportionate number of swivels and men, to be employed in such manner, for the protection and defence of the united Colonies, as the Congress shall hereafter direct. That the Comee. consist of seven and therefore that four new members be now elected to be added to the former Comee.— 4 a quorum.

Other members were John Adams, Joseph Hewes and Richard Henry Lee. Subsequently, Hewes nominated John Paul Jones as commander of the U.S. Navy, while John Adams resisted, and insisted upon a man from New England to compensate for the appointment of the Virginian, George Washington, as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army. Adams prevailed and Esek Hopkins, the brother of Stephen Hopkins, received the appointment n December 22, 1775. Within one year, Esek was expelled and went to sea as a privateer. Also in 1775, Stephen Hopkins became the chief justice of Rhode Island. While the major storm clouds began to gather, Hopkins was a delegate, and when the discussion and debate on independence emerged, Hopkins was a proponent. He supported and voted to adopt the Declaration of Independence on 4 July 1776 and afterward signed the parchment document. Hopkins was not renowned for his public speaking; however, he was not shy about delivering his opinions while in Congress and he was thought of as a man of great depth. His signature on the Declaration, however, might at times suggest otherwise, but at the time, his health was impaired by a nervous disease that caused difficulty in writing. Often he was forced to use his left hand to guide his right hand while writing. After signing his name on the parchment document, Hopkins prepared to depart from Congress for his home state. On the 11 October 1776, in the absence of Stephen Hopkins, William Ellery was appointed to the Marine Committee to replace him. Nevertheless, Hopkins

183 remained in the Rhode Island Assembly in 1777, 1778 and 1779. He was again elected as a member of Congress on 8 May 1778. That was his final year in congress, but afterward, he did serve in the Rhode Island Assembly, leaving there during 1779. During his years of public service, Hopkins never slighted the normal needs of the people. He was a strong advocate for education and made a substantial contribution of time and money to establish a library in Providence about 1754, and when it was later reduced by fire during 1760, he again contributed to make it possible to acquire new books. Hopkins was also responsible for establishing the school system in Rhode Island, which permitted the citizens to educate their children without cost. Apparently, Hopkins the politician also remained a devout Christian throughout his life and often permitted his residence, which came to be known as the “ministers’ tavern” to be used by the Society of Friends, whom he seemed to be most attached; however, ministers of other faiths also were always welcomed there. The remaining years of Hopkins’ life became a little less stressful, but there was never a prolonged period of inactivity since his early youth. He learned farming and surveying, raised his family, entered politics, entered the judiciary, joined the famous club, composed of the Signers of the Declaration, entered the state assembly, yet still had time to devote to manufacturing, commerce and shipping. Other interests of Stephen Hopkins included higher education. Although self-taught and without any college degrees, he became the initial chancellor of Rhode Island College, founded during 1764 at Warren. It later became known as Brown University. Hopkins was an active member of the Philosophical Society of Newport. Also, Hopkins’ keen interest in science as a young man came into good use during a phenomenon of June 1769. Hopkins was involved with the study of Venus passing over the sun’s disc, which had occurred during 1739. He observed the incident in cooperation with the Philosophical Society, which was part of the worldwide study. The pamphlet that described the phenomenon was afterward published and dedicated to Stephen Hopkins. Stephen Hopkins never did accumulate great wealth. He found solace within simplicity and declined any ostentatious activity. He succumbed following a prolonged fever on 13 July 1785 in Providence. He was interred in the North Burial Ground. Stephen’s wife, Anne, had predeceased him by about two years. Although some said Hopkins was an unbeliever, he was in fact a Christian and, according to one of his friends, Hopkins believed in religion as a “divine system formed by a Universal Parent.” Until the end of his life, Stephen Hopkins retained his faculties and his demeanor lost none of its glow. However, the physical problems that restrained him for years did not relent. It had been a difficult chore for something as simple as signing his name. None of the seven children from his first marriage were alive to attend his funeral. Of Stephen’s five sons, Rufus, the oldest child, became a sea captain. During 1758, Rufus, the captain of a privateer, Desire, was seized by the French; however, luckily while his ship was being taken to Martinique, a British warship, the Britannia, recaptured the vessel en route and saved Rufus from being imprisoned by the French. Rufus was married to Abigail Angell of Providence. Following his marine career, Rufus operated the Hopewell Furnace. He succumbed during 1813 at Scituate. John, also a sea captain, Stephen’s second son, married Mary Gibbs of Boston. He died of smallpox at age twenty-four in 1753, while in port aboard the vessel Two Brothers, of which he was master, at St. Andero, Spain. Sylvanus (Silvanus), his third son, also a sea captain, was shipwrecked off Cape Breton during 1753, when he was about nineteen years old. He survived but afterward was attacked savagely by hostile Indians who tortured and murdered him on or about 24 April of that year. Yet another son, George, married Ruth Smith, his step-sister, the

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daughter of his father’s second wife, Anne Smith. George was the youngest of Stephen’s children from his first marriage. He too was actively engaged in the maritime service as a sea captain. He embarked from Charleston en route to Providence from Surinam during August 1775, but it was his last voyage. No word from the vessel was ever received. The vessel vanished without a trace. During the latter part of Stephen’s life, he mentioned his step-daughter in his last will and testament, leaving to Ruth Hopkins, “widow of my son George Hopkins, One Thousand Dollars in Silver, being Money which belonged to him and which he Ordered that she should have.” Stephen’s fourth son, Simon, never attained adulthood. He died at about the age of seven or eight. Stephen’s daughter Ruth, the third born, died as a young child. Daughter Lydia lived to adulthood and married Colonel Daniel Tillinghast of Newport after the death of his first wife. Anne Smith’s son Benjamin married Mary Tillinghast, who became a step-daughter of his sister Lydia after the latter married Colonel Tillinghast. Ruth, as previously mentioned, married her stepbrother, George Hopkins. The Stephen Hopkins House still stands. During 1805, it was relocated to the rear of the original site, known as Towne Street (presentday 15 Hopkins Street). The preserved residence of the signer is open to the public on a limited basis. (See also, Hopkins, Commodore Esek.)

Hopkinson, Francis (Signer of the Declaration of Independence) Francis Hopkinson was the son of Thomas Hopkinson, an Englishman who immigrated to America, and his wife, Mary Johnson Hopkinson, the only daughter of Baldwin Johnson of Newcastle. He was born in Philadelphia during 1737; however, historians and authors stretching back to the early nineteenth century differ on the date. The two most often given are 21 September and 2 October 1737. Francis was the oldest of eight children. His mother was a niece of the bishop of Worcester. Francis, having been born into an affluent family, was able to receive an excellent education that included graduation from the College of Philadelphia (later, University of Pennsylvania) as its initial graduation in 1757. He had also been blessed with great talents that included writing skills and those of a musician. His father, Thomas, and his close friend Benjamin Franklin joined together to bring about the establishment of the college. At about seventeen, Francis learned to play the harpsichord. He was not considered a skilled professional, but his talent reached at least to the point of being a good amateur on the instrument. His father, noteworthy in his own right, was familiar with the sciences as well as the law and he helped Franklin perfect the lightning rod by introducing a pointed rod as opposed one with a blunt end. Francis’ father succumbed in 1751. Other influential friends of the Hopkinson family included Benjamin Chew, with whom Francis studied law after his graduation from college. Chew rose to the Francis Hopkinson (Biographical Sketches position of chief justice of of the Signers of the Declaration of IndePennsylvania but is remem- pendence, Benson J. Lossing, 1854)

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bered more because his residence (Chew House) in Philadelphia is where George Washington lost the Battle of Germantown. Francis furthered his studies by following the usual practice of the wealthy Americans. He was sent to England, where he was instructed for about two years by the bishop of Worcester, a relative of his mother. By the time he went to England, he had already become aligned with the Patriots; view of the perceived oppression from the British. He had begun to express his sentiments through his writings, which often contained potent doses of sardonic wit. Francis split his topics between the British and the Loyalists with barrages of essays and cautiously carved letters and cryptic pamphlets, most of which seemingly contained contagious ink. His pieces spread from town to town and lifted the spirits of the Americans while inciting the British. His arrival home occurred at nearly the same time the king was in the process of squeezing the colonies with new heavy taxes to ease the burden on the British caused by the war with France. Nevertheless, he did not immediately become involved in struggle that began to ensue due to the frustration of the colonists with the taxes and policies of Britain. During 1761, Francis Hopkinson was admitted to the bar, which began his career in the law profession. Two years later, he became the customs officer in New Jersey at Salem in South Jersey. In 1766, after being unsuccessful in his commercial ventures, Hopkinson undertook a voyage to England and became closely acquainted with Benjamin Franklin and with some of the English aristocrats, such as Lord North. Hopkinson returned home and operated a business in Philadelphia in the vicinity of 3rd and Race Streets. He married during 1768, taking a prominent lady from New Jersey, Ann Borden, the daughter of Joseph Borden, as his wife. The marriage also made Thomas McKean of Delaware a relative (brother-in-law) by marriage. McKean had married Ann’s sister, Mary, during 1763. The family of Ann and Francis soon increased with the birth of their children, James (1769), Joseph (1775), Elizabeth (1772), Maria (1773), Thomas I (1775), Ann (1777), Thomas II (1779), Francis (1781) and Sarah Johnson Hopkinson (1784). James and both boys named Thomas died in infancy, as did their sister, Sarah Johnson Hopkinson. About four years after his marriage, Hopkinson moved to Delaware after becoming the customs collector at New Castle, but within about two years, he relinquished that position to establish a law practice in his wife’s hometown, Bordentown, New Jersey. The Hopkinson family moved in with Ann’s family. Hopkinson was elected to the New Jersey legislature and served for two years (1774–1775). During the following year, 1776, he was elected as a delegate to the Continental Congress. He was not known for his piercing oratory; rather for his humor and artistic ability, but not at the expense of any of his intellectual talents, which also were of high quality. On 9, January 1776 Thomas Paine followed his piece The Liberty Tree of the previous year with another antagonistic piece, Common Sense, which propelled his ideas of liberty into the political winds and into the homes of the Patriots and Loyalists in Philadelphia and beyond. The message began to stir the hearts of the Patriots and infuriate the Loyalists. Hopkinson, a powerful writer himself, laid back while Paine’s rallying cry received the first of a series of a responses, titled “Letters of Cato,” published in the Pennsylvania Gazette on 13 March. The string of eight potent essays continued to be published through April, coinciding with the ongoing debate on independence in Congress. It was immediately thought that the essays had emerged from the pen of the prominent Whig Rev. William Smith, the provost of Philadelphia College, where Hopkinson had attended. The essays savaged Common Sense and appeared to give the author a sense of invincibility, and gave authoritative reasons for discarding any thoughts of breaking with Britain. Hopkinson maintained his focus on the events and then suddenly bolted into the debate, using Smith’s messages to the citizens of

Pennsylvania as the butt of his sarcasm, mixed with his most serious contention that liberty was at hand. His piece “The Prophecy” reached back into ancient times to create a sage who prophesied the land had essentially become infected with a rotten tree and that “Cato” emerged in contemporary times to inform everyone that a rotten tree was better than no tree. It was a pointed prophesy of the Declaration of Independence wrapped in satire. The finale of the piece states that “Cato would die and his works shall follow him.” Hopkinson supported and voted to adopt the Declaration of Independence and subsequently signed the parchment document. During those tension-filled sessions, many members had their ways of easing the tension. Hopkinson’s methods included drawing caricatures of his fellow members. On 17 October 1776, Congress “resolved, That a Committee of Intelligence be appointed to select and report such authentic accounts, as are, from time to time, received by Congress, of the state of the armies and navy of the United States, as they shall judge proper to be published by authority of Congress.” Hopkinson, Benjamin Rush and Richard Henry Lee were appointed. On 29 October, after Congress had been informed of secret papers being stolen from a dispatch, took action to discover who was responsible. Congress resolved “that all civil officers be requested, and all continental military officers be ordered, to afford every assistance that may be required by the said committee.” Hopkinson was appointed to the committee. Several weeks later, on 18 November, Hopkinson was appointed to the Marine Committee. In 1777 he was appointed chairman of the Navy Board, a post he retained for two years. Hopkinson also remained an ally and friend of George Washington throughout his terms in Congress and after the war. Hopkinson also was appointed treasurer of loans during 1778 through 1781. On 5 January 1778, the Americans under Washington in Pennsylvania attempted to harass the British by sending floating barrels containing gunpowder rather than spirits down the Delaware River. The British, upon spotting the kegs, opened fire, unaware of the contents. The incident known as the “Battle of the Kegs” was memorialized by Hopkinson in a poem titled “The Battle of the Kegs,” sung to the lyrics of “Yankee Doodle Dandy.” Another of Hopkinson’s pieces, “The Properties of a Saltbox,” also had doses of his humor. In 1778 Hopkinson was involved with the compilation of the Journals of the Continental Congress. On 17 September, Congress authorized payment of $200 towards his compensation for “compiling an index to the first and second volumes.” In 1779, he was appointed by the president of Pennsylvania as judge of the admiralty court in place of George Ross. He held the position until 1789, subsequent to the government operating under the U.S. Constitution. After the adoption and ratification of the Constitution, Hopkinson was appointed as a federal circuit judge (Eastern District of Pennsylvania) during 1789, a position he retained until 1791. Francis Hopkinson frequently suffered from gout during his lifetime, but he succumbed from an epileptic attack. While feeling poorly on 8 May 1791, he retired, and on the following morning, he suffered the attack at about 0700. He died within two hours. He was 53. He was survived by his wife and children Joseph (author of “Hail Columbia”), Elizabeth (married Jonathan Williams Condy), Mary (married Isaac Smith), Ann (married Ebenezer Stout) and Francis, Jr. (married Mary Morton Hewitt). Hopkinson, a Christian, was interred at Christ Church cemetery in Philadelphia, where he attended and during 1770 played the organ. In addition to Francis Hopkinson, four other signers were interred in the Christ Church cemetery: Benjamin Franklin, Joseph Hewes, George Ross and Benjamin Rush. The cemetery remains open to the public and it is located within walking distance of Independence Hall. During his life, including his youth, Hopkinson seemed to always strive to achieve goals, learn new talents and improve those he had

185 already possessed. In addition to becoming a scholar and jurist, he was a musician and psalmodist, and he was able to play the harpsichord as well as the organ. He also composed music and wrote poetry. His song “My Days Have Been so Wondrous Free,” penned during 1759, remains the earliest known non-religious composition created by an American. The Library of Congress records that Hopkinson stated: “I cannot, I believe, be refused the Credit of being the first Native of the United States who has produced a Musical Composition.” His talents as a musician were accompanied by his ability as an artist. He was also known to have been an inventor, brought about by his incessant curiosity for learning more of whatever he was engaged in at a given time. His musical interest brought with it curiosity regarding the mechanics of the instruments. From that interest he was able to modify the tone of the harpsichord by plucking the strings with crowquills, then by metal tongues. Afterward, he utilized leather quills and from there he began to use velvet cork. During his long-term friendship with Benjamin Franklin, Hopkinson began to tinker with Franklin’s glass harmonica, and he succeeded in producing a keyboard for it. He was the inventor of the instrument known as the “Bellarmonic,” which used steel bells. During summer 1787, Hopkinson, in a letter to Thomas Jefferson, noted his success and stated that he had ordered bells to be cast for the instrument and that he succeeded in “drawing the Tone from metal Bells by Friction.” Nevertheless, no such instrument has survived. Some of Hopkinson’s other works included his “Ode to Music” (1754), which preceded “My Days Have Been so Wondrous Free” by about five years. “My Days” was set to Thomas Parnell’s work, “Love and Innocence,” part of a collection of his works completed in 1759–1760 titled Seven Songs and dedicated to George Washington. One additional song was added, but too late to be included in the title page. It was published about thirty years later. Some of Francis’ other works included a poem, “The Treaty,” written during 1761 when he was a secretary of a conference held between Pennsylvania officials and various Indian tribes. The meeting concluded with a treaty and Hopkinson wrote the poem while he was along the banks of the Lehigh River. During the following year, he penned “Science, A Poem.” Later, Hopkinson used his crafty pen during the period of debate regarding the U.S. Constitution to author “The New Roof and Objections to the Proposed Plan of a Federal Government for the United States, on General Principles.” He also penned an article using a Wheelbarrow Society at the jail as opposition to the Constitution. His works focused primarily on humor and satire in dealing with his many subjects, and often used absurdity. Francis Hopkinson is credited with designing the American flag; however, according to the records of Congress, he never received any compensation for his work in designing Old Glory. He was known to be a Whig during the Revolution, with republican principles, and in his politics, a Federalist.

Houston, William Churchill (Framer of the U.S. Constitution) William Houston, the son of Archibald and Margaret Houston, was born in South Carolina about 1746. William was unsuccessful in convincing his father, an affluent rice planter and a Quaker, to send him to an institute of higher learning, but his father did eventually offer him a sum of money to be used for whatever purpose William chose. He accepted and received about £50, and his father also provided William with a horse and other items of equipment. William headed north to New Jersey and entered the College of New Jersey (later Princeton). After graduating in 1768, he did not immediately set out to acquire his fortune. He took a recently established position, professor of mathematics and natural philosophy. Afterward, Houston traveled to Philadelphia, where he became involved with the political leaders of the Patriots’ cause and became the

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deputy secretary (assistant to Charles Thomson) of the Second Continental Congress, remaining in the position from 1775 into 1776. Houston also entered the New Jersey militia during 1776, when he was appointed captain in the Somerset County militia (2nd Regiment of Foot). He enlisted when the British advanced toward Princeton and participated in various clashes in that part of central New Jersey, but he left the militia after a short stint to return to the college. At that time, the British threat forced the college to close temporarily, but once General Washington terminated the threat with his stunning victories at Trenton and Princeton on 26 December 1776 and 3 January 1777, respectively, the school was able to resume operation. Houston also felt obligated to return to the school due to the absence of its president, John Witherspoon (signer of Declaration of Independence), who was busily engaged in his responsibilities in Congress. Houston entered politics when he was elected to the New Jersey Assembly and his military service was terminated. Although he was a member of the assembly, he also retained his position at the college, and he was appointed in 1778 to the New Jersey Council of Safety, a post he held until 1779, when he was elected to the Continental Congress. He was re-elected four times and served until 1781. During his time in Congress, Houston was unattached to the conspiracy (Conway Cabal) to oust General George Washington as commander in chief. He was a steadfast supporter of Washington and an admirer who was personally affected by the scheme. He penned a letter to William Livingston, the governor of New Jersey (later signer of Constitution) to convey his feelings: “My object in sending these documents, is to communicate the noble and dignified sentiments of the commander-in-chief, and to give some idea of the difficulties he [General Washington] has to encounter. If ever a man deserved gratitude and confidence, he does, and the more especially as his modesty will never allow him to be saied [said] with the former, nor his goodness of heart to abuse the latter.” Although Houston’s personal life had been drastically affected by the war, his propensity for gaining additional knowledge was not disrupted. While a delegate in Congress, he clamped yet another task onto his schedule by initiating the study of law under Richard Stockton (signer of the Declaration of Independence), which led to his admittance to the bar during 1781. He established his office in Trenton, New Jersey, from where he handled cases in several counties, including Burlington and Monmouth. Shortly thereafter, Houston was appointed as clerk of New Jersey’s Supreme Court. He continued to carry out his responsibilities at Princeton until 1783, when he tendered his resignation. In the meantime, an ongoing dispute between Connecticut and Pennsylvania over land in the Wyoming Valley, which erupted into violence between opposing settlers during 1769, was on the table for a final resolution in 1782. Houston was appointed by Congress as one of the commissioners to settle the dispute. The case was heard in Trenton during 1782 between 12 November and 30 December. A colleague from New Jersey, Chief Justice David Brearly (later a signer of the Constitution), was also one of the commissioners. Pennsylvania prevailed. That April, Robert Morris (signer of the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution), the superintendent of finance, selected Houston as the U.S. representative in New Jersey to receive Continental taxes — essentially the tax collector with responsibility of overseeing the collecting federal taxes and delivering them to the treasury. Houston was again sent to the Continental Congress in 1784 and re-elected and the following year. Meanwhile, events following the close of hostilities were beginning to reveal severe weaknesses in the Articles of Confederation. One came about when Maryland and Virginia began negotiations on the border, which was the shoreline of Virginia along the Potomac River, not the middle of the river. Consequently, efforts were made to negotiate a

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pact to increase shipping on the Potomac by constructing a canal to link the interior of the country to the seacoast via the canal and the Potomac. The agreement, known as the “Mount Vernon Compact,” was ruled illegal under the Articles because states were prohibited from consummating any treaties among themselves without congressional approval. The crisis brought about the Annapolis Convention of September 1786 to discover a path to increase interstate commerce, but more complications developed because only a few states sent delegates. The participants came from Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia. Houston did attend the convention. From the lack of attendees, it was determined that a constitutional convention was imperative to either strengthen the Articles or to form a new government, with the latter being heavily favored by many. Consequently, the Constitutional Convention was called, scheduled to convene in Philadelphia during May 1787. William was selected as a delegate representing New Jersey, along with David Brearly, Jonathan Dayton and William Livingston. Houston’s convictions leaned heavily toward a strong, effective central government; however, after attending for about one week, he became severely ill with the tuberculosis that had been torturing him for several years. He was compelled to return to his home. Although he was unable to cast his vote or sign the finished document, he did sign the report that was delivered to the New Jersey legislature after the adoption of the U.S. Constitution on 17 September 1787, effective upon ratification by nine states. New Jersey ratified the Constitution on 18 December 1787, about three months after it was adopted, to become the third state to join the union. In the meantime, Houston’s health did not improve. During the following year, he decided to travel south, where it was thought he might bounce back to health, but he never completed the journey. On 18 August, at a point about twenty-five miles from his home, William Churchill Houston died from tuberculosis in what was then Frankford (present-day Philadelphia). He was carried into the city of Philadelphia and interred in the cemetery of the Presbyterian Church at 4th and Pine. Houston was survived by his wife, Jane Smith, the daughter of the Rev. Caleb and Martha Dickinson Smith. Jane’s grandfather was Jonathan Dickinson, the president of Princeton College. Jane Smith Houston died in 1796 at age 41. She was interred in the Lawrenceville, New Jersey, cemetery. Houston was also survived by his children: William Churchill (2) (married Susannah Somers); George S. (married Mary Forman); Elizabeth (married Horace G. Phillips), and Mary (married the Rev. Isaac V. Brown). Princeton University holds many of William Houston’s papers that have been preserved. The documents include his personal papers relative to his legal practice and many from the period when he served as U.S. tax receiver.

Houstoun (Houston), William (Framer of the U.S. Constitution) William Houstoun, the son of Sir Patrick Houston, Baronet, was born in Savannah, Georgia, about 1755. William and his older brother John each received an excellent education and pursued careers as lawyers. William was sent to London, where he completed his studies in 1776 and attended the Inner Temple. With American Revolution in progress, he sailed back to the United States and participated on the side of the Patriots, but precise details are unavailable. After the war, Houstoun was elected to the Continental Congress during 1783 and served until 1787. He was known as an unapologetic defender of the honor of the state of Georgia and of the South in general. During one incident that occurred in Congress, Houstoun found himself within earshot of a delegate from Rhode Island, the Rev. James Manning, when the minister spoke some words that William perceived as derogatory and pointed toward southerners. At the time, Houstoun

did not react, but on the following day, he caused more than a bit of excitement when he walked into the halls of Congress, armed with his sword and poised to engage in combat. Hurriedly, he was first engaged by some allies who convinced him to refrain from violence, and the hottempered Georgian agreed. Houstoun handed the sword to his servant, who returned it to Houstoun’s quarters. The incident was forgotten. While Houstoun served in Congress, he was appointed in 1785 to a commission charged with bringing about a settlement of a dispute regarding the boundary line separating Georgia and South Carolina. He also became involved, along with his brother John (later governor), with Franklin College (later the University of Georgia). Houstoun was one of the first trustees of the college and held that post until 1787. Having been selected as a delegate representing Georgia, Houstoun traveled to Philadelphia in 1787 to attend the Constitutional Convention that convened in Philadelphia during May–September 1787, however, he was among those who did not favor adoption. After attending sessions into July, he abandoned the convention. Details of Houstoun’s life subsequent to the close of hostilities were not available to the author. Much of the personal papers and property of Houstoun and his brother was destroyed by fire during the Civil War. The articles and papers were sent out of Savannah to a safer location, but the building in which they were stored burned down. William Houstoun died in Savannah on 17 March 1813. He was interred in New York City in St. Paul’s Chapel. At the time of the outbreak of American Revolution, many in Houstoun’s family who had been loyal to the royal government, remained so during the war, but William and his brother John were staunch Patriots. While Houstoun was abroad studying, John was already a leader in the Patriots’ movement. On 20 July 1774, John was with Archibald Bulloch (first governor of Georgia), Button Gwinnett (signer of the Declaration of Independence), Lyman Hall (signer of the Declaration), and George Walton (signer of the Declaration) when they called for the Patriots to meet at the “Watch House” in Savannah to discuss their rights as loyal citizens of the Crown. John Houstoun and Bulloch, Gwinnett and Hall are remembered as the original four Georgians who established the Georgia Sons of Liberty. Subsequently, during 1778, John, the brother of William, was elected as the third governor of Georgia.

Howe, Major General Robert Robert Howe, the son of Job and Sarah Jones Howe, was born in Brunswick County, North Carolina, about 1732. After his mother died, Robert was sent to England to complete his education. Later, during 1754, he was appointed as a captain on the Bladen County militia. His political career began during 1760 when he became a member of the general assembly. There he became friendly with the royal governor, William Tryon, and from that connection, Howe was appointed in 1761 as a justice of the Supreme Court (Wilmington District) and in 1766 to the Court of Exchequer. From 1765 through 1767, Howe was the com-

Robert Howe (History of North Carolina, Vol. 1, John H. Wheeler, 1851)

187 manding officer of Fort Johnston in Smithville at the mouth of the Cape Fear River. After an absence of about two years, Howe again assumed command of the fort during 1767. The fort, originally established during 1748, was reconstructed during the French and Indian War and built in the shape of a star. The garrison, while under Howe’s command, supported Governor Tryon against the Regulators’ insurrection. The friendship that existed between Howe and Governor Tryon did not extend into the next administration. Governor Josiah Martin, who succeeded Tryon, never became friends with Howe. Governor Martin relieved Howe of his command of Fort Johnston and from his position on the Court of Exchequer. By that time, the relations between Britain and the colonies was rapidly deteriorating. Howe, who had married Sarah Grange during 1764, was firmly on the side of the Patriots. By 1773, North Carolina established a committee of correspondence and Howe was appointed as one of its members. Later, during 1775, he was appointed a colonel. In that capacity, he trained the Brunswick County militia. Meanwhile, Governor Martin fled to Fort Johnston during June 1775. On 18 July, the fort was seized by troops under Colonel Howe, but the governor escaped. On the following day, from his position aboard the HMS Cruzier, Governor Martin watched the fort burn. Colonel Cornelius Harnett participated in the seizure of Fort Johnston. With the flight of Martin, Harnett became president of the council of safety (government of the colony). Subsequently, Colonel Howe, with the 2nd North Carolina Regiment, sped to Norfolk, Virginia, during what was known as Dunmore’s War to bolster Colonel (later general) William Woodford against the forces of Lord Dunmore. The forces of Dunmore sustained a severe defeat at Great Bridge, on the Elizabeth River, on 11 December 1775. On 1 March 1776, Robert Howe was appointed a brigadier general in the Continental Army, a position he held until 20 October 1777, when he was promoted to the rank of major general. During the early part of 1776, British General Henry Clinton, after arriving in the vicinity of Cape Fear, dispatched a large force of about 900 troops under Lord Cornwallis for the purpose of destroying the Howe plantation. On 5 May 1776, General Clinton offered a pardon to those in North Carolina who gave loyalty to the king, but General Howe and Cornelius Harnett were excluded from the offer. Later, during October 1777, General Howe was appointed commander of the Department of the South in place of General James Moore, who had for a while replaced General Charles Lee. During the summer of 1778, General Howe was ordered to lead an attack against the British and seize St. Augustine, Florida, but the campaign failed. On 30 June the Battle of Alligator Bridge occurred. British-held Fort Tonyn in southern Georgia was unable to withstand a land-and-sea assault. The defenders were compelled to destroy the post and evacuate it upon sight of the Americans. The British retired to the North River and from there they moved to Pagan Creek Plantation and fortified positions at Alligator Creek (later, Borell Creek). The British repulsed cavalry under Colonel Elijah Clark (General Howe’s command). The defeat of Howe at the bridge, northwest of Jacksonville, Florida, combined with the ongoing problems between Georgia militia commanders and the Continental Army commanders, essentially terminated the campaign known as the Third Florida Invasion. The British force, including Florida Rangers, was commanded by Major Marc (Mark) Prevost. The American cavalry, unable to penetrate, retired, leaving the British free to make an effortless retreat to the St. John’s River on the following day. General Howe was in charge of the defenses at Savannah when it fell to the British on 29 December 1778. A subsequent court-martial cleared General Howe of any wrongdoing. General Benjamin Lincoln arrived in Charleston during the latter part of December 1778 to succeed Howe as commander of the South. Following the loss of Savannah, Howe continued to serve in the

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army. He was ordered north to serve with General George Washington. General Howe served in New York along the Hudson in the Highlands, and participated with General Anthony Wayne in the assaults against Stony Point and Verplanck Point, New York. In addition, he served time in Connecticut and at West Point. At the latter place, he was appointed commander during 1780, prior to Benedict Arnold assuming command. During Howe’s service in the north, General Washington twice dispatched Howe with responsibility to terminate mutiny, once with the New Jersey line ( January 1781) and another time in the Pennsylvania line (1783). Following the conclusion of the war, General Howe spent some time during 1785 as one of the commissioners sent to negotiate with the Indians on the western frontier in Ohio. General Howe was struck with a severe fever that took his life in November 1786.

Huger, Brigadier General Isaac Isaac Huger, the son of Daniel and Mary Cordes Huger, was born on the family plantation (Limerick) outside Charleston, South Carolina, on 19 March 1742. The ancestors of the family originated in Touraine, France. Isaac’s father, a descendant of Huguenots who immigrated to the colonies to escape religious persecution after the Edict of Nantes, was one of the Carolinians known as the Rice Kings. Isaac’s parents had four other sons, Daniel, John, Benjamin and Francis. Isaac received an excellent education in Europe. He gained military experience through his participation in a campaign commanded by Colonel Archibald Montgomery (later Lord Eglintown) against the Cherokees during 1760. Montgomery’s column, which was en route to lift a siege at Fort Loudoun, was ambushed and returned to Charleston, leaving the defenders at Fort Loudoun with no options but surrender to the Indians (Fort Loudoun Massacre). The campaign was later reinitiated by Colonel James Grant. His force, including the regiment commanded by Colonel Thomas Middleton (son of Arthur Middleton, signer of Declaration of Independence), destroyed Indian villages and pushed them into the mountains. Middleton’s regiment seemingly was an incubator for some prominent leaders from South Carolina during the Revolution. The roster included Isaac Huger, Henry Laurens, Francis Marion, William Moultrie and Andrew Pickens. By the time the colonies were in the process of breaking away from the mother country, Huger’s family was aligned with the Patriots. In the meantime, Huger married Elizabeth Chalmers in 1762. Isaac and Elizabeth had eight children; however, only seven names were confirmed: Elizabeth, Mary, Martha, Isaac, Daniel Lionel, Francis and Ann. Shortly after the clashes at Lexington and Concord on 19 April 1775, Huger was appointed as a lieutenant colonel in the 1st South Carolina Regiment (commanded by Colonel Christopher Gadsden), coincidentally on the same day that the British and the Patriots were exchanging devastating blows on Bunker Hill (Breed’s Hill), 17 June 1775. Owen Roberts was appointed major of the regiment. At about the same time, the Continental Army was forming in the north and gathering about the Boston area, with reinforcements arriving from all parts of the colonies. Initially, Huger missed the fighting in South Carolina when the British fleet appeared in Charleston Harbor. Huger was posted with the regiment at Fort Johnson. The victory went to those under Colonel William Moultrie who held steadfastly on Sullivan’s Island and forced the British to retire and sail to New York. While Huger was fortifying the defenses at Fort Johnson, General John Rutledge, after examining the works, informed Huger that the project turned out “very good,” but he added that Huger had apparently not prepared an escape route, if needed. Lt. Colonel Huger responded, “Retreat, no.” After a momentary pause he completed his thought, saying: “I do not mean to retreat! I do not see that retreat is at all necessary.” Shortly after the British were

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repelled, during September 1776, Huger was promoted to the rank of colonel and given command of the 5th South Carolina Regiment. Nevertheless, the success at Charleston postponed any further enemy invasion of the South. On 29 December 1778, the delegates in Congress from South Carolina nominated Isaac Huger in conjunction with a resolution of that day calling for a brigadier general from South Carolina. On 9 January 1779, Congress appointed three brigadier generals, Colonel Jethro Sumner and Colonel James Hogan (Hogun), each from North Carolina, and Colonel Isaac Huger from South Carolina. Afterward, General Huger saw service in Georgia. A British force under Colonel Archibald Campbell arrived at Tybee Island just prior to Christmas of 1778. The Patriots were unable to hold the city, which fell to the British on 29 December 1778. General Huger participated with General Benjamin Lincoln (April–May 1779) on the advance to Augusta, Georgia, and the quick turnaround when Charleston was threatened and General Moultrie was close to being overwhelmed. Afterward, General Huger participated in the Battle of Stono Ferry on 29 June 1779, when the Americans were nearing victory until General Lincoln ordered a retreat. Huger was wounded during the fighting. In September, General Huger participated in the unsuccessful fight to regain Savannah. In February, Huger’s force, similarly to others in the South, lacked equipment and arms. Meanwhile the British were expanding their hold at various places in the southern sector. Huger had sent in a request for a chaplain for his regiment, and on 7 February 1780, Congress approved his request, originally dispatched during April of the previous year. The resolution: “That the Rev. Henry Purcell be appointed chaplain to the brigade commanded by the said Brigadier General Huger, and entitled to the emoluments of the said office, from the said 7 day of April, 1779.” On 13 April 1780, a British force, composed of the 33rd and 64th Regiments of Foot under Lt. Colonel James Webster, joined with Tarleton’s Legion, which already was bolstered by Ferguson’s Loyalists, and moved out cautiously about one hour before midnight (13th–14th) toward Monck’s Corner, outside Charleston, defended by General Huger and a cavalry unit under Lt. Colonel William Washington. The British captured a Negro who was carrying papers from Huger to General Lincoln at Charleston. The British gained valuable intelligence from the messenger, which included where the American defenses were located at Monck’s Corner. Huger’s lines were caught by complete surprise at about 0330 on 14 April due to their defenseless perimeter. The British swarmed upon the Patriots, who had held formidable positions, but with no sentries, their advantage was instantly lost. The British cavalry galloped over Biggins bridge with the infantry at full speed. Although the Americans had no time to form a battle line, Huger remained in total control and without panic, the Patriots vanished into the swamps and nearby woods, diverting a disaster. Huger’s lack of sentries was costly. The British gained about 400 horses and succeeded in terminating communications between Lincoln’s main body, trapped in Charleston, and the units under Huger, the only American contingent that had not been trapped in Charleston. On the 6th of April, Banastre Tarleton struck again and gained surprise to defeat a contingent of Lt. Colonel Washington’s cavalry after the Americans had gained prisoners at a plantation and were close to joining the main body near Lenud’s Ferry. While the attack was unfolding, another force of American cavalry under Colonel Buford was on the opposite bank of the Santee, unable to provide support. Washington and two other officers escaped capture by diving into the Santee and swimming to safety. Charleston fell on 12 May 1780. General Huger, due to the collapse of Charleston, ordered Colonel Abraham Buford to lead his command of Virginians (Continental Army) to Hillsborough. Governor John Rutledge accompanied the

column and operated the government from Hillsborough. On 16 August 1780, General Horatio Gates, the successor to General Lincoln as commander of the Department of the South, sustained a severe defeat at Camden that further shattered the chances of regaining South Carolina from the British. The remnant forces of the militia remained the last line of defense in South Carolina. Meanwhile, Congress took steps to reverse the setback by naming Nathanael Greene as Gates’ successor. In addition, Colonel Daniel Morgan was reactivated and dispatched south. Greene arrived in Charlotte, North Carolina, on 2 December 1780. The tide of battle soon began to change. On 17 January 1781, Morgan, in command of a large part of Greene’s army, delivered a powerful blow against the British at Cowpens, and afterward, he made a successful retreat with Cornwallis in pursuit. Meanwhile, on the 29th, General Greene left his force with General Huger and with only a small party, sped to join with Morgan. On 7 February, Huger, along with the forces under Colonel “Lighthorse Harry” Lee, arrived with the other half of Greene’s army at Guilford Court House. After a short period of cat and mouse between Greene and Cornwallis, during which Greene moved across the Dan River into Virginia and back into North Carolina, the Patriots engaged Cornwallis at Guilford Court House on 15 March. The slug-fest was costly. After exchanging blows for more than two hours, the Americans were forced from the field. Nonetheless, Cornwallis sustained severe casualties and was forced to withdraw to Wilmington, North Carolina. In less than two weeks, Cornwallis abandoned North Carolina and moved into Virginia. General Huger, who fought at Guilford Court House, became one of the wounded, but he recovered and by May was again engaged against the British, at the time led by Lord Francis Rawdon-Hastings, charged with command of the British forces in South Carolina since the departure of Cornwallis. After the war, General Huger returned to his private life and attempted to rebuild his finances. However, he entered public life when he was elected to the assembly of South Carolina. In addition, he became a member of the Society of the Cincinnati. On 26 September 1789, President George Washington appointed General Huger as a United States marshal. He retained the post until August 1793, when the combination of ill health and the need to attend to personal matters prompted him to retire. Genera Isaac Huger succumbed on 17 October 1797. Some sources say the date of General Huger’s death was the 6th or 7th of October 1797, while others list his death at an undeterminable time. The date cited here was from the U.S. Marshal’s record (which is in accord with several other reliable sources), in which Huger was listed as South Carolina’s first U.S. marshal. His place of interment remains unknown. It is thought that he was buried along the Ashley River on property owned by a member of the Huger family.

Huntington, Major General Jabez Jabez Huntington, the son of Colonel Joshua and Hannah Perkins Huntington, was born on 2 August 1719 in Norwich, Connecticut. Jabez’s mother was the daughter of Jabez Perkins. His father was a descendant of Simon Huntington, who immigrated to America from Norwich, England, with his wife and three sons, Christopher, Simon (2) and Samuel, about 1640. Just before arriving at the colonies, Simon, ill from fever, succumbed aboard the vessel; he was brought to shore and buried in Connecticut. His widow later married a man named Stoughton from Windsor, Connecticut. Of the three sons of Simon, Samuel relocated in New Jersey, but Simon (2) and Christopher remained in Connecticut. Simon (2), the son of the emigrant Simon (1), had five sons: Simon (3) (grandfather of Jabez), Joseph, Samuel, Daniel, and James. Simon (3) had three sons, Simon (4), Ebenezer, and Joshua, the latter being the father of General Jabez Huntington. Jabez received his early education in Norwich and then graduated

189 from Yale in 1741. Subsequent to finishing his education, Jabez Huntington became a prosperous merchant, with his fortune being built principally from trade with the West Indies. During the course of expanding his ventures, Huntington also acquired his own ships. In the meantime, during 1741, he also began his family. He married Elizabeth Backus, the daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth Tracy Backus and a sister of the Rev. Isaac Backus of Middleborough. However, Elizabeth died prematurely during 1745 at the age of 24, leaving two children, Jedediah and Andrew. Huntington married a second time. In 1746, he was wed to Hannah Williams, the daughter of the Rev. Ebenezer and Penelope Chester Williams of Pomfret. Jabez’s father, Colonel Joshua Huntington, also succumbed unexpectedly from yellow fever, which he contracted while he was in New York. Joshua was able to return home, but he succumbed on 27 August 1741. His widow, Hannah, later married Colonel Samuel Lynde of Saybrook, but he too died (1754), and afterward, Hannah married Captain Ebenezer Lathrop of Norwich. Huntington entered politics during 1750 when he was elected to the colonial assembly and rose to the position of speaker of the lower house. Following his service in the assembly, Huntington became a member of the council. During 1761, his brother, Zacharia, died and Huntington inherited his shop and land, located on the Lathrop lot. Huntington gave the property to his eldest son, Jedediah (later a general). By the time the American Revolution erupted, Huntington was a member of the Norwich council of safety and he was also a staunch proponent of the Patriots’ cause. During 1765, Governor Thomas Fitch arrived at council and handed the members the Stamp Act. The governor urged the body to administer an oath authorizing him to execute the act. At the time, Huntington and his cousin, Hezekia, also a member, sided with the majority to deny giving Fitch the oath. However, four of the members began to administer the oath, causing both Huntingtons to storm out of the assembly. By the time war began, Huntington’s personal fortune was greatly diminished, due to his vessels being captured as prizes by the Royal Navy. He was appointed a major general of the militia along with David Wooster; however, Huntington was never commissioned by Congress for service in the Continental Army. David Wooster was commissioned by Congress during the early part of the war, on 22 June 1775, as a brigadier general, a short time before General George Washington arrived at Cambridge to assume command of the Continental Army. General Wooster was mortally wounded by a shell that literally broke his backbone while engaged with the British in the vicinity of Ridgefield, Connecticut, during April 1777. General Wooster succumbed on 2 May 1777. Following the death of Wooster, General Jabez Huntington was appointed sole major general in command of the Connecticut militia. Brigadier General James Wadsworth of Durham was promoted to major general to fill the slot left absent by Huntington’s promotion. Following the death of Wooster, General Huntington remained faithful to his duties; however, he was fast becoming physically and mentally drained by the perils and stress of the war. He was compelled to retire from the service during 1779. General Jabez Huntington, once a strong and sturdy man, continued to deteriorate, spending the remainder of his life unable to regain his full mental or physical stamina. He succumbed in Norwich on 5 October 1786. At his funeral service, it was noted in the sermon that he “devoted his all to the public good, and sacrificed his ease, his health, and eventually his life, to serve and save his· country.” Hannah Huntington survived her husband and lived until the age of 80. She died of influenza while living with her youngest son, Zacharia. General Huntington had five sons, two from his first marriage, Jedediah and Andrew, and three from his second marriage, Joshua, Ebenezer and Zacharia. By his second marriage, Huntington had two daughters, Elizabeth and Mary. Jedediah, the oldest, later became a

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general. Andrew served temporarily as agent for supplying uniforms to the army. Joshua married his cousin, Hannah, the daughter of Colonel Hezekia Huntington, during 1771. He served as volunteer during the siege of Boston and during the New York campaign and rose to rank of colonel by close of war. Ebenezer, born December 1754, was attending Yale when Battle of Lexington erupted. He and others were refused permission to leave school to fight, but he left on his own, about two months prior to graduation. Nevertheless, he received his degree. Subsequent to the close of the war, during 1792, Ebenezer was appointed major general of the Connecticut militia. Zacharia, born in 1764, was not old enough to participate in the war, but later he served in the militia and the War of 1812 and also rose to the rank of brigadier general. He married Hannah Mumford, the daughter of Thomas and Catherine Havens Mumford of Groton, Connecticut. Elizabeth, born in 1757, married her cousin, Colonel John Chester, and Mary married the Rev. Joseph Strong. When Jabez Huntington’s father succumbed and the property was distributed, Jabez’ brother, Zacharia, and his sister, Lydia, received a lot that was located between Jabez’x lot and a lot owned by Daniel Needham. During 1753, Zacharia sold the property to Jabez and he opened a cooper’s shop and a distillery. When Jabez died, the property and business was inherited by his son, Andrew. (See also, Huntington, Brigadier General Jedediah.)

Huntington, Brigadier General Jedediah Jedediah Huntington, the son of General Jabez and Elizabeth Backus Huntington, was born in Norwich, Connecticut, on 16 August 1743. His mother died when he was two years old. In 1746, Jedediah’s father remarried, taking Hannah Williams as his second wife. Jedediah received his fundamental education in Norwich and then entered Harvard, from where he graduated during 1763. In the meantime, his father had become a successful merchant who acquired many vessels engaged in trading with the West Indies. Subsequent to his graduation, Jedediah entered his father’s business. Like his father, Jedediah became staunchly entrenched with the Patriots’ cause as the relations between the Crown and the colonies continued to deteriorate due to the policies of Parliament and King George III. During 1766, on 1 May (according to the Vital Statistics of Norwich), Jedediah Huntington married Faith Trumbull, the daughter of Governor Jonathan Trumbull. Jedediah and Faith had one child, Jabez, born on 17 September 1767. Later, Jedediah received a master’s degree from Yale (1770). He joined the local militia and was a member of the Sons of Liberty. He was elected a member of the committee of correspondence, along with Christopher Leffigwell, Doctor Theophilus Rodgers, Captain William Hubbard and Captain Joseph Trumbull. During autumn of 1774, the general court directed that Norwich should hold the 20th Infantry Regiment (militia), and it appointed Jedidiah Huntington as its colonel. Following the outbreak of war, Connecticut raised twenty regiments, but during 1776, the number was increased to 25 regiments. In 1777 Connecticut only raised Jedediah Huntington (Campaign of 11 regiments. Meanwhile, on 1776, Henry Phelps Johnston, 1878)

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15 July 1775, following the clashes at Lexington and Concord on 19 April 1775, Huntington was commissioned as colonel of the 8th Connecticut Regiment. He arrived at Cambridge on the 26th of April, just after the battles of Lexington and Concord. Huntington’s contingent was deployed at Dorchester Heights and it remained there during the siege of British-held Boston until the city was evacuated on 17 March 1776. Huntington’s regiment was furnished with new uniforms, compliments of Governor Trumbull and the council. The uniforms had been intended for the British army, but the ship transporting them was seized as a prize. Prior to departing Norwich, Colonel Huntington was conducting his regular business at a location on Shetucket Street known as the blue store, which formerly was the office of Trumbull, Fitch and Trumbull. In a letter dated 14 August 1775 to his father-in-law, Governor Trumbull, Jedediah informed the governor that many in his regiment were extremely ill and that the supply of medicine was near exhaustion. Several days later, in another letter to the governor, he mentioned the acute shortage of working weapons. Despite the pressures of the conflict and the agonies and hardships from lack of adequate medical assistance, Colonel Huntington also found time to communicate with his son, Jabez. On 21 September 1775, Huntington excitedly responded to a letter from his son, asking him to give his ( Jedediaha’s) love to his mother. He also gave Jabez some advice: “You must always keep in remembrance, that God created you for his own glory; and whenever you are going to do anything, think whether you shall honor God or dishonor him, and take care to perform the former and avoid the latter. To this end you are to look to him for grace.” Since the time of the Battle of Bunker Hill, Huntington’s wife, Faith, had become seriously ill after visiting with her husband and her brother, Joseph, also in the army. While in Massachusetts at camp, Faith witnessed the horrific scenes of the Battle of Bunker Hill and its aftermath, which had been too much for her to bear. She literally became mentally ill. During October 1775, Huntington found it impossible to take leave, but in communication with his father-in-law, it was arranged for Faith to travel to visit him. They met at Dedham, Massachusetts and she succumbed there on 24 November 1775. Huntington wrote in a letter to his brother-in-law, Joseph Trumbull: “Her obligingness and affection were without a parallel. The law of kindness was ever on her tongue and heart, but she is gone, and gone. I trust to scenes of uninterrupted bliss. My tears must and will flow.” Although Huntington’s grief was deep, he was compelled to continue with the responsibilities of handling his regiment. The Continental Army was reorganized on 1 January 1776, and Huntington’s 8th Connecticut Regiment was designated the 17th Continental Regiment. As the British embarked from the harbor, General George Washington directed some forces to remain at Boston while others moved to New York. Huntington’s regiment was attached to the latter and it participated in various actions that unfolded, including a skirmish at Danbury, Connecticut, during April 1776, when his command and another under Colonel Benedict Arnold combined to repel a British force. While the British were exiting Boston harbor, General Washington had planned his strategy to include leaving forces at Boston while moving the main army into New York. Colonel Huntington also participated in the Battle of Long Island on 27 August 1776. Huntington’s regiment sustained severe losses at Long Island and many were reported missing, including 6 captains, 6 lieutenants, 21 sergeants and 126 enlisted men. Of those missing few would ever return to Connecticut; rather they died while imprisoned in New York. Pursuant to resolves of Congress on 16 September and 8 October 1776, regarding Connecticut raising eight battalions, including troops already serving, the state legislature selected the commanders for the battalions. Jedediah Huntington was among those selected. The others included Andrew Ward, Jr., John Durkee, William Douglass, John

Chester, Philip Burr Bradley, Heman Swift, and John Douglass. On 12 May 1777, Huntington was promoted by Congress to the rank of brigadier general. Shortly thereafter, General Huntington was ordered to join General Israel Putnam at Peekskill, New York, where he remained from July until September, when new orders arrived directing him to join the main army deployed outside Philadelphia, which had come under the control of the British. Meanwhile, General Washington decided upon Valley Forge, outside of Philadelphia and on the opposite bank of the Schuylkill River, as the most desirable defensive location for winter quarters. General Huntington remained at Valley Forge during the winter of 1777–1778. That spring, General Huntington was ordered back to New York, where his brigade was deployed at various points in the Highlands along the North (Hudson) River. Also that spring, on 9 April, he married Anne Moore (formerly of New York City), the daughter of Thomas Moore. Jedediah and Anne had seven children: Ann Channing (b. October 1780), Jabez (b. September 1767), Elizabeth (b. January 1779), Faith Trumbull (b. October 1782), Harriet (b. July 1784), Joshua (b. January 1786), Daniel (b. October 1788), and Thomas (b. December 1793). While in the Northern Department, General Huntington participated in the court-martial of General Charles Lee for his actions at the Battle of Monmouth, New Jersey, on 28 June 1778. Lee’s trial, held during July, led to the termination of Lee’s military career. Huntington was also a member of the board that handled the trial in September 1780 of British major John Andre, a captured spy and co-conspirator of Benedict Arnold. The board sentenced Andre to death, but his request for a firing squad was rejected. Instead, he was hanged. General Huntington remained in the service until 1783, but he did not participate in the final campaigns of the war in the South. He remained in the vicinity of West Point. Congress, however, did bestow upon him the rank of brevet major general during September 1783. Following his retirement from the army, General Huntington returned to Connecticut and resumed his private life. During 1788, upon the death of Prosper Wetmore, the high sheriff of New London County, Huntington was appointed as his successor. And he was appointed as state treasurer during that year, among other posts he held. One publication stated: “Major General Huntingtin, Esq., Vice President of the order of Cincinatti, High Sheriff for the county of New London, Judge of Probate for the district of Norwich, first alderman of the city of Norwich, one of the representatives of the town in the state legislature and one of the state electors, is now appointed by the General Assembly, Treasurer for the State of Connecticut.” After the adoption of the U.S. Constitution, General Washington, who had become President Washington, appointed Huntington to the post of customs’ collector for the port of New London. Following his appointment as collector, General Huntington moved to New London during August 1789. It was recorded that he arrived on his first day as collector at 7 A.M. on 15 August. Huntington built a new home in the vicinity of Broad and Washington Streets. Huntington was not known for his physical strength, and he was not among those who achieved glory on the field in a major contest; however, he was known as an excellent general with a keen intellect who faithfully carried out his duties fearlessly, despite his size. He weighed less than 135 pounds. General Jedediah Huntington succumbed in New London on 25 September 1818. Known as a religious man throughout his life, he was consistent even toward death. He began his last will and testament with the following words: “My Soul has long been consecrated to my Creator, Redeemer and Comforter....” Initially, General Huntington was interred at New London, but later, in accordance with his will, his family arranged for his re-interment in the family crypt in Norwich. (See also, Huntington, Major General Jabez.)

191 Huntington, Samuel (Signer of the Declaration of Independence) Samuel Huntington, the oldest son of Nathaniel and Mehetable Thurston Huntington, was born in Windham (present-day Scotland), Connecticut, on 3 July 1731. His ancestors had originally settled in Saybrook. Samuel’s parents resided on a farm and Samuel, like his father, learned farming. His education was attained through the local schools; however, he did not attend college. As the eldest of the ten children, Samuel was designated as the inheritor of the family estate and apparently, his father did not encourage or provide a college education for Samuel. Nevertheless, three of his brothers attended Yale and from them, Samuel picked up an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. He initially concentrated on the sciences, but this self-education expanded further and Samuel began to study law. Meanwhile, his brothers became ministers. Samuel also devoted enormous time to learning the Latin language, which was commonly used in law books. In addition, much of his early education came from his mother, Mehetable Thurston Huntington. By the age of twenty-three, Samuel Huntington was admitted to the Connecticut bar (1754). His ability to pass the bar was due in great part to Zedekiah Elderkin, a lawyer in Norwich. Huntington borrowed Elderkin’s law books and studied on the family farm. For a while Huntington practiced his profession in the town of Windham, but around 1760, he was appointed to a prestigious position in Norwich as the king’s attorney. Huntington had not served in the military during the French and Indian War. Although he remained the king’s attorney until 1773, his sentiments never leaned toward the British. As early as 1760, when the king initiated the ever-burdening taxes on the colonies, Huntington’s true allegiance had already been molded as one of the Patriots. During the following year, Samuel married Martha Devotion, the daughter of the Rev. Ebenezer and Martha Lathrop Devotion. During 1774, Huntington remained in the employ of the British when he was appointed as an associate judge of the Superior Court of Connecticut, a position he retained for about ten years. During the following year, as relations between Britain and the colonies continued to deteriorate, Huntington became a member of the Sons of Liberty. From that point Huntington’s talents became more intertwined with the Patriots’ cause. He resigned his position with the royal government during 1774. He was elected to the Connecticut Assembly (Upper House or Senate) during 1775. Later, during October 1775, he was selected as a delegate to the Continental Congress, along with Roger Sherman, Oliver Wolcott, and William Williams. The Connecticut delegation was seated during January 1776. From the beginning of the session, Huntington remained a solid proponent of independence, but he was not among those who were known for their fiery rhetoric. Huntington voted for and later signed the Declaration of Independence. On 14 October 1776, Huntington was appointed to a committee delegated to deal with the seizing of Negroes. The resolution: “That a committee of three be appointed, to consider what is to be done with negroes taken by vessels of war, in the service of the United States.” James Wilson and Richard Henry Lee were also named to the committee. On the 17th, Congress appointed Huntington to another committee. The resolution: “Resolved, That a committee of three [four] be appointed to review such of the resolutions of Congress as relate to the capture and condemnation of prizes, and report what alterations or additions should be made respecting the same.” George Wythe, Edward Rutledge and Robert Treat Paine were also appointed. Huntington’s health began to fail, and by the fall of 1776, he returned to Connecticut; however, he was able to remain in Congress despite the inability to attend all sessions. His service continued through 1778, 1779–81 and 1783.

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Meanwhile, on Tuesday, 28 September 1779, upon the resignation of John Jay, who had been appointed minister plenipotentiary to Spain, Huntington was elected to succeed him as president of Congress. Huntington retained the position of the presidency of Congress until his failing health compelled him to seek a leave of absence on 6 July 1781. During his term in office the Articles of Confederation were adopted. Congress scheduled the Samuel Huntington (Biographical Sketches election of his successor for of the Signers of the Declaration of Indethe following Monday. On pendence, Benson J. Lossing, 1854) 9 July 1781, Samuel Johnston was elected to succeed Samuel Huntington. However, Johnston declined the presidency. A new election was held on the following day and Thomas McKean was elected. Samuel Huntington, however, continued to serve his country. He departed for Connecticut and upon his return he was immediately returned to the board and to the bench. During his absence from his home state, his positions had never been filled. Subsequently, during 1782, Huntington was again selected as a member of Congress. His poor health prevented him from accepting until the following year. He was selected for Congress again during 1783 and he accepted. Huntington again departed Congress during November 1783, following his election as lieutenant governor of Connecticut. He was also chief judge of the Superior Court of the state. Two years later, Huntington was elected governor, succeeding Matthew Griswold. Similarly to his congressional service during 1776, when he was a staunch proponent of the Declaration of Independence, as governor, he held the point in leading his state’s ratification of the U.S. Constitution. Samuel Huntington, as governor, remained popular. On two occasions he won two “favorite son” votes for the presidency of the United States. Due to his presidency of Congress when the Articles of Confederation became effective (1 March 1781), Huntington is sometimes referred to as the first president of the United States. Huntington remained governor until 1796 and succumbed while in office. Samuel’s wife had succumbed two years earlier during 1794 on the 4th of June. Governor Huntington, a faithful Christian, was interred in Norwich next to his wife. Although Huntington never attended college, he was rewarded late in life with three honorary degrees, one each from Dartmouth, Princeton and Yale. The Huntingtons never had any children of their own, but they did adopt three. Samuel and Frances, children of Samuel’s brother, the Rev. Joseph Huntington, were adopted in 1771 after the death of his brother’s wife, Hannah. The Huntingtons also adopted Mason Fitch Cogswell, the son of the Rev. James and Alice Fitch Cogswell. Mason’s mother died while Mason was about eleven and his father remarried, leaving his son with the Huntingtons. Mason later became a prominent surgeon. The renovated boyhood home (Huntington Homestead) of Samuel Huntington located in Scotland, Connecticut, was made a national landmark during 1974. It contains a museum and is open to the public.

Ingersoll (Ingersol), Jared (Signer of the U.S. Constitution) Jared Ingersoll, the son of Jared Ingersoll, Sr., was born in New Haven, Connecticut, on 27 October 1749. Jared’s father had been an official of the royal government, and he was in England when the

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Stamp Act was passed by Parliament during 1765. Neither Jared, Sr., nor Benjamin Franklin, also in England at the time, predicted the repercussions the Stamp Act would cause in the colonies. Franklin actually encouraged Jared, Sr., to accept the post of stamp master of the colony of Connecticut. From that point forward the relations between Britain and the colonies began to deteriorate. The elder Ingersoll had no inclination to align himself with the Patriots, nor did he encourage his son to join with those who began to question the policies of the king and Parliament. Jared attended Yale graduated with the class of 1766, the year the Stamp Act was repealed due to the adamant opposition in the colonies. His graduation was in synchronization with the sparks of resistance that were beginning to spread across the colonies. By that time, Jared’s family had moved to Philadelphia, which became the center of the opposition in the country by the early 1770s. Afterward Jared spent time managing the affairs of his father and when that task was completed, he too relocated in Philadelphia where he pursued a career in law. During 1773, subsequent to the Boston Massacre and prior to the Boston Tea Party, Jared’s father apparently discerned the imminent crisis. He persuaded his son to travel to London to further his studies. Jared’s father was a Loyalist, but not aggressive in his stance and Jared, Jr., held no particular allegiance to the Patriots’ cause, which at the time was primarily vocal opposition to the policies considered oppressive by the Patriots. However, Jared seemed to be reluctant to join with his fellow Americans due to his respect for and loyalty to his father. Jared traveled to Europe during 1773 and entered the Middle Temple to study law. He completed his studies in 1776, the same year that Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence. He remained in Europe for two additional years before returning home, which had gone from a colony to the United States of America. At some point while abroad, he chose sides and his choice was in opposition to the Loyalists. After completing his traveling to various places in Europe, Jared sailed for home. After re-establishing himself in the city, he initiated his career as a lawyer by working in the office of Joseph Reed (brigadier general and president of the Pennsylvania Executive Council), a good friend of the family. In 1780, Ingersoll was elected to the Continental Congress and served until 1781, the same year that he married Elizabeth Pettit (also Petit), the daughter of Charles and Sarah Reed Pettit. Jared and Sarah had three children, Edward (married Catherine Ann Brinton); Charles Jared (married Mary Wilcocks); and Joseph Reed (Ann Wilcocks). Subsequently, Ingersoll was selected as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention along with George Clymer, Thomas Fitzsimmons, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Mifflin and Robert Morris. The Constitutional Convention convened in Philadelphia during May 1787 and adjourned during September 1787. Initially, Ingersoll was a supporter of improving the Articles of Confederation, under which the government operated, but later he was convinced that the best course for the nation was to design a new government. He was a constant attendee at the sessions and a proponent of adopting the constitution as presented with the “Great Compromise,” which assured that the smaller states would not be dominated by the larger states. Nevertheless, Ingersoll was not among those who frequently made speeches. The United States Constitution was adopted on 17 October 1787. Ratification by nine states was necessary for it to become effective. Pennsylvania ratified the Constitution on 12 December 1787 to become the second state to join the union. Later, on 21 June 1778, New Hampshire ratified, to become the ninth state. At the conclusion of the convention, Ingersoll resumed his law career and seldom participated in politics, but during 1789, he did accept appointment to the Common Council of Philadelphia. During his political career and afterward, Ingersoll remained a Federalist. He was less than enthusiastic about Thomas Jefferson as a candidate for president and is known to have described the candidacy of

Jefferson as a “great subversion.” During 1790, Ingersoll was appointed attorney general of Pennsylvania, a post he held until 1799, but later, during 1811, he again became attorney general of the state. He remained in the position until 1817. In the meantime, Ingersoll failed during 1812 in a bid to become vice president on the Federalist ticket. Other posts he held included solicitor for the city of Philadelphia (1798–1801), and from 1800 into 1801 he was a U.S. district attorney. Subsequently, Ingersoll was a presiding judge in the Philadelphia District Court in 1821–22. Jared Ingersoll succumbed in Philadelphia on 22 October 1822. He was interred in the cemetery of the First Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia. His wife, Elizabeth, predeceased him. Jared was survived by his three children. Ingersoll had continued his law profession and practiced in front of the Supreme Court. Two of his prominent clients were William Blount, who was expelled from the senate, and Stephen Girard, an affluent philanthropist from Philadelphia. Girard left a fortune to cover expenses of a home for orphaned boys. Girard’s will, which stipulated “white boys,” was overturned by the courts during the mid–20th Century and the institution was ordered to break the will and accept black children.

Irvine, Brigadier General James James Irvine, the son of George Irvine, was born in Philadelphia on 4 August 1735. James’ father, born in Northern Ireland, had immigrated to America and settled in Pennsylvania. James first joined the militia as an ensign in Captain Atleir’s company during 1760, at which time the French and Indian War was winding down. After the war, the frontier remained a turbulent region due to hostile Indians, and Irvine also served along the frontier. During the conflict known as Pontiac’s War, Irvine, who by that time had been appointed captain, served under Colonel Henry Bouquet. He became a solid supporter of the Patriots’ cause as the country began to question the practices of the Crown and Parliament. He entered politics as a delegate to the Pennsylvania Provincial Congress, which convened on 23 January 1775. At about the same time, he was appointed captain of the 1st Pennsylvania Battalion and, later that year, was appointed lieutenant colonel of the battalion on 25 November 1775. Irvine participated in the Canadian Campaign. On 25 October 1776, Irvine was appointed colonel of the 9th Pennsylvania Regiment; however, he remained with the regiment only until 12 March 1777. At that time, Colonel Irvine was transferred to the 2nd Pennsylvania, where again he spent only a short time. On 1 June, Irvine resigned from the continental service due to dissatisfaction regarding rank. During the previous April and May, Congress had appointed additional brigadier generals and Irvine was not on the list. However, his military career was not terminated. On 26 August 1777, Irvine was appointed brigadier general (Pennsylvania militia). At the time of his appointment, the British were preparing to seize Philadelphia. General Irvine participated in the defense of the city and while the British controlled Philadelphia, he led a brigade at the Battle of Germantown (4 October 1777). Before establishing winter quarters, General George Washington’s army was involved in a cat-andmouse game with British General William Howe, the latter attempting to draw Washington into a major battle, but Washington did not take the bait. Nevertheless, skirmishing continued. On the night of 4 December the British advanced to Chestnut Hill (present-day Philadelphia) and spent two days in the failed attempt to pull the Americans from their positions at Whitemarsh (Montgomery County). General Irvine was wounded (lost three fingers) and captured on the 5th at Chestnut Hill. Afterward, the British returned to Philadelphia and General Washington established his winter quarters at Valley Forge. General Irvine was not exchanged until June 1781. The British permitted General Irvine and Colonel Matthews to

193 depart Long Island and speak to Congress on their behalf and that of the other prisoners. They departed during December 1780. At the time, Congress had not even paid their board. Shortly after his release, Congress appointed General Irvine as commander of Fort Pitt in western Pennsylvania (present-day Pittsburgh) during October 1781. The following year, General William Irvine, also of Pennsylvania, assumed command of Fort Pitt. General James Irvine was promoted to major general of militia during May of 1782. He retained his rank after the close of hostilities until 1793. In addition, during 1782, he became a member of the Pennsylvania Supreme Executive Council. In 1784 General Irvine was elected vice president (lieutenant governor) of the state and served his term into 1786. Following his service as vice president, General Irvine was elected to the state senate and served in that capacity from 1795 through 1799. He also served as one of the initial trustees of Dickinson College. General Irvine succumbed on 28 April 1819. Information regarding Generals James Irvine and James Ewing get tangled at times due to the similarities of the individuals, each being from Pennsylvania, and because of the variations of the spelling of Irvine (including Irwin, Irvine and Ewing). General James Irvine and General James Ewing were not related; however, both served in the Pennsylvania Line and both were captured, Ewing in Canada and Irvine at Chestnut Hill. Both were brigadier generals in the Pennsylvania militia and both served on the Supreme Executive Council ( January 1783–October 1784). In addition, James Ewing and James Irvine served during the John Dickinson administration as vice presidents of the state. In addition, both men were of Irish descent. Another general from Pennsylvania, William Irvine, was also of Irish descent, yet unrelated to either James Ewing or James Irvine.

Irvine, Brigadier General William William Irvine was born on the 3rd of November 1741 in the vicinity of Enniskillen, Ireland. He received his advanced education at Trinity College in present-day Southern Ireland. Initially, William began his career as a surgeon and, during the Seven Years War (French and Indian War in the colonies), was in the Royal Navy aboard a warship as the ship’s surgeon. Toward the end of the conflict, William resigned his commission and immigrated to the colonies. After his arrival in America during 1764, he settled along the frontier in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, coincidentally, the area in which several other prominent leaders of the American Revolution, including General John Armstrong and James Wilson (signer), resided. After establishing residence, William Irvine began a medical practice that expanded greatly and became extremely successful. He married Ann Callender, (Callendar), the daughter of Captain Robert Callender from the vicinity of Middlesex, near Carlisle. According to the family Bible, which was handed down through the generations of the family, William and Ann had eleven children: Callender (b. January 1775), Ann (also known as Nancy, b. March 1778), Mary (b. November 1780, d. November 1781), William Neill (b. November William Irvine (History of Beaver 1782), Elizabeth (b. January 1786, died young about 1790), County, Joseph H. Bausman, 1904)

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Mary Bullen (b. March 1788), Armstrong (b. April 1792), Rebecca (b. October 1794), James (twin of John, b. October 1796), John (twin of James, b. October 1796), Martha (b. March 1799, died that May). There are various spellings for Irvine, including Irwin, and sometimes General William Irvine is confused with William Irwin, who also emigrated from Ireland to the colonies about 1730, and he too settled in the vicinity of Carlisle where he raised 12 children. William Irvine is also confused with Colonel James Irvine, the latter participating in the defense of Philadelphia and being captured during late 1777 at Chestnut Hill, just outside Germantown (Chestnut Hill and Germantown are located in present-day Philadelphia). By the time the break with the mother county was emerging, Irvine had become a staunch American Patriot, despite his service in the Royal Navy. In 1774, he was elected a delegate to the provincial convention that convened in Philadelphia on 15 July. On 6 January 1776, Irvine was appointed colonel of the 6th Pennsylvania Regiment (later 7th Pennsylvania) of Cumberland County. He led the unit to join with the Canadian expeditionary force. While in the vicinity of Three Rivers, a group from his command, while on a fishing trip on an island, came under a surprise attack by Indians. The troops, enjoying some “spruce beer” in a house, did not have their weapons with them and the Indians surrounded them. The incident turned into a massacre, with some being taken captive. During that same period, on 7 June 1776, an attack was launched against the British positions at Three Rivers, but the landing place was off target and swampland hindered the advance. Four columns under Colonels William Maxwell, Arthur St. Clair, William Irvine and Anthony Wayne participated. Three of the columns were forced to traverse the swamp, leaving the force under Wayne isolated. About 200 men, including General Thompson and Colonel Irvine, were among the captured. Colonels St. Clair and Wayne both received wounds. Colonel Irvine initially made it to the swamps, but unable to discover the remainder of the force, he wandered aimlessly for some time before surrendering to the British. The remnant American force reached Crown Point on 2 July. At one point the Canadian expeditionary force had reached about 10,000 men; however, back at Crown Point, only about 5,000 men were present and of those, about one-half were in the hospitals for a variety of reasons, including sickness and wounds. Colonel Irvine was paroled at Quebec during early August; however, his exchange did not occur until April 1778. Colonel Irvine returned to his home in Pennsylvania. He did not resume field duty until his exchange and afterward, he participated in the Battle of Monmouth, New Jersey, the final major contest in the northern states. Colonel Irvine was attached to General Anthony Wayne’s brigade at Monmouth. He served under Wayne throughout 1779–1780. During a good part of 1781, General Irvine focused on recruiting for the 2nd Pennsylvania Brigade, which he commanded. On 24 September 1781, Brigadier General William Irvine was appointed commander of the Western Department. He was ordered to repair to Fort Pitt on the frontier in western Pennsylvania to assume command. He succeeded General Daniel Brodhead and retained the post until October 1783. Brodhead had been relieved by General Washington due to accusations made against him by an officer under his command. Brodhead was acquitted of all charges in a February 1782 court-martial. Colonel Brodhead was promoted to the rank of brevet brigadier general. Shortly after arriving at Fort Pitt and getting a look at the fort and garrison, Irvine penned a less than complimentary letter to General Washington. The letter, dated 2 December 1781, said in part: “I have been trying to economize; but everything is in so wretched a state, that there is very little in my power. I never saw troops cut so truly a deplorable, and at the same time despicable a figure. Indeed, when I arrived, no man would believe from their appearance that they were soldiers.... Though they do not yet come up to my wishes, yet they are

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some better.” At the time of his arrival, the fort was dilapidated and the pickets were destroyed more often than not. General Irvine set out immediately to refurbish the post and stabilize it in the event of an attack by the British or their Indian allies. General Irvine’s tour at Fort Pitt was anything but uneventful. Hostile Indians raided settlements and ambushed small patrols. During April 1782, Irvine expressed his sentiments in a letter to his wife. “Some people are killed and some taken, by the Indians, in almost every quarter. I lost five of my men, a few days since, who were woodcutting and carelessly laid down their arms to load the wagon, when a party rushed on them. This was at a fort [Fort McIntosh] we have thirty miles down the river [vicinity of Beaver along the border with Ohio].” He was inundated by urgent pleadings from letters written by settlers from all points. The general was a tough individual, which reinforced his discipline with his ineffective troops. Those who committed infractions often earned as many as 100 lashes. Mutiny was frequently hovering over the garrisons at Fort Pitt and Fort McIntosh. In one incident, during spring 1782, General Irvine wrote to General Benjamin Lincoln (secretary of war) on 2 May that he had subdued a mutiny, which was intensified at Fort McIntosh by whiskey that had been distributed at a morning muster. General Irvine, despite an acute shortage of disciplined, loyal troops, informed Lincoln that it was quelled and that two of the men were scheduled for execution on the 3rd. Irvine was actually rescued by other officers or he might have been killed. Irvine also informed Lincoln that he was not anticipating any further trouble because by that time he had sufficient loyal officers. During the early part of General Irvine’s tour, Indians attacked and massacred a family named Wallace in present-day Ohio. Militia retaliated, but they ravaged the Moravian Indians, who had apparently been tricked by the hostile Indians to accept a blood-stained dress of one of the victims. The Moravians were told to evacuate the area, but they believed that the militia would believe them, particularly because they (Indians) were Christian. Nevertheless, the militia ignored their pleas and massacred many of the Indians. General Irvine had no part in the action, but neither did he press for a government investigation. Subsequent to the close of hostilities, Irvine was appointed as a commissioner charged with investigating the public lands intended to be awarded in tracts to soldiers who had served for Pennsylvania in the Revolution. General Irvine also acted as a commissioner to deal with the Pennsylvanians who revolted due to the Whiskey Act. When he was unable to defuse the powder keg, he was appointed commander of the Pennsylvania militia by Governor Thomas Mifflin, with authority to quell the insurrection. Eventually, with the intervention of George Washington and the threat of using military force against what was essentially a group of farmers, not seasoned fighters, the Whiskey Rebellion (1794) was ended peacefully. In 1795, General Irvine moved Philadelphia, where in 1797 he was appointed superintendent of the military stores in Pennsylvania. During that time, he also awarded a tract to his son, Callender, who was at Fort Pitt with his father working as assistant to a surveyor. Callender joined the army and served in the artillery corps, but due to ill health, most of his service until his resignation during 1801 was at Carlisle. Following his military career, General Irvine served as a delegate to the Pennsylvania state constitutional convention during 1787 and he served in the U.S. Congress (1786–1788 and 1793–1795), representing the district which included Cumberland County. General William Irvine succumbed in Philadelphia on 29 July 1804. He was interred at Gloria Dei Church (Old Swedes) in Philadelphia. He had served as the president of the Society of the Cincinnati (1801–1804) and was on the board of trustees of Dickinson College (1783–1803). He had two brothers in the military during the Revolution. Andre served in William’s regiment as an officer and he was

wounded during the Canadian campaign, but not captured. After recuperating, he continued to serve under Anthony Wayne. William’s other brother, Doctor Mathew Irvine of South Carolina, served as a doctor.

Irwin, Brigadier General Robert Robert Irwin, the son of William Irwin, was born in Pennsylvania (Lancaster County) during 1738. During his youth, Robert received no classical education and he did not attend any institution of higher learning; however, he was blessed with above average intelligence, which he used to great advantage to become knowledgeable in matters of state and of church, and to the latter he devoted enormous time in his later years. Robert also had a superb talent for public speaking and the ability to naturally insert anecdotes to stir interest in what he had to say. Nevertheless, he also gathered sufficient skills with regard to the military, and when the great separation with Britain began, he was among the initial Patriots in the South. After his father passed away, he transferred his share of his inheritance (estate) to an older brother, and with the funds from the sale of his share, Robert departed Pennsylvania for North Carolina and settled in Mecklenburg County. After arriving in Mecklenburg, he met and later married Mary Alexander. Robert and Mary had the following children: Mary (married John Dinkins); Dorcas (married Andrew Herron); Margaret (married Hugh McDowell); William (married Lydia Birdsong); Robert (married Elizabeth Ray and later Martha Alexander); Sarah (married John Fincher); Eleanor (Nelly, married James Moore); and James. Robert Irwin was named a magistrate of Mecklenberg County, but as the clouds of war were drifting south from Boston, Irwin was in the forefront of the opposition to the policies of the Crown and Parliament. He was listed as one of the men who signed the Mecklenberg Declaration of Independence on 20 May 1775, more than one year before Congress declared independence. Irwin also was a delegate at the North Carolina Provincial Congress, which convened at Halifax on 4 April 1776 and again when the convention reconvened on 12 November 1776. Irwin served as a colonel in the militia. His record of service details meritorious actions in the field. Colonel Irwin participated in the campaign against the Cherokee who were ravaging the frontier (Kentucky, Tennessee and North Carolina) during 1776. During October of that year, Colonel (later general) Griffith Rutherford led a force into the interior after passing through Salem, burning much of the Cherokees’ corn crop and reducing the villages. By 4 July 1777, the Cherokee had been thoroughly defeated; the loss compelled them to relinquish their lands to the state of North Carolina (Treaty of Long Island). In August 1780, Colonel Irwin participated in the attack against British positions at Rocky Mount (South Carolina). The British held positions in fortified log cabins on 1 August at Rocky Mount. The Americans set the cabins afire to force the Redcoats to capitulate; however a summer storm developed suddenly and the flames were extinguished. The attack had only been a diversion, while the real objective was Hanging Rock (South Carolina). The main event erupted there on 6 August, and although Lt. Colonel Banastre Tarleton was not there, his forces were thoroughly defeated. Colonel Irwin’s command performed well, but there were problems. Some militia, without orders, began to focus on booty, while other militia became over-confident, leaving one unit to regroup and save the day, the contingent under Major William Richardson Davie. Davie mounted a cavalry attack that scattered the Redcoats. During the following year, the British seized Wilmington, North Carolina, on 29 January. Colonel Irwin participated in the campaign to regain the city; however, the British retained it for the entire year (1781) and evacuated it on 5 January 1782, nearly three months after the surrender of Lord Charles Cornwallis at Yorktown during October 1781.

195 Colonel Irwin was promoted to the rank of brigadier general at a time undetermined by the author. He referred to that rank in his last will and testament: “In the name of God Amen. I Gen. Robert Irwin, Esq., of Mecklenburg County, State of North Carolina, being through the abundant Mercy and goodness of God, Tho’ weak in body yet of a sound and perfect understanding and memory....” After the war General Irwin returned to his home. During 1798, General Irwin, a widower at the time, married, taking Mary Barry as his second wife on 28 March. He and Mary had one child, Anna Le Nira. General Robert Irwin died at Steele Creek, North Carolina, on 23 December 1800. General Irwin served in the North Carolina senate for twelve years and as the “ruling elder” of the Steele Creek Church for more than two decades. General Irwin was buried in the same grave site as his first wife, Mary, and their stone states: Great, noble, good and brave Characters he did justly claim, His deeds shall speak beyond the tomb And those, unborn, his praise proclaim.

Jackson, Brigadier General Henry Henry Jackson, the son of Colonel Joseph and Susannah Gray Jackson, was born in Boston during 1747 and was baptized on 25 October that year. Henry’s father had participated in the French and Indian War. During 1763, following the death of Colonel John Phillips, Joseph Jackson succeeded him as treasurer of the Ancient Artillery Company, and he held the post until the outbreak of the Revolution. In the meantime, Henry had also acquired a desire to join the military. By March 1776, Henry Jackson had decided to raise his own company. Just after the British abandoned Boston (17 March 1776), Jackson formed a company from men of Boston and became captain of the unit. On 18 July the president of council, James Bowdoin, requested that Jackson’s company assemble under arms at the state house, while the Declaration of Independence was read aloud to the citizens. The invitation was quite an honor; however, Jackson became embarrassed because he had to inform the president that his company, although formed, had not yet acquired uniforms. Nevertheless, an understanding president invited Captain Jackson and his company to attend the celebration. That humbling experience most probably became a driving force behind Captain Jackson’s propensity to maintain the appearance of his troops as an elite command without detracting from their fighting ability. Jackson’s troops were always smartly attired. By January 1777, Jackson received a commission from Congress as a colonel in the Continental Army. That April, Jackson was ordered to lead his company into Rhode Island. Following that short stint of a few weeks, he returned to Boston and began to raise the Boston Regiment (16th Massachusetts Regiment). The regiment remained intact until January 1781 when it was consolidated with the 9th Massachusetts Regiment. At that time, Colonel James Wesson retired after having held command for about four years. Colonel Henry Jackson (New England Histor- Henry Jackson assumed command of the regiment. On 30 ical Register, Vol. 46, 1892)

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October 1782, while the army was again being scaled down, the unit became the 4th Massachusetts Regiment. In the meantime, Jackson departed Boston on 7 October 1777 en route to join with General Washington outside Philadelphia. At the time, the British had seized Philadelphia. In June 1778, the British, unable to totally dominate the Delaware River, abandoned Philadelphia and retired toward New York. Washington, at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, broke camp and initiated pursuit. Jackson’s regiment participated in the major confrontation at the Battle of Monmouth on 28 June 1778, which became the final major battle in the northern states. Shortly thereafter, Colonel Jackson’s command was in Rhode Island participating with General John Sullivan during the ill-fated campaign to regain British-held Newport. Sullivan’s forces were left on their own by a French fleet and on 29 August 1778, the Americans fought a tenacious battle at Quaker Hill. After holding off the British for a few hours, the entire command made it back to the mainland, just before a British fleet approached he harbor. Doctor James Thacher, the surgeon attached to General Jackson’s regiment, noted certain incidents about the men of the regiment in his diary. He recorded their enthusiasm and ability: “They appear in handsome style, and are ambitious to display their taste for military life, and their zeal to contend with the enemies of their country....” Thacher also noted in his diary an incident at a tavern where a sign was hanging that displayed a man half-way through the globe with the caption “Oh, how shall I get through this world?” One of the troops, after glancing toward the sign, quipped: “List, damn you, and you’ll soon get through this world; our regiment will be through in an hour or two if we don’t halt by the way.” General Jackson’s regiment participated in the fighting in New Jersey, including the Battle of Springfield on 23 June 1780. At the close of hostilities, Henry Jackson was appointed by Congress a brigadier general. General Jackson remained in the service until July 1784. Afterward, he returned to his private life in Boston; however, he did not terminate his military career. He was major general of the 1st Division (Massachusetts militia) from 1792 through 1796. Subsequently, he became an agent of the U.S. government and during 1797, he oversaw the construction of the frigate Constitution, a warship from the War of 1812 era that remains an active warship in the United States Navy. The Constitution continues to be manned by sailors of the U.S. Navy and moored in Boston Harbor. General Jackson, through the years, had become a close friend of another prominent Bostonian, General Henry Knox who, subsequent to the ratification of the U.S. Constitution, was appointed secretary of war. General Jackson, like General Knox, was overly portly, but he was known to have carried himself well and to have possessed the demeanor of a gentleman and an appetite to match his robust build. At times, Jackson’s size became subject of humor, such as when General Nathanael Greene penned a letter to General Knox and inquired of Jackson: “How is my old friend Colonel Jackson? Is he still as fat as ever, and can he still eat down a plate of fish that he can’t see over. God bless his fat soul with good health and good spirits to the end of the war, that we may all have a happy meeting in the north.” During 1783, General Jackson was stationed at West Point, and at that time, the general weighed about 238 pounds. General Knox relied on General Jackson, while Knox was secretary of war, to handle many of his private affairs, particularly his lands in the east. One of General Knox’s children was named Henry Jackson Knox. Jackson became the first treasurer of the Massachusetts Society of the Cincinnati, a position he retained until his death. General Henry Jackson, a bachelor, succumbed during the evening of 4 January 1809. On Saturday, 7 January, a funeral parade departed General Jackson’s lodging house at the head of the mall on Common Street and marched to Dorchester, where the general was interred in a crypt. Later when the area was transformed into a park (Woodford Park), General Jackson’s

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remains were extricated and re-interred at a new location. The inscription on his original tombstone included several verses and ended with the notation that he was a “Christian, Soldier, Patriot and Friend.” General Henry Jackson is sometimes confused with Henry Jackson of Newburyport, who was the son of Jonathan and Hannah Tracy Woodbridge ( Jonathan’s second wife). Henry Jackson (b. 1774) of Newburyport married Hannah Swett, the daughter of Samuel and Anna Swett of Exeter during 1799 and the couple had three children: Mary Wendell, John Barnard, and Henry.

Jackson, Brigadier General James James Jackson, a native of England and the son of James (1) and Mary Webber Jackson, was born at Moreton-Hampstead in Devonshire on 21 September 1757. James (1) and Mary had two other children, Abraham and Henry (Doctor Henry Jackson). When James reached about age fifteen, and having received permission from his father, he sailed for America during 1772. James settled at Savannah in Georgia under the supervision of a friend of the family, John Wereat. James received an excellent education in Savannah and afterward, he pursued a career in law by studying under Samuel Farley; however, the outbreak of war with Britain prompted James to postpone his studies and trade his books for a musket. During 1775, James Jackson was a volunteer under Colonel John Baker when Loyalists aboard armed vessels raided Tybee Island to confiscate livestock and supplies. The Patriots battered the enemy and compelled them to abandon the island. Jackson was not yet 20 years old when he participated in the defense of Savannah during 1776. Jackson’s actions under fire and at Tybee Island were conspicuously displayed and noted by Governor Archibald Bulloch, who rewarded Jackson with command of a light infantry company, which he led until General Robert Howe led the failed expedition into Florida. Toward the latter part of 1778, Jackson was appointed brigade major in the Georgia militia. Nevertheless, the militia became scattered at about the time of the fall of Savannah (December 1778). Jackson afterward volunteered to serve in another unit, one which had officers but no commander. While en route to South Carolina to join General William Moultrie, he and another Georgian, John Milledge, were badly attired. Jackson even lacked a pair of shoes and his funds were exhausted. But still, he continued his trek until he and Milledge were captured. Their captors, members of the unit he was attempting to locate, found them unrecognizable as Patriots, and their captors became convinced they were spies. Their fate was sealed. A trial was immediately held and both were sentenced to death, with the executions set for the following day. Just prior to being hanged, one of the Patriots, Peter Deveraux (Devaux), caught a close-up glimpse and immediately identified Jackson and John Milledge as men he knew. The timely encounter spared Jackson’s appointment with the noose. He resumed his military life, serving initially as a private. By October 1779, Jackson had returned to Georgia. In March of 1780, following a disagreement with Georgia’s lieutenant governor, George Wells, a duel ensued. James Jackson (Men of Mark in Geor- Jackson prevailed and George Wells was killed; however, gia)

Jackson was hit in both knees and doctors concluded that amputation was required. Jackson adamantly opposed the procedure and the doctors relented, but he was essentially left on his own and the prognosis leaned toward no recovery. However, once again, Jackson escaped a dreadful outcome. He suffered through a prolonged period of recuperation, but bounced back with both legs ably prepared to don a new uniform. Jackson’s recovery allowed him to return to the field. He participated at various engagements against the British, including the skirmish at Blackstocks, South Carolina, during August 1780, in which he served under General Thomas Sumter, and the contest at Long Cane, South Carolina, on 11 December 1780. It was Jackson’s initiative that preserved Colonel Elijah Clark’s contingent from scattering after Clark became wounded. During early January 1781, Jackson served as brigade major under General Andrew Pickens, who at the time had command of the Georgia and Carolina militia that was attached to General Daniel Morgan’s section of General Nathanael Greene’s army. Afterward, Jackson participated at the Battle of Cowpens (17 January 1781), where his dashing dare carried him straight into the positions of the 71st British Regiment and, upon his exit, he carried their colors. In addition, Major Jackson personally delivered Major McArthur, the commander of the 71st, to General Daniel Morgan. Jackson continued his bold exploits during the retreat of General Greene, who was at the time attempting to evade Cornwallis’ pursuit following the British unexpected defeat at Cowpens by Morgan. During the retreat, heavy skirmishing occurred at the Catawba, and for a while, it was thought that Jackson had been killed, but the information given to General Morgan had been erroneous. Jackson was in the midst of the fighting, but he escaped unscathed and crossed the river safely after being hit by a surprise attack by Tarleton’s Legion at Tennant’s Tavern. Subsequently, Jackson served with Andrew Pickens and Colonel Henry “Light Horse Harry” Lee when the Americans devastated John Pyle’s corps at the Haw River. Jackson was presented to General Greene at Salisbury by General Morgan and afterward, Greene awarded Major Jackson with the command of a corps and a commission as colonel; the commission was afterward confirmed by Congress. The corps was to be formed for service in Georgia. During the following year Colonel Jackson participated in the recapture of Augusta, Georgia, and after the British capitulated on 31 May 1781, Jackson was delegated to accept the surrender of the city. Colonel Jackson was given the key to the gates of the city and he was the first American to enter Augusta. In addition, Colonel Jackson received command of the recaptured city. For a while, the situation at Augusta was tenuous and Jackson had no communications with other American forces. During August 1781, a legislature convened at Augusta and Nathan Brownson was elected governor. A plot developed to murder Jackson while he slept and execute his officers with a bayonet party while they too were asleep, with the major objective being the capture of the governor to turn him over to the British. But, yet again, Colonel Jackson’s imminent demise was canceled. A loyal dragoon (David Davie) who was also Jackson’s waiter, once informed of the dastardly plot instigated through Jackson’s infantry, delivered the intelligence to Jackson. The colonel, unshaken by the distressing news, reacted in his usual impetuous manner and moved expeditiously to eliminate the danger. The infantry was directed to assemble without their arms for the purpose of getting new clothes issued. Those troops remained unaware that Jackson had prepared a fast-moving welcoming committee. Once the infantry was in place, the armed cavalry initiated a full gallop with the horses racing directly into the formation. With little effort, the infantry was corralled and the primary instigators were imprisoned and held for trial, which arrived quite quickly. The main instigators were sentenced to death, which was expeditiously carried out. The remainder of the infantry once again became loyal troops and no future murmurs of mutiny were raised.

197 Colonel Jackson continued his meritorious conduct throughout the war. During July 1782, when the British finally abandoned Savannah on the 12th, after having held it since 29 December 1778, General Anthony Wayne designated Colonel Jackson as the officer charged with accepting the keys and taking possession of Savannah. Shortly after regaining the city of Savannah, on 25 July Colonel Jackson engaged a British force on Skidaway Island in what became the final action of the war along the Georgia coast. That same month, July 1782, the Georgia general assembly conspicuously honored Colonel Jackson for his extraordinary contribution to the nation and the state of Georgia. The assembly awarded Colonel Jackson a house and land in Savannah. Once he returned from the war, James reinitiated his pursuit of a career in law and after acceptance by the bar in 1785, he began to practice. By July 1783, Colonel Jackson was elected to the Georgia legislature. In 1784 he was appointed colonel of the Georgia 1st Regiment (militia) (also known as Chatham County regiment). Two years later, at age 28, Colonel Jackson was made a brigadier general. That year, 1786, General Jackson was admitted to the Georgia Cincinnati Society as an honorary member. Subsequently, during 1788, General James Jackson was propelled into higher politics when he was elected at age 30 as the governor of Georgia. However, General Jackson declined the honor and explained that he believed he was too young and inexperienced to properly conduct the duties of the governor. However, Jackson proclaimed that he loved Georgia and referred to the state as his country. Jackson found himself running against a respected friend, General Anthony Wayne, for the same seat in the legislature in 1791. Wayne had relocated in Georgia. Wayne won the election and Jackson, during February 1792 (at the time he was a member of the house), appeared in front of the legislature to contest the results on the grounds that Wayne had not yet become a legitimate resident of the district. Jackson did not immediately prevail, but it was later determined that a judge involved in the election had acted improperly. Consequently, the judge was dismissed. During the investigation, General Jackson never accused Wayne of any improper conduct. He was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1793 and resigned during 1795. At the time, the Georgia legislature had become corrupt at all levels and Jackson exposed the improper conduct in a series of letters, which bore the signature “Sicilus.” Later during 1798, Jackson was a delegate to the convention that created the state’s constitution. In addition, Brigadier General Jackson was appointed major general of Georgia’s militia in 1792. General Jackson was again elected governor and served in that capacity from January 1798 until March 1801. Jackson was a Democratic-Republican (present-day Democrat) and was not an ally of President John Adams, a Federalist. Nonetheless, he was not considered an ally of President Thomas Jefferson, a Democratic-Republican, either. After Jackson completed his terms as governor, he returned to the senate and served during 1801–1806. A political argument developed between General Jackson and Colonel Robert Watkins, and the animosity turned into violence during 1802 when the men engaged in a duel (Watkins and Jackson reportedly had several duels). Jackson was wounded in the hip. After becoming wounded, Jackson intended to continue, but he was unable. While Watkins helped carry Jackson from the field, Jackson quipped: “Hang it, Watkins, I thought I could give you another shot.” Jackson and Watkins had also fought each other with fists and knives in the past. Watkins, a lawyer, had been involved with the Yazoo Land scheme (as a senator) and Jackson is the man who had the act (which was essentially giving land in western Georgia to the speculators) rescinded. Duels seemed to occur frequently with General Jackson, who had also engaged another lawyer, Thomas Gibbons, in a duel during 1800. Although both men fired three shots, no one was wounded. During his term as governor, a man named Zachariah Cox accused

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General Jackson on impropriety in office regarding the Yazoo land fraud; but the charges were falsely claimed and both houses unanimously exonerated the governor. Meanwhile, General Jackson had married Mary Charlotte Young (known as Polly), the daughter of William Young (speaker of the Georgia House) of Savannah on 20 January 1785. James and Mary had the following children: William Henry (b. June 1786); James (birth date unknown, became a professor at University of Georgia); Jabez Young (b. July 1790); and Jacob Webber (b. December 1796, later member U.S. Congress). General James Jackson succumbed in Washington, D.C., on 19 January 1806. Initially he was interred about four miles outside the capital, but later he was re-interred in the congressional cemetery in D.C. Jackson’s wife predeceased him. His brother Abraham of Savannah also rose to the rank of brigadier general in the Georgia militia (post Revolutionary War). Another brother, Henry, was the father of Henry Rootes Jackson, a Yale graduate (1839), a colonel who fought in the Mexican War and later became a Confederate general.

Jackson, Brigadier General Michael Michael Jackson, the son of Michael Jackson, Sr., was born in Newton, Massachusetts, on 18 December 1734. Michael joined the militia during the French and Indian War and served as a lieutenant; however, later, when the colonies were in the process of breaking away from Britain, his initial service in the militia began with the rank of private. He was a member of the Minute Men when the clashes erupted at Lexington and Concord on 19 April 1775. On the day of the skirmish, Jackson’s company had been notified early in the morning of the British intent and the men assembled on the parade field, but no officers were present. A sergeant proposed that a captain of the day be chosen and Jackson was selected to lead the contingent. He immediately led the column to the Watertown meeting house. After arriving in Watertown, the officers gathered there admitted Jackson to the meeting and to their dismay, he was quite outspoken. He listened for a while and then took the floor. Jackson essentially accused the officers of being fearful, and he proclaimed that the time of discussion had passed and it was time to meet the enemy. He added: “Not now the wag of the tongue, but the pull of the trigger.” The meeting ended with some of the units following Jackson’s company, while others lingered near the meeting house and yet others departed in other directions. En route, Jackson’s column encountered a British force in the vicinity of Concord. An exchange of fire occurred and the militia was unable to retain its positions; however, shortly thereafter, Jackson rallied his men, and at about the same time, he was reinforced by militia from Watertown. From that point, the Patriots harassed the British column, commanded by Lord Percy, as it made its way back to Boston. On 3 June 1775, Jackson was appointed major of Colonel Thomas Gardner’s regiment and later participated at the Battle of Bunker Hill (Breed’s Hill) on 17 June 1775. Colonel Gardner was mortally wounded during the day’s fighting and died on 3 July 1775. Major Jackson was also among the wounded but survived. During the tenacious contest, Jackson engaged a British officer in close-quartered fighting and the latter was killed. Subsequently, on 1 January 1776, during the reorganization of the Continental Army, Major Jackson was appointed lieutenant colonel of the 16th Continental Infantry. Later that year, Jackson was wounded in the thigh during a battle with British forces on Montressor’s Island (24 September 1776). He recovered, but never completely. Command of Jackson’s regiment passed to Lt. Colonel John Brooks. The regiment under Brooks participated in various battles in the eastern region and later, during 1777, under Brooks, the regiment fought boldly against General John Burgoyne’s forces at Saratoga and sustained heavy casualties. In the meantime, on 1 January 1777, Jackson was appointed colonel

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of the 8th Massachusetts Regiment, where he remained until 1783, when he transferred to the 3rd Massachusetts on 12 June. On 30 September Colonel Jackson received the rank of brevet brigadier general. His service in the army continued until 3 November 1783. General Jackson had married Ruth Parker, the daughter of Ebenezer Parker, on 31 January 1759. Five of their sons served in the military during the war. General Michael Jackson, who retired to his farm in Newton, succumbed on 10 April 1801. He was interred in Newton. His pall bearers included Governor William Eustace, Colonel Joseph Ward and General Henry Knox.

Jay, John John Jay, the son of Peter and Mary Van Courtlandt Jay, was born on 12 December 1745 in New York City. John’s paternal ancestors were Huguenots and his father ran a prosperous mercantile business. John’s great-grandfather, Pierre Jay, fled France for England after the Edict of Nantes was revoked, and he died there. His son Augustus, the grandfather of John, immigrated to New York during 1686 and married Anna Maria Bayard. Augustus and Anna Maria had four children, including Peter, John’s father. Peter later became a partner in his father’s business. He married Mary Van Courtlandt, the daughter of Jacobus Van Courtlandt. Peter and Mary had nine children in addition to John, who was their eighth child. During his first year, John was taken to Rye, where he was raised in the old Jay house. He became seriously ill from sore throat, but unlike his younger sister, he survived. John did not contract smallpox, but both his brother Peter and his sister Nancy became victims; both became totally blind from the ravaging disease. John was initially tutored by his mother, and when he was about eight years old, he was entered in a school run by the Rev. Peter Stoope at New Rochelle. The Reverend Stoope, described as an absent minded Swiss eccentric, was the pastor of the French Huguenot church that had joined the Episcopal Church at New Rochelle. The Reverend Stoope’s eccentricities affected his life and the parsonage. He focused on mathematics and ignored the parsonage, which fell into poor condition. John’s room was shared with the elements and to keep his bed free from snow during the winter, he would place boards against the broken window panes. Apparently, Mrs. Stoope was not absent minded, just uncaring and out of character from the great majority of women of the time. The kids under their care were “half-starved.” At the time John was receiving his education in New Rochelle, the villagers spoke French, and that became a bonus for John in later years when he became a diplomat. After two years, he again was educated at his home, but his continued studies were overseen by a private tutor. At age about fourteen, in 1760, John entered King’s College (later Columbia ), from where he graduated during May 1764. There was little time to celebrate. John began to study law about two weeks after graduation in the office of Benjamin Kissam. Four years later, he was admitted to the bar. Once he was authorized to practice law, he formed a partnership with Robert Livingston (later, chancellor of New York State). During February 1773, John Jay was appointed secretary to the Royal CommisJohn Jay (Pictorial Field Book of the sion, directed to settle the disputed boundary between Revolution, Benson J. Lossing, 1860)

Connecticut and New York. During the following year, he married Sarah Van Brugh Livingston, the daughter of William Livingston (later governor of New Jersey and a signer of the U.S. Constitution). The ceremony took place on 28 April 1774, in Elizabeth, New Jersey, at Liberty Hall. Jay’s practice was doing exceedingly well, but conditions throughout the colonies had been on a downward slide since the year following his graduation from King’s College, beginning with the passage of the Stamp Act during 1765, and subsequent legislation perceived to have been an unfair burden on British subjects. The ill feelings had simmered for nearly a decade when a burst of violence erupted in Boston during December 1773 in the incident known as the Boston Tea Party. The British retaliated with new measures; one was the Boston Port Act (25 March 1774), which ignited the fuse to galvanize the scattered opposition into a unified army of Patriots, composed not only of fighting men, but also the women and children. Subsequent to the closing of the port and the isolation of the Bostonians, Jay was among that first bold group that bolted to leadership among the opposition; however, during the initial period of the conflict, Jay, using a ruse of being a Loyalist, traveled about to gather intelligence about the Loyalists’ plans and strengths. Jay was appointed to the Committee of Correspondence. That same year, the First Continental Congress convened in Philadelphia and Jay was selected as a delegate. Jay was immediately placed on various committees, including one charged with preparing an address to the people of Great Britain (11 October 1774). Jay penned the address and Thomas Jefferson proclaimed it “a production, certainly, of the finest pen in America.” After the close of business in Congress, Jay returned to New York, where he was appointed to the Committee of Observation, established to devise methods to interfere with the commerce of Britain with the colonies. In a short while he was appointed to the Committee of Association, which essentially operated as a governing body in the absence of an authorized government; however, on 28 May 1775, the Provincial Congress convened, eliminating the need of the Committee of Association. On 10 May the Second Continental Congress convened, again in Philadelphia, and Jay was a delegate from New York. During the previous month, all chances of reconciliation were scrapped, although some still believed reconciliation possible after the clashes at Lexington and Concord on 19 April. Later that year, Jay was appointed as a colonel in the 2nd New York Regiment of Foot, a militia unit. Although he accepted the appointment, he was too active in government and saw no service in the field. That April, Jay had been elected to the New York Provincial Congress, which convened on 14 May at City Hall in New York. He simultaneously held his seat in Congress. Consequently, when New York was in session to establish a government, as resolved by Congress a few days earlier, Jay was called up to return to New York to participate. He proceeded to New York, which caused him to be absent when the Declaration of Independence was declared by Congress on the Fourth of July 1776. During August 1776, Jay remained as a member of Congress, but on 2 August he was one of a group who did not sign the parchment document of the Declaration of Independence. Others who refused to sign were John Dickinson (Pennsylvania), James Duane (New York), and Robert Livingston. Five other delegates were absent and engaged in other activity: General George Washington (Virginia), General George Clinton (New York), General Christopher Gadsen (South Carolina), General John Sullivan (New Hampshire), and Governor Patrick Henry (Virginia). That same year, Jay was a representative at the New York convention and, upon the call for a new convention, he was a delegate at that one also. The new convention was hurriedly moved from New York to White Plains due to the arrival of a British force. At White Plains on

199 9 July, after receiving a copy of the Declaration of Independence, Jay moved a resolution regarding a draft written by himself. It passed unanimously: “That the reasons assigned by the Continental Congress for declaring the United Colonies free and independent States are cogent and conclusive; and that while we lament the cruel necessity which has rendered that measure unavoidable, we approve the same, and will, at the risk of our lives and fortunes, join with the other colonies in supporting it.” On 17 July, Jay was appointed to the secret committee for New York, which was charged with the creation of obstacles on the Hudson to impede British warships. Jay was also appointed to the committee charged with drawing up a new constitution for the state in August 1776, and he chaired the committee. The final draft was completed by 12 March 1777 and it was adopted (with amendments) on 20 April 1777. Jay was absent when the state constitution was adopted. His mother had died on 17 April and he departed for home. Subsequent to the adoption of the state constitution, John Jay was appointed chief justice of the New York Supreme Court, which held its initial session on 9 September 1777. He was re-elected to Congress on 10 November 1778. The New York constitution prohibited Jay from holding any other office, but an exception permitted a man to be in Congress on a “special occasion.” At the time, the exception included a dispute between New York and Vermont. He arrived on December 7, but unexpectedly, in conjunction with the resignation of Henry Laurens as president on the 9th, Jay was elected president of Congress on the 10th. He held the presidency until the following September. On 29 September 1779, Jay was appointed minister to Spain and resigned as president of Congress. He was succeeded by Samuel Huntington. He sailed for Spain aboard the Confederacy on October 20, accompanied by Monsieur Gerard, the French minister. After a harrowing voyage, including a terrible storm that jeopardized the ship on 7 November, Captain Seth Harding was able to prevent disaster. The vessel sustained damage to the bowsprit and the rudder. After reaching St. Pierre in Martinique, John Jay and Gerard changed vessels and continued their journey on a French ship. Jay finally reached Cadiz, Spain, on 28 January 1780. From Cadiz, he proceeded to Madrid, but he was not given a hero’s welcome. Although Britain and Spain were engaged in a war, the Spanish were not anxious to conduct negotiations, nor were they willing to completely acknowledge the independence of the United States. During 1782, Jay was appointed as one of the peace commissioners charged with negotiating a treaty with Britain to end the war. Jay arrived in France, and he and Benjamin Franklin, the only other commissioner there at the time, initiated negotiations with the Crown’s representative, Richard Oswald. The British foreign secretary sent another representative to keep him informed. The French and Spanish were also involved. France and Spain collaborated on their own interests. Later Jay figured out the conspiracy. France was secretly in separate talks with Britain. During September, John Jay sent his representative to England to make sure America got a settlement that was in the nation’s good, not to the good of France or Spain. During October, John Adams arrived in France and Franklin relayed his indignation with Jay for sending a representative to England without informing either Franklin or the French, but Adams concurred with Jay’s actions, ending the problem. On 30 November 1782, Adams, Jay, Henry Laurens and Franklin consummated a preliminary peace agreement with Britain. The agreement assured America of recognition by Britain with or without agreement by France. In conjunction, France was caught in a corner and she had agreed not to settle with the British until they agreed to relinquish Gibraltar to the Spanish. On 16 May 1784, Jay embarked for home and arrived back in the States on 24 July. He wrote to a friend after arriving in New York: “At

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length, I am arrived in the land of my nativity; and I bless God that it is also the land of light, liberty, and plenty. My emotions cannot be described.” That autumn, the state legislature appointed Jay to Congress; he took his seat on 6 December. At the time, Congress was meeting in Trenton, New Jersey. Afterward, Jay, having been appointed secretary of foreign affairs while he was still in Europe, accepted the post, which placed him back into the position of negotiator. Talks were renewed with Spain and subsequently, Jay also became involved with the process of creating a federal constitution. He was aligned with the Federalists, Alexander Hamilton and James Madison, and from their efforts, a string of essays (The Federalist Papers, 85 essays) championed the validity and necessity of the constitution and spelled out the dangers of foreign influence upon the nation. The primary authors, Madison, Hamilton and Jay, published the essays under the name “Publius” in various New York publications prior to the Constitutional Convention. The Federalist Papers remain a treasure of the nation and still they are referenced in contemporary times as the source to better understand the Constitution. Jay was not a delegate to the Constitutional Convention that convened in Philadelphia during 1787, but he was engaged in the ratification process at the New York State constitutional convention. New York ratified the Constitution on 11 July 1788 at Poughkeepsie to become the eleventh state to join the union. The new Congress, operating under authority of the Constitution, opened its initial session on 4 March 1789. The new United States of America got its first president on 30 April with the appointment of George Washington. On 26 September 1789, subsequent to the appointment of John Jay as the first chief justice of the United States Supreme Court, his appointment was confirmed by the U.S. Senate. Later he was dispatched to England to try to finalize unfinished business still hanging over the colonies since peace was restored. At the time of his mission, Britain still retained garrisons at forts on U.S. territory, and American sailors were still being pressed into the Royal Navy. Jay sailed to London during May 1794. The Jay Treaty was consummated on 19 November 1794, but there were opponents at home. The treaty, favored by the Federalists, was opposed by the Democratic-Republicans (present-day Democrats). The treaty guaranteed that Britain would abandon its post in the Northwest Territory, but it did not cover the large numbers of American sailors in English prisons or those aboard British warships. The treaty, however, did not avert war, it merely postponed it. It was ratified by the Senate during June 1795. In the meantime, New York elected John Jay governor while he was still at sea, two days before he arrived back in New York. Jay was the second governor. He succeeded George Clinton, who held the office since 1777. Prior to his inauguration as governor, George Clinton had served as a brigadier general in the Continental Army. John Jay remained as governor until he was succeeded by George Clinton during 1801. Jay declined running for re-election; he had already planned to retire to private life. Later that year, President John Adams nominated him chief justice of the Supreme Court, but that, too, he declined, preferring to remain at his country estate in Westchester. Jay’s health was less than fair for most of his retirement years and he attributed it also to his old age. He was troubled by rheumatism. During 1813, Gouverneur Morris asked Jay to become the godfather of his child, but Jay declined due to his age. While enjoying his retirement from public life, Jay did remain involved in some of his interests. However, he also found great enjoyment while smoking his “long clay pipe” and relating stories about the Revolution that he claimed were not written and would not later be written. Nevertheless, the particulars that he shared have not been preserved. During 1815, Jay accepted appointment as the president of the Westchester Bible Society, and during the following year, he was named

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vice president of the American Bible Society. Subsequently, during 1821, upon the death of Elias Boudinot, Jay succeeded him as president. Jay’s other religious endeavors included being a member of the Tract and Sunday-school societies. He also devoted time to instructing young men for the ministry. As the years passed, Jay’s health continued to deteriorate, and during the final months of his life, he was unable to even walk without help. Most of his nights were spent in the same way, with his children gathered around him. The evenings were filled also with visitors and reading. One of the family would read a book or books out loud. Later, on 14 May 1829, Jay was struck by an attack of palsy that stripped him of his speech and soon after, on 17 September, he died. John Jay stipulated that “there should be no scarfs, no rings” at his funeral. He also stated that he would bequeath “two hundred dollars to any one poor deserving widow or orphan of this town, whom my children shall select.” Jay’s funeral service was held in Bedford; however, he was interred in the family cemetery at Rye, New York. His wife, Sarah Livingston Jay, predeceased him on 28 May 1802. Jay was tolerant of other religious beliefs, but he was not fond of atheists. While he was in Paris, the topic of conversation turned to religion and Jay, recalling the incident, related: “One of them asked me if I believed in Christ? I answered that I did, and that I thanked God that I did.” Jay also stated that once he answered the inquiry, the subject quickly changed once more away from religion. John Jay was survived by his children, Peter Augustus (b. January 1776, married Mary Clarkson, daughter of General Matthew Clarkson); Maria (b. in Madrid in 1782, married Goldsboro Banyer); Ann (b. in France during 1783); William (b. June 1789, married Augusta, daughter of John McVicker); Sarah (Sally, died unmarried at age twenty-six) and John (married Eleanor Field).

Jefferson, Thomas (Signer of the Declaration of Independence) Thomas Jefferson, the son of Peter and Jane Randolph Jefferson, was born 13 April 1743 in Goochland (later Albermarle County), Virginia. The family lived on a plantation known as Shadwell. In addition to Thomas, Peter and Jane had the following children: Jane (b. June 1740, d. October 1765); Mary (b. October 1741); Elizabeth (b. November 1744); Martha (b. May 1746); Peter Field (b. October 1748, d. November 1748); a son (b. March 1750, died on day of birth); Lucy (b. October 1752, d. September 1769); Anna Scott (twin of Randolph, b. October 1755); and Randolph (twin of Anna Scott, b. October 1755). When Thomas was about two years old, the family relocated closer to Richmond on a plantation named Tuckahoe. Peter, Thomas’ father, had earlier promised his wife’s first cousin, William Randolph, that he would become guardian for William’s son, Thomas Mann Randolph. By relocating, he was able to keep his promise. In 1752, the Jeffersons moved back to the Shadwell Plantation. Meanwhile, Thomas Jefferson’s initial education was received under private tutors. Thomas sustained a grievous loss during 1757 when his father died. From the estate, he inherited several thousand acres of land, but he was still quite young at about fourteen years old. Three years after the death of his father, Thomas entered William and Mary College at Williamsburg, Virginia. He completed his studies and graduated during 1762, but his studies did not end there. Thomas began to study law under George Wythe. Following several years of learning the law, he gained admittance to the bar during 1767 and then established a law practice. Later, Thomas Jefferson and his law tutor served in the Continental Congress together, and both became signers of the Declaration of Independence. Meanwhile, two years after he became a practicing lawyer, Thomas Jefferson was elected to the House of Burgesses, and he held his seat until 1775. During May 1769, Jefferson became a leader of the Reform Party. He introduced legislation that would have permitted owners to grant

freedom to their slaves; however, his proposal was rejected. Later, he was responsible for legislation that “introduced measures for the disestablishment of the Episcopal Church, formerly the Church of England,” which placed all religions in the state on an equal basis. In addition, he worked to establish a public library and a public school system and a mandate that the state provide a basic education for any students who were unable to afford a private education. During his terms in the House, Jefferson remained a promoter of the Thomas Jefferson (Pictorial Field Book colonists’ rights and a con- of the Revolution, Benson J. Lossing, spicuous opponent of the 1860) policies of the Crown. On New Year’s Day 1772, Thomas married Martha Skelton, the daughter of John and Martha Epes (third wife) Wayles and the widow of Bathurst Skelton. At the time of their marriage, Martha was twentythree and had been a widow for about four years. Martha’s only child from her previous marriage, John, had died while still an infant. The wedding ceremony took place at her father’s plantation, The Forest, in Charles City, Virginia, where Martha was living with her father. Thomas and Martha had five children: Martha (b. October 1748); Jane Randolph (b. April 1774, d. September 1775); a son (b. May 1777, died June 1777); Mary (b. August 1778, d. 1804); a daughter (b. November 1780, d. April 1781); and Lucy Elizabeth (b. May 1782). Martha was well educated and talented. One writer said she was “well read and intelligent, conversed agreeably, possessed excellent sense, and a lively play of fancy, and had a frank, warm-hearted, and somewhat impulsive disposition.” Martha also played the harpsichord, which she often played along with Thomas, who played the violin (while Thomas was in France, a fall broke his wrist and he was never able to play the violin after the accident). The wedding celebration was grand; however, following the party, Thomas and Martha experienced a harrowing trip to Thomas’ estate. As they headed for Monticello, a light snow was falling, but it soon became a blizzard. The weather had become so nasty that the carriage had to be abandoned and the trip was resumed with the newlyweds on horseback, but still the weather worsened and at some points the snow had reached a height of about eighteen inches before they finally completed the trip late into the night. Upon their arrival, they discovered that all the servants had returned to their quarters and all that was available was a half-bottle of wine, which became their first meal together in their home. In the spring of 1773, the royal governor, John Murray, Lord Dunmore dissolved the assembly after it established a committee of correspondence. The Patriots — including Jefferson, Richard Henry Lee, Patrick Henry and others—ignored the governor’s action and defiantly gathered to continue business. Jefferson was known as a dedicated Patriot, but he was not known for his eloquent rhetoric; rather, he focused on behind the scenes work of the committees. As the nation continued to slip away from the mother country’s leash, Jefferson was recognized as one of the bold leaders of the Patriots’ cause. He spent time authoring a number of the documents that were created through action of the House and other literary pieces, including, “A Summary View of the Rights of British America,” which he penned during 1774. The essay was explosive and spelled out the

201 rights of the colonists and the invalid control of the colonies by the British Parliament. In his essay Jefferson declared that the colonies were connected to the Crown only because of their own conscious choice. His masterpiece followed when he was delegated to write the Declaration of Independence; however, early on, while he was a new member of Congress, a few of his documents were declined as other delegates determined that they were too volatile and subject to inciting the British. Martha’s father died during May 1773. She inherited about 43,000 acres of land and was bequeathed her father’s one hundred and thirtyfive slaves. At the time Jefferson held fifty-two slaves. By that time, he had already accumulated wealth from his prosperous farming endeavors and his growing law practice. He did not flaunt it; however, he was not totally frugal. He enjoyed fine horses, particularly Virginia race horses, but he did not ride in the races. He also built up an extraordinary library. During May 1774, the Boston Port Act was denounced by the House of Burgesses. Thomas Jefferson drafted the resolution: This House, being deeply impressed with apprehension of the great dangers, to be derived to British America, from the hostile Invasion of the City of Boston, in our Sister Colony of Massachusetts bay, whose commerce and harbour are, on the first Day of June next, to be stopped by an Armed force, deem it highly necessary that the said first day of June be set apart, by the Members of this House, as a day of Fasting, Humiliation and Prayer, devoutly to implore the divine interposition for averting the heavy Calamity which threatens destruction to our Civil Rights, and the Evils of civil War; to give us one heart and one Mind to firmly oppose, by all just and proper means, every injury to American Rights; and that the Minds of his Majesty and his parliament, may be inspired from above with Wisdom, Moderation, and Justice, to remove from the loyal People of America, all cause of danger, from a continued pursuit of Measure, pregnant with their ruin.

During June 1775, Jefferson arrived to take his seat in the Second Continental Congress. Within a few days, he was appointed to the committee charged with expanding the military. Later that same year, during autumn, Jefferson was appointed to the committee delegated to settle the dispute between Connecticut and Pennsylvania regarding conflicting claims on territory in the Wyoming Valley in Pennsylvania. The issue did not get settled quickly due to the outbreak of the Revolutionary War; however, eventually it was settled in the courts and Pennsylvania prevailed. In November 1775, Congress was informed that Ethan Allen had been captured in Canada by the British. Jefferson made a motion to direct General George Washington to contact British General William Howe to negotiate a prisoner exchange to gain the release of Allen; the motion passed. Jefferson returned to Congress during 1776, but did not take his seat until 13 May. It is believed his absence was due in part to the death of his mother on 31 March 1776. On 5 June, after Congress established the Committee on Spies, Jefferson was appointed along with John Adams and Edward Rutledge. The committee was directed “to consider what is proper to be done with persons giving intelligence to the enemy or supplying them with provisions.” Shortly thereafter, on 10 June, Richard Henry Lee, after being informed of serious sickness of a family member, returned to Virginia. Jefferson replaced him as chairman of the committee established that day to draw up a declaration of independence. The next day Congress directed Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Robert Livingston and Roger Sherman to create the document. It was Jefferson who was designated to write the initial draft. It was completed on 21 June and at that time, Jefferson shared it with some members of the committee. On 28 June the document was presented to the full Congress. Some modifications were offered by Benjamin Franklin and John Adams.

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On 2 July 1776, Richard Henry Lee’s motion to accept the Declaration of Independence passed twelve to zero, with New York abstaining. Two days later, on the Fourth of July, the Declaration was formally adopted. Jefferson signed the document in August 1776. The only member of Congress to affix his name on the document on 4 July was John Hancock, but it was also signed that day by Charles Thomson, the secretary. On 25 July 1776, Congress took under consideration the Articles of Confederation and the subject of boundary lines of the respective states, but there was opposition. Jefferson was among those who thought Congress should not be responsible for drawing the boundaries, while others, including Samuel Chase and James Wilson, favored Congress taking responsibility for the task. In September 1776, Congress named Arthur Lee and Silas Deane commissioners to France. Thomas Jefferson had been selected, but he was unable to accept the position. Consequently, Arthur Lee, who was already in London, replaced him. The next month, Jefferson resigned from Congress and returned to Virginia to take a seat in the newly established House of Delegates. He was succeeded by Benjamin Harrison. Harrison was a member of Congress and signed the Declaration of Independence, but his term ended during August 1776; however, upon the resignation of Thomas Jefferson, Harrison was returned to Congress. Once Jefferson arrived back in Virginia, he assumed his duties in the legislature’s lower house, where he served until 1779. Meanwhile, Patrick Henry had departed Congress prior to the Declaration of Independence to assume the position of Virginia’s governor. Henry served three successive terms and was succeeded by Thomas Jefferson. Prior to becoming governor, Jefferson, while in the legislature, worked to improve and revise the laws of Virginia. He was closely aligned with George Wythe, his former law tutor, and Edmund Pendleton as they combined their sentiments and talents to draw up a bill that would have guaranteed religious freedom in Virginia. Passage was not effortless. It took about seven years before the legislation was finally enacted. Governor Jefferson was not able to accumulate as governor the laurels that he had gained in Congress. He was faced with obstacles due to the war, and the situation in Virginia was desperate due to various problems including shortages of supplies and ammunition and, at times, even troops. Governor Jefferson seemed to be less than decisive, slow to use his authority and at times too timid when difficult decisions had to be made. During 1781, his last year in office as governor, the British arrived in force and immediately wreaked havoc. On 3 January 1781, Benedict Arnold arrived at Hood’s point near Jamestown and was met by only a solitary battery, but it was soon abandoned, leaving Arnold easy access to the shore at dawn on the following day. From there Arnold advanced to Richmond and seized it. In March another force, composed of about 2,000 troops under General William Phillips, arrived. Meanwhile the government moved to Charlottesville. On 3 June 1781, the legislature was in session and at that time, Governor Jefferson chose to pass off responsibility of leadership by suggesting that the legislature combine the government and military agencies and place General Thomas Nelson, Jr., in charge of both. Governor Jefferson, while entertaining a group of friends at Monticello on 4 June, nearly became a guest of the British. A British contingent advanced to capture him, but Governor Jefferson and his guests escaped. At the time, many of the Virginia troops were operating farther south in the Carolinas and with George Rogers Clark in the Northwest Territory, but Continental troops in the north under Marquis de Lafayette were sped to Virginia to neutralize the British. Afterward, General Washington and a French fleet arrived to complete the Virginia effort with a successful siege at Yorktown, which compelled General Lord Charles Cornwallis to surrender his entire army during October 1781. Following the victory over Cornwallis, Thomas Jefferson withdrew

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from his former high profile and remained relatively out of the public eye for about two years before he was sent back to Congress. During that time, his wife, Martha, died on 6 September 1782. In 1783 he re-entered Congress and during the following year, Congress sent him to Paris to aid Benjamin Franklin and John Adams in their attempts to negotiate commercial treaties with European nations. Jefferson remained in Europe for about five years. While there, he replaced Benjamin Franklin as minister to France, a post he held from 1785 through 1789. While Jefferson was in Europe, the United States Constitution was adopted in Philadelphia on 17 September, and subsequent to ratification by nine states it became effective. The new Congress convened during March 1789, then on 30 April, George Washington was inaugurated as the first president of the United States. Thomas Jefferson served as the first secretary of state and later was vice president under President John Adams, the second president. In 1800, Thomas Jefferson was elected as the third president of the United States, essentially ending the Federalist hold on the White House; however, it was not an easy victory. Alexander Hamilton disliked both Jefferson and his opponent, Aaron Burr, but Burr would have been worse in the eyes of Hamilton. He urged a vote for Jefferson. Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr, both Democrats, each received 73 votes, while John Adams garnered only 65. The choice became the responsibility of the House of Representatives. After thirty-six ballots Jefferson was elected. He was inaugurated on 4 March 1801. The Marine Corps band, established by President Adams during 1798, played during the inauguration celebration, and since then it has played at every inauguration of a president. It is the longest operating band in the history of the nation and has become known as The President’s Own. President Jefferson served from 1801 to 1809. Just prior to the election during 1800, Thomas Jefferson in a letter dated 23 September to Doctor Benjamin Rush stated: “I have sworn upon the altar of God. Eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man.” Several months after his inauguration, President Jefferson was aced with tyranny when the bashaw of Tripoli, after learning that Ali Babba (dey of Algiers) had succeeded in getting the United States to pay more tribute to assure the safety of its ships in the Mediterranean Sea, also demanded more tribute, but the U.S. declined. Consequently, the ambassador was forced to depart the country and the pirates hauled down the American flag. The next month, Tripoli declared war against the United States. During February 1801, Congress had ordered the Navy to sell nearly its entire fleet, leaving only fourteen vessels in active service. While Tripoli tried to intimidate the United States, Morocco sensed opportunity, and during June 1802, it too declared war upon the United States. Nevertheless, by 1805, the antagonists along the Barbary Coast were subdued. Naval squadrons had moved to the region, but still more ships were seized and more sailors were held for ransom. On 25 April 1805, a contingent of Marines and a mercenary force captured Derne, Tripoli, and hoisted the American flag, the first time Old Glory flew over a captured fort in the Old World. In the meantime, President Jefferson was involved in other significant events. During 1803, the United States officially assumed control of the Louisiana Territory, which it purchased from Napoleon. With the acquisition, the United States finally received total control of the Mississippi River, the waterway that led to the Gulf of Mexico. The next May, pursuant to instructions from President Jefferson, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark set out to map the route to the Pacific Ocean and explore the territory in between. The Lewis and Clark Expedition team reached the Pacific in the Oregon Territory and afterward returned to St. Louis on 23 September 1806. In the meantime, President Jefferson was elected to a second term and was inaugurated on 4 March 1805. During his second term, President Jefferson continued to be faced

with international problems with the British and the French. During June 1807, a British warship, the HMS Leopold, arrived off Norfolk, Virginia, and harassed the Chesapeake. The British were refused when they requested the surrender of four sailors. After they were ignored, the British opened fire and caused casualties, including three fatalities. Soon after, the captain of the Chesapeake received a five year suspension. On 2 July the president ordered all British warships to depart American waters. Later that year, during December, Napoleon issued the Milan Decree which led to the French moving to seize American vessels. By April 1808, France, by authorization of the Bayonne Decree, ordered that all American vessels entering French ports were to be seized. The United States came close to war with France, but it was avoided. President Jefferson served out his term without hostilities, but he was followed by President James Madison, who inherited the international problems. It was during his term that the War of 1812 erupted. By the end of his term as president, Thomas Jefferson’s health had declined. He was exhausted when he retired in 1809 and returned to Monticello. During his long political career he had made many friends, but his political adversaries had also grown in large numbers, particularly among the Federalists. His most well known nemesis was Alexander Hamilton, but Hamilton was killed in a duel by Aaron Burr during 1807. One of his closest allies was James Madison. It was Madison who, along with Jefferson, founded the Democratic-Republican Party (present-day Democrats). The combination of the Revolutionary War and his time in public service left his personal fortune in poor condition, but his dwindling finances sustained more losses due to debts his late wife had incurred that he had to settle. Nevertheless, he attempted to cope with the financial crisis. Jefferson spent time at Monticello and at his other home, Poplar Forest, near Lynchburg. He had the retreat constructed during 1816, but it was not completed until 1819. Later, his finances deteriorated further and he was compelled to sell much of the land he had acquired early in life, but still, he was unable to extricate himself from the debts. He continued the struggle expecting to regain financial stability, but to no avail. Despite his personal hardships, Jefferson was able to complete another of his quests. He was responsible for the founding of the University of Virginia. Nonetheless, due to a friend reneging on note of substantial value, Jefferson was unable to recover. As a last resort he was forced to sell his extensive library to the government of the United States, a huge loss for him, but a treasure for the country, as it became the center point of the Library of Congress. On the Fourth of July 1826, Thomas Jefferson died. It was the fiftieth anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. On that same day, several hours later, John Adams died. This coincidence led to the idea of Divine Providence being involved, and from that came the thoughts of Manifest Destiny (westward expansion). President Thomas Jefferson was interred at Monticello. The estate has been preserved and is open to the public.

Jenifer, Daniel of St. Thomas (Signer of the U.S. Constitution) Daniel Jenifer was born on the eastern shore of Maryland during 1723 on the family estate known as Coates Retirement (later Ellerslie). The estate was in Charles County near Port Tobacco. Daniel’s father was a planter. At the time of Daniel’s birth, Maryland was under proprietorship, and as he grew into manhood he became a “receiver-general,” essentially the agent of the proprietor in his locality. He held the position during the final two proprietors. There is no indication that he served in the military during either the War of Spanish Succession or the French and Indian War. However, he did become a prosperous planter and a prominent citizen. Jenifer also became closely aligned with the colonial government and later was appointed a justice of the

203 peace of Charles County, and afterward his jurisdiction was expanded to include the western sector of Maryland. During 1760, Jenifer was appointed to a committee charged with clearing up a boundary dispute between Pennsylvania and Maryland. Other positions included his appointment to the royal governor’s council, and he served in the legislature (upper house). Later, Jenifer was elevated to the position of judge on the Maryland Court of Appeals. During 1773, he became a senior advisor to the governor at a time when the colonists were becoming dissatisfied with the Crown and Parliament. The Stamp Act of 1765 ignited a series of incidents that began to cause the colonists to rethink their position as loyal subjects of the king. The Stamp Act was repealed the following year, but the damage had been inflicted, and the murmurs of independence continued to become much more pronounced. Jenifer remained as an advisor until 1776, but all the while, he had been sympathetic to the plight of the colonists and had no inclination to join with the Loyalists. At the outbreak of hostilities he was more than fifty years old, but there was no hesitation about which side he was on. In 1775, Jenifer was appointed to Council of Safety. In 1777, subsequent to the establishment of the state’s constitution during the previous year, Jenifer served as president of the Maryland Senate from its inception until 1780. In the meantime, he was sent to the Continental Congress during 1778. His served in the Senate and Congress concurrently until 1780, then remained in the Continental Congress until 1782. By that time, the war was winding down with only some activity in the South. General Lord Charles Cornwallis had been trapped in Yorktown, Virginia, during the previous year and compelled to surrender his army in October 1781. In addition, no major battles had been fought in Maryland during the war. Consequently, the state was not forced to rebuild from destruction. After leaving Congress, Jenifer assumed the position of managing the state’s finances, a responsibility he retained until 1785. Nevertheless, despite having sustained no major financial loss from damage and destruction by the enemy, Maryland still suffered from an ongoing economic depression. After leaving the position of overseeing the financial affairs of the state, Jenifer focused on his private affairs. In March 1785, he attended the Mount Vernon Conference, called to devise a way to navigate the Potomac River by building a canal that would eventually link the interior of the country with the sea. Jenifer attended and the representatives from Maryland and Virginia consummated the Mount Vernon Compact, but afterward more complications developed because the agreement was not valid under the Articles of Confederation, specifically that no state could enter into a treaty with another state unless authorized by Congress. Other problems also emerged after the compact was transferred to the respective legislatures. It became clear that the government had to be modified. That conclusion led to the Annapolis Convention held during 1776. At Annapolis, the discussions centered around interstate commerce and the construction of the canal. Although each state was asked to send a representative, only Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, New York and Virginia delegates attended. Delegates concluded that a Constitutional Convention was needed to work out the difficulties being encountered under the Articles of Confederation. The Constitutional Convention was scheduled to be held in Philadelphia the following year. Daniel Jenifer, along with James McHenry, Luther Martin, John F. Mercer and Daniel Carroll were selected as delegates representing Maryland. The Constitutional Convention convened in May 1787 and adjourned during the following September. Jenifer supported adoption of the constitution, but one of the Maryland delegates, Luther Martin, was fearful and refused to sign, claiming that he feared “being hanged if the people in Maryland approved the Constitution.” Jenifer, upon hearing of Martin’s trepidation, quipped that Martin should remain in Philadelphia to prevent being hanged in Maryland.

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Following the debates and discussions that eventually led to the “Great Compromise,” the delegates were able to gain momentum, with the smaller states content that the document would protect their interests as equals with the large states. The United States Constitution was adopted on 17 September 1787, effective after being ratified by nine states. Maryland ratified on 28 April 1778, to become the seventh state. Afterward, Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer retired to private life on his plantation, Stepney, outside Annapolis. He died on 16 November 1790 in Annapolis. He was interred on the estate (Ellerslie), but the exact place of his grave has never been determined. Jenifer never married.

Johnson, Brigadier General Thomas, Jr. Thomas Johnson, the son of Thomas and Dorcas Sedgwick Johnson, was born on 4 November 1732 in Calvert County, Maryland. Thomas, who would become the first governor of Maryland, was also a descendant of Thomas Johnson of Yarmouth, who arrived in America during 1660. Thomas’ mother was the daughter of Joshua Sedgwick. While Thomas was young, his family moved to Frederick County, where he received an education from private tutors. He was employed in Annapolis at the office of the Provincial Court, studied law under a Mr. Bordley, and was admitted to the Maryland bar. During 1762, Thomas Johnson was a delegate from Anne Arundel County to the provincial assembly. While relations between Britain and the colonies were beginning to worsen with the enactment of the Stamp Act (1765), Johnson was a fervent advocate of the Americans’ cause. In 1766, Thomas married Ann Jennings, the daughter of Thomas Jennings of Annapolis. Sources vary on the number of children (ranging from 5 through 11) that came from the marriage. In addition, the year of death of Ann remains uncertain with sources differing and most stating that she died during the early part of the war. Nevertheless, Ann Jennings Johnson is known to have been the first lady of Maryland during Thomas’ service as governor. In June 1774, Johnson was a member of the Annapolis Convention, and that year, he was elected to the Continental Congress, where he served into 1776. While in Congress, Johnson was a member of the Secret Committee. It was Johnson who made the motion on 15 June 1775 that was passed unanimously to make George Washington the commander-in-chief of the Continental Army. The next year, 1776, Johnson departed Philadelphia for Maryland prior to the vote on independence, but he was a strong supporter of independence. He was also a member of the first constitutional convention that convened in Maryland that year. Following his return to Maryland (by then, Johnson was a brigadier general of Maryland militia), he responded to an urgent call from General Washington, who desperately needed reinforcements. General Johnson participated with George Washington’s campaigns in New Jersey until February 1777. At that time, while Johnson was in command of his militia, he was elected as the first governor of Maryland (13 February 1777). Shortly thereafter, on 21 March, his inauguration was held in the state house at Annapolis. The event was memorable and included participation of the military and a thirteen-gun salute. General (Governor) Johnson’s first proclamation was a call to the militia as follows: “To defend our liberties requires our exertions; our wives, our children and our country implore our assistance. Motives amply sufficient to arm every one who can be called a man.” The interior counties answered promptly. General Johnson served as governor until 1779, and at that time he was no longer eligible to serve another term. Johnson was succeeded by Governor Thomas Sim Lee. General Johnson retired from public life and lived in Fredericktown; however, he re-entered politics and served in the House of Delegates (1780, 1786 and 1787). In 1788, General Johnson was a delegate of the Maryland convention that ratified the U.S. Constitution. Later, during 1790, he was appointed chief judge of the general court, where he served into 1791.

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General Johnson was named an associate judge of the U.S. Supreme Court during 1791 to fill a vacancy on the court that occurred when John Rutledge (former general and governor of South Carolina) resigned. Two years later, General Johnson, suffering from poor health, was compelled to resign his position on the Supreme Court. Poor health also prevented General Johnson from accepting an appointment to President Washington’s cabinet. Subsequent to the departure of Thomas Jefferson from Washington’s cabinet, Washington offered the post of secretary of state to General Johnson. Nonetheless, General Johnson did accept the post as a commissioner of Washington (D.C.), and while serving in that capacity, he was one of the commissioners who established the site of the federal capital and was responsible for the blueprint for the city. General Johnson had been a close friend of George Washington. In 1800, he delivered a eulogy for General Washington at Frederick. On 28 February 1801 President John Adams appointed General Johnson as chief judge “of the Territory of Columbia” (Washington, D.C.). General Johnson retired to Rose Hill, which he purchased during 1778 and afterward gave to his daughter, Ann Jennings Johnson Grahame. He lived there with his daughter and son-in-law, Colonel John Grahame, until his death on 26 October 1819. General Thomas Johnson was initially interred at All Saints’ Episcopal Churchyard, but subsequently, he was re-interred at Mount Olivet Cemetery in Frederick, Maryland. One of General Johnson’s sons, Colonel Baker Johnson (married Catherine Worthington), participated in various actions during the war, including the defense of Philadelphia in 1777.

Johnson, William Samuel (Signer of the U.S. Constitution) William Samuel Johnson, the son of the Rev. Samuel and Charity Nicoll Floyd, was born in Stratford, Connecticut, on 7 October 1727. In addition to William Samuel, the Reverend Samuel and Charity had another son, William, who was born 9 March 1731. William Samuel’s father, the Reverend Samuel (2), was a descendant (great-grandson) of Robert and Adaline Johnson, who emigrated from England during 1641 and arrived in New Haven that year. His grandfather (William Samuel’s great-grandfather), William (1), married Elizabeth Bushnell, the daughter of Francis Bushnell and they had ten children, eight daughters and two sons, one of whom, the youngest, Nathaniel died soon after birth, just after the death of his mother, who died at childbirth. The surviving son, Samuel (1), became the grandfather of William Samuel. Samuel (1) married Mary Sage, the daughter of David Sage of Middletown. From that marriage, five daughters and six sons were born, one of whom was Samuel (2), the father of the William Samuel. William’s father, the Reverend Samuel, was the first president of King’s College (later Columbia University) in New York. William’s mother, Charity, was the daughter of Colonel Richard Floyd of Brookhaven (Long Island), New York, and the widow of Benjamin Nicoll. A daughter and two sons, William and Benjamin Nicoll, were born through her marriage to Benjamin. Samuel assumed responsibility for all of her children from her first marriage William Samuel Johnson (Life and and treated them as his own, Times of William Samuel Johnson, E. with both of his stepsons becoming graduates of Yale. Edwards Beardsley, 1876)

William initially received his education at the family residence. He graduated from Yale in the class of 1744. At the time, William was about seventeen years old, yet he excelled at school and was designated as a “scholar of the House, under the bounty of Dean Berkeley.” William’s family anticipated having another Anglican minister among them, but he chose a different course. Following graduation, he continued his studies and earned a master’s degree at Yale in 1747; that year, Harvard gave William an honorary degree. Afterward, William, having eliminated becoming a minister, took it upon himself to study law and establish a career as a lawyer. Although William seemed to be following a path of a perpetual student, he had also been a participant in the military. William’s career as a lawyer continued to progress and his practice expanded. After establishing his practice, upon admittance to the bar, he began to establish business relationships outside of Connecticut and of those, some were in New York. There he met Anne Beach, the daughter of William and Anne Beach of Stratford and a sister of the Rev. John Beach of Newtown. William Samuel married Anne during 1749 and they had eleven children, five daughters and six sons, but only a few reached adulthood. William Samuel Johnson also entered the military. He was commissioned as a lieutenant in the Stratford militia by the general assembly during 1754, and he eventually rose to the rank of colonel. Johnson’s father, the Reverend Samuel, was compelled to leave the college in 1756 due to an outbreak of smallpox in New York. He moved to Westchester and did not return to King’s College until March 1758. Shortly thereafter, on 1 June 1758, his wife, Charity, died. He remained at the college, but during October 1759, yet again the city was ravaged by smallpox and the Reverend Samuel returned to Stratford to live with his son, William Samuel. William Samuel’s younger brother William died of smallpox on 20 June 1756, and Benjamin Nicoll, William Samuel’s step-brother, a lawyer and tutor at Kings College, died during April 1760, delivering further blows to the family. The losses caused the Reverend Samuel to fall prey to depression, but he did return to the college. During May of 1762, following the commencement ceremony, the Reverend Samuel returned to Stratford, then In June married Sarah Beach, the widow of his late friend William Beach, and the mother-in-law of his son, William Samuel. Sarah died of smallpox on 9 February 1763. In the meantime, William Samuel Johnson became interested in politics. He was elected to the Connecticut legislature (lower house) in 1761 and again in 1765. The British Parliament passed the Stamp Act in 1765 in expectation of replenishing the treasury with an influx of tax money by merely adding another tax on the colonists. The legislation provoked open defiance. Stamp collectors were harassed and some were forced to flee for their safety. Some others swore not to distribute the stamps. Word spread regarding a congress that was called to deal with the crisis, and delegates from nine colonies the Stamp Act Congress, held in New York during October 1765. Johnson attended the congress, which became the first general meeting of the colonies in open defiance of King George III, the successor of his grandfather, King George II, who succumbed during 1760. Johnson was solidly against the Stamp Act and was one of those chosen to draw up a letter in which the colonies would assert their right to determine their own policies of taxation. The pressure forced Parliament to repeal the Stamp Act during 1766, but Britain, determined to subject the colonies to higher taxes to help pay the expenses of the late French and Indian War, replaced it with the Townshend Acts in 1767. Meanwhile, Johnson was inadvertently becoming caught between the opposing causes. He traveled to England during 1766 and, as Connecticut’s representative charged with settling the colony’s title to Indian lands, Johnson did not return to Connecticut until 1771. That year he was returned to the legislature (upper house), where he

205 remained until 1775. In the meantime, during 1772, Johnson was appointed to the Supreme Court of Connecticut, a post he held until 1774. All the while, the relations between Britain and the colonies continued to worsen. The crisis for Johnson on a personal basis was overwhelming. He had been a prominent advocate of the rights of the colonists, but as the nation moved closer to war, he was reluctant to sever his longstanding ties with the British. While he spent time in the mother country, many new relationships developed to accompany the family ties to the Anglican Church. He even received an honorary degree from Oxford University before sailing for home. Not too long after Johnson’s arrival back in Connecticut, his father died on 6 January 1772. The crisis in the colonies continued to deteriorate, creating more pressure upon Johnson. During May 1773, Parliament enacted the Tea Act, which led to open resistance (Boston Tea Party) in December. Britain retaliated with the Intolerable Acts of March 1774, which included the Boston Port Act, which sealed the port of Boston. Afterward, the colonies galvanized to support the Bostonians. In the meantime, the colonists sought reconciliation with Britain, but simultaneously they began to establish a war footing. Johnson preferred reconciliation, but his stance carried severe repercussions. He declined election to the First Continental Congress, an action looked upon by his fellow townsmen as anti–American and pro–Loyalist; however, it was noted in his biography that he declined due to a previous commitment as arbitrator on a case involving the van Rensselaer estate in Albany and was excused from serving. Johnson was replaced at the First Continental Congress in September 1774 by Silas Deane. Afterward, his political fortunes spiraled downward. Soon after declining service in Congress, his commission as colonel of militia was invalidated. Nonetheless, Johnson continued to work to bring about reconciliation, but his efforts only increased his unpopularity. On 19 April 1775, the British clashed with the Minute Men at Lexington and Concord. The British were chased back to Boston with militia harassing the column as it retreated. Troops from other colonies began to hurriedly speed to Boston. Reconciliation had reached the breaking point and the war commenced, but some, including Johnson, remained convinced negotiation could resolve the hostilities. The assembly selected Johnson and Erastus Wolcott (House member) as a delegation to carry a message to the British that contained the imprint of the seal of the colony and the signature of George Wyllys, secretary. Initially the mission was interesting. As they reached Enfield and encountered a contingent of delegates traveling to the Second Continental Congress, Johnson noted their enthusiasm, including the jubilation of one of the men who was overjoyed that the battle was finally underway. Later, Johnson and Wolcott paused at a tavern in Springfield where they encountered yet another delegate, John Adams, who was also en route to Philadelphia. After spending the night in the company of Adams, they resumed their trek and finally arrived at Charlestown, only to discover that their entry into Boston was blocked by British sentries. Word was sent out to a warship in the harbor and afterward a barge was sent to transport the two Americans out to ferry them to their destination. After reaching Boston, Johnson was astonished at the sight. The streets were completely deserted. By chance they encountered a British officer, Major Monchief, who knew Johnson from days gone by, and only through his efforts were they able to find where British General Thomas Gage was headquartered. They delivered the message from Connecticut and he greeted them enthusiastically; however his official response was not handed to Johnson and Wolcott for about two days. Once they received his reply they started back to Connecticut, totally unprepared for the greeting that awaited them. Once back in Charlestown, they returned to the inn to retrieve their

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horses, but the innkeeper ignored their repeated requests to bring their horses so they could continue their journey. While they were being detained, Johnson and Wolcott were greeted by the local sheriff, who escorted the pair to the Massachusetts Convention then in session. After some interrogation, Johnson and Wolcott were sent on their way. At Windsor, Johnson continued to Hartford while Wolcott remained, having reached his hometown. In 1779, subsequent to the incursions by Governor William Tryon, some citizens of Stratford, Connecticut, became fearful of another invasion by the New Yorkers under Tryon. Johnson was approached and asked to travel and confer with Tryon to persuade him to not invade and destroy Stratford. Johnson declined, but the citizens persisted, and not having learned his lesson from his visit with General Gage, he acquiesced. After the townsmen created a formal document dated 12 July 1779 detailing the purpose of the mission and establishing the authenticity of the town meeting, he agreed to go to see Tryon. Word of the mission was carried to Major General Oliver Wolcott at Horseneck and he reacted instantly by dispatching a contingent under Colonel Jonathan Dimon. The incident was investigated and a report was sent to General Wolcott, who again responded rapidly, instructing Colonel Dimon: “You are, therefore, Sir, directed to send, under guard or otherwise, Dr. William Samuel Johnson, of Stratford, to the town of Farmington, and deliver him to the care and custody of the civil authority of that town, and request of them that they would secure or keep him under such proper restraints as to prevent his having any correspondence with the enemy.” Johnson convinced the escort party that he would travel alone to Falmouth and surrender himself. Afterward he arrived and appeared in front of the civil authorities, who granted him parole to travel to Lebanon to meet with Governor Jonathan Trumbull. After meeting with the governor, Johnson met with the council and presented his case, which clearly laid out his innocence with regard to conspiring with the enemy. He explained how he had also encouraged enlistments in the American military and he offered to take the oath of allegiance and that he had personally contributed to the cause, offering his property in assistance of the army. Johnson was permitted to return to Stratford and no further proceeding regarding the matter ever occurred. The earlier charges against him faded away and his reputation within Connecticut and the other colonies remained unscathed. After the war, in late 1782, Johnson was appointed to a committee composed of Connecticut representatives to settle the ongoing controversy regarding the Wyoming Valley, coveted by Connecticut and Pennsylvania. The respective commissioners, acting pursuant to directions from Congress, met in Trenton, New Jersey. Johnson was accompanied by Colonel (later general) Eliphalet Dyer and Jesse Root, the other two commissioners from Connecticut, and they presented their case in a trial that became known as the “Great Susquehanna Case.” Johnson staunchly presented Connecticut’s claims, but the court ruled in favor of Pennsylvania. Johnson was elected to the Continental Congress and served from 8 November 1784 until 8 May 1787. He was also selected as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention, which convened in Philadelphia during May 1787. Although he was essentially a pacifist during the war and unable to sever his roots in England, that decision was no longer a problem for him; his new task was to help formulate a new government with an effective and fair rule of law. Johnson supported the adoption of the Constitution, and he used his skills on and off the floor to bring about compromise and a successful conclusion to the convention. Another of the delegates, William Pierce, one who did not sign the U.S. Constitution, described Johnson as follows: “Johnson possesses the manners of a Gentleman and engages the Hearts of Men by the sweetness of his temper, and that affectionate style of address with which he accosts his acquaintance ... eloquent and clear, always abounding with

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information and instruction.... [He is] one of the first classics in America.” Johnson, throughout the convention, took the floor and made speeches. While he favored extended federal authority, he retained his belief that each state should be equal, rather than a small state like his, Connecticut, being dominated by the larger ones. A compromise brought forth by New Jersey proposed equal representation by two senators for each state, but representation by population in the House, known as the “Great Compromise.” The United States Constitution was adopted on 17 September 1787, effective upon ratification by nine states. Johnson was a member of the Committee of Style, which composed the final document. Connecticut ratified the Constitution on 9 January 1778 to become the fifth state to join the union. Later, New Hampshire ratified on 21 June 1788 to become the ninth state. Johnson supported the ratification of the Constitution during the state convention, and he is known to have been especially pleased with the Constitution’s legal clause, to which he contributed, particularly regarding governmental use of force as follows: “The force, which is to be employed, is the energy of Law; and this force is to operate only on individuals, who fail in their duty to their country.” Also in 1787, Johnson became the president of Columbia College. He succeeded Joseph Reed, the latter having recommended Johnson for the position that his father once held. The new Congress, operating under the authority of the Constitution, convened in March 1789 and with its inception, the Congress that operated under the Articles of Confederation was terminated. William Samuel Johnson was among that initial group that formed the new Congress. He served as senator from 1789 until 1791. While in the Senate, Johnson was a proponent of the Judiciary Act of 1789, which defined the powers and limitations of the federal judicial system. Johnson usually aligned himself with the Federalists; however, when the discussions and debates centered around presidential power regarding authority to dismiss cabinet members without concurrence from the Senate, Johnson opposed the action. Nevertheless, the side on which Johnson stood failed to prevail on that issue. When Congress relocated to Philadelphia at the close of the First Congress in 1790, Johnson chose to remain in New York to continue his work as president of the college. He remained in that post until 1800. During his tenure the school’s educational credentials were improved, but in addition, because of his status in the Anglican Church as an active lay member, the college also retained its conspicuous pride in its religious atmosphere. Prior to his retirement, his wife, Anne, died. However, he remarried. Johnson noted in his diary (entry 8 December 1800) that he, accompanied by his son Charles, traveled to Kent by carriage. On the following day, 9 December, he “executed contract of marriage to Mrs. [Mary Brewster Beach, a relative of his first wife] Beach.” From Kent, they traveled to Newtown, and from there they returned to his estate on the 10th, and then they got married, with the Reverend Baldwin officiating at the ceremony. Following the termination of his service at Columbia, Johnson returned to Connecticut, where he resumed his private life in Stratford. By that time, his health had become poor due to several ailments, including feebleness, loss of hearing and a recurrent tremor in his hand; however, despite his ill health, his faculties remained intact. One of Johnson’s immense pleasures was the time spent reading books from the vast supply of classics held in his personal library. Johnson succumbed at his estate on 14 November 1819 at age ninetytwo. He was interred in Stratford in the family vault, alongside the remains of his first wife at the Old Episcopal Cemetery. During his lifetime, he had composed a book of prayers that were preserved, and some give a vivid picture of his religious fervor and convictions. One was probably composed during the French and Indian War. It stated in part:

Bless thy universal Church, and preserve it from all error. Defend the Protestant cause. Preserve the life of our sovereign, King George [George II]. Bless his counsels at home and his arms abroad, and give to him, and all other Christian kings, princes, governors, magistrates, and ministers, both of State and religion, wisdom, virtue and integrity and make them real blessings to mankind in the exalted stations they possess. Send thy blessing upon the British nation and colonies in general and this colony in particular. Defend us from our enemies now in arms against us, and give us to triumph over them, and to reduce them to reasonable terms of peace.

Jones, Brigadier General Allen Allen Jones, the son of Robert (known as Robin) and Sarah Cobb Jones, was born in North Carolina (Halifax County) on 24 December 1739. Allen’s father was a lawyer and an agent of Lord Grenville, a proprietor of North Carolina. Having been raised in an affluent family, Allen and his brother William (also a brigadier general) were sent to England to receive their education. Nevertheless, despite the strong family ties with the mother country, Allen returned to North Carolina and established himself in Northampton County (Mt. Gallant). Allen later became a lawyer, a profession he practiced before and after the Revolutionary War. Allen’s brother, Willie, settled on the opposite side of the Roanoke River at Halifax. Although Allen and Willie spent time in England to receive their respective educations at Eaton, neither displayed any signs of siding with the Loyalists in America when relations with Great Britain began to deteriorate. North Carolina Patriots defied the royal governor, Josiah Martin, and held four provincial congresses before independence was declared on 4 July 1776. Soon after the declaration, another congress convened. In each of the five congresses, Allen Jones was a delegate representing Northampton County. These included the state convention that convened at New Bern on 25 August 1775 and the convention that followed at Halifax during early April 1776. Meanwhile, on 9 September 1775, Jones was appointed colonel of militia (Northampton) and he was also on the identical day, appointed to the committee of safety (Halifax district). On 4 April 1776, not long after the victory over the Highlanders at Moore’s Creek Bridge (27 February), a new convention convened. Allen, who lacked military experience, was appointed a brigadier general of North Carolina militia (Halifax District) on 5 May. Others appointed brigadier generals at that time were John Ashe (Wilmington District); Edward Vail (Edenton District); Griffith Rutherford (Salisbury District); Thomas Person (Hillsborough District); and William Bryan (New Bern District). Meanwhile, on 8 April, a committee was formed to investigate the “usurpations and violences committed by the King and Parliament of Britain.” The members included Cornelius Harnett, Allen Jones, Thomas Jones, General Thomas Person and others. Later that year, another provincial congress convened (12 November 1776 to 10 December 1776) and General Jones also attended it as a delegate. He was appointed to a committee charged with drawing the state constitution and its bill of rights. During the following year, on 7 April 1777, the North Carolina Senate held its first session, According to state records, General Jones was a senator representing Northampton County, and he served for several terms. On 12 August 1778, General Jones was elected as speaker in place of senator Whitmel Hill, who had been elected to the Continental Congress. On 25 October 1779, General Jones was elected to the Continental Congress. Soon after, on 1 November 1779, General Jones penned a letter to the North Carolina Assembly that contained a recommendation (which was approved) that Colonel Thomas Eaton, the senior colonel in Jones’ brigade, be appointed brigadier general. Eaton commanded the brigade in various contests, including the Battle of Guilford Court House. General Jones did not spend a lot of time in the field; rather, most of his accomplishments were in his service as a statesman; however,

207 despite his reluctance to move into South Carolina, he did lead a 5-man contingent to join with General Horatio Gates during 1780. In the meantime, during 1779, General Jones was elected to Congress. He served into 1780, when he was succeeded by his brother Willie (William). After the war, General Jones was elected to the North Carolina Senate during 1784. He remained in the Senate until 1787. General Jones was a delegate to the state convention that met in Hillsborough during July 1788 when the North Carolinians, against the feelings of General Allen, postponed the adoption of the U.S. Constitution. General Allen was a fervent advocate of the Constitution. North Carolina finally ratified the Constitution on 21 November 1789 at Raleigh to become the 12th state in the union. General Allen Jones succumbed on 10 November 1798. Throughout his political career (post Revolution), General Allen Jones, unlike his brother, General Willie Jones, remained a staunch Federalist. Through the marriages of his daughters, Jones’ sons-in-law included Governor (General) William Richardson Davie, General Thomas Eaton, Colonel William R. Davie (later governor and brigadier general, U.S. Army, married Sarah Jones) of North Carolina and Judge Sitgreaves. Also, John Paul Jones is known to have spent time in North Carolina, where he became friends with Allen and Willie Jones. Various nineteenth century sources have recorded that John Paul Jones added Jones to his name, which had been John Paul, out of his admiration of the Jones brothers. General Allen Jones married at least twice, with Rebecca Edwards becoming his first wife. Rebecca died during 1782. In his will, dated 4 July 1807, his wife Mary Jones was mentioned. (See also, Jones, Brigadier General William [Willie].)

Jones, John Paul John Paul, Jr. ( Jones was added later), the son of John and Jean MacDuff Paul, was born on 6 July 1747, at the Arbigland estate, located in Kirkbean Parish, Kirkcudbright County (formerly Royal Stewartry), Scotland. John’s father, a Calvinist, was a gardener and his mother was the daughter of a peasant farmer. In addition to John, his parents had two children who died in infancy, and then William, Elizabeth, Janet, and Maryann. John worked the farm as a young boy, but in 1759, while he was only about twelve years old, with permission from his parents, John traveled to Whitehaven, the primary English port at Firth. Once there, John became an apprentice to a Mr. Younger, a merchant. His land-locked days soon after came to an end when he was assigned to the vessel, Friendship, which was commanded by Captain Benson. The ship’s destination was Virginia, where coincidentally, John’s older brother William was living in Fredericksburg. While the ship remained in port, John was able to spend the time at the home of his brother. Upon his return to England, he continued his service with Mr. Younger, but the business failed. John was released from his indenture. From his early youth, John was drawn to the sea, and he continued to learn navigation techniques, which helped him to get started as a mariner, but since his visit to America, he had also determined that he would return. In the meantime, he gained a position on the slaver King George as third mate. The vessel operated out of Whitehaven. He remained in that position until 1768. That year he was a passenJohn Paul Jones (Life of John Paul ger on another vessel, the Jones, James Otis, 1900).

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John, a brigantine that was en route to Kirkcudbright. During the voyage, tragedy struck when the captain and the mate both died from fever. The crew asked John to get them safely back to port. With John Paul in command, the vessel returned to port and the owners of the vessel were jubilant that it was not lost. They showed their appreciation by appointing him the master. Afterward, he made two voyages to the West Indies, but upon his return from the second trip, the partners in the company, Currie, Beck and Co., dissolved the partnership. The owners, however, gave John Paul a letter, dated 1 April 1771, affirming his skills and ability to command a ship. He then switched careers and became a trader. He commenced his business with the Isle of Man (Great Britain in the Irish Sea) and after that venture, he returned to the sea after receiving command of a ship, the Betsy, which operated out of London. During that endeavor, he initiated trade for himself with Tobago and Grenada in the West Indies. However, his business was abruptly interrupted during 1773 upon the death of his brother, who had no heirs. John Paul traveled to Fredericksburg, Virginia, to settle his brother’s affairs. Details of his activity prior to his entrance into the Continental Navy are unclear, but it is known that he had some financial setbacks, due in part to being unable to collect on his investments in the West Indies and problems incurred with settling his brother’s estate. At some point during that period John Paul added Jones to his name. According to the Jones family, John became acquainted with two brothers, Allen and Willie Jones, friends of his brother William, and because of his admiration for them, he added their name to his. While John Paul Jones stayed in Virginia he was introduced to other prominent Virginians, including Joseph Hewes. Those contacts secured a position for Jones in the Continental Navy. On 22 December 1775, he was appointed as a first lieutenant along with others, including Rhodes Arnold, Lieutenant (first name unknown) Stansbury, Hersted (Hoysted) Hacker and Jonathan Pitcher. On that same day, according to legend, Jones boarded the Alfred, and in the absence of the captain, Dudley Saltonstall, Jones hoisted the American flag and, according to legend, remarked: “I hoisted with my own hands, the flag of freedom the first time it was displayed on board the Alfred.” Just prior to that, Congress established a Naval Committee on 13 October 1775, considered the day the U.S. Navy was established. During the following year, Jones participated when an American fleet sailed to New Providence in the Bahamas and on 3 March sailors and Marines landed, captured the powder and seized the royal governor. The troops raised the American flag, the first time Old Glory was raised in a foreign land. While returning to America, the fleet encountered a British warship, but at the time on some of the American ships, the crew had become inebriated and the fleet sustained damages and casualties. The HMS Glasgow was able to escape. After the fleet arrived back in port, Captain Tom Hazard of the Providence was dismissed from the service for his actions during the contest. In his place, Jones was promoted to captain and given command of the Providence. On 12 May, Jones, aboard the Providence, sailed from Providence, Rhode Island, en route to New York to deliver a contingent of troops which had been loaned to Commodore Esek Hopkins from General Washington. Afterward, the sloop Providence set out to sea. During the cruise (spring–summer), the HMS Solebay, while cruising off Bermuda, spotted the Providence, but Jones went into action. The American warship fired upon the British ship, then sped away and safely avoided a major battle. Later, while the Providence was off Nova Scotia, it encountered the HMS Milford, but again, the Providence avoided getting snagged and the pursuit by the Milford was fruitless. The British fired repeatedly, but none of their shells hit the mark. After outwitting the Milford, the Providence resumed its hunt for British vessels. The Providence encountered a British schooner and sank it, then moved against another British vessel and sank it before spotting yet a third British vessel, which was

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captured off Canada in Canso Bay. All the while, the fleet under Esek Hopkins remained in port at Newport, Rhode Island. Before returning to port, Jones had captured eight British vessels, sunk eight others and devastated the British Ile Madame fishing fleet. By November 1776, Jones became captain of the Alfred when he succeeded Captain Saltonstall (reassigned). On 1 November the Alfred and the Providence embarked to raid Cape Breton (formerly Isle Royale). During the cruise, on 10 November, the diminutive squadron encountered the British merchant ship, the brigantine Active, and seized it the next day. On 12 November, Jones seized the Mellish, a 350-ton armed transport which was carrying valuable cargo. According to Marine Lt. Trevett, it included “10,000 suits of Soldiers Clothing, ready made 1 set light horse accoutrements with carbines and a valuable invoice of medicine chests! ... trunks of Silk gowns and dry goods suitable for General Burgoyne’s army at Quebec.” In conjunction with the seizure, John Paul Jones noted: “Her capture will make Burgoyne shake a cloth in the wind and check his progress on the lakes.” The bonanza was transferred to George Washington’s troops. The cruise terminated successfully and the Alfred arrived at Boston on 14 December 1776. During January 1777, Jones received command of a squadron (Alfred, Cabot, Columbus, Hampden and the sloop Providence); however, Esek Hopkins interfered by raising opposition, which prompted the Marine Committee to side with Hopkins and order the mission to be aborted. Later, on 14 June 1777, Congress suspended the command of Captain John Roach, commanding officer of the Ranger, and appointed Jones captain. Congress resolved to dispatch him to raid the coast of England, and his instructions included the following: “We shall not limit you to any particular cruising station but leave you at large to search for yourself where the greatest chance of success presents.” Although Jones received command of the Ranger, Congress also promised Jones the command of the America (74 guns), but it was two years from completion. Meanwhile, the Ranger was short crew members, which caused the cruise to be delayed until November. On 2 November 1777, the Ranger sailed from Portsmouth on its cruise into enemy waters. According to legend, after Jones boarded the vessel, he raised the colors and stated: “That flag and I are twins born in the same hour from the same womb of destiny. We cannot be parted in life or death. So long as we can float, we shall float together. If we must sink, we shall go down as one.” The Ranger was the first warship to fly the Stars and Stripes. The ship reached Lower Brittany on 2 December and moved into the port at Nantes with two additional vessels, which were captured while the Ranger crossed the Atlantic. Once in France, Jones traveled to confer with Benjamin Franklin and acquire a new ship, the L’Indien; however, his inquiry received no straight answers and he did not get the ship. Instead, the American ministers gave the ship to the French. On 14 February 1778, the Ranger arrived in Quiberon Bay (Brittany) and encountered a French fleet. The Ranger rendered a salute to the French commander and soon after, the French returned a ninegun salute, which was France’s official acknowledgment of the American flag as a national flag. If the French did not return the salute, it would have effectively dismissed the United States as a sovereign nation. During that incident, John Paul Jones had been the first American to dip the colors; however he was also the last to dip the colors to another country’s naval ship. The United States never again dipped the colors except to return the salute to another ship. The Ranger launched its raids against the British coast and included a strike against Whitehaven. When the Ranger arrived back at Belfast Lough in hope of discovering the HMS Drake, Captain Jones’ crew was reluctant to initiate an attack and some of the crew incited mutiny. However, a Marine lieutenant learned of the scheme and informed Captain Jones. When a mutineer closed upon Jones, he suddenly found

that Jones’ pistol was pressed against his head. The mutiny was immediately terminated. Afterward, Jones made his move and approached the British warship innocently with the guns of the Ranger concealed and no outward signs of being an enemy warship. The British sent a boat to board the Ranger and once aboard, they were informed that they were prisoners of the United States Navy. Afterward, the Ranger moved away sheepishly, leaving the British to wonder what happened to their boarding party. The Drake moved to identify the Ranger and demanded that the ship raise the British ensign, but to their surprise, they were unable to identify the flag and inquired about its origin. A response was immediately returned: “The American Continental ship Ranger.” Just as the Drake was introduced to the Stars and Stripes, a battle ensued, and after being pummeled by the Ranger’s guns and Marine sharpshooters, the British ensign was lowered. By then, the British captain had been killed. The Drake was the first major British warship to be captured by the U.S. Navy. After concluding another successful cruise, John Paul Jones and the Ranger arrived back at Brest, France, on 8 May. Lt. Thomas Simpson, the instigator of the mutiny, was released from custody and he was given command of the Ranger, under orders to sail back to the United States. The American minister ignored the charges lodged against Simpson and authorities in the United States concurred. Meanwhile John Paul Jones, having been belittled by the action of the ministers, was stranded in Paris, France, without a ship. Captain Jones, after languishing in Paris for the remainder of the year, finally received a ship, a worn out French vessel, the Duc de Duras (Bonhomme Richard) on 10 January 1779. Meanwhile, another vessel, the Alliance, captained by a Frenchman, Captain Pierre Landais (in the Continental service), was en route to France to join with Jones. Prior to embarking on a cruise, Captain Jones requested a Catholic chaplain to tend to the spiritual needs of his crew, but the request was ignored. On 13 May, John Adams arrived in France and joined with Captain Jones for dinner at L’Orient. Adams, prone to having a condescending opinion of others, referred to Jones as “impertinent and ambitious.” Adams while at dinner also reviewed the contingent of Marines, who were “dressed in the English Uniform, red and white.” Adams was not pleased with the uniforms. On 17 June, Jones’ squadron, including the Bonhomme Richard and the Alliance, embarked from L’Orient to escort a convoy of merchant ships and afterward to move against English vessels, but the Alliance and Jones’ ship later collided, forcing Jones to lead the squadron back to port for repairs. The remainder of the squadron was composed of French ships in the Continental service. It was later determined that the Frenchman, Landais, refused to grant the Bonhomme Richard the right of way, but Landais’ mischief had only just begun. After getting the repairs, the squadron resumed its cruise and returned to L’Orient on 1 July. At that time, Benjamin Franklin ordered Captain Jones to raid the English coastal towns. Meanwhile, Captain Jones was again faced with mutiny by British prisoners who had signed on as members of the crew. Jones once again quashed it, and the ringleader, Robert Towers, was the recipient of 100 lashes by a cat-’o-ninetails. The others involved in the mutiny were sent back to their prisons. To fill out the crew, Jones replaced the British with American prisoners and some foreigners (Dutch, Danish and Portuguese). On 14 August Captain Jones’ squadron sailed toward England; he was the only American captain. On the 23rd of September the squadron encountered a British convoy escorted by two warships, the frigate Serapis, armed with fifty guns, and the 20-gun sloop Countess of Scarborough. Captain Jones ordered an attack and the French warships failed to move forward. The Alliance, captained by Landais, swerved away, while the Vengeance held back in the rear. Meanwhile, the Bonhomme Richard faced both of the British ships until the Pallas decided to

209 engage the Countess of Scarborough. Up to that time, the American flag had been concealed. The captain of the Serapis called for the Bonhomme Richard to identify itself and a response was sent back: “Come a little nearer and I will tell you.” British Captain Richard Pearson then inquired about the cargo and got another succinct reply: “Round, grape and double-headed shot,” and before the British digested the response, verification of the cargo arrived as the Bonhomme Richard’s guns commenced firing and the Marines in the masts also began to rake the Serapis. Both ships clobbered each other in a tenaciously fought battle. The Bonhomme Richard was able to hold its own, despite its disadvantage in firepower. To gain the advantage Captain Jones’ rammed the Serapis. Then while Captain Jones was attempting to again gain an advantage, the Alliance approached to provide additional firepower. The Alliance closed and commenced fire from point-blank range, but the guns were aimed at the Bonhomme Richard. After damage to the Bonhomme Richard, the Alliance pulled back. Following the devastating barrage by the Frenchman Pierre Landais, the word “surrender” emerged. The Bonhomme Richard was afire. The British became convinced that the battle was about to end with the capitulation of the Bonhomme Richard. As the Bonhomme Richard struggled to remain in the fight, British Captain Pearson bellowed instructions to Captain Jones, directing him to surrender. Undaunted, Jones yelled his response: “I have not yet begun to fight.” Both ships continued to batter each other from close range, when the Americans spotted the Alliance returning to the fight, relieving their trepidation of the last run by the Alliance, which the crew believed was accidental friendly fire. The jubilation ended soon after when the Alliance again fired upon the already decimated Bonhomme Richard. At nearly the same time, British prisoners seized earlier in the cruise broke from their detention cell, handing Captain Jones an insurmountable task. Undaunted, his presence of mind and lightning-quick thinking suppressed the British prisoners and, as if nothing had occurred, he returned to the business of winning the battle. At about 2200, just as the Bonhomme Richard was in even more peril, some of the crew proposed capitulation; however, the Marines and other seamen rejected the idea and Captain Jones sided with his fighting men. Soon after, one enterprising Marine undertook a dangerous task and at great risk to his life, he turned the tide of the battle, while the Bonhomme Richard remained afloat because it was clinging to the Serapis. Lt. William Hamilton crawled out to the far end of the yardarm, which was over the deck of the Serapis. While he crept forward, he was also dragging some hand grenades and astonishingly, a lit match. Hamilton dropped a solitary grenade and it descended through an open hatch to score a tumultuous bulls-eye after it landed on powder cartridges. The explosion caused the main mast to shake continuously. Captain Pearson had been unable to fire any of his cannon because they were locked against the Bonhomme Richard. Within that short time span, Pearson, who was confident of victory, saw it slip thorough his hands because of one grenade thrown by one of Captain Jones’ Marines. Captain Pearson, who had demanded surrender, was suddenly demoralized. During what was still a raging contest, Captain Pearson yelled “Surrender!” and it was Pearson who struck the colors. Shortly after Captain Jones acknowledged the surrender, a contingent took control of the Serapis and then brought Captain Pearson aboard the battered Bonhomme Richard, where Jones accepted his surrender and his sword. Afterward, both officers moved to Jones’ quarters and together they shared some wine from a bottle that had survived the incessant fire. The short meeting was the last aboard the Bonhomme Richard. Both ships were devastated, but the Serapis remained operable, while the Bonhomme Richard had neither rudder nor rigging and held about five feet of water. The Countess of Scarborough was taken by

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the Pallas. The Serapis was worked tirelessly to make her seaworthy, while the Bonhomme Richard sank. After the stunning victory, Jones had more difficulty with the Frenchman Landais, but he also inherited another problem when he assumed command of the Serapis. Its hold was infested with rats. Captain Jones, who made the Serapis his flagship, gave orders to the squadron to sail for France, but Landais and the other French captains insisted that the squadron had to sail to the Netherlands to follow the original orders. Finally, during February 1780, Captain Jones arrived back at France, where he underwent another humiliation. After he arrived, again Jones lost his command, but even more distressing, the ministers directed Captain Landais to sail the Alliance back to America. Captain Jones once again found himself stranded in France without a ship. Inexplicably, he did not receive another ship until the following year. Finally he was given command of the Ariel and with it he embarked for the United States and arrived there during September 1781, one month prior to the surrender of British General Lord Charles Cornwallis. Back in the United States, Jones was anxious to get command of the America, which was promised to him by Congress about two years earlier. Astonishingly, while waiting for the final work to be completed, Congress once again mistreated Captain Jones. Rather than fulfill their word, Congress gave the America to the French to replace a French ship that was accidentally lost while in an American port. Congress named Captain Landais as the officer charged with sailing the vessel to France, while Captain Jones was left stranded once again, while the battered Continental Navy was desperate for more firepower. The actions of Congress disappointed John Paul Jones, who had been undefeated against the English and discarded by Congress. Nonetheless, Captain Jones requested permission to join on a cruise with a French fleet as a volunteer and Congress approved with the following: “Resolved, That the agent of marine be informed that Congress, having a high sense of the merit and services of Captain J. P. Jones, and being disposed to favor the zeal manifested by him to acquire improvement in the line of his profession, do grant the permission which he requests, and that the said agent be instructed to recommend him accordingly to the countenance of his Excellency, the Marquis de Vaudreuil.” In April 1783 at Porto Cabelio, word arrived informing Captain Jones that the English had signed a peace treaty. Afterward, Captain Jones expressed his sentiments in a letter, stating: “The most brilliant success, and the most instructive experience in war, could not have given me a pleasure comparable with that which I received when I learned that Great Britain had, after so long a contest, been forced to acknowledge the independence and sovereignty of the United States of America.” Shortly thereafter, on 18 May 1783, Captain Jones arrived back in the States at Philadelphia, but he had gotten severely ill while on the cruise and he remained in poor health. Captain Jones repaired to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and remained there throughout the summer to recuperate from the lingering fever. On the 10th of November, after being named as a commissioner (1 November 1783) to acquire prize money owed by the French for the prizes seized by the Bonhomme Richard and the other ships in the squadron, Captain Jones sailed to England and from there to France. Due to procrastination, John Paul Jones was not able to settle the accounts until September 1785. After completing his task in France, John Paul Jones traveled to Denmark on a similar mission and returned to the States during 1787. That year, Congress resolved “that a medal of gold be struck, and presented to the Chevalier Paul Jones in commemoration of the valor and brilliant service of that officer in the command of a squadron of American and French ships under the flag and commission of the United States, off the coast of Great Britain, in the late war; and that the Honourable Mr. Jefferson, Minister Plenipotentiary of the United States

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at the court of Versailles, have the same executed with the proper devices.” Nonetheless, Congress never offered him a new command. He remained loyal to his country, but he was deeply disappointed at his treatment during the war. In autumn of 1787, he departed America for Europe. Captain Jones, with authorization of Congress, traveled to Russia to serve under Catherine the Great in the Russian Navy. He made the journey, but shortly thereafter, he discerned that he disliked the Russians and their tactics. Consequently, John Paul Jones, known as the Father of the American Navy, departed Russia and traveled to France, where he later died in total poverty and obscurity. Jones might have languished in obscurity forever; however, another American Patriot, President Teddy Roosevelt, did not forget John Paul Jones. Through his efforts, Jones’ grave site was located and during 1905, John Paul Jones’ remains were extricated and carried back to the United States by the U.S. Navy. John Paul Jones, after being interred at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, has not been alone since his remains were received by the sailors who brought him home. A naval guard remains on duty at his tomb twenty-four hours a day. Captain Pierre Landais, John Paul Jones’ nemesis, went insane during a trip to France.

Jones, Brigadier General William (Willie) Willie Jones, the son of Robert (known as Robin) and Sarah Cobb Jones, was born in North Carolina (Halifax County) during 1731. The Jones family was connected to Lord Grenville, one of the proprietors of North Carolina, through Robin, a lawyer who acted on behalf of Lord Grenville’s interests in the colony. Robin sent William and his younger brother Allen (also a brigadier general) to England. where they both received a formal education at Eaton. Returning to North Carolina, Willie settled in Halifax, across the Roanoke River from Northampton, where Allen settled. Willie, like his brother, remained a staunch supporter of the Patriots’ cause; however, Allen was known more for his statesmanship than his military expertise. During 1775, Willie Jones attended the Provincial Congress held at New Bern on 25 August. That year he was appointed as chairman of the North Carolina Safety Committee, which at the time was equivalent to being appointed governor of the state. During the following year, Jones was a delegate at the initial state constitutional convention that convened on 18 December 1776 and succeeded in framing the state’s constitution. Jones served in the North Carolina House of Commons from 1776 through 1778. His service in the legislature was followed by a term in the Continental Congress when he succeeded his brother Allen during 1780. After that, General Willie Jones was appointed as a delegate to the Constitutional Congress of 1787, but he declined the position. Nevertheless, during 1788, General Willie Jones did attend the constitutional convention held at Halifax, and he was an opponent of ratification. Willie Jones favored states rights, while his brother Allen was a staunch supporter of ratification of the Constitution. Willie’s position prevailed and ratification was postponed. Subsequently, North Carolina entered the union on 21 November 1789 to become the twelfth state. General Willie Jones married Mary Montford, the daughter of Colonel Joseph Montford of North Carolina. Mary is remembered for her confrontation with Colonel Banastre Tarleton, who was wounded and scarred by Colonel William Washington’s sword. While staying with members of the Jones family along the Roanoke during 1781, Tarleton spoke badly of William Washington in Mary’s presence and described him as an “illiterate fellow, hardly capable of writing his name.” Mary Montford Jones, without flinching retorted: “Ah colonel, you ought to know for you bear on your person the proof that he at least knows very well how to make his mark.” General Willie Jones succumbed during 1801. Captain John Paul Jones spent much time with the Jones families in North Carolina, and

according to various sources, including descendants of the Jones, John Paul added Jones to his name due to his admiration for Allen and Willie Jones. (See also, Jones, Brigadier General Allen.)

King, Rufus (Signer of the U.S. Constitution) Rufus King, the son of Richard and Isabella Bragdon King, was born on 24 March 1755 at Scarboro, Massachusetts, a section of the colony along its northern frontier that later became Scarborough, Maine, when Maine became the 23rd state on 15 March 1820. Rufus’ father was a veteran of the French and Indian War and a prosperous merchant who initially resided in Watertown beginning about 1740. It was in Watertown that he entered into a business relationship with Ebenezer Thornton. In 1745, Governor William Shirley appointed Richard King as commissary of the units delegated to participate in the Annapolis Royal Campaign. After the termination of the campaign that seized Louisbourg (1745), Richard returned home, then resettled on the frontier in the northern sector of the colony at Scarboro, Massachusetts. Richard prospered from his farming interests and from his business as a merchant. The prosperity permitted him to acquire large tracts of additional land. His endeavors included lumber that was sold to the shipbuilding industry. In addition to Rufus, Richard and Isabella had two daughters, each of whom married a physician: Mary (known as “Pretty Polly,” married Doctor Robert Southgate) and Paulina (married Doctor Aaron Porter). Rufus received an excellent education that began in a common school. Afterward, he was tutored in the classics at Byfield (Dummer Academy) by Samuel Moody; however, it came about primarily because of his stepmother. Rufus’ mother, Isabella, died during 1759, when Rufus was quite young. His father remarried, taking Mary Black, the daughter of Samuel Black of York, as his second wife. The couple was married on 31 January 1762, when Rufus was about seven years old. Rufus’ stepmother was a cousin of his deceased mother. She took a deep interest in her new family and became a force behind them as well as her own children, who followed. They were Richard, Isabella, Dorcas, William (became first governor of Maine), Betsey, and Cyrus (member of Congress and also major general, 6th Massachusetts militia). Rufus later became aligned with the Patriots, but circumstances and events in Scarboro during his youth made his choice somewhat extraordinary. His father, after moving to Scarboro and acquiring wealth and prominence, caused difficulties with some of the townspeople who resented his dominance with regard to the affairs of the town, but worse, he remained solidly behind the British Crown and Parliament as far back as the infamous Stamp Act of 1765. Richard’s allegiance to Britain and the act was costly. A group of Patriots raided his residence during 1766 and wrecked it. Rufus was about eleven years old and although no physical harm was inflicted, the sight of seeing his home being plundered left an indelible mark on the youngster. Afterward, Rufus’ father became more entrenched and he maintained Rufus King (Our Countrymen, or Brief his Tory views, which would Memoirs of Eminent Americans, Benlater bring down more grief son J. Lossing, 1855)

211 upon the family as the relations between the British Empire and the colonies deteriorated. Rufus entered Harvard in 1773, the year the Boston Tea Party was held in December. In 1774 the militia arrived at the King residence to coerce Richard King into disavowing his Loyalist sympathies. The incident caused irreparable damage to the health of Rufus’ father and the frightful event was directly linked to his cause of death. Richard died at his residence in the vicinity of Dunstan Landing on 27 March 1775, the month prior to the ignition of war at Lexington and Concord. Nevertheless, Rufus King never switched his allegiance; however, it did instill in him the necessity of “law and order” to ensure that a nation could survive and avoid mob rule. But even more complications developed when open hostilities occurred at Lexington and Concord on 19 April 1775. Other Patriots became incensed that Rufus King did not immediately rush to join the military. King, however, had other priorities due to the unexpected death of his father, which left him with responsibility of taking care of the family, which included his step-mother, the younger children, and the financial burden of his college education. To alleviate the pressure, King, while overseeing the estate, invested his share of the inheritance in the lumber industry. In the meantime, King did join an organization in 1775 in Boston, but it was not the military; rather it was political. The club that he joined became the forerunner of the Massachusetts Federalist Party. King’s education was temporarily interrupted during 1776 with the outbreak of war when the college was closed to become quarters for a short time by American troops. At the time, King turned to Samuel Moody and resumed studies in Byfield under his supervision in the interim. In 1777, he returned to Harvard and completed his studies and graduated as a scholar of the classics. By that time, King had also become an eloquent orator. Subsequent to graduation, he continued his studies, selecting law. He studied under Theophilus Parsons (later a chief justice of Massachusetts) at Newburyport and after completing his studies, King was admitted to the bar during 1780. In the meantime, at Scarboro, King’s name entered the rumor mill during 1777, due to his absence from the military. His character and patriotism came under question, but the calumny did not compel King to divert from his family responsibilities and his education. The false accusations did inflict harm, but King concealed his anger and followed his conscience. During the following year, having satisfactorily settled his family affairs, King took leave of his education and switched from scholar to soldier. By that time, the situation in New England had changed drastically since the evacuation of Boston by the British during March 1776. The British had been halted at Saratoga during the previous October, and the British in New York under General Henry Clinton were unable to penetrate the American forces along the Hudson to gain Albany. Nevertheless, despite the threat of another invasion from Canada having been eliminated, the British, who still retained Newport, Rhode Island, were a continuing threat against New England. King joined the militia to participate in the Rhode Island Campaign under General John Sullivan. Upon his arrival in Rhode Island, King was fortunate on two fronts. He was commissioned a major in the Continental Army and assigned to the seasoned regiment of Brigadier General John Glover as an aide to the general. Glover’s Marblehead Regiment had been responsible for the safe evacuation of the Continental Army from New York, and it was his mariner-soldiers who carried the army to safety in Pennsylvania after being chased out of New Jersey. That same regiment carried the army back across the Delaware River during December of 1776 during a raging storm to safely land the troops ashore on Christmas night from where they seized Trenton on the 26th of December. The offensive to gain Newport failed in great part due to the absence of the French fleet that was to provide support, but was at Boston for repairs to storm damage. General Sullivan terminated the siege on 26

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August and engaged the British during the retreat to the mainland. Sullivan managed to get the entire force back to the mainland on the 30th. It was General Glover’s brigade that covered the retreat. After the campaign, King resumed his studies and was accepted to the bar during 1780. His service in the Continental Army as an officer doused the false allegations regarding his loyalty to the American cause. Subsequent to the close of hostilities, in 1783, King was elected to the state legislature, but his time there was short. The next year he was elected by the legislature as a delegate to the Continental Congress. Subsequent to the close of hostilities, the nation continued to seek solution to the nation’s financial plight, and as the government continued to operate under the Articles of Confederation, the document’s shortcomings began to surface. The thirteen states were actually operating without a central government that held effective authority and contained articles such as the prohibition of one state consummating a treaty with another without the consent of Congress. In addition, there were obstacles that impeded interstate commerce. In New England, an insurrection known as Shay’s Rebellion erupted (1786–1787) in the western sector of Massachusetts. The insurrectionists, primarily disgruntled farmers, tried to halt court proceedings. The militia under General Benjamin Lincoln and others was called out to quash the rebels. During early February 1787, rebels were gathered at Petersham, Massachusetts, when they were struck by a surprise attack. The insurrection was ended and the leader, Daniel Shay, escaped to Canada. Some others made it into New York, where they were confronted by forces ordered out by Governor George Clinton. The period of turbulence once again made it clear that the Articles of Confederation had to be modified. Farther south, George Washington was in favor of building a canal along the Potomac to connect the western interior with the coastal states to increase trade, but there too the Articles interfered. Maryland and Virginia concluded an agreement that was afterward found to be invalid. A convention was called and scheduled to be held in Annapolis, Maryland, but only a few states attended (1786). Nevertheless, it was at the Annapolis Convention that it was decided to call for a Constitutional Convention to be held in Philadelphia during 1787 for the purpose of establishing a new government. King was elected as a delegate from Massachusetts, and he arrived in Philadelphia prior to the other New England delegates, but he wasn’t in need of any advice. His life experiences prior to the American Revolution and his later experiences during and after the war totally prepared him to defend his positions. In addition, he was a skilled lawyer as well as an orator. King joined with others who supported a strong, effective government and believed in the rule of law that would be fair to all. Aligned with James Madison, a fervent advocate of a strong central government, and other Federalists, King utilized his skills as an orator and as a compromiser to help bring about adoption of the United States Constitution. This occurred on 17 September following deliberations that began during the previous May. King was also on the Committee on Postponed Matters and the Committee of Style; the members of the latter were charged with drawing up the final document. The activity of the convention was done without documentation, leaving posterity no record, but Rufus King maintained notes that were preserved, giving at least a partial view of what occurred at the Constitutional Convention, which has been described as the “Miracle in Philadelphia.” After the convention adjourned, King returned to resume his congressional duties, which included ensuring that Congress concurred with the convention. Afterward, King played a strategic leadership role at the Massachusetts state Constitutional convention. Massachusetts ratified the U.S. Constitution on 6 February 1788 to become the sixth state to enter the union. During the deliberations, King, in response to concerns regarding items not included in the Constitution, acting

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as floor leader, supported a bill of rights, which helped the momentum of those seeking ratification. On 15 December 1791, Congress did ratify the first ten amendments, which afterward became known as the Bill of Rights. The amendments included freedom of religion, freedom of the press and the right to bear arms. Nine states had to ratify the Constitution to make it effective as the law of the land. New Hampshire ratified on 21 June 1788 to become the ninth state to enter the union. The new Congress convened during March 1789, and as it opened under authority of the Constitution, the old Congress terminated. In the meantime, during 1786, Rufus married Mary Alsop, the daughter of John Alsop, a prominent and affluent merchant who lived in New York. Rufus and Mary had the following children: John Alsop (b. 1788, later governor of New York, married Mary Ray); Charles (b. March 1789, married twice, Miss Gracie and afterward Miss Low); James Gore (b. 1791, assistant adjutant general of New York state militia during War of 1812 and U.S. congressman); and Edward (b. 1795, relocated to Ohio and married a daughter of Governor Thomas Worthington). Mary’s father had earlier served as a member of the New York colonial legislature and John Alsop was elected as a delegate to the First Continental Congress that convened in Philadelphia during 1774. King relocated to New York in 1789, and although his political career in New England was terminated, shortly after he resettled, he was elected to the New York state legislature. Once again, he had little time to adjust to the new post. Less than two weeks into the sessions, King was elected to the U.S. Congress as a senator. King entered the senate as a Federalist and served two terms. During that time the infant republic was still under pressure from several points. King was a strong supporter of rebuilding the armed forces, particularly the U.S. Navy. He also supported placing the security of the nation’s coastal regions under the jurisdiction of the federal government to bolster the defenses against any potential enemy threat from the sea. Meanwhile, the British continued to instigate the Indians along the frontiers, while the Spanish worked to persuade some areas in the territory west of the Ohio River to break away and align themselves with Spain. Simultaneously, the French, an ally during the Revolution, had initiated aggressive activity that erupted into open hostilities (Quasi War with France) in the late 1790s. In the midst of that tumultuous period, King lent his support to the Jay Treaty (1794), which had many opponents, but it was ratified by the Senate on 24 June 1795. The treaty mandated that Britain abandon its post in U.S. territory by 1996, but the treaty did not avert war; rather it postponed it. That year, Congress did resolve to rebuild the U.S. Navy. The hostilities with France were confined to the high seas and the conflict was settled during 1800 by the Treaty of Morfontaine, but the British continued to meddle in American affairs. Congress, at the conclusion of the American Revolution, gutted the armed forces, reducing the army to a small contingent of infantry and one unit of artillery. It also disbanded the Continental Navy and the Continental Marines and sold the remaining warships that had remained afloat. Subsequently the army was rebuilt, but the navy remained a low priority, despite Congress’ actions of 1794. King was offered a post in President George Washington’s cabinet, but he chose not to accept. When the president offered him the post as ambassador to England in 1796, he accepted. He remained as ambassador until 1803. At nearly the same time, his advocacy for a re-established U.S. Navy while in the Senate proved to be prophetic. President Thomas Jefferson was inaugurated as the 3rd president on 4 March 1801. One month earlier, Congress ordered the navy to sell every vessel except fourteen. In May, the bashaw of Tripoli demanded more tribute from America to permit passage of American shipping in the Mediterranean Sea. The American treasury had been paying the bribes since a peace treaty

was consummated with Tripoli during 1797. On 10 June 1801, Tripoli declared war on the United States, and less than two weeks later, Morocco declared war. During the Jefferson administration, the U.S. lacked a strong navy, but following the declarations of war by the Moslem pirates, a squadron sailed toward Tripoli. The conflict ended on 4 June 1805 when a contingent of Marines, supported by mercenaries, seized Tripoli on 25 April 1805. Soon after, Tripoli signed a peace treaty that included no tribute. Meanwhile, King, having retired as ambassador during 1803, returned to New York and resumed his interest in politics; however, the election of Jefferson terminated the reign of the Federalists. King failed in several attempts to gain office as a Federalist, including bids for vice president in 1804 and 1808. During those campaigns, Charles Coatesworth Pinckney was on the Federalist ticket as president; however, during 1804, the Democratic-Republican ticket with Thomas Jefferson at the top and George Clinton as his vice president overwhelmed the Federalists. Later, during 1808, Pinckney and King were decisively defeated by James Madison and George Clinton. Outside of politics, King spent much time at his estate (King Manor) on Long Island, a property he purchased during 1805. In 1813, when the country was engaged yet again against Britain in the War of 1812, King, still a Federalist, was elected to the U.S. Senate. He again assumed a position of prominence and maintained a full commitment to the causes he believed important to assure that the nation would survive. He and other Federalists in the Senate joined together to support the war, but not until after the British sacked Washington in 1814 and Congress was compelled to flee the capital. At the time, while the politicians fled the advance of the Redcoats, President James Madison was at Bladensburg observing the battle. The militia fled after seeing rockets, unaware that it was a ruse and the rockets were actually pyrotechnics. A small band of Marines and sailors held firmly for a while and then retreated, but that stand held sufficiently to allow Washington to be abandoned. Nevertheless, one person refused to leave. She was Dolly Madison. She ignored the danger and awaited the return of her husband, the president. It was Dolley Madison who saved a priceless portrait of George Washington from being destroyed, and she also saved an original copy of the Declaration of Independence. Once President Madison returned to the White House, they departed together. Shortly thereafter, the British arrived and burned the White House. The actions of the British caused King and some other opponents of the war to change their position and support the president. King later declared: “When the efforts for peace were rejected and a barbarous warfare proclaimed against us, it became the duty of all to resist, and thereby preserve the country from ruin.” After the war, King became the Federalist candidate for president, but yet again, he was soundly defeated by James Monroe. In addition to his strong support for the armed forces and for the war against the British, he was also an opponent of slavery. King proclaimed that slavery was an “anathema to the principles underlying the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.” He also backed his positions with action. From the floor of the Senate in 1820 he spoke with great emotion to oppose the entry of Missouri into the union as a slave state. Nevertheless, Missouri was admitted and became the twentieth state on 10 August 1821. Subsequently, during 1825, John Quincy Adams, the 6th U.S. president and the son of President John Adams, requested that King again return to England as U.S. ambassador. King accepted; however, after about one year abroad, his health became poor and he was compelled to relinquish the post. Rufus King succumbed at his residence on 28 April 1827. He was interred at the Grace Episcopal Church Cemetery, in Jamaica, New York.

213 Knox, Major General Henry Henry Knox, the son of William and Mary Campbell Knox, was born on 25 July 1750 in Boston, Massachusetts. He was the seventh of ten children. His family’s ancestors originally came from the Lowlands in the southern sector of Clyde, Scotland, and went from there to Northern Ireland. During the reign of King James I, pressures forced many Presbyterians to flee Scotland. Henry’s father had been a native of St. Eustatia in the West Indies prior to coming to America. After his arrival in the colonies, he met and married Mary, the daughter of Robert Campbell, on 11 February 1735. Henry’s father was a ship master who also owned a wharf. However, during 1756, William’s fortunes turned and he lost his estate. Afterward, Henry’s father departed for the West Indies, where he died at St. Eustatia during 1762. At the time, Henry was completing his studies at the Boston Latin Grammar School. Nonetheless, Henry became responsible for his mother and his younger brother. Henry’s formal schooling ended after the death of his father. He became employed in Boston at Wharton and Bowes, bookstore in Corllhill. One of the partners, Stephen Bowes, took Henry under his wing and watched over him like a father. Although Henry had ended his formal schooling, his employment provided him with a grand opportunity to enrich his knowledge though books of every sort. Henry took advantage and taught himself the French language and spent much time studying military science. All the while, Henry was an active youth. On one occasion, on a day celebrated annually in Boston on 5 November (Guy Hawkes Day, known as Pope’s Night), he was among the youths who duplicated a celebration of the English to express their anti–Catholicism by pulling wheeled displays (effigies) of the pope and the devil through the town of Boston with the accompaniment of derogatory screaming and burning gunpowder. Two rival groups always participated, the Northenders and the Southenders. The float belonging to a group with Henry became disabled. Rather than let his group be humiliated by not finishing the parade, Henry lifted the float and carried it on his shoulders to the finish line and then participated in the usual fight between the two factions. Henry Knox was a large youth and during his later years he remained a big man, weighing in at about 280 pounds. Meanwhile, the colonies were becoming restless due to the policies of the king and Parliament. By 1770, British troops had been posted in large numbers in Boston and on 5 March of that year, violence erupted on King Street when a mob taunted the Redcoats. Henry was on the scene and acted to calm the situation, but casualties occurred when the British, after being hit by snowballs that contained stones, fired upon the crowd. During the following year, 1771, Henry left his employment to establish his own bookstore. His mother died that year on 14 December. Henry opened his business in the vicinity of Williams’ Court in the Cornhill section of Boston. As the situation between Britain and the colonies deteriorated, Henry Knox’s prosperous venture, along with other businesses, began to suffer financially. At the time, Knox was clearly aligned with the Sons of Liberty, and by the time he opened his Henry Knox (Pictorial Field Book store, he had been a member of the Revolution, Benson J. Lossing, of the Boston Grenadier Corps for several years. The 1860)

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unit was established by Captain Joseph Pierce and Knox was one of the other founders. Within the corps, Knox was second in command. During a military training exercise on 23 July 1773 on Noddle Island in Boston Harbor, his fowling-piece burst, and the accident cost Knox two fingers on his left hand. From that day he camouflaged his damaged hand by covering it with a folded handkerchief. Shortly after he was wounded, he began to receive special treatment from the ladies of the town and one particular woman sparked a friendship during her visits to the store. The conversations became more frequent with each visit and suddenly, Henry found himself enamored with Lucy Flucker, the daughter of Thomas Flucker, a staunch Tory and the secretary of the province. The relationship ignited instant fireworks. Lucy’s circle of friends and relatives were Tories and their disapproval of her sentiments for Henry rang out continuously, but to no avail. Lucy was told that she was destined to a life of poverty while her sisters would be enjoying lives of luxury. Despite the warnings, she accepted the proposal and the couple was married in Boston on the 16 June 1774. On the 20th of June, Gazette informed all of Boston that the secretary of the province had a new son-in-law. The ceremony was celebrated by the Reverend Henry Caner. Despite Knox’s new connection to the Tories, he remained loyal to the Patriots’ cause and in the process, he declined offers designed to persuade him to remain loyal to the Crown. The clashes at Lexington and Concord on 19 April 1775 severed the remaining chances of reconciliation with Britain. Shortly after the battles, Knox and his wife donned disguises to depart from Boston to evade General Thomas Gage’s attempt to prevent Patriots from exiting the city to rejoin elsewhere. Part of the operation included disarming all males. Knox’s sword was hidden within the lining of his wife’s cloak. The couple safely got through the guards and headed straight to Cambridge, where Knox joined with General Artemus Ward. Lucy Knox was taken to Worcester and out of harm’s way when the Battle of Bunker Hill erupted during June. Knox participated in the battle, but only as a volunteer. He held no rank. During November 1775, it was determined by a council of officers that Colonel Samuel Richard Gridley, a heroic veteran of the French and Indian War, had become too incapacitated by old age and infirmity to retain command of the artillery. On 17 November, Congress appointed Henry Knox commander with the rank of colonel. Despite his lack of military service, it was by unanimous choice that the officers chose Knox with the confidence that he was capable of the task and offered his name to Congress. Henry Burbeck was appointed first lieutenant colonel. When the commission was issued, Knox was involved with getting the cannon at Fort Ticonderoga and transporting it to Cambridge for use by the army, which had raised a siege of British-held Boston. Colonel Knox arrived at headquarters in Cambridge on 24 January 1776, and received congratulations from General George Washington. Colonel Knox deployed artillery in defense of New York City, and the artillerymen were bolstered by about 10,000 troops dispatched by General Washington. On August 11, in a letter to Lucy, Henry mentioned how happy he was that she was not with him, and he related the presence of the British. Then wrote in response to her question: “You wish to know how I pass my time. I genereally rise before the sun, and immediately with a part of the regiment attend prayers, sing a psalm, and read a chapter in [the Bible at] the Grand Battery. General Putnam constantly attends.” On the 28 August he wrote to his wife describing the defeat at Long Island on the 27th. On the 15th of September, the British landed at Kip’s Bay several miles above the city and he evaded capture by a slim measure by jumping into a boat and escaping to Harlem. That period was exhausting for both sides. On the 19th of September in a letter to his younger brother, Billy, Knox wrote that he had not taken his clothes off for “forty days.” October and November were no less strenuous for the badgered American army, which was hit hard at White Plains on 28 October

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and lost several forts that had to be abandoned. The tide began to turn after the expeditious retreat into Pennsylvania when the Americans stunned the British with the spectacular seizure of Trenton on 26 December and the victory at Princeton on 3 January 1777. In the meantime, Colonel Knox was promoted to the rank of brigadier general on 27 December. Subsequent to the fighting at Princeton, General Knox was dispatched on a special mission to inspect the manufacturing of cannon and to establish laboratories. The task enabled him to visit his wife in Boston. The following May, Henry Knox was involved with fortifying the North (Hudson River). On 8 May, Lucy Knox wrote to her husband that she and their baby were being inoculated for smallpox, but she added a story about a Frenchman she had met who was boasting that he was commissioned as commander of the Continental Army artillery and that he was en route from Sewall’s Point to headquarters to assume command. The letter stated that he had the rank of major general. Lucy’s letter was quite supportive of her husband and noted: “Who knows, but I may have my Harry again? This I am sure of, he [Henry] will never suffer anyone to command him in that department. If he does, he has not the soul which I now think him possessed of.” The thought of yet another French officer in command of American officers was not received well. Several general officers, including General John Sullivan, threatened to resign if Colonel Knox was replaced. Initially Congress attempted to squash the opposition, but the problem was solved when the French officer, General Du Coudray, drowned accidentally while attempting to cross the Schuylkill River during August 1777, when the British were moving against Philadelphia. Upon discovering he might be replaced, Colonel Knox wrote to Congress on 1 July 1777: “SIR,— From the information I have received I am induced to believe that Congress has appointed a Mr. Ducoudray, a French gentleman, to the command of the artillery. I wish to know of Congress whether this information be true: if it is, I beg the favor of a permission to retire, and that a proper certificate for that purpose be sent immediately. I am, sir, your most humble servant, HENRY KNOX.” The British occupied Philadelphia on the 26th of September. Meanwhile, the Americans attempted to fortify several posts in the area, including those in New Jersey and at Fort Mifflin, just outside of the city. Following a defiant stand, Fort Mifflin was abandoned on the night of 15–16 November and Fort Mercer was lost on the 18th. On the 3rd of December a war council was held and General Knox was adamantly opposed to a direct attack to regain the city, due to insufficient supplies and clothing and because he believed it was impossible to surprise a fortified city defended by about 10,000 troops. Knox’s opinion was with the majority and no attack was launched. Nonetheless, the British were not able to dominate the Delaware River, making their hold on the city tenuous. During the following spring, Knox’s wife joined with him at Valley Forge on 20 May just prior to the arrival of news that France decided to align with the Americans against Britain. On 18 June, the British abandoned Philadelphia and the Americans gave pursuit. They intercepted General Henry Clinton and clashed in a major battle at Monmouth on the 28 June 1778. General Knox’s artillerymen fought there with distinction. The battle has been described as a stalemate; however, the British were compelled to continue the retreat back to New York and it became the final battle in the northern states. Subsequently, during July of 1780, a French fleet transporting an army under Count de Rochambeau arrived at Newport, Rhode Island. The next month, General Knox accompanied General Washington and the Marquis de Lafayette when they visited with de Rochambeau and French admiral de Ternay at Hartford, Connecticut, to plan a strategy to continue the fight against the British. At about the same time, word of Benedict Arnold’s treason reached the party and they sped to West Point.

General Knox, who had previously met Jon Andre, the British officer who was an accomplice in Arnold’s conspiracy to take West Point, was a judge at Andre’s trial. During the early part of the conflict, Major Andre had been captured when the Canadian expedition was unfolding and while Andre was en route to Lancaster on parole, he and Knox shared a cabin after they were both caught in a nasty winter storm near Lake George. The familiarity with Andre caused General Knox some additional stress during the trial. Nonetheless, Andre was convicted and hanged as a spy during October 1780. Major General Benedict Arnold, the traitor, escaped aboard a British warship, the Vulture. During the latter part of November 1780, General Rochambeau and General Washington arrived at New Windsor, Connecticut, and were greeted first by General Knox’s silent artillery as they approached camp. Each of the guns were prepared to fire a salute, but Knox apologized for the silence, explaining that troops on the opposite side of the river were on the alert pursuant to a previous order and he did not want to cause alarm. After conferring with Knox and Lafayette, the party was taken to Knox’s residence, where the French general was introduced to Knox’s family, his wife Lucy and their two small children. By that time, the army was suffering greatly and morale was dipping feverishly. Mutinies, caused in great part by lack of clothing and pay, were beginning to erupt in the New Jersey and Pennsylvania lines. Soon after, during January 1781, General Knox was dispatched to the eastern states to lay out the severe problems facing the army. He arrived in Boston on 14 February and announced the problems that beset the Pennsylvania Line. Despite the hardships, most of the troops persevered. On 16 February, General Washington wrote to General Knox directing him to prepare for a new campaign, with the precise objective not yet specified, but potential targets were Charleston, New York, Penobscot or Savannah. However, due to the success of General Nathanael Greene in the South, Lord Cornwallis was pushed to Virginia and that became the objective. General Knox undertook the Herculean task of transporting the artillery to Virginia, and it proved invaluable in the reduction of the British at Yorktown. Following the surrender of Cornwallis, General Washington reported to Congress “The resources of his [General Knox] genius supplied the deficit of means” which brought victory. Subsequent to the defeat of the British, General Knox was appointed as a commissioner along with Gouverneur Morris during March 1782 and charged with negotiating a cartel for an exchange of prisoners. The British negotiators were General William Dalrymple (former commander of British 14th Regiment during occupation of Boston) and Andrew Elliot. The two sides met at Elizabethtown, New Jersey, but failed to reach an agreement. That month, on the 22nd, General Knox was promoted to the rank of major general, effective retroactively to 15 November 1781. Following his duty as a negotiator, General Knox repaired to West Point. Upon inspection, he discerned that the fortifications could not withstand a siege and concluded the magazines and other structures were in very poor condition. Later, on 29 August, General Knox was appointed commander of the post. In December while discontent was worsening, a group of officers formed a committee and selected General Knox as chairman to address the problems and present the petitions to Congress. Congress considered the proposals, which included a request that the government should commute the half-pay for life into a specific amount backed by the government. The proposals were acted upon, but to the dissatisfaction of the officers. By early 1783, the situation had risen to a dangerous point and jeopardized the nation. A general mutiny threatened the army and prompted the Newberg Addresses. The personal actions of General Washington in conjunction with General Knox calmed the situation and derailed a mutiny. Congress afterward took action that was accepted by the officers. On 26 August 1783, General Washington placed General Knox in command of the army and shortly thereafter, Knox

215 was charged with disbanding it. On 25 November 1783, the British army evacuated New York City, while the American force under General Knox re-occupied it, terminating the only time an enemy force held the city. On 4 December, the majority of officers gathered at Fraunce’s Tavern to say farewell to their commander-in-chief, General Washington. That day was a blend of nostalgic sentimentality as old memories of the trying days of war mixed with the exhilaration of what they had achieved through the determined leadership of Washington. General Knox remained a close friend of Washington and kept contact that ended only upon the death of Washington. In January 1784, General Knox arrived at Boston and established his residence in Dorchester. Later that year, the general court of Massachusetts appointed General Knox, along with General Benjamin Lincoln and George Partridge, as commissioners to negotiate with the Penobscot Indians to persuade them to give up some of their lands. The same committee was directed to investigate whether people from Nova Scotia had encroached upon the boundaries of Massachusetts, while simultaneously working with English representatives to settle the eastern boundary line of the state. On 20 June 1784, Congress accepted the resignation of General Knox. Then, on 8 March 1785, Congress appointed General Knox as successor to General Benjamin Lincoln in the War Department. Later, following the adoption and ratification of the federal Constitution, he became the initial man to serve as secretary of war under the new United States Constitution. After his appointment to secretary of war, Knox moved his family to New York and resided in a house next to the one in which George and Martha Washington resided. In 1786, Secretary Knox provided Congress with an outline of his plan for the militia of the United States. The document, received on 18 March, divided the male citizens (ages 18 to 60 into three sections, the Advanced Corps, the Main Corps and the Reserved Corps; however, the plan was not adopted, as it was considered unacceptable by the people. During 1790, Secretary Knox negotiated a treaty with the Creek Nation, and on 7 August it was signed by him on behalf of the United States and by Alexander McGillivray and twenty-three other chiefs of the Creek Nation. By terms of the treaty, the Creeks relinquished vast amounts of land to the state of Georgia. Chief McGillivray on that same day was commissioned as a brigadier general in the United States Army. Later, Knox, a staunch supporter of President George Washington, came under fire by associates of John Adams and partisans who supported the French Revolution and viciously and relentlessly attacked President Washington and his supporters during a period of turbulence. Two expeditions against the Northwestern Indians terminated in failure, General Josiah Harmar’s (1790) and General St. Clair’s (1791). Finally, during 1794, General Anthony Wayne devastated the Indians and brought peace to the region with the Treaty of Greenville, August 1795. General Knox retired from his post during 1794. He retired to Maine, where he had a mansion (Montpelier) in Thomaston at the head of St. George’s River. The architect was Ebenezer Dunton of Boston. The residence was later demolished and replaced by a railroad station of the Knox and Lincoln Railroad. While in the military, General Knox invested in some privateers, but with no success. Apparently, the ships that went out to sea under his endeavor were captured. While in retirement, General Knox entered the business of manufacturing bricks, and he produced lime and lumber, but he also bolstered his venture by entering the mercantile business. His manager, Thomas Vose, later became his partner. The Knox family also sustained tragedy. On 15 January 1797, General Knox wrote in response to a letter from George Washington: “The loss of two children on which you condole in your letter has been recently renewed and increased by the death of our son [Washington], of seven years old.

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Unfortunate, indeed, have we been in the loss of eight children, requiring the exercise of our whole stock of philosophy and religion....” During the Quasi War with France, President John Adams called George Washington in 1798 to active service with the rank of lieutenant general. Washington named Alexander Hamilton, Charles Coatesworth Pinckney and Henry Knox as his seconds in command, but General Knox was stunned by the rank and astonished that his juniors during the American Revolution would hold rank over him. Despite his retirement, his later years still had him involved in government. In April 1796, Knox was appointed as a commissioner of the United States to arbitrate the eastern boundary on the “true river St. Croix.” Knox became a member of the general court in 1801 was appointed in 1804 as a member of the council of Massachusetts Governor Caleb Strong. Throughout his life, the general retained his love of books. At the time of his death, his personal library contained about 1,600 books and of those, more than 350 were written in French. Dartmouth College awarded General Knox an honorary master of arts degree in 1793, and during 1805, he was admitted as a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. General Knox also founded the Cincinnati Society. General Washington became its initial president and Knox the secretary. During October 1806, unexpected tragedy again struck. General Knox swallowed a chicken bone, which lodged in his intestinal system and caused his death. Henry Knox was interred on 28 October following services at the mansion. His remains were carried in procession led by contingents of artillery, cavalry and infantry, while his casket was carried by infantrymen to his resting place under what was described as his favorite oak tree on the grounds of Montpelier. Subsequently, the mansion was acquired by other owners and his burial place changed several times until eventually he was re-interred in Elm Grove Cemetery. His wife, Lucy, who was with him during nearly every campaign, survived him and lived until 20 June 1824. Of their twelve children, nine died during infancy or during childhood. Three survived, Lucy (married Ebenezer Thatcher); Henry Jackson; and Caroline (married James Swan of Dorchester and later John Holmes of Maine). One of Lucy’s children was Admiral Henry Knox Thatcher. With regard to General Knox’s siblings, he was one of ten sons, and of those only four survived to adulthood. His two older brothers, Benjamin and John, became sea men and both were lost. His younger brother, William “Billy,” lived beyond the war and was in the employ of Henry while he was secretary of war; however, William went insane and died about 1797. One of the many stories surrounding General Knox centered around a time when he had a large group of guests at the mansion. He ordered that horses be saddled and brought to the residence, but a problem developed when Mrs. Knox spotted her favorite horse in the group. She inquired about why her horse was there and received a reply that it was for one of the guests to ride. Mrs. Knox, in the presence of everyone, demanded that no one ride her horse. General Knox, conspicuously embarrassed, called to the groom and proclaimed: “John, put Mrs. Knox’s horse in the stable, and do not take it out again until God Almighty, or Mrs. Knox, tells you to.”

Kosciuszko, Brigadier General Thaddeus Thaddeus Kosciuszko was born in Lithuania (Mereszowszczyzna, Polesie, present-day Kosova in Belarus) on 12 February 1746 at the Chateau of Mercez Wczyzua. Thaddeus’ parents were Ludwik and Teklanee Ratomska Kosciuszko. In Poland and other European countries, it was natural for a son to become a soldier, and Thaddeus did pursue a military career. Following his graduation from the cadet school when he was eighteen years old, his school achievements reached even King Stanislaus. The king selected Thaddeus to go to France to further his studies and hone his skills as an engineer. Thaddeus initially attended school in Versailles, then he took advanced courses in Paris.

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In addition, he traveled to Brest and other French ports, and at each location, he examined the construction of the forts, which often were the work of Marshal Vauban, the preeminent military engineer of that period. Thaddeus also got an opportunity to travel to England prior to his return to Poland, subsequent to a seven-year absence. Upon his return to Poland, Thaddeus received a captain’s commission in the Polish army and was assigned command of the fortifications at Cracow. Thaddeus’ reputation as a soldier and engineer was well known in Cracow, and his credentials prompted the head of the university there to offer Thaddeus a position as professor of mathematics; however, Thaddeus rejected the idea of becoming a university teacher. During early 1776, while the Americans across the sea were desperately attempting to forestall defeat by the British, Thaddeus was still in the military and stationed in the vicinity of Somowice Manor, where the Marshal of Lithuania, the Palaine Sosnowski of Sosnowica, resided. Thaddeus fell in love with Louise (Ludwika), a daughter of the marshal, but her parents objected to their daughter’s marriage to someone they perceived as being too poor. Nevertheless, Thaddeus and Louise solved the dilemma; they eloped. Louise’s enraged father and an armed escort pursued the couple. The chase culminated when Thaddeus was intercepted. The encounter was tenacious, but Thaddeus was alone and the odds were too great. The armed escort wounded him severely and, believing him to be mortally wounded, left him along the road. But he survived. Thaddeus later snapped out of unconsciousness, but the only memento of the incident was Louise’s blood-soaked handkerchief on his chest when he awoke. By then, Louise had been carried back to the castle. Within a short while after recovering, Thaddeus resigned his commission in the Polish army, set out for France to confer with Benjamin Franklin, and from there he departed for America, carrying a letter of introduction from Franklin. Thaddeus Kosciuszko arrived in Philadelphia during the summer of 1776. When he first met General Washington, the latter inquired what Kosciuszko wanted, and he responded: “To fight for liberty.” General Washington asked Kosciuszko what he could do and Kosciuszko retorted: “Try me. I am ready to do anything.” The initial encounter with Kosciuszko impressed Washington, and as the war progressed, they became close friends. General Washington placed Kosciuszko on his staff. Although Kosciuszko first served as a volunteer, on 18 October 1776 Congress passed a resolution appointing him an “engineer in the service of the United States, with the pay of sixty dollars a month, and the rank of colonel.” By that time, Colonel Kosciuszko had performed meritoriously and his achievements had been noted. Washington directed Kosciuszko to repair to Ticonderoga, and it was there and afterward at Mount Independence where his engineering skills first served the Patriots’ cause. During the haphazard retreat from Ticonderoga, Colonel Kosciuszko was one of many officers who were unable to find his horse in the darkness. He selected another that was nearby, but on the following day, its owner, Caleb Stark, the son of General John Stark, claimed his horse and Kosciuszko was unwilling to relinquish it. Stark challenged him to a duel, but Kosciuszko declined, saying that Stark was not high Thaddeus Kosciuszko (Pictorial Field enough in rank to challenge. Book of the Revolution, Benson J. Los- Nearby, Colonel Cilley walked over and informed Kosciuszko sing, 1860)

that he (Cilley) held proper rank. The issue was settled peacefully, and on the following day, Start was reunited with his horse. Later, Kosciuszko served in the army under General Philip Schuyler and his successor, General Horatio Gates. Kosciuszko, while under Gates, reconnoitered the area around Fort Edward and concluded that the perfect spot to impede the progress of General John Burgoyne’s force as it plowed through New York en route to Albany to join with General Clinton was Moses Creek, a point slightly less than five miles from Fort Edward. Colonel Kosciuszko also designed the defenses (embankment) at Bemis Heights, yet another formidable obstacle intended to derail Burgoyne’s advance. At Bemis Heights (Second Battle of Saratoga) on 7 October 1777, Burgoyne sustained a devastating defeat on the battlefield and a humiliating political defeat. Burgoyne repeatedly moved to escape entrapment and retreat, but all routes were sealed. General Burgoyne capitulated on 17 October and his entire army was captured. The colossal loss opened the floodgates and the French, who had been reluctant to openly support the Americans, publicly proclaimed an alliance with America once word of the victory reached France. After the campaign closed, Colonel Kosciuszko was sent to West Point with instructions to fortify the defenses there along the Hudson. Pursuant to orders of Washington (14 March 1778), Colonel Kosciuszko succeeded Colonel Radiere at West Point and completed the construction of Fort Putnam, which had begun prior to his arrival. Colonel Kosciuszko’s efforts had been superlative. Eleven forts were established at West Point according to a map drawn at the time by Major Villefranche; however, the number built by Kosciuszko remains uncertain, although it is thought that he was most probably involved with each one. Governor George Clinton and General Samuel Holden Parsons were so pleased with Kosciuszko that they asked General Washington have him remain at West Point. During September 1778, a disagreement between General Gates and General James Wilkinson became more serious when Wilkinson challenged Gates to a duel. Colonel Kosciuszko acted as Gates’ second and Colonel John Carter acted as second for Wilkinson. Apparently, the duel never commenced because Gates said that firing at Wilkinson would be “like firing at his own son.” Nonetheless, the incident nearly brought about a duel between Carter and Kosciuszko, but only cross words were exchanged. In August 1780, General Washington offered Colonel Kosciuszko the position of engineer in the Army of the South and the offer was immediately accepted. On 12 August 1780, Washington penned a note to General Gates stating that Kosciuszko had been an immense help at West Point and that he (Washington) was “reluctantly” releasing him for service in the Southern Department. Three days after Washington penned the letter, General Gates sustained a severe defeat at the Battle of Camden. The debacle ended Gates’ military career. Nevertheless, Kosciuszko was sent south and he served under Gates’ successor, General Nathanael Greene. During December 1780, General Greene became concerned about the positions he held at Charlotte, North Carolina. On 8 December he directed Colonel Kosciuszko to seek a more tenable location to ensure Cornwallis would be prevented from gaining an advantage. Kosciuszko selected a location along the Pee Dee River opposite Cheraw, South Carolina. Nonetheless, inclement weather prevented Greene from advancing from Charlotte until 29 December. General Greene continued to depend upon Colonel Kosciuszko’s engineering abilities for the duration of the Southern Campaigns. Colonel Kosciuszko never faltered and his confidence in the American cause never wavered. Colonel Kosciuszko’s admirable contributions that led to the final victory were rewarded on 13 October 1783, when Congress approved the recommendation of General Washington that he be promoted to brigadier general for his “long, faithful and honorable services in the American Army.”

217 After the close of hostilities, General Kosciuszko returned to Poland. One of close friends from Poland, Count Julian Niemcewicz, who was a college classmate of General Kosciuszko, later arrived in America, joined with the general and served as an aide for the duration, but there is no record of him joining the Continental Army as an officer. The count returned to Poland with General Kosciuszko. General Kosciuszko lived to retirement, but during 1789, Poland became threatened by Russia and Austria, prompting King Stanislaus Poniatowski to appoint Kosciuszko as a major general of the Polish forces. The Russians had essentially controlled Poland for decades. It was Catherine the Great who installed Stanislaus Poniatowski (one of her former lovers) as king. He reigned as King Stanislaus Augustus, but actually he was no more than a stooge of the queen. Catherine’s ambassador had actually ruled Poland. The chances of Poland retaining its sovereignty were slim, but the odds increased when Frederick William of Prussia committed to support the Poles if attacked. Unfortunately, Frederick William’s offer of support was worthless. The Prussians intentionally remained passive while Poland was being carved up in anticipation of receiving a part of the country from Russia in thanks for not intervening. A nephew of the king, Prince Joseph Poniatowski, rallied the Poles and despite the odds, he became a formidable general who was unwilling to submit to the enemy. The Poles fought valiantly at the Battle of Zielemce on 18 June 1792 and at Dubicnska on 17 July that year. At the latter, the Poles numbered only about 4,000 against about 15,000 Russians. Nevertheless, they resisted tenaciously for about six hours, but in addition to being surrounded, the patriotic Poles were also faced with traitors within and their king was counted among them. Lithuania fell to the Russians and Prussia sent its forces into other sections of the country. Embittered Polish officers left the army and most departed the country and relocated in France and Germany. General Kosciuszko relocated in Leipsic, and while there, the French assembly awarded him with French citizenship. In the meantime, the former Polish officers, including their commander-in-chief, Prince Joseph, continued to hold deep resentment at the loss of their homeland and a desire to take it back from the invaders. The officers met during early 1794 and chose General Kosciuszko as their commander-inchief. Prince Joseph concurred, and the remnant Polish army was reformed. Poles began to converge in the northern sector of the kingdom and from there, General Kosciuszko advanced toward the first major objective, Cracow, and occupied it on 24 March 1794. Once the city was retaken, General Kosciuszko advanced against the Russian positions. The Poles’ heavy weaponry was limited to their desire to reclaim their liberty. General Kosciuszko’s army had only about 5,000 men and the force lacked artillery and cavalry. The two sides clashed at Wraclawice on 4 April and the Poles were outnumbered by 2 to 1. Nonetheless, following a gruesome contest that lasted about four hours, the ragtag Poles inflicted a humiliating loss upon the Russians. The Poles had achieved a tremendous victory and the Russian forces were shattered, unable to easily regroup. Victory seemed close at hand as the Poles moved back toward Cracow. Meanwhile, Frederick William, who earlier betrayed the Poles, was again selfishly plotting as other Polish cities were being reclaimed by General Kosciuszko’s legions. The citizens of Warsaw, inspired by the spirit of the Polish forces, rose up. Following yet another agonizing battle that lasted three days, the Poles prevailed and the Russians were evicted. The lights of liberty were spreading throughout the kingdom. In Lithuania and in Samogitia, the enemy was overcome by the end of April. Other Polish troops at Volhynia and yet others at Podolia sped to join with General Kosciuszko’s main body to bolster it against the remaining Russian forces. By that time even more progress had been made, and the accomplishments of the Poles surpassed all expectations. General Kosciuszko, who had been handed dictatorial powers when

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he assumed command of the Polish forces, began to form a government. Soon he initiated another offensive to eradicate the remaining enemy forces in Poland, but unexpectedly, while en route, his diminutive force encountered a Prussian army. Frederick William had silently led about 40,000 Prussian troops into Poland without issuing a declaration of war. Undaunted, General Kosciuszko’s 13,000 troops unabashedly continued their advance and attacked the Prussians on 8 June at Szcekociny. The Poles plowed into the Prussian lines and a donnybrook ensued. Close-quartered combat continued unabated for hours, with the two sides battering each other. During the melee, two horses were shot out from under General Kosciuszko. Finally, the Poles were compelled to withdraw to Warsaw, but the Prussians sustained sufficient punishment that no genuine pursuit was initiated. Eventually, the Prussians laid siege on the city; after six weeks, the Poles still controlled the city and the Prussians, about 50,000 strong, withdrew. Although victory still seemed within reach for the Poles, Kosciuszko’s plan to attack the Prussians got waylaid when an Austrian army crossed the border to support the Prussians while the Russians struck Lithuania. Nonetheless, the Poles defiantly took the offensive and advanced against a powerful combined force of Prussians and Russians positioned near Macieiowice. Fighting erupted on 10 October 1794 and escalated into a conflagration, in which Kosciuszko had several horses shot from under him; however, the persistent general mounted yet another and led a charge directly into the enemy lines. The attack was costly, with many officers either killed or wounded and captured. Kosciuszko was among the wounded (struck by a sabre), but in the midst of the bloodied field, he appeared to be one of the dead. The enemy noticed that he was alive and afterward recognized him as the fearless General Kosciuszko. He was immediately taken from the field by a party of Cossacks and afterward taken to St. Petersburg where Catherine ordered his confinement in a dungeon within GregoryOrloff castle. General Kosciuszko languished in his cell until after the death of Empress Catherine (6 November 1796). Czar Paul succeeded Catherine. As emperor of Russia, he arranged for the release of about 12,000 imprisoned Poles who were held in Siberia, and he personally visited General Kosciuszko at the castle. Czar Paul ordered Kosciuszko’s release without conditions, and in addition, the general received land grants and money. The czar also offered Kosciuszko a commission in the Russian army, but the offer was declined. Kosciuszko replied: “I have no use for a sword, I have no longer any country to defend.” Afterward, Kosciuszko stated: “I have never fought except in the cause of human freedom, in America and Poland, and I can never serve in any other cause.” During May 1797, a British publication, The Gentleman’s Magazine, published a story of Kosciuszko’s arrival on a Swedish ship accompanied by a number of other Polish officers who were also sailing for America. The article mentioned that General Kosciuszko was “incurably wounded in the head, has three bayonet wounds in the back and a part of his thigh carried away by a cannon shot....” The magazine also stated that Kosciuszko had praised Czar Paul. Prior to embarking for America, General Kosciuszko traveled to Bristol to spend time with an old friend and expected to find some solitude there, but he was greeted with military honors and frequently received visitors, including nightly visits by a British band. Upon his departure, great crowds lined the cliffs as a barge transported him to the ship that sailed for America. Once in America, Kosciuszko visited George Washington, who was in Philadelphia and he stayed, living in a boarding house operated by Mrs. Relf, near the Delaware River at 3rd and Pine (present-day Society Hill). While living in Philadelphia, General Kosciuszko continued to suffer from his battle wounds, which had not healed. He frequently wore a head scarf to conceal a wound inflicted on his forehead. Rarely did the general venture out in public; rather, he spent his time

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receiving visitors and painting, often portraits of those who frequented his residence. On 23 January 1798, Congress again honored General Kosciuszko by awarding him the sum of $20,000 for principal and interest of five years service. While in America, General Kosciuszko became a close friend of Thomas Jefferson and referred to Jefferson as his Aristides (a soldier statesman and Christian apologist who lived in Greece during the second century). In turn, Jefferson, in a letter to General Gates, penned on 21 February 1798, said of General Kosciuszko: “He is as pure a son of liberty as I have ever known, and of that liberty which is to go to all, and not to the few and rich alone.” Later when Kosciuszko was preparing to return to Europe, Thomas Jefferson procured him passports from the foreign ministers under the name of Thomas Kamberg, as a “native of the north of Europe, and vouched for his political innocence.” Kosciuszko returned to Europe in 1798 and, according to his memoirs, lived in France for fifteen years, mostly at the estate of his friend Zeltner (former Landvogt of Lugano, and Swiss ambassador to the Republic of France) at the Chateau de Berville outside Fontainbleau. During that time, when Napoleon was preparing to invade Russia, the emperor dispatched Minister Fouche (1807) to gain the support of Kosciuszko; however, the general was able to clearly read the intent of Napoleon, which was not to free Poland; rather to conquer Russia and enslave the Poles. Upon receiving Kosciuszko’s rejection, the minister replied: “I only wish, General, that you may never repent your refusal.” Nevertheless, Napoleon, while in Poland en route to Russia, issued a proclamation, but he forged Kosciuszko’s name, and the Poles were tricked into believing their renowned general had published it. The truth remained buried for many years, but eventually, Napoleon was exposed, clearing the honor of Kosciuszko. After Napoleon was vanquished, Emperor Alexander, the son of the late Emperor Paul, entered Paris and met with General Kosciuszko. The general requested that the Poles receive fair treatment. The emperor responded affirmatively, but said that he required a “favor.” The emperor requested that Kosciuszko “be reconciled with the spirit of my deceased father, the Emperor Paul, by accepting the little present he bestowed on you when he ascended the throne, and gave you your liberty, but which you have steadfastly refused to this day.” Emperor Alexander was referring to the money that Czar Paul had placed in a bank for General Kosciuszko and where it remained. At that time, to the great pleasure of Emperor Alexander, Kosciuszko agreed to take the gift, which by that time had grown immensely due to accumulated interest. General Kosciuszko retired to Switzerland and devoted the remainder of his life to performing charitable works in the region where he resided, Soleure. General Kosciuszko roamed the Jura Mountains on a daily basis regardless of the weather to visit the poor and distribute money to them. According to the memoirs of General Kosciuszko, his horse became used to being halted every time the general came upon a poor person and after awhile, the horse would pause on its own when passing a poor person. General Kosciuszko succumbed on 15 October 1817, following a fall from his horse and a severe fever, the latter having struck on 1 October. Having never married, Kosciuszko’s niece, Catherine Estkowa, and her children became the beneficiaries of his estate. Prior to his death, he requested that his pallbearers be composed of six “poor men.” General Kosciuszko’s body was embalmed and he was interred in a Jesuit church; however, his heart was buried separately beneath a monument in his honor at Zuchwil. General Kosciuszko’s remains were taken to Cracow in 1818 and interred in a crypt in the Wawell Cathedral. Many of the Polish royalty families are interred there as well as four saints, including St. Stanislaus, the patron saint of Poland. Kosciuszko’s contribution to the fortress at West Point along the

Hudson was greatly appreciated by the cadets that later attended the U.S. Military Academy. During 1828, a section of the Point on a slope along the parade ground was selected as a place of honor in memory of the Polish general. The corps of cadets contributed $5,000 to create what became known as “Kosciuszko’s Garden.” The boarding house in which General Kosciuszko resided while in Philadelphia had fallen into disrepair during the twentieth century, but a group of PolishAmerican patriots, aware of its tremendous historical significance, succeeded in convincing Congress to rescue the home. The National Parks System oversaw the operation and during 1976, the colonial home of the Polish Patriot was restored and opened as a museum. General Kosciuszko’s memory has been honored in various places throughout the word, including Australia at its Kosciuszko National Park, which contains Mount Kosciuszko. In the United States, two states, Indiana and Mississippi, named counties in honor of General Kosciuszko. In New York state, two bridges are named in his honor, one above Albany and another along the Brooklyn Queens Expressway. And in Poland, the streets and various places named in his honor are too numerous to mention.

Lacey, Brigadier General John John Lacey, the son of John and Jane Chapman Lacey, who were Quakers, was born in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, on 4 February 1755. John’s father inherited a plantation from his father and a share in a grist mill. Later, John, Sr., purchased the other share in the grist mill and expanded the family business by establishing a sawmill. John Jr.’s mother was the daughter of Abraham and Susan Chapman. John, Jr., received only a fundamental education, which was not unusual at the time in a family of Quakers. John mentions in his memoirs that his teacher was not very good at spelling or mathematics and had no knowledge of grammar. The primary books in the country Quaker schools where John resided consisted of the “Bible and Testament and Dilworth’s spelling book.” When John reached about age fourteen, his schooling ended and he began to work with his father on the farm and at the grist and saw mills. During the early 1770s, John got to see part of the frontier when he accompanied his great uncle, Zebulin Heston, when he traveled to the Ohio River to visit the Delaware Indians who had relocated along the Ohio River after being pushed out of Bucks County by the colonists. In 1775, John Lacey was appointed captain of a unit of the Associators (formed by men from Buckingham and Wrightstown). He later described himself at that time as “being young and full of fire; Patriotism beat high in my breast.” Lacey’s commission was dated 5 January 1776. Congress had ordered the recruitment of several regiments and Captain Lacey, by 12 February 1776, had raised his contingent, composed of 85 non-commissioned officers and privates. Other Quakers joined with Lacey, but due to their religious convictions and interference with their Quaker meetings, they withdrew. Lacey, however lost no enthusiasm for the Patriots’ cause, and his determination to fight for his country caused him to be excommunicated from the Society of Quakers. He was visited several times in an attempt to convince him to lay down his arms, but he refused. Afterward, he was informed of his excommunication by the following message: “Whereas John Lacey Jr., hath had his birth and education amongst Friends; but hath so far diviated from the principles of Friends to learn the art of War; and having been treated with on that account, but not coming to a sence of this error, we give forth this our Testimony against such practices and can have no further Unity with him as a Member of our Society untill he comes to a sence of his Misconduct, and condems the same to the satisfaction of Friends, which he may do is our desire for him. JOSEPH CHAPMAN, Clerk.” Lacey’s company was attached to Colonel Anthony Wayne’s regiment, the 4th Pennsylvania Line. Shortly thereafter, Captain Lacey,

219 pursuant to orders from Colonel Anthony Wayne, marched southward to Chester, Pennsylvania, just below Philadelphia. The column paused at Darby on 14 March and intended to take quarters there for several days, but disagreements arose between the citizens and the military on the amount to be paid, which was more than Congress allotted for the purpose. However, Colonel Wayne personally agreed to take care of the bill, but the transaction never occurred and when Wayne arrived on Long Island, Lacey was ordered back to Darby to settle the debt. Upon his arrival there, the citizens who housed the troops laid no blame on Lacey, but they refused to accept the money allotted by Congress. Afterward, Lacey received more money from the committee of safety, paid the debt and returned to Long Island during May 1777. Meanwhile, the column arrived at Chester on the 22nd of March and the men received their arms. Captain Lacey acquired cloth for uniforms at his expense, and his unit was the first prepared to move to join the defenders in New York. He later described the uniforms: “Our Regimental Coats were Deep blew faced with white, white Vests & Overalls edged with blew Cloth. A very beautiful uniform, but on experience was found much better adapted for parade than utility in the hardships of a Camp, as they too easily became soiled, and hard to clean.” Prior to departing Bucks County, Lacey had acquired about twenty rifles, but they were later given to another company and Lacey’s men received muskets. At about the same time, the regiment was ordered to repair to New York, initially to be transported aboard shallops to Trenton and from there, the regiment moved overland. Lacey’s company had little training in military exercises, and they had no instructors, which complicated the operation, but the troops were the first unit ready to move out. In the meantime, another company, that of Captain Thomas Robinson, arrived in New York during April 1776 and on the 18th, both units were ordered to redeploy on Long Island. The regiment under Colonel Wayne was afterward ordered to Canada. Wayne led the regiment to Canada and participated in the tail end of that ill-fated campaign in which General Richard Montgomery was killed at Quebec on 31 December 1775 and Colonel Benedict Arnold received a serious wound. When Captain Lacey arrived back at Long Island in May, Colonel Wayne had already departed for Canada with two companies, including Lacey’s. The five remaining companies afterward trailed the vanguard. Wayne left orders for Lacey to command Captain James Moore’s company until the trailing units joined Wayne. Moore departed with Wayne and commanded Lacey’s armed company. After acquiring arms, the five additional companies sped toward Canada. Lacey’s troops’ resented their new commander and many deserted en route. General Greene, the commander on Long Island, was informed of the problem and he dispatched Lacey to catch his company and resume command (Lacey carried a letter to Wayne, explaining the new order). Relations between Wayne and Lacey quickly deteriorated after Wayne insisted that Captain Moore retain command of Lacey’s company until Moore’s company arrived. Meanwhile, General Sullivan dispatched Lacey to Montreal to deliver a message to Arnold. Lacey was taken by carriage and each time they passed one of the many crucifixes along the Sorrell River, Lacey was unimpressed with his French driver, stating: “as we passed each [Crucifix] my driver never failed to pull off his Hat, and make a low bow as he sat in our Carryall, turning his Face toward it, muttering at the same time a few words in French, I did not understand. I could not help reflecting on the Prejudice of Education on seeing these poor and ignorent Canadians so adroit in their devotion to these inanimate Posts of Wood.” Lacey completed his mission on 6 June and on that day, General Arnold handed him messages to be delivered to General Sullivan. Later, back at Crown Point, Lacey discovered that 28 men of his company were missing and some others had died at Crown Point due to no care.

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Lacey attempted to resign, but his resignation was rejected. He was also ordered on 13 July to take command of his company. He reluctantly agreed rather than face insubordination charges. Later, after completing a mission, Captain Lacey and a few officers celebrated in his tent, but apparently nothing unbecoming an officer occurred; however, on the following day, Captain Lacey was placed under arrest and confined to his tent, but Colonel Wayne never mentioned the charge. After Lacey demanded a court-martial, the unknown charges were dropped. After the retreat from Ticonderoga and the completion of the campaign, Captain Lacey proceeded to Pennsylvania, arriving back in Bucks County on 1 December 1776. During his stay at home, relatives attempted to persuade Lacey to abandon the Patriots and join the British army with a commission, but he immediately rejected the suggestion. At about the same time, Captain Lacey had sent in his resignation to the committee of safety, but shortly thereafter, on 22 March 1777, he was appointed a sub-lieutenant of the Bucks County militia in accordance with a militia law that called for each county to have a tribunal, composed on one lieutenant and four sub-lieutenants with the stipulation that the men hold the rank of colonel and lieutenant colonel respectively. The tribunals were formed to convene courts and organize the militia into regiments. Without interrupting Lacey’s duties as a sub-lieutenant of the county, he was commissioned a lieutenant colonel of militia for Bucks County on 6 May 1777. Subsequent to the Battle of Brandywine in September 1777, reinforcements were needed to replace those whose terms of service were nearing expiration. Lt. Colonel Lacey raised between three hundred and four hundred troops and advanced to Newtown to hook up with General Potter’s brigade. Lacey’s contingent arrived at Newtown during early November just after the Battle of Germantown and while Washington was preparing to establish winter quarters at Valley Forge. Nevertheless, Lacey’s contingent engaged the enemy several times in the vicinity of Gulf Mills. Afterward, Lacey’s force established positions on the eastern side of the Schuylkill River and held there until the end of the campaign. By the end of 1777, Colonel Lacey was beginning to take steps to retire from the service; however, on 9 January 1778, Lacey, only twentythree years old, was promoted to the rank of brigadier general and ordered to replace General Potter, who was compelled to take a leave of absence due to the serious illness of his wife. General Lacey assumed command while the British controlled Philadelphia, and one of his primary responsibilities was to sever the routes to the city to prevent contact between the Loyalists outside the city and the British command. Lacey became well known to the British, who vowed to get him “dead or alive.” Due to the either bad judgment or blatant misconduct on the part of the commander of a contingent of scouts, a British force was able to encroach Lacey’s positions at Crooked Billet (Hatboro, Montgomery County) on 1 May 1778 without detection during the early morning hours. Lacey’s force, still asleep, was struck by a force composed of a contingent of cavalry, about 400 light infantry troops and several hundred rangers. The British, commanded by Colonel Sir Robert Abercrombie (later major general, succeeded General Charles Cornwallis as commander-in-chief in the 1790s) awaited dawn and closed from every direction. General Lacey was initially corralled, but instinctively realized he had to fight or be annihilated. Lacey rallied his militia force and after forming the men, mounted an attack to penetrate the noose. The militia battled ferociously and managed to break through, but at a loss of about 28 to 30 men killed and some others either wounded or captured. The British failed to get their target, General Lacey, but they offered no quarter to the captives. Some were tossed into piles of hay, which were afterward set afire to burn the men alive. Other captives, though wounded, were slaughtered by swords and bayonets. Lacey’s commanding spirit enabled him to maintain discipline, which inspired his men to perform heroically against overwhelming

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odds. The British pursued Lacey’s force, which was composed initially of about 400 men, but Lacey outran the Redcoats; however, his baggage was abandoned along the way. The militia moved across the Craven Farm, skirmishing as they retired, and when they approached Bristol Road, they headed into the woods, leaving the British with no prey. The British terminated the chase without entering the woods. Lacey’s exploits did not end with the Battle of Crooked Billet. He continued to maintain domination in the region. Upon orders from General Washington, he was charged with destroying the various grist mills in the county, to the dismay of many of his neighbors; however, he understood the reasons: they had to be eliminated to prevent the British from acquiring supplies. After the British abandoned Philadelphia in June 1778, General Lacey was elected to the general assembly as a delegate from Bucks County. He initiated his term in November. The next year, General Lacey was elected to the council, where he served for three years. Later, during 1780, an alarm was raised regarding a new potential attack against Philadelphia, prompting General Washington to order General Lacey to repair to Trenton, New Jersey, in command of a brigade composed of troops from Berks and Bucks counties. The brigade remained in the vicinity of Trenton until October 1781, but the attack never materialized. Following the Battle of Monmouth on 28 June 1778, no major battle occurred in the northern theater as the war shifted to the South. In October 1781, General Lord Charles Cornwallis capitulated at Yorktown, Virginia, ending the major fighting of the war. While serving in New Jersey, General Lacey met and married Anastasia Reynolds, the daughter of Colonel Thomas and Elizabeth Budd Reynolds of New Jersey. Soon after his wedding, General Lacey moved to New Mills, Burlington County, in that state. John and Anastasia had four children: Thomas (married Susan Newbold); Catherine (known as Kitty, married Doctor William Darlington); Jane (married Jonathan Hough); and Elizabeth (married William L. Smith). John Lacey became involved in an iron works (New Mills Forge), and he also served as both a justice and a judge of Burlington County. He was elected to the New Jersey legislature. During his 59th year, the gout, from which he suffered for a long period, was blamed for his death on 17 February 1814.

Lafayette, Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier Lafayette was born on 6 September 1757 in France at the castle Chaara Diac in Aurergne. In August 1759, Lafayette’s father was killed in the Battle of Minden, fought in northern Germany between the allies (English, Prussians, Hanoverians and Hessians) and the French in what was known as the Seven Years’ War (French and Indian War in the colonies). The death of Lafayette’s father was caused by firing of a battery commanded by General William Phillips, who ironically would later oppose Lafayette in Virginia. Lafayette, a child blessed with well above average intelligence, entered the Louis le Grand college before he was ten years old. He also became a page to the queen and within a short while, he attended the military college of Duplessis, in Paris. He was appointed as an officer and served in the Mousquetaires (musketeers), an elite corps that protected the king. The unit was disbanded by edict in 1775. In the meantime, during 1774, when he was about seventeen, Lafayette married a countess, Anastasia (Anastasie) de Noailles, the daughter of the Duke de Noailles. The marriage added to Lafayette’s wealth, which he accumulated through inheritance following the death of his mother and grandfather. At the time Lafayette was also becoming familiar with the situation in the American colonies. He decided to leave his family and join with the Americans against the British. The king, Louis XVI, counseled against the journey and prohibited him from departing France, and many of his friends also tried to dissuade him, but Lafayette paid no heed to the advice or the king’s pro-

hibition. He informed the American commissioners, Silas Deane and Benjamin Franklin, of his willingness to serve in the Continental Army. The Americans had suffered severe setbacks in New Jersey and the commissioners explained all the circumstances that looked so bleak, but to no avail. Even word from the commissioners that they could not book passage for him failed to keep Lafayette in France. Nevertheless, he was handed introductory letters. Lafayette overcame obstacles in France intended to prevent him from sailing to America and at his own expense, embarked on a vessel that he outfitted. Others who sailed with Lafayette included Baron De Kalb, who also becoming a general officer in the Continental Army. Lafayette was a party to a contract signed with Silas Deane on 7 December that replaced one signed on 1 December by De Kalb. Lafayette remained concealed at De Kalb’s home outside of Paris prior to embarking on a vessel, the Victoire, captained by Le Boursier. It is thought that the king dispatched warships to intercept Lafayette in the West Indies and detain him, but there is no written evidence to support the theory. Records of Baron De Kalb relate that the government of France clandestinely supported his move to the colonies, which would suggest that France also supported Lafayette’s mission. Lafayette first arrived in South Carolina at North Island in Winyau Bay slightly more than fifty miles from Charleston. He was greeted there during mid–June by Major Benjamin Huger and afterward, he moved to Charleston, where he met General William Moultrie and other officers. Lafayette’s initial encounter with the Patriots was not especially encouraging, as the situation in South Carolina was less than good; however, Lafayette obviously was not discouraged. He gathered clothing from the vessel for distribution to Moultrie’s diminutive force and he gave each of Moultrie’s officers a sword prior to departing overland for Philadelphia, where he and Baron Johann de Kalb arrived on 27 July. Initially, Lafayette’s offer to serve was not anxiously received by the Committee of Foreign Affairs; however, when notified that he would serve without pay, the circumstances quickly changed. The Marquis de Lafayette received his commission as major general on the 31st of July 1777, when he was only twenty years old. The resolution as passed by Congress: “Whereas, the marquis de la Fayette, out of his great zeal to the cause of liberty, in which the United States are engaged, has left his family and connexions, and, at his own expence, come over to offer his service to the United States, without pension or particular allowance, and is anxious to risque his life in our cause: Resolved, That his service be accepted, and that, in consideration of his zeal, illustrious family and connexions, he have the rank and commission of major general in the army of the United States.” Lafayette joined with General George Washington and participated in the Battle of Brandywine (September 9–11, 1777) and was wounded during the fighting. Lafayette was out of action for about eight weeks. Toward the latter part of November 1777, he commanded a contingent that had crossed the Delaware River into New Jersey to gather cattle. On the 9th of November a clash occurred north of Gloucester with a contingent of Hessian picket troops. The Americans sustained slight casualties while taking about ten prisoners. The British maintained control of Philadelphia through the winter of 1777-1778. The following spring, Lafayette was dispatched from Valley Forge to Barren Hill by Washington. At that time, it was anticipated that the British would abandon Philadelphia. General Lafayette informed a Quaker at Barren Hill that he would need lodging for the night of 19–20 May. The Quaker, in turn, notified the British of Lafayette’s presence. On the morning of 20 May a British force of about 7,000 troops under General James Grant had closed on the rear of the American positions, while Lafayette also faced more enemy forces moving against his frontal positions. Lafayette was able to get his command across Matson’s Ford, while General Grant at Plymouth Meeting advanced without securing the

221 crossing. The Americans evaded the trap, leaving the British in their wake and afterward, General Washington directed the artillery to pummel the British routes of approach, which halted the enemy advance and prompted the British to return to Philadelphia. Lafayette’s maneuver saved his command and with it, prevented possible disaster for Washington’s main body. If Grant had secured Matson’s Ford, Lafayette would have been trapped and forced instead to fight his way to the Delaware. Instead, Lafayette gained the high ground on the opposite bank of the ford, which convinced the British to abort the pursuit. During the incident, Lafayette had placed about 100 Indians (sent from Fort Pitt at the request of Lafayette) at a spot where the British would pass. The Indians had never seen a British soldier and the British contingent that entered the ambush site had never seen an Indian. The encounter stunned both sides. The Indians spotted the Redcoats and immediately abandoned their positions, jumped into the Schuylkill River and swam to the opposite bank. The British, upon first sight of the Indians, and hearing their yelling, also panicked and they too retreated without firing a shot. On 19 June 1778, General Washington initiated an offensive. The encampment at Valley Forge was terminated just after the British abandoned Philadelphia. Washington designated General Charles Lee with the task of intercepting the British in New Jersey before they could reach New York, but he declined the command. Consequently, the Marquis de Lafayette received the command. He held none of the apprehension exhibited earlier by Lee, who proclaimed that it would be “criminal to risk a battle with an enemy so superior in discipline and strength.” In addition, a vanguard under General Maxwell had been sent in advance of the main body to harass the British column in cooperation with New Jersey militia, but the force retreated in the vicinity of Mount Holly upon the approach of the Redcoats. By 25 June, General Washington, in counsel with his generals at Kingston on the Millstone River, decided on a full scale attack, despite General Lee’s insistence that no action be launched. Meanwhile, Congress, aware of the absence of the British, prepared to reconvene in Philadelphia on 2 July. On the 28th of June the two sides clashed at the Battle of Monmouth, but General Charles Lee’s actions were costly. Washington dispatched General Lee and two brigades on the 27th to join Lafayette, with the latter also receiving a letter from Washington, asking him to accept Lee’s seniority. Lee impeded an aggressive advance and at one point, ordered General Anthony Wayne to only feign a strong attack. The Americans were ordered to retreat before Washington arrived to re-stabilize the collapsing lines. Meanwhile, Lee also prevented Lafayette from attacking to the rear of the advancing British cavalry by proclaiming: “Sir, you do not know British soldiers. We can not stand against them. We shall certainly be driven back at first and we must be cautious.” La Fayette, retorted: “It may be so general, but British soldiers have been beaten and they may be again. At any rate, I am disposed to make the trial.” Lee refused to approve of the strike against the rear, but he relented somewhat, allowing a strike against the British left flank. Shortly afterward, General Lee ordered the forces on his right flank to retreat, which endangered the forces on the American left flank. Lee had brought about more chaos. Generals Maxwell and Charles Marquis de Lafayette (Pictorial Field Scott, due to confusion, withBook of the Revolution, Benson J. Los- drew toward Freehold. Lee then ordered Lafayette to resing, 1860)

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treat and Lee then ordered a general retreat. General Washington at that time remained unaware of the deteriorating circumstances. Lafayette led his column in an attempt to catch Lee and the main body, but the British were in hot pursuit. After Washington arrived on scene, he was able to forestall disaster and prevent a catastrophic defeat. The Americans fought to a stalemate at Monmouth, but the British were compelled to continue their retreat, having once again lost a victory to George Washington. At about midnight (28th–29th), the British under General Henry Clinton moved out for Sandy Hook without detection by the Americans. Lafayette, having fought in what became the final battle of the war in the northern states, requested permission from Congress to return to France to visit his family. However, he did participate in the campaign against British-held Newport in July and August 1778. After the French fleet moved to Boston, leaving General John Sullivan’s forces without support, Lafayette repaired to Boston in an attempt to convince Count D’Estaing to return. Lafayette returned to Rhode Island just as the Americans were retreating to the mainland and his command was able to cover the retreat. With regard to Lafayette’s actions, on 9 September Congress resolved “that the president be requested to inform the marquis De La Fayette, that Congress have a due sense of the sacrifice of his personal feelings in undertaking a journey to Boston, with a view of promoting the interest of these states, at a time when an occasion was daily expected of his acquiring glory in the field, and that his gallantry in going on Rhode Island when the greatest part of the army had retreated, and his good conduct in bringing off the pickets and out-sentinels, deserve their particular approbation.” Lafayette received the wishes of Congress and a letter from the president, Henry Laurens, and responded: “From the moment that I first heard the name of America, I loved her; from the moment that I learned her struggles for liberty, I was inflamed with the desire of shedding my blood in her cause.” Later, on 21 October, Congress resolved “that the Marquis de la Fayette, major general in the service of the United States, have leave to go to France; and that he return at such time as shall be most convenient to him.” Congress directed the minister plenipotentiary of the U.S. at the court of Versailles to acquire “an elegant sword, with proper devices, to be made and presented, in the name of the United States, to the Marquis de la Fayette.” On that same day, Congress approved of a letter of introduction of Lafayette to King Louis XVI. The sword, when finished, was presented to Lafayette by Benjamin Franklin’s grandson. On 14 January 1779, the Alliance sailed from Boston with Lafayette aboard en route to France. The Alliance, commanded by a Frenchman, Pierre Landais, experienced a serious problem on 3 February when members of the crew, composed mainly of Englishmen and Irish seamen, mutinied in an attempt to gain control of the vessel, capture Lafayette and turn him over to the British. However, the plan was foiled; thirty-eight men were placed in irons and the vessel continued the journey, arriving safely in France on 6 February 1779. He remained in France throughout 1779 and while there spent some time working to acquire more support from the king to bolster the Americans’ cause. Lafayette arrived back in America during late April 1780 and carried optimistic news for General Washington, including word that another French fleet would soon be off the coast. In turn, Washington had plans for Lafayette, which included command of an army in Virginia. Meanwhile, on 12 May 1780, the British seized Charleston, South Carolina. Four days later, Congress resolved to “consider the return of the Marquis de la Fayette to America to resume his command in the army, as a fresh proof of the disinterested zeal and persevering attachment which have justly recommended him to the public confidence and applause; and that they receive with pleasure a tender of the farther services of so gallant and meritorious an officer.” On 7 June a Hessian force of about 5,000 strong landed at DeHart’s Point, New Jersey, and advanced toward Morristown, defended by

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militia and regulars under General Lafayette and Colonel Elias Drayton. On the 23rd, a major clash occurred at Connecticut Farms, which was destroyed by the British; however, by dusk, the Redcoats returned to DeHart’s Point. On 26 September with the unfolding of Benedict Arnold’s treason, his co-conspirator, British major Andre, was escorted to the Robinson House near West Point and on the following day, he received a court-martial at Stony Point. General Greene was president and General Lafayette was a member of the board, which convicted Andre as a spy and ordered his execution (2 October 1780). Benedict Arnold escaped capture and the following spring he was in command of British troops that ravaged parts of Virginia. It was Lafayette who was dispatched to intercept Arnold and terminate the raids. Lafayette arrived in Richmond, Virginia, on 25 April. The next day, British General Phillips and Arnold were attacking Manchester, but Lafayette’s forces prevented the British from crossing the river to attack Richmond. On 9 May, General Phillips became too ill to continue in command, and on that day General Lord Cornwallis, in a letter to General Clinton regarding Lafayette, stated: “The boy cannot escape me!” Nevertheless, Cornwallis failed to trap Lafayette and during June 1781; reinforcements under General Anthony Wayne arrived to bolster Lafayette. More troops under General Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben arrived on the 19th and General Washington was en route. Cornwallis was forced to abandon Williamsburg. Two days later, at the Battle of Green Spring ( Jamestown Ford) on 6 July, the British failed to eliminate Lafayette. Cornwallis was pushed to Yorktown with Lafayette in pursuit. Afterward, on 30 August, a French fleet under Comte de Grasse arrived in Chesapeake Bay, which brought extra jubilation to Lafayette, who was pleased to see his countrymen join the fight. In mid–September another French fleet transporting Washington’s forces arrived in Virginia. By that time, Cornwallis had failed to draw Lafayette into a major battle, while Lafayette had accomplished his mission to harass the British without losing his force. Meanwhile, Admiral de Grasse was informed that a British fleet had reached New York. De Grasse intended to leave a few warships to guard the James and York Rivers and depart to intercept the fleet, but Washington was not receptive to the plan. He sent Lafayette to convince de Grasse of the need for him to stay rather than jeopardize the operation. Lafayette was successful. Had he failed, reinforcements might have reached Cornwallis and the war would have been prolonged. Additional reinforcements arrived in Virginia on the 25th of September and afterward, the massive force advanced in four columns toward Yorktown. Cornwallis capitulated on 19 October. Subsequent to the defeat of Cornwallis, Lafayette departed aboard the Alliance on 25 December 1781 for France to visit his family. At the time of Lafayette’s departure, the Alliance, commanded by John Barry, was one of only two remaining frigates in the Continental Navy. Lafayette was still in France (raising an army of Frenchmen and Spanish troops for service in America) when peace finally officially ended the American Revolution. By 1784, Lafayette had arranged for U.S. vessels to use four ports in France as free ports (duty-free except for tobacco). On 1 July 1784, Lafayette sailed from Havre, France, on the Courier and arrived at New York on 4 August. After spending a few days there, Lafayette traveled to Philadelphia and was greeted by a grand display that included bells throughout the city ringing, artillery fire, huge crowds and a parade of officers and politicians to continue the welcome into the following day. Lafayette remained in Philadelphia until the 14th of August, when he headed for Mount Vernon to visit George and Martha Washington at their estate. After a stay of twelve days, Lafayette said goodbye to the Washingtons and traveled to Baltimore. From there, he went to Connecticut and afterward to New York, where he met with Indians at Fort Schuyler and explained the benefits of living in peace, but he also informed them of consequences for them if

hostilities erupted. The Indians referred to Lafayette as “Kayewla” and some of the Mohawk chiefs referred to him as “Father.” He returned to Albany and from there he moved through Connecticut en route to Boston, where yet another grand welcome awaited him. In addition, he visited many other towns in Massachusetts and in New Hampshire before heading for Newport. Lafayette, after returning to Boston, embarked on the royal frigate La Nymphe for Virginia. He was greeted by throngs in Williamsburg and shortly thereafter moved to Richmond, where Washington had traveled to join in the celebration. Lafayette and Washington departed Richmond for Mount Vernon and together they went to Alexandria and then Annapolis, where they parted company. Washington returned home while Lafayette moved to Philadelphia and on to Trenton. Lafayette’s grand tour wound down during December 1784. From New York, he embarked at Whitehall on Christmas Day. His departure was witnessed by many people. The American flags waved atop the forts on the battery and he received a thirteen-gun salute, which was returned by the French warship. Lafayette had an American accompany him to France, George Washington Greene, the oldest son of General Nathanael Greene. The youth was to continue his education under the care of Lafayette, but the French Revolution disrupted Greene’s studies. Lafayette also took an Indian, Otisquette, a prince of the Oneidas. Otisquette learned French and English, but upon his return to America, he returned to the ways of his tribe and died shortly thereafter. Meanwhile, back in France, Lafayette rose to commander of the Armed forces, and he was a member of the notables (assembly called by and selected by Louis XVI). As such, Lafayette supported the Protestant cause, which brought about the edict of 1787, on the 19th of November, to the benefit of the Protestants. Subsequently, the French Revolution began to ignite. The nation suffered from a financial crisis and the citizenry began to oppose the monarchy. Riots erupted during the following April and soon after, on 5 May 1789, the states-general convened following an absence of 166 years. The king had reluctantly agreed to the action, although it would limit his powers. Lafayette was selected as deputy to the states-general, which was composed of three bodies: nobility, clergy and commons. By June 1789, the Third Estate professed to be the National Assembly. On 11 July 1789, Lafayette proposed a declaration of rights and on the 14th, the Parisians seized the Bastille. By February 1790, the violence spread to eradicating the Church. Monastic vows were forbidden and most Catholic orders were abolished. During August 1792, the king and his family were confined in the tower of the Temple. The palace was seized on 10 August 1792 and by that time, the army no longer adhered to orders of Lafayette. On 19 August 1792, Lafayette took flight to escape the Jacobins. The king was executed during January 1793 and the Queen was executed the following October. The National Assembly listed Lafayette as an enemy of the state. He attempted to embark for the United States, but his party was seized by Prussians, who turned Lafayette over to the Austrians. He was kept as a prisoner at Olmutz. Meanwhile, the revolution was terminated on 27 July 1794 and the Reign of Terror was ended. Lafayette’s wife sent her oldest son (George Washington Lafayette) to the United States to stay with George Washington, while she and her two oldest daughters (Anastasia and Virginia) attempted to reach her husband. The family traveled with American passports and landed in Altona on 9 September 1795 and from there they moved to Vienna. They were told that they could enter to see Lafayette, but if so, they would never leave. The conditions were horrendous and the health of Lafayette’s wife continued to deteriorate. At one point, she was given permission to leave the dungeon, but if she did, she would never be able to return to her husband. Defiantly, she remained in the prison. Lafayette’s two daughters were also confined in the dungeon, but separately from their parents. Freedom for Lafayette and his family finally came about through

223 Napoleon, who insisted that the Austrian emperor (Treaty of Campo Formio 1797) release all French prisoners at Olmutz, the fortress in Moravia. President Washington had also been instrumental in gaining the release of Lafayette. On 25 August 1797, Lafayette and his family were freed. Lafayette had been confined for about five years and his children and ailing wife were held for just under two years. The family afterward traveled to Welmoldt, in Holstein, and remained there for about two years. It was there that the family was reunited with George Washington Lafayette, who returned there from America during 1797. Afterward, Lafayette returned to France and took up residence at La Grange, a castle located less than fifty miles from Paris. Lafayette became a member of the Chamber, and he was there when Napoleon returned to Paris after the defeat at Waterloo. Paris surrendered to the allies on 3 July 1815. Lafayette returned to the United States during 1824. He traveled to Camden, South Carolina, during 1825, and on 9 May of that year, he laid the cornerstone of the monument to honor General Baron Johann de Kalb, who was mortally wounded at the Battle of Camden on 16 August 1780. Subsequent to his return to his native land, France, another revolution erupted during 1830, but it was of short duration. Lafayette was able to end the crisis within three days. On 18 May 1834, Lafayette became ill while walking in a funeral procession. He succumbed three days later, on the 21st, at his hotel in Paris. His wife, Anastasia, had died on 4 December 1807 at age 47.

Langdon, John (Signer of the U.S. Constitution) John Langdon, the son of John (1) and Mary Hall Langdon, was born in the vicinity of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, on 26 June 1741. In addition to John (2), his parents had the following children: Woodbury, Mary, Elizabeth, Abigail, and Martha. John’s father was a prominent citizen of the area and the Langdon family had been among the initial colonists to settle near the mouth of the Piscataqua River. John (1) became an affluent farmer and was involved in local politics. After receiving his education in a local school, the younger John showed no interest in becoming a farmer, but during his early years, he was intrigued by the sea and the shipping industry. Consequently, John and his older brother, Woodbury, both decided to learn the mercantile business. After serving as an apprentice for a short time, the lure of the sea prompted John to leave the counting house. He became captain of a merchant ship about 1763 and afterward sailed between Portsmouth and the West Indies, all the while accumulating wealth with which to acquire his own vessel, which he accomplished when he was about twenty-six. From that first merchant ship, John built a fleet. As the business expanded, he included London in his shipping lanes. Meanwhile, his brother Woodbury had also prospered as a merchant, making both of them affluent and prominent citizens. Nevertheless, John was widely separated from his brother with regard to politics, and when the pair was elected to the New Hampshire legislature in 1774, Woodbury was aligned with the more conservative merchants while John leaned heavily toward the positions of the Patriots. John became a vocal opponent of the policies of the Crown and Parliament. That September a vessel, the Fox, arrived at Portsmouth with a cargo of tea. In New Hampshire and the other colonies, the Patriots had agreed to support a non-importation act. The cargo was scheduled to be delivered to Edward Parry, but he attempted to become unattached to the shipment. The tea was transferred to another ship, but Parry remained concerned and would come under scrutiny from the Patriots. In the meantime, John Langdon became dissatisfied with the legislature’s action and became involved with the Sons of Liberty. On 14 December 1774, Langdon participated in the raid against Fort William and Mary (later Fort Constitution) that included men from Massachusetts and New Hampshire. The fort was lightly manned, having only six

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defenders under the command of Captain John Cochran, making the task rather easy. The Patriots seized the powder to prevent its use by the royal governor, John Wentworth. At the time, a British fleet was en route to Portsmouth to prevent the Patriots from acquiring the powder, but Paul Revere learned of the movement and rode to Portsmouth to warn the Patriots. Once the powder was seized, it was hidden because the waterways had begun to freeze, making it too difficult to transport it by boats. Later the ammunition was carried to Boston. Meanwhile, the HMS Canceaux and the 40-gun frigate HMS Scarborough (carrying about 100 Royal Marines) arrived at Portsmouth on the 17th and 19th respectively, but no violence erupted. Later that year, some difficulties arose when privateers seized the sloop Unity only to find that it was a recapture. Tempers flared when the ship was returned to its owner, John Langdon. The crew attempted mutiny, but General Washington dispatched troops to quell the insurrection. The problem was soon after terminated and the crew members were tried and convicted. Afterward, a new crew was assigned (drawn from John Glover’s Marblehead Regiment). Also that year, John Langdon and John Sullivan were selected as New Hampshire’s delegates to attend the Second Continental Congress. On 18 September 1775, Congress resolved to establish a Secret Committee. Langdon was one of the appointees. Others included Benjamin Franklin, Robert Livingston and Thomas McKean. Soon after, on the 25th, Congress resolved “that a Committee of accounts or claims be now raised to consist of one member from each of the United Colonies, to whom all accounts against the Continent are to be referred, who are to examine and report upon the same, in order for payment, seven of them to be a quorum.” Langdon was also appointed to that committee, with Caesar Rodney, Thomas Nelson and Silas Deane. During the following month, October, John was appointed to a three-man committee charged with finding ways to acquire quarters for troops and other necessities. On the 13th, the Naval Committee was authorized by Congress and Langdon was one of its first appointees. Christopher Gadsden and Silas Deane were the other two; however, by the end of the month, four more men, including John Adams, were added. Langdon continued to be appointed to various committees at a rapid pace. On 2 November 1775, in response to a letter from General Philip Schuyler, General Richard Montgomery and Walter Livingston, Congress appointed a three-man committee and directed it to travel to the Northern Department to confer with General Schuyler at Albany. Langdon was also on that committee, along with Eliphalet Dyer and Robert Treat Paine. The purpose of the mission was to draw up plans for the campaign in Canada with regard to the number of troops needed as well as recruiting. During the mission, the party investigated the situation along the Hudson River and during that period, Langdon approved of a regiment of volunteers, composed solely of Canadians. Langdon completed his congressional service during the following year. On 25 June 1776, Congress appointed him “agent of prizes for the Colony of New Hampshire.” While at Portsmouth, Langdon established a shipyard, and it was there that several of the American warships were built, including the frigate Raleigh and the America, a 74-gun double-decked ship-of-the-line scheduled to be captained by John Paul Jones, but instead given by Congress to France. In March 1780, Congress was informed that the project in Portsmouth had been suspended and that to continue, John Langdon required additional financing to complete the America. In the meantime, during Langdon’s service at Portsmouth, he also was closely involved with overseeing the logistics of getting arms and ammunition to the various units. The operation surrounding the distribution of the arms was especially delicate prior to France’s public support of the United States because the French had proclaimed neutrality, but through clandestine activities, they

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supplied many war items to the Americans through various New England ports. Langdon’s responsibilities did not stop at the wharf. He also served in the militia and in the state legislature during the war. He was elected to the New Hampshire legislature in 1777 and held the position of speaker of the House (lower) until 1781. That year, John married Elizabeth Sherburne. John and Elizabeth had one child, Elizabeth (b. December 1777, married Thomas Elwyn of England). During his time in the legislature, Langdon also devoted time to participating in the reorganizing the New Hampshire militia, which was split into two brigades, one in the west to defend the frontier from an attack originating in Canada, while the other took responsibility for defending the coastal areas that could have been used as a point of attack by the British navy. Langdon commanded a company attached to General William Whipple’s brigade that was responsible for the coastal region. This company was especially unique. It was composed of officers, each of whom held a commission in their respective regions, and each of them was considered affluent. Nevertheless, despite their reputation as being a “silk stocking” unit, the company was also composed of well-trained men who made the unit a formidable foe. During the Saratoga Campaign, the British progressed rapidly and seized Ticonderoga effortlessly after the defenders were ordered to abandon the post without a fight. The British, however, were not equally successful against the forces of General John Stark, who inflicted a severe loss on a key part of General John Burgoyne’s army. Meanwhile, General Horatio Gates was ordered to replace General Philip Schuyler as commanded of the Northern Department. Reinforcements were called upon and John Langdon’s company was part of that force. Stark, following the victory at Bennington, also moved toward Saratoga. Burgoyne was compelled to surrender during October 1777, following his second major defeat at Saratoga. John Langdon afterward saw his company transformed into a cavalry unit, which participated as part of Whipple’s brigade during the Rhode Island campaign led by General John Sullivan during the ill-fated offensive to regain Newport from the British during the summer of 1778. At the time, Langdon held the rank of colonel (militia). General Sullivan, lacking the support of a French fleet that departed for Boston to repair their ships following a storm, had to retreat to the mainland. It was a fighting withdrawal, but the Americans did manage to evacuate on the 29th of April just as a British fleet was arriving in the harbor. The participation of John Langdon in Rhode Island was his final military duty in the field during the war. After the conclusion of the war, Langdon remained in the legislature. In 1785, he was elected as president (governor) of New Hampshire. During the following year he failed to gain re-election as president, but he did return to the state’s legislature. In the meantime, the various states had concluded that a Constitutional Convention was required to form a new government to strengthen the union. John was selected as a delegate to represent New Hampshire at the convention, which was to convene in Philadelphia during 1787. During his service in the militia, Langdon had used his personal finances on more than one occasion to supply his unit with equipment and supplies, and upon his selection as a delegate, once again he had to dip into his own money. The New Hampshire legislature selected Langdon and Nicholas Gilman as their delegates, but it failed to provide the funds to cover their expenses. Langdon covered the expenses of himself and Gilman. The convention opened in May, but the two delegates arrived in late July. Once there, Langdon actively participated in the sessions and frequently made speeches to bolster his position on commerce, the military and taxes. Langdon immediately sided with the proponents, like Washington, Madison and others, of a strong and effective central government. His side prevailed and the Constitution was adopted on 17 September 1787, effective upon ratification by nine states. It was

New Hampshire that became the ninth state to ratify the Constitution on 21 June 1788. In the meantime, Langdon did serve for a while in the Continental Congress following adoption of the Constitution, but he returned home during 1788 to press for ratification by his state. Subsequent to ratification by New Hampshire, Langdon was returned to the governorship of the state for one term before being elected to the United States Senate. Initially he was a Federalist, but he later switched his allegiance when he became an opponent of the Jay Treaty of 1794. Afterward, his support swung toward the Democratic-Republicans (present-day Democrats) who supported Thomas Jefferson for president. He remained in the body until 1801. Langdon was offered the position of secretary of the Navy by President Jefferson, but he declined, preferring to return to his private life. Later, he did once again return to the state legislature (1801–1805) and he again served as governor (1805–1811, except 1809). As the War of 1812 was unfolding, Langdon retired completely from public life. John Langdon, the soldier, legislator and Patriot died on 18 September 1819, at Portsmouth. He was interred in the Old North Cemetery in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

Lansing, John (Framer of the U.S. Constitution) John Lansing, the son of Jannetje and Gerrit Jacob Lansing, was born in Albany, New York, on 30 January 1754. John received an excellent education and pursued a career as a lawyer, studying under James Duane (later a member of the Continental Congress who opposed separation from Britain and the Declaration of Independence). Lansing gained admittance to the bar about 1774–1775. He was commissioned as a lieutenant in the 1st New York Regiment on 21 November 1776, but during the following month, he resigned. Subsequently, he served as adjutant to a New York regiment and acted as secretary to General Philip Schuyler. Lansing, however, leaned toward the political field, and during 1780, he entered politics and was elected to the New York Assembly, a place where he would spend six years (1780–1784, 1786 and 1788). While in the assembly, Lansing served as speaker during 1786 and 1788. In the meantime, Lansing also served in the Confederation Congress, and he was elected mayor of Albany during 1786, a post he retained until 1790. And in the midst of those posts, he was also elected as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention held in Philadelphia during May–September 1787. In addition to his career as a lawyer and a public servant, he also had a personal life. Lansing’s personal wealth had grown immensely by the time the Constitutional Convention was held, but he wasn’t yet affluent when he married Cornelia Ray during 1781. John and Cornelia had ten children, but five of their children died in infancy. The family was raised on his estate, known as Lansingburg. Several things occurred after the war that exposed a series of weaknesses in the Articles of Confederation under which the government was operating and of those, some of the most glaring contradictions included the inability of one state consummating a treaty with another without authorization from Congress. Another was the difficulty under that restriction to generate healthy interstate commerce. The thirteen original states were literally acting as separate nations. Movement toward a strong, effective central government by establishing a federal Constitution was heavily supported by George Washington and others, but on the opposing side, the agenda was limited to increasing the effectiveness of the Articles. The momentum for expeditious change began to increase following a dilemma that occurred when Virginia and Maryland came to agreement (Mount Vernon Conference) on improving navigation along the Potomac River, only to find out that the Articles made the agreement invalid. Afterward a convention was called and held during March 1786 in Annapolis, but only a few states (Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland,

225 New York and Virginia) sent delegates. At the Annapolis Convention, it was decided that a constitutional convention was needed. The convention was set to be held in Philadelphia in 1786. Also that year, Lansing served on the commission that met in Hartford, Connecticut, to work out the remaining differences regarding territorial claims of Massachusetts and New York. John Lansing arrived at the Constitutional Convention, but he was immediately dismayed when he found it in the process of forming a new government rather than strengthening the Articles. He instantly became an opponent of the constitution out of concern for states’ rights. Nevertheless, he attended the sessions for about six weeks in an attempt to derail the process. Another New York delegate of like mind, Robert Yates, decided to end their participation. Both men departed and afterward sent a joint letter to Governor George Clinton to express their opinions and identify their reasons for abandoning the convention, leaving Alexander Hamilton as the sole member of the New York delegation. Both Lansing and Yates were adamantly opposed to a federal government. While in attendance, Lansing kept copious notes. They were later consolidated and published under the title Secret Proceedings and Debates of the Federal Constitution Convention. Over the objections of Lansing and during his absence, the United States Constitution was adopted on 17 September 1787, effective upon ratification by nine states. During the following year, Lansing was a delegate to the state constitutional convention in Poughkeepsie. He carried his immovable positions into the convention and toiled incessantly to derail ratification, but yet again, his position did not prevail. About one month after New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify, New York ratified the Constitution on 26 July 1788, to become the eleventh state to join the union. The new Congress, operating under the Constitution, convened during March 1789 and during the following month, George Washington was inaugurated (30 April) as the first president of the United States. Following the birth of the Constitution, Lansing did not serve in any national capacity; however, he did remain in public service. He was appointed to the New York Supreme Court during 1790 and later, during 1798, became chief justice. He remained in that capacity until 1801. At that time, 1801, Lansing became chancellor of the state as successor to Robert Livingston, who had resigned. In the meantime, pursuant to an act of the legislature (passed 6 July 1791), Lansing was appointed to a commission to examine the claims of the city and county of New York regarding land in the state of Vermont (Vermont entered the union on 4 March 1791 to become the 14th state.). In 1817, after having retired as chancellor, John became a regent of the University of the State of New York. Twelve years later, John Lansing became the victim of unknown circumstances while he was staying at a hotel in New York City. On the 12th of December 1829, Lansing walked from a hotel where he was staying to the Albany Boat at the foot of Water Street to mail a letter or letters and never returned. He vanished without a trace and the mystery was never solved. Nonetheless, it is thought that he was murdered. Other theories on John Lansing’s demise include accidental drowning. Lansing also published a work known as Select Cases in Chancery and in the Supreme Court in 1824 and 1828.

Laurens (Laurent), Henry Henry Laurens, the son of Jean ( John) and Esther Grasset Laurens, was born in 1724 in Charleston, South Carolina. Henry’s ancestors were Huguenots who left France for England after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes (issued during the late 1500 to permit coexistence of Protestants and Catholics) during 1685. However, Henry’s great-grandfather, Jean Laurent, died prior to 1681. His great-grandmother (Elizabeth Menigaut or Manigault) and her son, Andre, left with another family, that of Daniel Lucas. Later, in France, Andre married Marie Lucas, the daughter of Daniel. Andre and Marie had several children,

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including Jean Samuel, the father of Henry, who was born in New York. After the death of Andre’s wife, about 1715–1716, Andre and his family relocated to South Carolina. Prior to leaving New York, Jean Samuel married Esther (or Hester) Grasset and they too moved to South Carolina. Andre, Henry’s grandfather, had accumulated wealth and was able to provide substantial wealth to each of his children (four sons and one daughter). John, Henry Laurens (Pictorial Field Book of Henry’s father, established the Revolution, Benson J. Lossing, 1860) himself as a saddler, initially as a workman and later as a merchant. Although the family had been Huguenots, John and his wife, Esther, became members of St. Philip’s Episcopal Church in Charleston. Henry’s parents had five other children. However, John’s wife died during April 1742. Several months later, John married Elizabeth Wicking. Henry received his education in Charleston and afterward learned the mercantile business while working under Thomas Smith, a prominent merchant. Afterward, Henry traveled to England to work under a merchant there, Mr. Crockatt, of London. Henry anticipated becoming a partner with Crockatt, but it did not materialize. Henry sailed from Portsmouth during April 1747 on the vessel Neptune and arrived back in Charleston during early June, a short time after his father had died. Following his return to South Carolina, Henry received word from Crockatt about the partnership. After settling his father’s estate, he sailed back to London, only to be once more disappointed. Crockatt, withdrew the offer with bitter feelings and informed Laurens that his tardiness caused the offer to go to someone else. More than twenty-five years later, Crockatt apologized to Laurens and offered “deepest contrition.” Meanwhile, Henry entered into a business partnership with George Austin about 1748. The partnership continued until about 1762, when Austin retired due to poor health. During the last years of that relationship, Henry was also a partner of George Appleby. Afterward Henry Laurens continued on his own, and he prospered. He dealt primarily with indigo, rice, wine, deer skins and slaves. In the meantime, Henry, apparently due to “love at first sight,” married Eleanor Ball (daughter of Elias Ball), the woman he first saw at the wedding of her brother. The wedding ceremony was held on 6 July 1750. Henry and Eleanor had at least twelve children, but only four reached adulthood. Their first three children, one boy and two girls born during 1753, 1751 and 1752, respectively, each died young. Their son John (b. 28 October 1754, married Martha Manning), later Continental army officer and diplomat) was born during 1754. The Laurens had a third son in 1758, but he too died young. Their daughter Martha was struck by smallpox during 1760, prior to her first birthday, and was so severely ill that she appeared dead and was pronounced dead. As she was being prepared for interment, Doctor John Moultrie arrived and discovered that she was breathing. Martha, to the great surprise and jubilation of all around her, recovered. She later married Doctor David Ramsay and they had at least twelve children. Meanwhile, another of the children of Henry and Eleanor, their nine year old daughter, died during 1764. Another daughter, Mary Eleanor, married Charles Pinckney. In the meantime, during 1757, Laurens was elected to the House of Commons, and except for one year, he retained the seat until the

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outbreak of the Revolutionary War. During the French and Indian War period, Laurens accepted a commission as a lieutenant colonel in the military. He participated in the campaign against the Cherokee Indians during 1761. First, he moved about in the Carolinas to recruit and afterward, the unit, commanded by Colonel Thomas Middleton, headed over the Appalachian Mountains to support the English forces’ efforts against the Indians that were ravaging the frontier. Other future prominent American leaders who participated included Isaac Huger, Francis Marion, William Moultrie, and Andrew Pickens. The campaign succeeded and peace was restored. After the passage of the Stamp Act of 1765, a mob attacked Laurens’ house and threatened his family if they were not permitted to search for the “stamp papers.” At the time his wife was bedridden and he resisted, but finally relented. Despite their disguises, Laurens was able recognize, according to his records, nine of the men and called them by name. The search was quick and afterward the mob left. During 1764, Henry moved his family into a new home. At the time, their son John was about ten, Martha, known as Patsy, was about five and their youngest child, Henry, was about one year old. All the while, Laurens was accumulating wealth, but he was also a philanthropist who freely aided the poor, particularly the Huguenots, many of whom seemed unwilling to reach for their dreams and were content with remaining poor. During 1771, while the colonies were beginning to more openly display their opposition to the policies of the Crown and Parliament against the colonies, Laurens, by then a widower, traveled to England with his children to advance their education and remain with them during their studies. Henry’s wife, Eleanor, had died on 22 May 1770, soon after giving birth to her daughter, also named Eleanor. Henry’s grief was severe, but his situation became more grave when he came close to losing all of his children and himself. That same year, his son James came close to death when he “lay several days choked almost to death with a plum stone; immediately Jacky ( John) took scarlet fever; then Henry, then Patsy, and lastly himself, only baby Polly escaping.” It was immediately after that series of illnesses that Laurens chose to travel to England. Meanwhile, the policies of the Crown and Parliament continued to cause consternation back home. By March of 1774, Parliament was in the process of passing a series of acts known in the colonies as the Intolerable Acts. One of those closed the port of Boston. Acquaintances in England moved to convince Laurens to remain in London, but his instincts as a Patriot compelled him to decline. He sailed for home to add his assistance to the imminent crisis as the nation began to question its reasons for remaining loyal to the king. Laurens arrived back in Charleston during December 1774, and based on what he had learned in Britain, he was convinced that reconciliation was beyond reach and that a conflict was inevitable. Nevertheless, he was pleased to touch the ground at Charleston. While his ship was nearing land, it ran aground about ten miles from the coast and was nearly lost. Shortly after his arrival in Charleston, on 11 January 1775, the First South Carolina Provincial Congress convened at the Old Exchange. The delegates included William Drayton, Henry Laurens, Francis Marion, William Moultrie, Charles Pinckney, Richard Richardson, John Rutledge and Thomas Sumter. On 1 June the Provincial Congress again convened. At the time, Loyalist members of the congress were unwilling to completely break from Britain. During the sessions, Henry Laurens presided as successor to Charles Pinckney (cousin of Charles Coatesworth Pinckney). Pinckney resigned to open the presidency of the congress for Laurens. Nevertheless, steps to bolster the defenses of South Carolina were taken. The congress resolved to raise regiments of troops, and it established a Committee of Safety. Henry Laurens was appointed president of the committee. The committee was charged with operating all phases of the government while the congress was not in session. The Council of Safety maintained the government until South Carolina adopted its state constitution during March 1776.

Meanwhile, in July 1775, Laurens urged Captain Clement Lampriere, a shipwright, to purchase arms and ammunition. The location of Lampriere’s shipyard has never been discovered, but may have been near Remly Point. Subsequently, on 26 March 1776, the Provincial Congress authorized a change of government and a new constitution. That day, the legislature became the General Assembly. The assembly elected John Rutledge as South Carolina’s first president (governor) and simultaneously, Rutledge became commander-in-chief of the South Carolina forces. Henry Laurens was elected as vice president, and the assembly chose William Henry Drayton as chief justice. In 1777, Henry Laurens was elected to the Continental Congress. He took his seat on 22 July 1777. Soon after, on 1 August, Congress appointed Laurens to the committee charged with investigating the abandonment of Ticonderoga and Fort (Mount) Independence without offering resistance against British General John Burgoyne’s advance toward Albany. On the following day, he was appointed to another committee in conjunction with the appointment of the previous day, to examine the condition of the Northern Department, which included Ticonderoga. Others on the latter committee included John Adams and James Wilson. Later that month, on the 21st, Laurens was appointed to yet another committee, delegated to investigate the condition of Georgia and South Carolina. Other members were Samuel Chase, Richard Henry Lee and James Wilson. Laurens continued to handle his responsibilities, but on 1 November 1777, they were greatly increased. He was elected president of the Continental Congress in succession to John Hancock. At the time of his election, Congress was in session in York, Pennsylvania, having been recently forced to flee Philadelphia due to the British under General William Howe, who defeated the Americans at Brandywine during September and afterward occupied Philadelphia. While Laurens was assuming his new duties, General Washington was preparing to establish winter quarters at Valley Forge. One of the generals who participated at the Battle of Germantown on 4 October 1777 requested that Henry Laurens intervene on his behalf. The general, Adam Stephen, was tried on charges of drunkenness and firing upon friendly troops (Nathanael Greene’s column). General Sullivan presided at the trial and Henry Laurens did not intervene. General Stephen was dismissed from the service. The Marquis de Lafayette after the dismissal assumed command of Stephen’s division. Laurens was president while the “Conway Cabal” was being exposed. It was an effort to replace General Washington with General Horatio Gates, but the effort failed after the scheme was exposed. Laurens was a supporter of Washington. In the meantime, his son John, having been an aide-de-camp to General Washington, was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel on 5 November 1778, and his promotion in great part was due to his gallantry against the British in Rhode Island on 29 August. In addition, Washington recommended that John Laurens be given a command “agreeable to his rank,” when possible. However, John declined the appointment, despite being jubilant, claiming it “interrupted the rights of the officers in the line of the army.” In reaction, Congress resolved “that Congress highly approve the disinterested and Patriotic principles upon which Lieutenant Colonel J. Laurens has declined to accept the promotion conferred upon him.....” John Laurens had participated at the battles of Brandywine and Germantown and at the latter, he sustained a serious wound in the shoulder. During the following year, John fought at the Battle of Monmouth. He was unscathed, but his horse was shot from under him. Meanwhile, on 9 December 1778, Henry Laurens informed Congress just before the session that he had to resign as president: Gentlemen: Ever jealous for the Dignity of Congress, and prompted by a sense of Duty, I had the honor on Monday of laying before the House information, which I had received from Citizens of respectable characters, that a certain Letter, signed S. Deane, and addressed to the Citizens of America at large, published in the Pennsylvania Packet of Saturday the 5th

227 inst., which I presumed every Member had read, had created anxieties in the minds of the good People of this City, and excited tumults amongst them — that having received such Information, I had carefully perused the Letter, and found it to contain articles highly derogatory to the honor and interests of these United States.

Congress designated the following day for the election of Laurens’ successor, and John Jay was elected president. On the 19th of December Henry Laurens was appointed to a fiveman committee delegated to confer with General Washington and his principal officers to devise “ways and means for retrenching the expences of the army.” Others on the committee included Oliver Ellsworth and Elbridge Gerry. Subsequently, on 4 February 1779, Congress granted Henry Laurens a leave of absence. The next month, Henry’s son, John requested permission to depart for the South to serve in South Carolina. On 29 March Congress resolved “that a commission of lieutenant colonel be granted to the said John Laurens, Esq. his rank to commence on the 5 October 1777, the time he entered into the war, appointed aid de camp by the Commander in Chief.” Congress also directed the president, John Jay, to inform General Benjamin Lincoln of Laurens’ arrival and to give him a command as soon as possible. Henry Laurens, back in his seat, called for the vote during its Friday session on 2 April pursuant to a proposal from Gouverneur Morris to adjourn for the day because it was Good Friday and that Congress had adjourned on that same day during 1776 and 1777. The motion passed and Congress adjourned until the following day. During the following month, tempers were rising in Congress on 14 May when Henry Laurens was accused of publishing an article that contained derogatory marks about Congress, but the debate was interrupted by the arrival of intelligence. On 15 May the issues regarding Laurens was resumed, regarding a letter supposedly written by him and published by the British. As it turned out, Laurens had written a private letter and that was what the British possessed and published. Laurens responded: “I rejoice in that wisdom which was displayed by the House in overruling the attempt.... I take the liberty of informing Congress that I did, on the 27 August write a private letter to Governor Houston.” Congress added that it “did not mean to give any opinion on the suggestion therein contained, that the motion made by Mr. (Meriwether) Smith was unprecedented and full of dangerous consequences, derogatory to the honor and dignity of Congress, and alarming to the free and independent citizens of these United States.” On 26 September 1779, Congress resolved “that a minister plenipotentiary be appointed to negotiate a treaty of alliance, and of amity and commerce between the United States of America and his Catholick Majesty of Spain.” Arthur Lee, Henry Laurens, John Adams and John Jay were nominated. Jay was selected. That month, on the 29th, Lt. Colonel John Laurens, Henry’s son, was appointed secretary to the minister plenipotentiary of the United States at Versailles, France, but he declined the appointment, preferring to remain with the army. During the following May, Colonel John Laurens was among the captives at Charleston when the British refused the defenders the honors of war upon surrender. Meanwhile, on 1 November 1779, Congress appointed Henry Laurens as a commissioner delegated to negotiate a treaty with the Provinces of the Low Countries (Holland). Later, on 13 August 1780, Henry Laurens departed for Holland aboard the packet Mercury, escorted by the Saratoga. Both vessels sailed down the Delaware River, and after moving a short distance, lookouts spotted sail, but to the relief of the crews, the ships were American, the frigates Deane and Trumbull. After sailing beyond the Delaware Capes, the Saratoga, having completed its escort duty, veered south while the Mercury headed toward Nova Scotia, from where it would cruise to Holland. On 3 September the Mercury was intercepted off Nova Scotia by the HMS Vestal. Laurens, aware of his dire circumstances, moved quickly to get rid

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of the secret correspondence; however, the British retrieved the packet. Laurens was taken to England, but he was spared from their dreadful prisons, only to be thrown into the infamous Tower of London and kept there for about fifteen months. The conditions under which he was detained were wretched, but he never faltered and the British were unable to break his spirit. Initially, the Privy Council charged Laurens with high treason. He was forbidden from using a pen and he was not able to have any visitors, nor was anyone allowed to even speak with him. Laurens was detained in total isolation near the place where several of King Henry VIII’s perceived enemies and even family members were held before they were decapitated. Several later attempts were made to win him over, but each failed, and he noted: “I will never subscribe to my own infamy, and to the dishonor of my children.” After Congress was informed of the capture of Henry Laurens, it sent John Adams to Holland to seek the loans and obtain a treaty with the Dutch. In the meantime, on 23 December, just a few months after his father’s capture, Lt. Colonel John Laurens was commissioned by Congress for a mission overseas by the following: “We, reposing especial trust and confidence in your fidelity, zeal, prudence and abilities, have nominated and constituted, and by these presents do nominate and constitute you our minister, for the special purpose of proceeding to the Court of Versailles, and representing to his Most Christian Majesty the present state of our publick affairs, with the necessity and mutual advantage of his maintaining a naval superiority in the American seas; and also of soliciting from him, and forwarding to the United States, certain aids in money and stores according to an estimate herewith delivered to you, the better to enable us to prosecute the war with vigour, and co-operate with the arms of our ally with effect.” Members of Congress, not bashful about their faith, gave John his instructions and added the following blessing: “We pray God to further you with his goodness in the several objects hereby recommended, and that he will have you in his holy keeping. Done in Congress, at Philadelphia, the 23d day of December in the year of our Lord, 1780, and in the 5th year of our independence.” On 28 December Congress resolved “that the Board of Admiralty take order for fitting out the Alliance frigate, for the purpose of conveying the hon. J. Laurens to some port in France.” The mission succeeded and by March Colonel Laurens and Thomas Paine persuaded the French to provide more sea power. A third French fleet was dispatched to bolster the war effort. In the meantime, Congress received a letter from Henry Laurens on 16 January 1781. The letter had been penned on 14 September 1781 and postmarked aboard the frigate HMS St. John. Following his successful journey to France, John Laurens re-embarked for the U.S., and upon his return, he was anxious to put his colonel’s uniform back in service. On 5 September 1781, Congress resolved “that the conduct of Lieutenant Colonel Laurens, in his mission to the Court of Versailles, as special minister of the United States, is highly agreeable to Congress, and entitles him to public approbation. Resolved, That Lieutenant Colonel Laurens have leave to join the army agreeably to his request.” Colonel Laurens expeditiously headed for Virginia to resume his affiliation with his commander, General Washington, and his former conqueror, General Lord Charles Cornwallis, who had been a party to the humiliation of the American army at Charleston during May 1780. On 14 October Colonel John Laurens, leading eighty men, part of the vanguard, stormed a British redoubt in front of Yorktown. Laurens’ boldness, bolstered by lightning speed, overwhelmed the obstacle and seized British Major Campbell and his eighteen defenders without the loss of a man or the sound of one shot. However, afterward, eight men were slain. Three days later, Colonel Laurens found himself on the prevailing side of a siege and his nemesis, Cornwallis, had been vanquished. On 17 October 1781, the British were trapped and a French fleet prevented any reinforcements from arriving or a fleet evacuating the Redcoats. On the following day, at the surrender ceremony, Wash-

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ington designated John Laurens to stand in his place, and the French representative was Viscount de Noailles. Cornwallis designated Colonel Thomas Dundas and Major Alexander Ross. The British objected to Article 3, which demanded that the British “march out with shouldered arms, colors cased, and drums beating a British or German march.” The British inquired of Laurens about the harshness of the demand and received the reply: “You seem to forget, sir, that I was a capitulant at Charleston, where General Lincoln’s gallant garrison was refused any other terms than marching out with colors cased and drums not beating a German or British march.” The capitulation of Cornwallis essentially terminated the major contests of the war. Within about two months after the defeat of Cornwallis, Colonel Laurens had additional reasons to celebrate. His father was released from the Tower of London about December 1781. Following Henry’s release, Congress commissioned Henry prior to his departure for home, and instead of sailing for America, he traveled to France as part of the negotiating team delegated to consummate a peace treaty with Britain. In August 1782, British General Sir Guy Carleton informed Washington that the peace negotiations were in session and that the independence of the thirteen colonies would be acknowledged. He told Washington that Henry Laurens had been released from the Tower “with his head intact.” Henry Laurens, along with John Adams, Benjamin Franklin and John Jay, were present on behalf of the United States when the preliminaries of peace were signed on 30 November 1782. Although Henry Laurens’ stamina withstood everything cast upon him by his captors, he had actually sustained severe strain on his health. After the preliminary treaty was consummated, Laurens returned to South Carolina, but his health continued to deteriorate. Laurens, once back in his home territory, retired from public life and spent his remaining days on his estate and with his family, disregarding all commercial or business endeavors. Henry Laurens died on 8 December 1792. Henry’s son, Colonel John Laurens, had predeceased him. John was killed during an engagement against the British in South Carolina on 27 August 1782. John had married Martha Manning, the daughter of William Manning. Henry, the only surviving son of Henry, Sr., married Eliza Rutledge, the daughter of governor and General John Rutledge.

Lawson, Brigadier General Robert Robert Lawson, the son of Benjamin and Elizabeth Lawson, was born on 23 January 1748 in Prince George County, Virginia. Robert remained a staunch supporter of the Patriots’ cause as the nation began to widen the break between the colonies and the British Empire. On 13 February 1776, Robert was commissioned as a major in the Continental Army, and on 13 August he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel (4th Virginia). By that time, he had been married to Sarah Meriwether Pierce about seven years. Robert and Sarah had the following children: Sarah, America, John Pierce, Arria, and Columbus. On 19 August 1777, Robert Lawson was again promoted, to the rank of full colonel; however, later that year, on 17 December 1777, just after the Battle of Germantown, Colonel Lawson resigned his commission. Up until the time of his resignation, Lawson’s regiment participated in the north with General George Washington, including the Battle of Trenton (26 December 1776), the Battle of Princeton (3 January 1777), and the defense of Philadelphia when the British moved up from the Chesapeake, with his regiment engaged at Brandywine (11 September 1777) and Germantown (4 October 1777). Nevertheless, Colonel Lawson’s military career did not end with his resignation from the Continental Army. He was afterward promoted to the rank of brigadier general in the Virginia militia. During 1780, when Virginia was invaded by the British under General Alexander Leslie, General Lawson was authorized to raise a corps

of volunteer militia and he was empowered to personally select the officers. Lawson’s corps moved to the vicinity of Smithfield, Isle of Wight County, Virginia, by November. Nevertheless, the corps, after linking with the force under General Peter Muhlenberg, was disbanded prior to the end of the November soon after Leslie re-embarked and sailed to join General Cornwallis. Later, General Lawson participated in General Nathanael Greene’s campaign in the South, including the Battle of Guilford Court House. Subsequently, Lawson commanded a brigade during the Yorktown campaign. Generals Lafayette, Wayne, Von Steuben and Robert Lawson linked together above Richmond, then ground forward in pursuit of the British under Cornwallis, who was in fast retreat down the peninsula moving toward Yorktown. During the chase, General Washington and Comte Rochambeau arrived at Williamsburg with elements of the Continental Army and French ground troops. In the meantime, another French fleet under Comte de Grasse arrived from the West Indies and yet another under Comte de Barras arrived from Rhode Island. Cornwallis waited in vain for reinforcements, but they did not arrive in time. The British under Cornwallis capitulated at Yorktown during October 1781. In addition to his service in the military, General Lawson also served in the Virginia House of Delegates, and he was a delegate to the Constitutional Convention held during April 1788, when Maryland ratified the Constitution at Annapolis to become the seventh state in the union. General Lawson voted with the minority against ratification. General Robert Lawson succumbed in Richmond during April 1805.

Learned (Larned), Brigadier General Ebenezer Ebenezer Learned, the son of Colonel Ebenezer and Deborah Haynes Learned, was born on 18 April 1728 in Oxford, Massachusetts. Their other children were: daughters Dolly, Abigail, Mary, Ruth Davis and Comfort Mower; and one other son, Jeremiah, who became a major in the Continental Army. Ebenezer received a general education, but his propensity to read enhanced his knowledge. Ebenezer married Jerusha Baker on 5 October 1749. The Learneds had ten children: Ebenezer (b. July 1750, died at sea when he was about 21 years old), Dorothy (b. October 1751), Deborah (b. March 1755), Haynes (b. September 1757), Silvanus (b. May 1760), Joel (b. April 1762), Abishau (b. February 1765), David (b. February 1767), Jerusha (b. July 1769), and Rufus (b. June 1772). In 1756, Ebenezer Learned joined the army and raised a company, which he led to Lake George, arriving there as part of Colonel Timothy Ruggles’ regiment. He was struck by smallpox during 1757 and placed in the hospital at Fort Edward. He remained in the army until 1763. After returning to Oxford he established and operated an inn. Learned’s father died on 15 March 1772. His mother survived him and lived until 21 August 1777. Meanwhile, in 1773, Learned was appointed agent for Oxford, charged with collecting the town’s stock of ammunition. In 1773, the townspeople elected Learned as a delegate to the Provincial Congress at Cambridge. By the following year, he resumed his military career when he was elected colonel of the 2nd Massachusetts Regiment. When the British clashed with Patriots at Lexington and Concord on 19 April 1775, word quickly spread through a chain of riders, who galloped from town to town and once informed, Learned sped to Cambridge with his regiment. Although too late to assist at Lexington, Learned’s militia entered Cambridge on 21 April and remained on scene. The regiment was in place at Roxbury during the Battle of Bunker Hill (Breed’s Hill), which erupted on 17 June; however, Learned’s regiment was not directly involved with the donnybrook at Breed’s Hill. Learned’s militia, under enlistment terms of eight months, remained at Boston and participated in the siege for the duration. In the meantime, the Continental Army was reorganized on 1 January 1776 and

229 Learned was appointed colonel of the 3rd Continental Regiment. The matter dealing with the Massachusetts regiments was slightly difficult, for General George Washington reduced the number from 27 to 16 regiments and the number of troops was also reduced, by about 2,000 men. Some of the regiments remained intact, but Learned’s regiment was modified by incorporating Colonel Timothy Danielson’s regiment and contingent of Colonel Cotton’s regiment. The new Massachusetts units became the 3rd, 4th, 6th, 7th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th, 18th, 21st, 23rd, 24th, 25th, 26th, and 27th Continental Regiments. On 17 March 1776, when the British were compelled to evacuate Boston, Colonel Learned personally removed the bars on the gates of the city. Shortly thereafter, during May 1776, he was compelled to leave the service due to an injury (unclear if it was a wound or from a fall) and the recuperation period lasted almost a full year; however, during 1777, he returned to duty. Later, on 2 April that year, Colonel Learned was promoted by Congress to the rank of brigadier general. In a letter written to Congress on 12 March 1778, General Learned stated: “I have served in this warfare since the beginning as a Col. of a Regt. till May 1776, when by indisposition by reason of certain fatigues in the army I found myself unequal and resigned the service. Since I recovered a little the Honorable the Continental Congress on the second day of April 1777, appointed me to the Command of a Brig. Genl.” After being promoted, General Learned was ordered to Saratoga to support the defenses against the advancing army of British General John Burgoyne. In conjunction, on 22 July 1777, General Benedict Arnold, pursuant to orders, assumed command of the brigades of Generals Learned and John Dickinson. Meanwhile, Burgoyne had initiated a siege against Fort Stanwix and General Arnold volunteered to lift the siege. While en route on 22 August, the British, aware of the approaching force (the size of the force was blown up by story planted by Arnold), terminated the siege. On 17 September at the First Battle of Saratoga, General Horatio Gates ordered General Arnold to retreat. Arnold, however, ignored the order and instead, directed General Learned to launch an assault with his brigade. Gates had remained at his headquarters and was not on the field of battle; however, later that day, Gates prevailed. He stripped Arnold of command and assumed personal command of Arnold’s force, including Learned’s brigade. Arnold moved to resign, but most officers urged him to remain despite having no command, and he acquiesced to his peers. On 7 October while Gates remained at headquarters to oversee the Second Battle of Saratoga, General Arnold again ignored Gates’ order and galloped to the field of battle. While there, Colonel Morgan’s riflemen and Learned’s brigade, at Arnold’s direction, pounded the British. Arnold returned to headquarters and an argument with Gates ensued, with Gates adamantly forbidding Arnold from returning to the field. Nevertheless, Gates was ignored and once back at the scene of the tenacious exchange, he ordered Learned’s brigade to plunge directly into Burgoyne’s right flank. The ferocious battle continued with both sides striving for eventual victory. Meanwhile, Arnold yet again ordered Learned to find a weak spot in the line and pummel it. Learned moved immediately and found a weak link between the Hessian positions and those of the Earl of Balcarres, the latter defended by Loyalists and Canadians. Learned struck with overwhelming force and the Canadian-Loyalist line folded, creating a huge undefended opening on the German flank. Arnold and Colonel Morgan the two primary leaders on the field capitalized on the British dilemma. A general assault was ordered and it succeeded in causing the British to falter, but not capitulate. Heavy fighting continued with Learned’s brigade in the thick of the battle. Meanwhile, another regiment, commanded by Colonel John Brooks, charged and broke through the German lines, giving the Americans the strategic ground.

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Burgoyne was forced to retreat. Learned’s brigade played a pivotal part in the battle that vanquished Burgoyne and brought about the surrender of his entire army on 17 October 1777. Subsequent to the victory, General Learned was ordered to repair to Pennsylvania to join the main army under General Washington. Meanwhile, General Learned’s health, which had been deteriorating, continued to worsen. Nonetheless, he spent the winter at Valley Forge. Learned’s brigade, composed of the 2nd, 8th and 9th and 16th Massachusetts Regiments, commanded by John Bailey, Michael Jackson, James Wesson and Henry Jackson respectively, was attached to the division of Major General (Baron) Johann de Kalb. In early spring 1778, on 24 March, Congress considered a letter dated 27 January from General Learned regarding his request to retire. After consideration, Congress accepted Learned’s resignation. He returned to Massachusetts. On the ground in Oxford that he inherited at the time of his father’s death, Learned built a large estate and resided there until his death. Subsequent to the adoption and ratification of the U.S. Constitution, the United States Congress, during 1793, awarded General Learned a pension, which he continued to receive for the rest of his life. Jerusha, the general’s wife, died on 22 February 1799. During the following year, on 23 May 1800, General Learned married again, taking Eliphal Putnam of Worcester as his second wife. The marriage lasted less than one year. General Learned succumbed on 1 April 1801. His son Silvanus inherited the house and from there, it remained in the family until 1872.

Lee, Major General Charles Charles Lee was born at an undetermined time during 1731 in Chester, North Wales, to Captain John Lee (later lieutenant colonel) of Dernhill and his wife, Isabella Bunbury Lee. Isabella was the daughter of Sir Henry Bunbury of Stanney in Chester County. In addition to Charles, the Lees had two other sons, Thomas and Harry, and one daughter, Sidney. Charles apparently had a deep interest in the military even as a child and it is thought that he served as an officer when he was only eleven years of age; however, according to military records of the period, Charles’ name was first recorded, in the Home Office Military Entry Book, during April 1746, when he was appointed as an ensign in his father’s regiment. As a youth Charles attended Barry St. Edmunds and then was sent to Switzerland to further his education. He learned both Latin and Greek, but in addition, he became acquainted with French, German, Italian and Spanish during his travels, which had been frequent and included his travels in Switzerland while he attended school there. During the French and Indian War, Charles Lee was a lieutenant with General Edward Braddock during the illfated expedition to seize Fort Duquesne. After the devastating defeat of Braddock, Lee’s regiment was ordered to Albany and while there, he was in attendance at the conference held with the Mohawk Indians at Schenectady. At that time, the Indians, who had apparently taken a liking to the British officer, initiated him into their tribe and gave him an Indian name, Ounewaterika, which translated into “Boiling Wa- Charles Lee (Pictorial Field Book of the ter.” Revolution, Benson J. Lossing, 1860)

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During June of 1756, Lee acquired his own company of grenadiers, the 44th Regiment. He arrived in America as a captain of grenadiers for the 44th in 1756. During the fighting at Ticonderoga in July 1758, the scene of the French victory over General Abercrombie, Charles had participated and was seriously wounded. General James Abercrombie returned to England shortly after the defeat, but he had gained a new name from his performance: Mrs. Nabbycrombie. While based on Long Island in December 1758, a British army medical officer, holding a personal grudge after having been beaten by Lee, unsuccessfully attempted to kill him. By the following year Lee’s regiment participated in the seizure of Niagara. Lee was part of a small contingent that crossed Lake Erie in pursuit of French troops who evaded capture, but after the mission was terminated, the group marched to Fort Duquesne (Fort Pitt after capture by the British) to join with General Jeffery Amherst. After the English prevailed at Montreal and the war seemed to be coming to a close, Lee returned to England, arriving there during early 1761. On 10 August of that same year, he was appointed major of the 103rd Foot (known as the “Volunteer Hunters”), a recently formed light corps. By the following year, with the rank of lieutenant colonel, Lee was attached to the staff of the Portuguese army and in that capacity, he served with General John Burgoyne during the campaign of 1762. Lee performed meritoriously, particularly at the clash on 5 October at Villa Velha. Lee received the thanks of the king of Portugal for his services in the task of successfully preventing the Spanish from victimizing Portugal. Later, Charles was on the outs with the British ministry and unable to be promoted further or serve in the British army; he traveled to Poland and served in that country’s military as a major general. Lee was assigned to the staff of Stanislas Augustus Poniatowsky as adjutant-general. In that capacity he traveled to Constantinople with the Polish embassy. After he returned to England, Lee attempted to gain a grant in Florida to establish a settlement, and he also worked to get a new command, but neither endeavor was successful and in the process, Charles did not win any friends. Consequently, he chose to return to Poland, where he again served in the military with his previous rank and participated in the campaign against the Turks. During that period he adamantly complained about his commanders. After completing is service there, he was en route from Hungary to Vienna when he became violently ill from fever. Lee survived the illness but prior to returning to England, his adventures again brought him close to death when he was involved in a duel with a foreign officer. His opponent was killed, but Charles lost a few of his fingers. Charles stopped at Minorca and from there traveled to Gibraltar before returning to England. In summer of 1772, he traveled to France and back to Switzerland. All the while, Lee retained an inner thirst to return to the American colonies. In his absence from England, he was still of the opinion that the British policies were too punitive and his allegiance weighed on the side of the colonists. Lee arrived back in the colonies on 10 November 1773. As the relations between Britain and the colonies continued to deteriorate, Lee had no inclination to join with the British, although he had remained under half-pay (£136 per annum) from the British Army. He traveled throughout the winter of 1773-1774, visiting Maryland and Virginia, and in the summer of 1774 he returned to Philadelphia, then soon after, he journeyed to Boston, stopping at various places in New York and Rhode Island. During that same period, Lee was convinced to acquire land in Virginia by General Horatio Gates. He purchased about 2,700 acres in Berkeley County near Gates’ property. Lee had been able to borrow funds from Robert Morris and he mortgaged his property. He returned to Philadelphia during May 1775, one month prior to Congress appointing General Washington as commander-in-chief. Congress provided Lee with $30,000 after his property in England was confiscated,

but if he was to regain the land, the money was to be repaid. In a letter dated 7 June 1775 to British General Burgoyne at Boston, Lee defended the honor of the Americans and told Burgoyne to beware of the prejudices which those same miscreants who have infatuated General Gage and still surround him, will labour to instill into you against a brave, loyal, and most deserving people (Americans). The avenues of truth will be shut up to you. I assert, sir, that even General Gage will deceive you, as he has deceived himself; I do not say he will do it designedly; I do not think him capable; But his mind is so totally poisoned, and his understanding so totally blinded by the society of fools and knaves, that he no longer is capable of discerning facts as manifest as noon day sun.... Not less than one hundred and fifty thousand gentlemen, yeomen, and farmers are now in arms, determined to preserve their liberties or perish. As to the idea that the Americans are deficient in courage, it is too ridiculous and glaringly false to deserve a serious refutation.

On 16 June Congress appointed four major generals: Artemus Ward, Israel Putnam, Philip John Schuyler, and Charles Lee, with a pay grade of $160 per month. During the following month in Massachusetts, on the 23rd, General Lee’s force, including the brigades of Brigadier Generals John Sullivan and Nathanael Greene, held the left wing to prevent a British advance from the Charlestown peninsula. The opposite side was protected by General Ward’s division. During early December General Charles Lee became concerned with the Connecticut troops. He informed all that troops not willing to re-enlist for three weeks would receive no provisions and in addition, he contacted the innkeepers between Cambridge and Hartford, requesting that they refuse service to any deserters. During early 1776, word of the defeat of General Montgomery in Canada reached Congress. General Charles Lee was ordered to depart for Canada, but on 1 March Congress changed his orders and instead directed him to move south to assume command of the Southern Department. In Williamsburg on 22 April, Lee directed the recruiting officers not to enlist any men from either England or Ireland, except for ones who have been in America for a long time and have dependents. Lee arrived in Charleston on 4 June 1776 and immediately began to provide defenses of the city, based on captured documents of royal governor Eden, which mentioned an attack on Charleston. Other South Carolinians had flocked to the city and they were bolstered by North Carolinians and some others from East Tennessee. The British launched their attack on 28 June and the defenders at Fort Moultrie led by Colonel William Moultrie repelled the assault. General Lee had ordered the fort abandoned, but Moultrie instead defended it successfully. The defeat compelled the British to abort the plan to invade South Carolina. On 18 August at Savannah, General Lee reviewed the troops prior to the departure (22nd) from Savannah to Florida to initiate what is known as the “First Florida Invasion.” The troops attached from Georgia were commanded by Colonel Lachlan McIntosh. By the 24th Lee changed one of his earlier opinions and informed Congress that Georgia should be defended. Shortly thereafter, on 9 September 1776, Brigadier General Robert Howe succeeded General Charles Lee as commander of the Southern Department, and he assumed command of the Florida Campaign. He arrived in New York and on 28 October during the Battle of White Plains, the Americans avoided complete destruction by retreating to North Castle on 1 November. Lee was then ordered to remain at North Castle with his force of about 4,000 troops (Including Connecticut troops) while Washington moved to New Jersey. In turn, the British moved to the Hudson River and Kings Bridge. In the meantime, the British focused on reducing Fort Washington. On 21 November General George Washington bolted from Newark to Brunswick. On 7 December the Americans, numbering only about 3,000 troops, including a diminutive cavalry contingent, retreated further, heading for Princeton to again avoid being trapped. All the while Lee remained at North Castle. To further complicate

231 Washington’s predicament, many of the Maryland and New Jersey troops’ enlistments ended. They ignored Washington’s plea and departed for their homes. Meanwhile, Fort Lee fell to the British, prompting Washington to order Charles Lee to speed to New Jersey, but Lee paid only minimum attention to the order, further jeopardizing Washington’s force. Lee had initially been ordered to advance on 21 November, but on 13 December he had only made it to Baskinridge, New Jersey, where the British seized the opportunity and captured Lee while he was seated in a pub. The Americans afterward offered six British officers (Hessian field officers) in exchange for Lee, but the British, having deemed Charles Lee a deserter, refuse the offer. Lee, on 21 February, requested that Congress dispatch a party to New York because he had information of “great importance” to tell them. After his capture he had informed General William Howe and his brother Admiral Richard Howe that he was against the Declaration of Independence and he asked to be allowed to contact Congress to persuade them to find an end to the differences; however, Congress rejected the idea, and from that point, Lee was looked upon by some in Congress as less than credible. Congress, however, did take action. It resolved “that General Washington be directed to inform General Lee, that Congress are pursuing, and will continue to pursue, every means in their power to provide for his personal safety, and to obtain his liberty.” The British began to soften their stance with regard to Lee after 10 July 1777, the day that a 40-man contingent under Lt. Colonel William Barton penetrated British defenses in Rhode Island and captured General Richard Prescott, the commanding officer and his aide, Major William Barrington, at the Overing house. Prescott had earlier been captured in Canada and exchanged for General John Sullivan. On 7 August, Congress resolved “that Major General Prescott be retained as a pledge for the good treatment and release of Major General Lee, and that he be treated as nearly as circumstances will admit, in the same manner as the enemy shall treat the officer last mentioned.” Lee was eventually exchanged for General Prescott during May of 1778. Once released, Lee moved to Fort Washington, outside Philadelphia, to join General Washington. At the time, the British still controlled Philadelphia. The next month, the Continental Army initiated an offensive to thwart the British, who had abandoned Philadelphia and were en route to New York. On the 19th, Washington broke camp. General Charles Lee was ordered to speed to intercept the British columns in New Jersey; however, Lee declined the command and it was given to Marquis de Lafayette. General Lee had earlier said it would be “criminal to risk a battle with an enemy so superior in discipline and strength.” Washington had previously dispatched General Maxwell with a force to intercept the British at Mount Holly, New Jersey, along with the New Jersey militia, but the British proceeded without interruption. Maxwell’s force retreated and the militia had no effect on the advance. Meanwhile, Washington’s main body advanced to Cranbury on 27 June, and by that time the vanguard had deployed along the Monmouth Road. Washington dispatched General Lee with two brigades to join Lafayette, but he also had sent word to Lafayette about Lee, having decided to command and asking Lafayette to cooperate. Lee assumed command but showed no aggressiveness and continued to oppose an attack, despite being directed to strike from his positions in the high ground at Middleton as soon as the British advanced. The Battle of Monmouth erupted on Sunday, 28 June, and Lee dispatched a messenger to pound the pickets, but the messenger gave erroneous information to Colonel William Grayson that suggested he postpone his attack. The situation afterward deteriorated, and at one point, Lafayette requested permission to strike the British rear. Lee responded: “Sir, you do not know British soldiers. We can not stand against them. We shall certainly be driven back at first and we must be cautious.” Lafayette, who earlier had to relinquish command to Lee, retorted: “It may be so general, but British soldiers have been beaten and they may

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be again. At any rate, I am disposed to make the trial.” Lee rejected the proposal but allowed Lafayette to strike the left flank. However, at the same time, he issued an order that created a crisis on the American left. The British were then spotted in what appeared to be a retreat. Charles Lee did not attack; rather he ordered his right flank to retreat, and later he ordered a general retreat, all before General Washington arrived at the front to observe the mass confusion. Meanwhile, the British had been mauling the Americans, who offered no genuine opposition. General Washington encountered Charles Lee as he headed to the rear and read Lee the riot act. Washington assumed personal command and prevented a total disaster. He rallied the troops, rode back toward Lee and looked at the troops, stating: “Will you sir, command in that place?” General Lee, overwhelmed by the unexpected reprieve, snapped back: “I will!” And Washington responded: “Then I expect you to check the enemy immediately.” Lee stated: “Your command shall be obeyed and I will not be the first to leave the field.” From that point Lee remained on the field until his exhausted troops were relieved. At about midnight (28th–29th) the British withdrew without being noticed by the Americans. The battle was the final one fought in the northern states and although considered a draw, the Americans prevailed on the field and compelled General Henry Clinton to continue his withdrawal to New York. General Charles Lee requested and received a court-martial on several charges — disobedience of orders, misbehavior on the field and disrespect to his commander-in-chief, exhibited in two separate letters. The court-martial was held in Brunswick, New Jersey, on 2 July 1778, with Major General Lord Stirling acting as president. On 12 August, Lee was found guilty of the first offense and sentenced to a one-year suspension from the Army. The court eased the other charges; however, Lee departed the army and never rejoined. Lee later published his own vindication and in the process gave his examination of Washington’s policy, which was not received well. John Laurens, aide-de-camp to Washington, took exception to Lee’s response and a duel ensued. Lee was seriously injured during the exchange. Afterward, during an examination of the conduct of Laurens, Charles stated: “The young fellow behaved splendidly. I could have hugged him.” On 10 January 1780, Congress received a letter from Major General Charles Lee, written by another but signed by him, as follows: “Sir, I understand that it is in contemplation of Congress on the principle of economy to strike me out of their service. Congress must know very little of me, if they suppose that I would accept of their money since the confirmation of the wicked and infamous sentence which was passed upon me. I am, Sir, your most obedient servant, Charles Lee.” Congress resolved that day resolved “that Major General Charles Lee be informed, that Congress have no farther occasion for his services in the army of the United States.” Lee attempted to clear his name and reputation without positive results. He lived on his property in Virginia for some time and raised horses and dogs, but he did no farming. It was reported that his house seemed more like a barn. He later departed for Baltimore and from there went to Philadelphia, but he was never again to belong in any of the circles of prominent residents. After arriving in Philadelphia, he took a room on Market Street at an inn known as the Conestoga Wagon, but within a few days after his arrival he came down with shivers followed by fever that took his life at age 51 on 2 October 1782. It was reported that while under the grueling influence of the fever, he had lost his senses. Lee’s last words, as noted by someone at his bedside, were: “Stand by me, my brave grenadiers!” Charles Lee never married. General Lee as a young man was bred to be sophisticated, but in later years, his demeanor changed in both dress and manners, which apparently often caused women to be drawn away from him. In addition, physical descriptions of General Charles Lee portray him in unflattering light. One trait that seemed to particularly annoy women was his love of his

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dogs, which were frequently seen on a chair at his table. Although he was supposedly living in poverty at the time of his demise, Lee did leave an estate, including his residence in Virginia. Having no direct heirs, his estate, including his slaves, as mentioned in his last will and testament, were divided among his sister, Sidney Lee, and some friends. In addition, Charles stated a preference with regard to his burial that seemed to include sardonic wit: “I desire most earnestly, that I not be buried in any church, or church-yard, or within a mile of any Presbyterian or Anabaptist meeting-house; for since I have resided in this country, I have kept so much bad company when living, that I do not choose to continue it when dead.” General Lee was given a military funeral, which was attended by many people in respect for their memories of Lee’s service in the army. General Charles Lee was interred in Philadelphia at the Christ Church cemetery. Some mysteries still surround General Charles Lee. One work originally published during 1860 pointed to Lee’s conspiracy with the Howe brothers after Congress declined to authorize a meeting. Lee was accused of agreeing to abandon the Americans and return his loyalty to Britain, and it was implied that Lee had drawn up an attack plan to seize the Chesapeake region. The accusation was in a work titled The Treason of Charles Lee, published by George M. Moore in New York City. Moore’s work claimed a document in the handwriting of Charles Lee, known as “Mr. Lee’s Plan—29 March 1777,” which had been endorsed by Henry Strachley (executive secretary of the royal commissioners), was discovered within the “Howe Papers.” Another puzzle centers around a number of published letters signed by “Junius.” At some point, General Charles Lee claimed to be the author, and from that, speculation later grew that he had not been out of the colonies during the period 1767–1772, when he was supposed to have been in Europe. Nevertheless, records including passports verify that he was in Europe during that time and could not have been the author of the letters of Junius.

Lee, Francis Lightfoot (Signer of the Declaration of Independence) Francis Lightfoot Lee, the fourth son of Thomas and Hannah Harrison Ludwell Lee, was born in Virginia on the family estate, known as Stratford Hall, in Westmoreland County on 14 October 1734. In later years, another Virginian, Robert E. Lee, was born on the same plantation. Thomas and Hannah had ten other children: Richard (17 June 1723); Phillip Ludwell (24 February 1727); Hannah (6 February 1728, married Gawin Corbin); John (4) (28 March 1729); Lucy (4) (26 September 1730); Thomas Ludwell (13 December 1731); Richard Henry (20 January 1732); Alice (4 June 1736); William (31 August 1739); and Arthur (21 December 1740). The Lee family in Virginia traces its origin to Colonel Richard Lee (1) and his wife, Ann (1). Colonel Lee, according to tradition, first arrived in the colonies from England with a brother who was, after some time, anxious to return home. Consequently, they relinquished their property and embarked for England. An ancient court record seems to bolster the claim. The record shows that a patent was issued to a Mr. Robert Lee for 540 acres in Gloucester County: “Beginning at a red oak by Mr. Thornton’s path, and to a white oak by Col. Lee’s plantation; 200 acres thereof formerly granted to Col. Richard Lee....” Colonel Lee first settled in York County and records exist that on 10 August 1642, he received a grant of 1000 acres of land for himself and his wife, Ann, and another person, named John Francis. Colonel Richard Lee built a plantation there, known as “Paradise.” Subsequently, he acquired vast amounts of land. The tract in York County later became part of Gloucester County. Later, during 1674, Colonel Richard Lee received a patent for 1,140 acres (Paradise) in Gloucester along a branch of Poropotank Creek. It was there that Major (or Colonel) Richard Lee established a warehouse and a store. Major Lee was most probably a Catholic. He was a royalist who backed the Stuart

family in England, and when Charles II was in exile, Lee took a voyage to Holland meet with him. During 1663, Richard Lee, with his wife and children, journeyed to England. While there he had his last will and testament drawn. The family returned that same year and although the exact day of his death is unknown, Richard (1) succumbed during 1664. Also that year, his son John (1) on 20 April 1664 applied for a tract due his father. Francis Lightfoot Lee (Biographical And, it is known, by a state- Sketches of the Signers of the Declarament during 1798 by Portia tion of Independence, Benson J. LossLee, the daughter of William ing, 1854) Lee, that Colonel Richard Lee (1) succumbed at his residence, known as “Cobbs Hall,” at Dividing Creeks (Northumberland County). Richard (1) and Ann Lee had eight children: John (2), Richard (2) Francis (1), William, Hancock, Elizabeth, Anne (2) and Charles. After Richard’s death, Ann (maiden name unknown) married Edmund Lister. Richard (2) married Laetitia Corbin (Corbyn), the oldest daughter of Henry and Alice Eltonhead Corbin, during 1674. Upon the death of his brother John the year before he got married, Richard (2) became “heir at law” to his father, Colonel Richard Lee (1). Richard (2) and Laetitia had seven children: John (3) (died in infancy), Richard (3) (born about 1678–1679), Philip (born about 1681), Francis (2) (date of birth unknown, died about 1749), Thomas (born 1690, father of Francis Lightfoot and Richard Henry); Henry (born about 1697); and Anne (3) (born about 1693, married Colonel William Fitzhugh of Eagle’s Nest, King George County and afterward Captain Daniel McCarty of Cople). Richard (2), the grandfather of Francis Lightfoot Lee, died on 12 March 1714, and had survived his wife, Laetitia, by about eight years. Laetitia, the grandmother of Francis Lightfoot, succumbed on 6 October 1706 before she reached age fifty. Thomas (3), the 5th son of Richard (2) and the father of Francis Lightfoot, received only a local education. He was keenly interested in the classics. Initially he was a member of the House of Burgesses, but later he rose to appointments as governor and commander-in-chief of the colony. Nonetheless, he died during 1750 before his commission arrived from England. Francis, unlike his older brothers, was not sent overseas to be educated in London; rather, he received his education in Virginia under the guidance of a Scots cleric, the Reverend Craig. Francis’ brother Richard Henry Lee was also a signer of the Declaration of Independence, and two of his other brothers, Arthur and William, became diplomats in the service of the United States. Francis was still young at the time his father died and he inherited the estate known as Coton. Coton was initially in Fairfax County but later incorporated into Loudoun County. Francis and his brother, Philip, are listed as part of the group that founded Leesburg. Following in Richard Henry’s steps, Francis was elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses as a representative of Loudoun County about 1765, and he remained in that capacity until 1775. He stood with those, including his brother Richard Henry Lee and Patrick Henry, in stark opposition to the Stamp Act imposed by the British in 1765. He deeply resented the treatment given the colonies by the Crown and Parliament, placing him firmly within the circle of leaders of the Patriots’ cause. During 1766, Francis signed the Westmoreland Resolves in protest of the Stamp Act. Unlike his brother Richard Henry, Francis was not

233 known for his oratory skills; however, he did possess a keen sense of judgment and contributed greatly to the assembly and later to the Continental Congress. His reluctance to participate in public debate or public speaking did not detract from his dedication to his country, and he was often relied upon for advice on matters of great importance. After Francis had relocated at Coton, he was installed as trustee of the recently organized town of Leesburg. Francis married his cousin, Rebecca Tayloe, a daughter of John and Rebecca Plater Tayloe (Taylor) of Mount Airy, on 21 April 1769. The couple had no children. Rebecca was one of eleven. By the time of his marriage, Francis was well off financially due to his father’s estate. Francis and Rebecca stayed with Rebecca’s parents at their Mount Airy estate in Richmond County until the completion of a mansion known as Manokin, a gift from Rebecca’s parents, was completed. The Lees’ plantation was located at Cat Point Creek (also known as Rappahannock Creek) slightly above the Rappahannock River. Francis Lee then became a representative of Richmond County in the House of Burgesses. He participated in nearly all of the Virginia assemblies from 1765 until 1775, serving first as a representative of Loudoun and afterward from Richmond. On 15 August 1775, in addition to being a representative at the Virginia Assembly, Francis was elected as a delegate to the Continental Congress following the resignation of Colonel Richard Bland and his immediate replacement, George Mason, having declined the appointment, with a recommendation that Lee be chosen. Lee remained in Congress until 1779. Similarly to his service in the House of Burgesses, he rarely took part in public debate, but he was an ardent supporter of the Declaration of Independence. He voted for it and signed the document in August 1776. On the 3 January 1777, Lee, along with Abraham Clark and Thomas Heyward, was appointed to the committee delegated to modify the Articles of War. Subsequent to his retirement from Congress during 1779, for a short while, Lee served in the Virginia Senate; however, he was more inclined to return to private life. While in Congress, Lee was assigned to many committees, including one responsible for drawing up the Articles of Confederation. The Articles were adopted on 15 November 1777. Each of the states later ratified them, and the Confederation became effective on 1 March 1781. On that day, the Congressional Journal lists the signers. At the time the Articles were adopted, the British controlled Philadelphia. Congress was convening in York, Pennsylvania. Another issue upon which Lee focused while in Congress was American fishing rights. He argued strongly that the United States should under no circumstances enter into any treaty of peace with Great Britain until the British agreed to guarantee Americans free navigation along the Mississippi River and non-interference of American vessels fishing in the northern fisheries. Although Lee was quite proud of his brother, Richard Henry, it was not uncommon for Francis Lightfoot to be on the opposite side of the issues that were debated. Francis and Rebecca led quiet lives without pretense, and Lee is known to have been quite benevolent and a friend of those less fortunate than himself. He was quite comfortable living the life of a gentleman farmer and essentially was called to serve his country, which he did without fanfare. Shortly after the U.S. Constitution was adopted in Philadelphia during 1787, on a day in which Francis was in the courthouse, he was asked his opinion on the subject. He said he “did not pretend to be a good judge of such important matters.” But one thing “satisfied him in its favor,” that President Washington favored it and John Warden opposed it. Warden had just finished a speech that opposed ratification of the Constitution. Francis and his wife, Rebecca, succumbed within a short time of each other in January of 1797 after having become sick due to chills in inclement weather. The couple had no children. Both were interred at the Tayloe (Taylor) family cemetery on the grounds of the Mount Airy

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estate. It is quite probable that had Francis Lee not been one of the Signers of the Declaration, his great contributions to the nation would have been totally lost to obscurity. Francis parents died in the same time period. The monument on Francis’ father’s grave stated: “Here lies the Hon’ble Col. Thomas Lee Who dyed 14 November 1750; Aged 60 years; and his beloved wife, Mrs. Hannah Lee. She departed this life on 25 January 1749–1750.” The inscription on the slab that covered both graves is preserved at Stratford Hall. Colonel Henry “Lighthorse Harry” Lee, the father of Confederate General Robert E. Lee, was a cousin of both Francis Lightfoot and Richard Henry Lee. Henry Lee, the 6th son of Richard (2) and Laetitia Corbin Lee, was the grandfather of Colonel Henry “Lighthorse Harry” Lee. (See also, Lee, Richard Henry.)

Lee, Colonel Henry Henry Lee, known as “Light Horse Harry,” the son of Henry and Lucy Grimes Lee, was born on 29 January 1756 on the family estate in Westmoreland County, Virginia. In addition to Henry, their oldest child, his parents had the following children: Charles, Richard Bland, Theodorick, Edmund Jennings, Lucy (b. 1774, died unmarried), Mary (birth date unknown, second wife of Philip Richard Fendall about 1792, subsequent to the death of his first wife, Elizabeth Steptoe Lee, the widow of Philip Ludwell Lee), and Anne (b. 1776, married William Byrd Page). Henry, having been born in an influential family, received an excellent education. At about age thirteen, Henry entered the College of New Jersey (later Princeton) and graduated during 1773. Following graduation, Henry returned to the family estate and began to manage the plantation in the absence of his father, who was engaged in negotiating treaties with various Indian tribes. At age nineteen Henry entered the service. He was commissioned as a captain of a company of dragoons on 18 June 1776. Captain Henry Lee participated in the New York Campaigns of 1776. On 31 March 1777, Lee’s company was attached to the 1st Continental Dragoons. He participated in the defense of Philadelphia, including the Battle of Brandywine (September 9–11, 1777) and the Battle of Germantown (October 1777). During the contest at Germantown, General George Washington designated Lee’s cavalry as his bodyguard. Subsequent to the fighting at Germantown, the British retired to Philadelphia, while General Washington established winter headquarters at Valley Forge. On the 20th of January 1778, a contingent of British troops, having received intelligence of the whereabouts of Captain Lee, launched a raid and converged on Eagle Tavern near Valley Forge. Nevertheless, the Americans in the tavern, including Lee, did not surrender. The doors were bolted and the British force, which included Banastre Tarleton, were repelled. Several British troops were killed during the exchange. Later, on 7 April 1778, by act of Congress, for heroic action in the field Henry was promoted to the rank of major commandant. Congress also resolved “that he be empowered Henry “Lighthorse Harry” Lee (Pictoto augment his present corps rial Field Book of the Revolution, Benby enlistment of two troops son J. Lossing, 1860)

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of horse to act as a separate corps.” On 28 April Congress resolved “that Major H. Lee, commanding an independent Corps of Cavalry, whose Services are immediately wanted in the Field, have liberty and be empowered to seize and take so many Horses as are necessary to mount his Corps, from the Inhabitants of the said Peninsula. That in executing this Authority, he is to avoid as much as may be taking from the well affected, and take those Horses first which are the most likely to fall into the Enemy’s Hands [and] that 50,000 dollars be advanced to Major Lee, on account, for the purpose of purchasing horses, and towards recruiting and equipping his corps.” On 28 May, following receipt of a report from the Board of War, Congress resolved “that Major Henry Lee’s corps of partizan light dragoons consist of three, instead of two, troops: That these troops be formed on the old establishment, with the usual allowance of officers; and that those wanted in addition to the present officers in the corps be appointed by General Washington, who is also authorized to appoint a proper person to act as quarter master to the corps, with the rank of cornet.” Congress added another resolution on 13 July 1779 “that Captain M’Lane’s company, now attached to the Delaware regiment, and the dismounted dragoons belonging to Major Lee’s partizan corps, be formed into a fourth troop and added to the corps: this troop to be commanded by Captain M’Lane, and to serve on foot: the numbers of which it is to consist, to be ascertained, and the rest of the officers thereof to be appointed by the Commander in Chief.” On 18 August, Captain Lee led his corps to the final British stronghold in New Jersey: Paulus Hook ( Jersey City). The British were surprised and overwhelmed. The attack succeeded in capturing 159 British troops. The British also sustained 50 killed. After the lightning-quick raid, the Americans departed immediately and took no time to disable the guns. Surprisingly, some officers, apparently jealous of Lee’s success, lodged charges against him. Lee received a court-martial, but the scheme failed. Lee was totally exonerated and his actions received accolades. On 24 September 1779, Congress resolved “that the thanks of Congress be given to Major Lee for the remarkable prudence and bravery displayed in the attack on the enemy’s fort and works at Powles’ [Paulus] Hook and that they approve the humanity shewn in circumstances prompting to severity, as honorable to the arms of the United States, and correspondent to the noble principles on which they were assumed, and that a gold medal emblematic of this affair be struck under the direction of the Board of Treasury and presented to Major Lee.” On 21 October 1779, Henry’s battalion was named “Lee’s Partisan Corps.” Major Lee’s corps deployed at Burlington, New Jersey, during the winter of 1779–1780. In July of 1780, Congress received a request from Colonel Lee for compensation to cover the costs of purchasing horses that his command had lost while deployed at Burlington. On 31 October, Congress resolved “that the pressing emergency of our southern affairs requiring as speedy a reinforcement of cavalry as possible, Major Lee’s corps be ordered to proceed immediately on their route to join the southern army.” Washington directed Lee to move south to join with and bolster General Nathanael Greene, the latter having been ordered south to replace General Horatio Gates. Horatio Gates was sent south to assume command of the Department of the South upon the fall of Charleston and the surrender of Benjamin Lincoln and his army on 12 May 1780. Gates, however, failed to heed the advice of southern militia leaders and paid a high price by sustaining a devastating defeat at the Battle of Camden on 16 August 1780. Major Lee, promoted to the rank of colonel on 6 November 1780, remained in the field for the duration. On 24 January 1781, a contingent of Patriots led by Colonels Francis Marion and Henry Lee attacked a British stronghold at Georgetown, South Carolina. No fighting occurred. The Americans in retreat, following their victory at Cowpens on 17 January 1781, chose not to take casualties and the British

offered no resistance. The British, led by Lt. Colonel George Campbell, were given parole. Afterward, the Americans headed for the Catawba River. Later, on 7 February, Colonel Henry “Lighthorse Harry” Lee’s cavalry, which had been operating in South Carolina with Francis Marion, the Swamp Fox, arrived at Guilford Court House with General Isaac Huger’s force and joined with General Greene. At the time, British General Lord Charles Cornwallis was in pursuit of Greene, attempting to intercept the Americans before they reached the Dan River and Virginia. Part of Colonel Lee’s corps covered the rear of the column. The British vanguard under General Charles O’Hara felt the sting of Lee’s cavalry.. Meanwhile, the Americans reached Virginia safely. On the 19th, Colonel Lee was dispatched by General Greene to gather intelligence on the British and to join other forces. On 25 February 1781, a column of Loyalists, under Colonel John Pyle, was advancing to join with Cornwallis, but it encountered Colonel Lee’s command. The Loyalists were jubilant, believing they had met militia troops under Cornwallis, and upon sight of the Patriot cavalry, they shouted, “Long live the king.” Lee temporarily continued the ruse, but as the Loyalists moved closer and began to pass by the supposedly friendly militia, the true colors become known as the Americans initiated a furious attack, leaving the relaxed Loyalists no time to react. About 200 to 300 Loyalists were killed by the sword, while large numbers were wounded and the remainder captured. The incident is remembered as “Pyle’s Massacre.” Tarleton, once informed of Lee’s presence in North Carolina, prepared to give chase, but his plan was aborted upon news that General Greene had re-crossed the Dan River and re-entered North Carolina. Later, on 15 April, Colonel Lee joined with Marion in South Carolina and the combined force moved against British Fort Watson. The British were able to hold the fort, but the determined Americans reverted to their ingenuity and built towers from which the riflemen were able to aim directly into the fort from a higher level. After the sharpshooters displayed their marksmanship on the 23rd, the fort quickly surrendered. Lee and Francis Marion moved on 6 May against Fort Motte, also in South Carolina, at the convergence of the Congaree and the Wateree Rivers, where they form the Santee River (Calhoun County). Again the British held off defeat; however, once again the Patriots outfoxed the enemy. Rebecca Motte provided the attacking force with flaming arrows, which were used effectively. The British, after their fort was afire, capitulated on 12 May 1781. The British suffered no casualties, while the Americans sustained two killed. Nevertheless, 165 British troops became prisoners, but they were immediately paroled. Three days later, British-held Fort Granby was seized by forces under Colonel Thomas Taylor, but Colonel Lee’s command arrived to assure victory. Most of the garrison was composed of Loyalist militia and when that was discovered by Colonel Lee’s force, they were prepared to kill every one of them. General Greene intervened and after being threatened with capital punishment, Lee’s troops dropped their plan to liquidate the Loyalists. Later, on 16 May, Colonel Lee’ advanced to Ninety Six to bolster the militia that was deployed there under General Andrew Pickens. On the 20th, Lee’s force struck Fort Galpin, earlier hit by Marion, and confiscated all of the powder and seized the garrison. Lee afterward carried the ammunition with the column as it moved against Fort Cornwallis at Augusta, Georgia. On 31 May 1781, the British garrison refused an ultimatum to surrender the fort. Once again, the Americans took a trick from medieval times. They constructed a tower and from the heights, fired directly into the fort. The sharpshooters effectively picked off any British soldier spotted. The British reverted to concealment, but that prevented them from returning fire. On 4 June, Lee and Pickens prepared to mount a full-scale assault, but the British requested negotiations. On the following day the Americans were greeted by a white flag. Captain Rudulf (Rudolph) accepted the surrender of the garrison. Lee’s troops had not

235 lost their contempt for the Loyalists and one of the defending officers, Colonel Grierson, was shot and killed. Afterward, Lee’s troops continued to harass the British forces in South Carolina. On 17 July, Lee’s force, combined with those of Marion and Sumter, clashed at Quimby Bridge (Berkeley County, South Carolina). The British raised heavy resistance and repulsed the attack, but they were compelled to retire after sustaining heavy casualties. Subsequently, on 8 September, Colonel Lee’s corps participated at the Battle of Eutaw Springs, the final major battle in South Carolina. The British vanguard crashed into Lee’s corps and was forced to retire. Soon both sides were entangled in a tenacious contest. In the meantime, Lee maneuvered to strike the British left flank, turning it, while at the same time, Lee plowed into the British rear. The British were stunned and unable to immediately regroup. The British moved back to a stone house and deployed in positions that became impenetrable. General Greene ordered a retreat. The British afterward retired and moved toward Charleston, but they left about seventy of their wounded on the field and the Americans picked up 1,000 stand of arms. The British sustained about 500 killed and 500 captured, while the Americans sustained about 114 killed, 300 wounded and 40 missing. Later, on 13 December 1782, Colonel Lee was with the force of General Anthony Wayne outside Charleston when word arrived that the British would be abandoning Charleston on the following day. In spring of 1782, Henry married Matilda Ludwell, his cousin and the daughter of Philip and Elizabeth Steptoe Ludwell. Matilda’s sister, Flora, married another cousin, Philip Ludwell Lee, the son of Richard Henry Lee. Henry and Matilda had four children: Nathanael Greene (b. about 1784, died in infancy); Philip Ludwell (b. about 1785, died during 1795); Lucy Grymes (b. during 1786, married Bernard Moore Carter); Henry (b. 1787). Subsequent to the close of hostilities, Colonel Lee was elected to the Virginia state legislature and then (in 1786) to Congress. Although he was not a delegate to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia during 1787, when the United States Constitution was adopted on 17 September, Henry did serve as a delegate to the state ratification convention of 1788. Virginia ratified the Constitution on 25 June 1788 to become the tenth state to join the union. During 1790, Henry’s wife, Matilda, died (about May). Henry Lee was elected governor of Virginia the following year. Henry succeeded Beverly Randolph and served from 1791 through 1794. In the meantime, Henry had been pondering whether to travel to France to serve in the French Army, with a commission as a major general. He sought advice from General Washington, who advised against the trip based on conditions in France, and he also claimed: “Because it would appear a boundless ocean I was about to embark on, from whence no land is seen.... Those in whose hands of the government [of France] is intrusted are ready to tear each other to pieces, and will more than probably prove the worst foes the country has.” Henry also received an opinion from Charles Carter of Shirley. Besides going to France, Henry was also working toward marriage to Anne Hill Carter, the daughter of Charles and his second wife, Ann Butler Moore Carter. Carter’s earlier opinion is thought to have bolstered Washington’s advice, because if Henry went to France, Anne Hill’s parents would not consent to the marriage. Carter said in a letter to Henry Lee, dated 20 May 1793: “The only objection we ever had to your connection with our beloved daughter is now done away. You have declared upon your honor that you have relinquished all thoughts of going to France, and we rest satisfied with that assurance. As we certainly know that you have obtained her consent, you shall have that of her parents most cordially, to be joined together in the holy bonds of matrimony, whenever she pleases; and as it is determined on, by the approbation and sincere affection of all friends, as well as of all the parties immediately concerned, we think the sooner it takes place the better.” Consequently, Henry Lee got married and avoided getting entangled

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in the French Revolution. He married Anne Hill Carter on 18 June 1793. Henry and Anne Hill had six children, one of whom was Robert E. Lee, an officer (West Point graduate 1829) in the United States Army until the outbreak of the Civil War (War of the Rebellion) when he refused to take up arms against Virginia. Robert E. Lee was appointed commander-in-chief of the Confederate Virginia forces. In addition to Robert Edward, Henry and Anne had the following children: Algernon Sidney (b. at Stratford, April 1795); Charles Carter (b. at Stratford, November 1798); Anne Kinloch (b. at Stratford, June 1800, married Judge William Louis Marshall); Sydney Smith (b. September 1802 at Camden, New Jersey, while Mrs. Lee was on a visit there; married Anna Maria Mason, daughter of John Mason; also graduated U.S. Naval Academy, became commandant and then commander of the navy yard in Philadelphia; later was in the service of the Confederate States); Catherine Mildred (b. at Alexandria, Virginia, in February 27, 1811, married Edward Vernon Childe). On 19 July 1798, Colonel Lee was commissioned as a major general of the United States Army. The next year he was elected to the U.S. Congress. During his service there, George Washington died (14 December 1799) at this home in Mount Vernon. Henry Lee was delegated by Congress to deliver the eulogy in honor of President Washington to the House of Representatives. Lee’s eulogy on 26 December 1799 was spellbinding and has continued to be considered a classic of American oratory. The eulogy’s most remembered part is that Washington was “first in war, first in peace and first in the hearts of his countrymen, he was second to none in the humble and endearing scenes of private life....” Henry Lee retired from public life during 1801 and afterward suffered some severe financial setbacks by involving himself in bad choices on land speculation. Henry was compelled to move from the estate (Stratford) to Alexandria and relied on a trust of his wife to maintain the family. During his retirement, he authored The Memoirs of the War of 76 (in the Southern Department) in 1809. In 1814, he was badly wounded while confronting a political mob in Baltimore, Maryland, and he was never able to completely recuperate. Lee’s health by 1817 deteriorated further, prompting him to take a voyage to the West Indies in an attempt to regain his health; however, he found no success. While he was en route back to his home in Virginia during spring of 1818, he paused in Georgia to visit one of General Nathanael Greene’s daughters, Louisa Shaw, who resided on Cumberland Island, but he never completed the trip to his home. General Henry “Light Horse Harry” Lee died while at Mrs. Shaw’s residence on 25 March 1818. At the time of Henry Lee’s death, Robert E. Lee was about eleven years old. Robert E. later married Mary Anne Randolph Custis, the daughter of George Washington Parke and Mary Lee Fitzhugh Lee Custis. Robert E. and Mary had the following children: George Washington Custis (b. at Fortress Monroe, September 1832, graduate of West Point in 1854, later Confederate general); Mary Custis (b. 1834); William Henry Fitzhugh (known as Rooney, b. May 1837; U.S. Army officer and Confederate general; married Charlotte Wickham); Anne Carter (b. June 1839); Eleanor Agnes (b. about 1842); Robert Edward (b. October 1843, later captain in Confederate Army, married Charlotte Taylor, the daughter of R. Barton and Octavia Robinson Haxall, and then Juliet Carter, daughter of Colonel Thomas H. and Susan Roy Carter); and Mildred Childe (birth date unknown).

Lee, Richard Henry (Signer of the Declaration of Independence) Richard Henry Lee, the son of Thomas and Hannah Harrison Ludwell Lee and the brother of Francis “Lightfoot” Lee, also a signer of the Declaration of Independence, was born in Virginia (Westmoreland County) on 20 January 1732. Thomas and Hannah had ten other children: Richard (b. 17 June 1723, died unmarried, prior to the death of his father); Phillip Ludwell (24 February 1727, married Elizabeth

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Steptoe); Hannah (6 February 1728, married Gawin Corbin); John (born and died 28 March 1729); Lucy (26 September 1730, died unmarried); Thomas Ludwell (13 December 1731, died 1778); Francis Lightfoot (14 October 1734); Alice (4 June 1736); William (31 August 1739); and Arthur (21 December 1740). Richard’s parents sent him to England to receive his education. He attended Wakefield, a renowned educational school in Yorkshire. Richard obtained an excellent education; however, he never focused on a particular profession, rather, he studied literature and the sciences. Combined with his natural oratory skills, his education essentially prepared him for the life of a gentleman upon his return to America, which occurred prior to reaching his twentieth year and about one year following the death of his father in 1750. His mother passed away during 1749. Richard Henry Lee had also become familiar with the military, and by the time the relations between Britain and France were edging toward hostilities, he was in command of troops in Westmoreland County. General Edward Braddock arrived in Virginia during the early part of 1755 to deal with the French threat and at that time, Lee and his contingent arrived at Alexandria to join with Braddock. Lee and his entire command volunteered to serve. Braddock, however, was unimpressed with the Americans and looked upon them with a condescending glare. He chose to reject the offer and spare his polished army from intermixing with the provincial forces under Lee. Disillusioned, Lee’s column retraced their steps and returned to Westmoreland, unaware that Braddock’s dismissal assured that Lee and his troops would not be with Braddock when he and his Redcoats were mauled at Fort Duquesne. Richard Henry married Anne Aylett during 1757 and his brother Thomas married Anne’s sister Mary. Richard Henry and Anne had four children: Thomas (1758), Ludwell (1760), Mary (1764), and Hannah (1766). Richard and his wife established their residence in Chantilly (formerly known as Hollis Marsh) along the Potomac, several miles below Stratford on property owned by his brother, Philip Ludwell. During the French and Indian War, Lee served as a justice of the peace (1757) and within a short while, he was elected to the House of Burgesses (1758), where he remained until 1775. It was in the House of Burgesses that his fellow members became aware of his golden tongue, with which he was able to speak eloquently and flawlessly, particularly when his senses were motivated by a passionate cause. An example of his stinging rhetoric occurred during a discussion regarding the importation of slaves, a practice he abhorred. His colleagues, those aligned with the Crown, were stunned by his ground-shaking speech, but they ignored his counsel and approved of the practice. Richard afterward became known as the “Cicero” of America. Later, he confronted the House with the shenanigans of John Robinson, the colony’s treasurer, and succeeded in exposing his illegal activities to aid his friends. Just as the Crown instituted its infamous exorbitant taxation on the colonies, Richard Lee’s deep-rooted feelings intensified and he burst forward in opposition. Lee opposed the Stamp Act (1765) and designed the Westmoreland Association, an agreement against importation from Britain that greatly discouraged all from agreeing to pay the tax. During the following year he raised vociferous opposition to the Townshend Acts. He also formed a close alliance with other Patriots in New England. On 6 November 1766, he lost an election as speaker of the House to Peyton Randolph. It is thought that Richard Henry Lee was the first to bellow the cry for independence. Correspondence and other documentation, including testimony of Colonel Christopher Gadsden of South Carolina, bolsters the tradition. Lee also wrote of the need to break from Britain. He wrote in a letter dated 25 July 1768 to John Dickinson: “For the ultimate establishment of independence — that private correspondence should be conducted by the lovers of liberty in every province.” The next year, as chairman of the judiciary committee (House of Burgesses), Lee introduced legislation that infuriated the British ministry.

The relations between the representatives of the Crown and Richard Henry Lee only continued to become more distant. While Lee was becoming a more prominent leader, he had the luxury also of having two of his brothers (William and Arthur) living in England and in position to forward first-hand information regarding the actions of Parliament and the king to him, which gave Lee a preview of things in store for the colonies. Lee suffered a severe Richard Henry Lee (Biographical loss during 1767, when his wife, Sketches of the Signers of the DeclaAnne, succumbed; however, it ration of Independence, Benson J. did not affect his role as a lead- Lossing, 1854) ing Patriot. During the following year Lee sustained another tragedy, but to a lesser degree, when a severe accident while hunting caused him to lose his fingers on his left hand. During May 1769, Governor Lord Boutetort dissolved the assembly, but Richard Henry Lee and other Patriots, including George Washington and George Mason, met on the following day at the Raleigh Tavern and elected Peyton Randolph as speaker. The body also drew up the Virginia Association, a non-importation agreement. Later, Richard Henry remarried, taking Anne Gaskins Pincard of Westmoreland County, the sister of Colonel Thomas Gaskins, as his second wife. Through their marriage, five more children were born: Anne (1770); Henrietta (1773); Sarah (1775); Cassius (1779); and Francis Lightfoot (1782). By 1773, conditions existing between Britain and the colonies showed no genuine positive signs of improvement, but some Americans still held hope of reconciliation, while others, like Richard Lee, Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson, took precautionary measures in the event of hostilities. The trio acting in the House of Burgesses designed a Virginia committee of correspondence. During the following year, word of the British action that sealed the port of Boston (Boston Port Act of 1774) reached Lee from his brother Arthur in London. Richard Henry Lee, Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson instigated their fellow members in the House of Burgesses to declare a day of fasting and prayer as a sign of deep protest. The royal governor reacted by again ordering the House dissolved. In August 1774, Lee and six others were selected delegates to the First Continental Congress, scheduled to convene in Philadelphia in September. It was there that Patrick Henry and Lee gave back-to-back fiery speeches that rolled like thunder and further sparked the flames of liberty. His pointed eloquence was not confined to his tongue. Lee’s pen was equally powerful, and he was engaged with the authorship of the letter to the king and to the people of Britain during the period when reconciliation was still believed possible. He also authored the letter to the colonies as well as being involved with the letter to the people of Quebec. The three-man committee appointed to author the letter to Great Britain consisted of Richard Henry Lee, William Livingston, and John Jay. Their resolution: “Resolved, unanimously, That a memorial be prepared to the people of British America, stating to them the necessity of a firm, united, and invariable observation of the measures recommended by the Congress, as they tender the invaluable rights and liberties derived to them from the laws and constitution of their country.” Lee had a close friend living in the city, his sister Alice, who was married to Doctor William Shippen, Jr. During 1775, Lee was elected to the Virginia legislature and afterward was a delegate to Congress, where he was among the strongest proponents of separation from Britain. During that session Lee served on various committees, one of

237 which was designed to gather intelligence. He had also been on the committee that drew up General Washington’s commission. On 17 June 1775, the commission was signed by the president of Congress, Peyton Randolph, and presented to George Washington. On 14 December 1775, he was appointed as one of ten men charged with arming the ships of the Continental Navy. During the latter part of the winter, on 15 March 1776, Lee, along with Benjamin Franklin, was delegated to inform General Charles Lee that he was to depart for the Southern Department and assume command of the forces. On 29 May Congress resolved: “that Mr. [Benjamin] Franklin, Mr. [Thomas] Lynch, Mr. [Richard Henry] Lee, Mr. [Thomas] Willing, Mr. S [Samuel] Adams, and Mr. P [Philip] Livingston, be a committee to consider the best means of establishing posts for conveying letters and intelligence through this continent.” On the 3rd of June Lee was appointed to the committee chosen to draw up an address to the people of Great Britain. Soon after, on 7 June 1776, Lee acted to have Congress adopt a motion: “That these united colonies are, and of right, ought to be free and independent states; that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British crown and that all political connection between them and the state of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved.” Lee proposed the Resolutions for Independence and underscored his proposal with yet another extemporaneous riveting speech, accompanied by his usual hand gestures, particularly his one hand which had, since a previous hunting accident, been wrapped in a dark silk covering that fluttered as he spoke. Action regarding the resolution, which was seconded by John Adams, was pushed off until the following day. On the 8th of June the Committee of the Whole debated the motion. Subsequently, on the 10th, it was adopted in committee over the opposition of John Dickinson. On that day, Lee had to speed back to Virginia due to illness in his family. In his absence, Thomas Jefferson was appointed chairman of the committee handling the resolution. Lee’s residence in Virginia was raided by a force of armed men, but Lee had been a few miles away at a friend’s home and avoided capture. Threats against the servants to compel them to disclose his location failed, but the raiders were informed that Lee was in Philadelphia. Lee was not present when the Declaration of Independence was adopted; however, he later returned to Congress and signed the parchment document. Lee continued to serve on an assortment of committees. On 14 October 1776, Congress resolved “that a committee of three be appointed, to consider what is to be done with negroes taken by vessels of war, in the service of the United States.” The members chosen included Richard Henry Lee. Congress continued to conduct business right up to Christmas, and on Christmas Eve, a five-man committee, which included Lee, was charged with drawing up a plan to acquire support from foreign nations to aid the Americans against the English. During 1777, he returned to Virginia to answer charges that he had betrayed the American cause by accepting payments in-kind rather than Continental currency. He was quickly acquitted of the baseless charges. Other absences were due to periods of poor health. However, he also served in the Virginia legislature (1780–1784) as a conservative and was during that period called upon to lead Virginia troops. On 1 May 1777, Congress appointed Lee to a three-man committee to investigate whether to retaliate against Portugal due to its refusal to permit U.S. ships to enter its ports. On 4 May 1778, regarding the Treaty of Alliance and another act (separate and secret), consummated on 6 February with France by Benjamin Franklin, Silas Deane and Arthur Lee, Congress appointed Richard Henry Lee (Arthur’s brother) to a three-man committee charged with drawing up the form of ratification. Lee’s literary skills were again tapped when he was appointed to another committee on the 16th of June to draw up a resolution designed to prohibit communication with the enemy. Within one month, on 9 July, Lee was placed on the committee charged with drafting a letter to each of the states that had not yet directed their

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delegates to approve of the Articles of Confederation with encouragement to authorize such action. Lee remained in Congress; however poor health often caused him to be absent. His health failed badly and compelled him to retire during 1779. In 1784, Lee, again in Congress, was elected president of the body serving in that capacity during 1784–1785. While the new republic began to form its federal government, Richard Henry Lee, who supported and signed the Articles of Confederation, became an opponent of the proposed federal constitution, due to his concerns that states’ rights would be overridden and because it lacked a bill of rights. His efforts—and those of the other Virginian opponents, including Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Jefferson and George Mason — were in vain. After its adoption, Lee supported it. The U.S. Constitution was adopted during 1787 and later ratified by the states. Richard Lee, elected in 1789, was the first United States senator from Virginia elected under the new Constitution. During 1792, poor health, including severe gout, forced Lee to depart from public life on 22 October 1792 and retire in Chantilly. He succumbed on 19 June 1794 and afterward he received a Christian burial. He was interred in the Lee family cemetery (Burnt House Field Cemetery) in the vicinity of Hague, Virginia. The children of his first marriage to Anne Aylett were: Thomas (married Fanny Lee); Ludwell (married his first cousin, Flora, daughter of Philip Ludwell and Elizabeth Steptoe Lee of Stratford, then Elizabeth Armistead, daughter of Bowles and Mary Fontaine Armistead; the marriages brought about three children with the former and six with the latter); Mary (married Colonel William Augustine Washington, but the couple had no children); and Hannah (married Corbin Washington of Walnut Farm; they had six children). Children from his second marriage to Anne Gaskins Pincard were: Anne (married her cousin, Charles Lee; she died on 9 September 1804); Henrietta (married Richard Lee Turberville and then the Rev. William Maffit; she died about 1803–1804); Sarah (married her cousin, Edmund Jennings Lee; she died May 1837); Cassius (died in July 1798 while a student at Nassau College in New Jersey); and Francis Lightfoot (married Elizabeth Fitzgerald, daughter of Colonel John and Jane Diggs Fitzgerald, no surviving children; then married Elizabeth’s sister, Jane, and from that marriage, five children were born). The exact date of the death of his widow (second wife), Anne, is unknown.

Lewis, Brigadier General Andrew Andrew Lewis was born in Ireland during 1720. His parents were John and Margaret Lynn Lewis and his paternal grandparents were Andrew and Mary Calhoun Lewis. Andrew’s father is thought to have emigrated from Donegal to Portugal after he was involved in a deadly incident and killed his landlord. Staying for a time in Portugal, John then removed his family to America. After spending some time in Pennsylvania, he departed for Virginia (later West Virginia) and established himself in what was a wilderness on the frontier. Prior to departing Ireland, John and Mary had five other children: Samuel (b. 1716; some early historians believed that Samuel never existed; no known records authenticate his birth); Thomas (b. 1718); William (b. 1724); Margaret (1726); Ann (1728); and Charles (b. 1736 after the family arrived in Virginia). The home of the Lewis family was constructed to afford protection from the Indians and contained portholes from which the home could be defended against attack. Later, when Augusta County was formed, John Lewis became the founder of Augusta. Andrew Lewis was raised in a region which was, up to the point of the arrival of his family, unknown to the white man. Consequently, Andrew had no options except to become acclimated to hostile surroundings. In addition to learning the skills of a surveyor, Andrew simultaneously honed his skills as an Indian fighter. He surveyed land in the Appalachian Mountains and participated in the various conflicts

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with the Indians from his youth to the outbreak of the American Revolution. In 1749, he married Elizabeth Givens and together they had six children: John, Thomas, Samuel, Andrew, Annie and William. In April 1754, he was attached to the Virginia contingent that was with Colonel George Washington in western Pennsylvania at Fort Necessity. The French and the British both coveted the region, with the French intent on dominating the area, which would give them access to Louisiana. The British worked to prevent the French from succeeding. During April of 1774, George Washington was informed that a party under Captain William Trent that was constructing a fort at the forks of the Ohio River was captured by the French, an action that sparked the French and Indian War. Washington’s column advanced to regain the post, but the French greatly outnumbered the Virginians. On 27–28 May, the Virginians defeated a French force outside Fort Duquesne, but no move against the fort was made. The Virginians retired to Great Meadows (vicinity of Uniontown, Pa.) and constructed Fort Necessity; however, the French compelled the fort to surrender. During the struggle, Washington on the 4th of July led the force from Fort Necessity back to Virginia. During that period, Colonel Washington had promoted Andrew Lewis to the rank of captain. During the following year, Captain Lewis participated in Edward Braddock’s expedition, which ended in a disastrous defeat on 9 July 1755. During spring of the following year, Captain Lewis, pursuant to orders from Colonel Washington, commanded a force that moved out on 24 April to construct a fort (Fort Loudoun) at Winchester, about 25 miles from Knoxville, Tennessee. At the time, the site was located in Cherokee territory. It was to become the anchor fort along a chain of posts on the frontier. In 1755, Lewis’s father had established Fort Lewis (an oversized, fortified log cabin, known as Bellefont) at Staunton, and Andrew’s brother; Charles, commanded the garrison at times during 1756. And yet another post, Fort Lewis, named in honor of Major Andrew Lewis, was established in the vicinity of Salem and what became known as Fort Lewis Mountain. Fort Loudoun was built in the vicinity of Potato Hill and Fort Hill. On 21 September 1758, Major James Grant, under orders to launch a reconnaissance mission near French-held Fort Duquesne, overstepped his orders and ordered an attack against the fort prior to the arrival of the main body under Colonel Henry Bouquet. The French repulsed the attack and devastated Grant’s command. The English-American force sustained 278 killed and 48 wounded. Major Andrew Lewis and Andrew’s son John were among those captured and transported to Montreal. Grant attempted to blame the loss on Lewis, but actually, Major Lewis’s heroism prevented the losses from being higher. When Lewis was informed of Grant’s accusations, which were forwarded to General Forbes, he challenged Grant to a duel, but Grant was too timid to accept. The survivors made it back to Loyal Hanna (Fort Ligonier). Captain Grant was the same Grant that after returning to England proclaimed in the British House of Commons that he was familiar with the Americans and he “would venture to predict that they would never dare face an English army, being destitute of every requisite to make good soldiers.” During 1768, Lewis was appointed as a commissioner representing Virginia at the Treaty of Fort Stanwix, which was consummated in New York. Later, during 1774, Andrew Lewis (Botetourt County) was a member of the Virginia assembly, along with Patrick Henry, George Washington, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Harrison. While the colonists were becoming increasingly discontented with the policies of King George III and Parliament, Virginia was also confronted with rising tensions with the Indians. War was anticipated. Governor Dunmore appointed Andrew Lewis as brigadier general with command of the forces (Southern division) raised in his county, Augusta County and the adjacent counties east of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

In early September, the troops had converged on Fort Savannah (sometimes referred to erroneously as Fort Union or Camp Union), at Lewisburg, Greenbrier County. By 11 September the column advanced toward the mouth of the Great Kanawha River where it converges with the Ohio River. The British reached Point Pleasant on 30 September. Lewis was directed by Lord Dunmore to meet him there on the 2nd of October. Nevertheless, Dunmore did not arrive, but on 9 October a messenger sent by Dunmore informed Lewis that Dunmore was at Fort Pitt and that Lewis’ new orders directed him to move to the Indian territory at the Scioto River in the Ohio Valley. The advance was soon after suspended. While Lewis’ column was breaking camp at the Point Pleasant, a huge number of Indians led by Chiefs Red Hawk (Delaware), Scoppathus (Mingo), Chiyaee (Wyandotte), Logan (Cayuga) and two Shawnee chiefs, Cornstalk and his son Ellinipalco, headed toward the camp. The Indians had been incensed when members of Chief Logan’s family had been killed by the colonists on 24 May 1774 in western Pennsylvania, despite Logan’s friendship with the Americans. Chief Logan had been called “friend of the white man” by his own tribe. On 10 October 1774, the Indians who were closing on the camp were spotted, but initially General Lewis believed the band was a scouting party. General Lewis dispatched a contingent, led by his brother, Colonel Charles Lewis, to investigate, but just as the unit moved outside the camp’s perimeter, it was struck by the enemy. Reinforcements under Colonel William Fleming sped to aid the beleaguered contingent. After about one hour of ferocious combat, at Crooked Run, Colonel Lewis was struck by a mortal blow. At about the same time, the defenders started to waver, but Fleming stabilized the line and for a while, discipline returned; however, hostile fire then inflicted a fatal blow upon Fleming. Nonetheless, the Virginians maintained effective fire and finally compelled the Indians to pull back, with some Virginians giving chase, only to get snagged by an ambush that led to the capture and death of the pursuers. The primary chief, Cornstalk (Hokolesqua), who had victory in his grasp by that point, began to see his victory vanish. Meanwhile, General Lewis, holding at the main camp, ordered an attack to be led by Colonel Field to eliminate the possibility of a sustained counterattack by Cornstalk, with a three-pronged attack against the enemy’s rear executed by Captains Isaac Shelby, George Matthews and John Stuart. The daring move by General Lewis succeeded in turning the tide. The Indians suddenly found their positions untenable with the troops to their rear and were compelled to flee across the Ohio. Lewis’s outstanding leadership brought about victory without the assistance of Lord Dunmore, and it terminated the threat to the region. However, the Virginians lost about 200 killed. The Indian losses were estimated as more than 100 killed, but precise casualties of the battle have never been ascertained. Afterward, Lewis reinitiated the march to join with Dunmore, but a messenger from Dunmore delivered orders instructing Lewis to halt to avoid interfering with Dunmore’s peace talks with the Indians. General Lewis, however, not particularly pleased with the absence of Dunmore’s troops and concerned with the hostile force at his rear, ignored the order and continued his advance. Later, another messenger intercepted Lewis with orders to halt and afterward, Dunmore arrived to hand Lewis a direct order to return to Point Pleasant. The encounter caused a commotion and Lewis’ command came close to engaging Dunmore’s command, but Lewis did return as ordered and no bloodshed occurred. In the meantime, Dunmore concluded a treaty (Treaty of Camp Charlotte), which terminated “Dunmore’s War.” The Ohio River was marked as the boundary line separating American from Indian territory. On 9 December, Americans under Colonel (later general) William Woodford decisively defeated Dunmore at the Battle of Great Bridge near Norfolk, ending the royal government in Virginia. Later, Dunmore, operating from Gwynn Island, attempted to regain

239 control, but General Lewis’ forces by late June or early July eliminated that threat, and by the 9th of July the patriots seized the island. On the following day, the Virginia Gazette reported: “His Lordship [Dunmore] lost his china by a double-headed shot, and it is said he himself was wounded in the leg by a splinter. The fleet is drove off without water, and although they have plenty of flour, there is not a bisquit on board.” In the meantime, on 1 March 1776, Andrew Lewis was appointed as a brigadier general in the Continental Army, along with five others: John Armstrong, William Thompson, James Moore, William Alexander (Earl of Stirling) and Robert Howe. During the following year, on 17 January, General Lewis was ordered to remain in Virginia, and his request to visit his family had been approved. On 19 February 1777, Congress promoted five brigadiers to major general; however, to the dismay of General Lewis, he was not among those selected. In addition, one of his subordinates, Adam Stephen, received a promotion. The congressional action led to the resignation of Lewis. Then during that same session, General Lewis was directed by Congress speed up the movement of the troops that had been raised in Virginia for service in the Continental Army, that they would move out to join with General Washington. Congress, by passing over General Lewis for promotion, influenced his resignation from the army. On 30 March 1777, General George Washington, at his headquarters in Morristown, New Jersey, dispatched a letter to General Lewis expressing his disappointment in the failure of Congress to promote Lewis. The commander-in-chief tried to unsuccessfully to persuade Lewis to remain in the army. On 15 April 1777, Congress resolved “that Brigadier General Lewis’s resignation be accepted.” Subsequent to his departure from the army, General Lewis served as a commissioner charged with meeting with the western Indians at Fort Pitt in western Pennsylvania. En route to his home during 1781, General Lewis came down with a debilitating fever, which took his life while he was in Bedford County, less than fifty miles from his residence. General Lewis was interred on his estate, known as “Dropmore,” which was in the vicinity of Bent Mountain and near the town of Salem, West Virginia (Roanoke County). General Lewis was survived by his wife and six children: John (captain during the Revolution, married Patsy Love of Alexandria); Thomas (married a Miss Evans of Point Pleasant); Samuel (colonel, died unmarried); Andrew (colonel, married Eliza Madison, daughter of John Madison of Montgomery [later Roanoke] County); Annie married Roland Madison); and William (married Lucy, daughter of John Madison and sister of Eliza). At the foot of Marlin’s Mountain in Marlinton, West Virginia, a spot known as “Corner Oaks” was associated with General Lewis and the victory over the Indians at Point Pleasant. A plaque was placed at Corner Oaks with a simple inscription in memory of Lewis’ victory. It read: “General Andrew Lewis, Oct. 6, 1754.” Regarding the Battle at Point Pleasant, the force under General Lewis included the Augusta County Regiment (commanded by General Lewis); Botetourt Regiment (commanded by Colonel William Fleming); Fincastle Battalion (commanded by Colonel William Christian); Culpeper Minute Men (40 men, commanded by Colonel John Field); Dunmore County Volunteers (40 men, commanded by Captain Thomas Slaughter); Bedford County Riflemen (44 men, commanded by Captain Thomas Buford); and Kentucky Pioneers (27 men, commanded by Captain James Harrod). The officers killed included Colonel Charles Lewis (Augusta County Regiment), Colonel John Field (Culpeper County Company), Captain John Murray (Botetourt County Regiment), Captain Robert McClennahan (Botetourt County Regiment), and Captain Samuel Wilson (Augusta County Regiment) and Captain Charles Ward (Augusta County Regiment). Some of the officers were interred within a magazine at the confluence of the Kanawha and Ohio Rivers in Tuendawee Park. A monument (22-feet square and eighty-six feet high) composed

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of Rhode Island granite was later erected at Point Pleasant in honor of the victory. Virginians also erected a monument to Cornstalk, General Lewis’ opposing commander at the battle. Cornstalk’s monument was four feet, 3 inches, square by twelve feet high. Cornstalk was killed by colonists using treachery on 10 November 1777 at a time when Cornstalk was assisting the Americans against the British. He was interred near where the monument now rests in Point Pleasant. Another monument to General Lewis was erected at the base of the Washington Monument in Richmond, Virginia.

Lewis, Brigadier General Fielding Fielding Lewis, the son of John and Frances Fielding Lewis Lewis, was born on 7 July 1725 in Gloucester County, Virginia, at the family estate Warner Hall. John and Frances had four other sons: John, Charles, Warner and William. Fielding’s ancestor, General Robert Lewis, and his wife, Elizabeth (maiden name uncertain), arrived in America from England. About 1645, General Robert Lewis succumbed, leaving two children, William and John (1). Elizabeth subsequently remarried. John (1) Fielding married Elizabeth Warner, the daughter of Captain Augustine and Mary Warner and the granddaughter of George Reade. Elizabeth was also the sister of speaker Augustine Warner. It was John (1) and Elizabeth ( John’s first cousin) who built Warner Hall along the Severn River. Records indicate that John (1) and Elizabeth had fourteen children; however, information on their respective histories is scarce, except for three of their sons, John (2) (b. 1691); Charles (b. 1696) and Robert (b. 1706, married Jane Meriwether, daughter of Nicholas and Elizabeth Crawford Meriwether). John (2), Fielding’s father, was a councilor and a trader who owned ships that traveled between the colonies and the West Indies. John’s (2) mother was the youngest daughter of Augustine and Mildred Reade Warner. John and Frances had four other children; however, most of Gloucester County records of the period were lost. Records from the church registry indicate that their children also included Warner (b. 1720); a second child whose name was illegible in the records; Charles (b. 1727); and John (3) (b. about 1727). While Fielding was still young, his father set him up in business in Fredericksburg (1740s) and he too became an affluent merchant and trader who owned his own ships. Fielding married Catherine Washington, a cousin of George Washington; however, Catherine died young during birth of their third child. The only child of Catherine who lived was John. Fielding, a widower with two young children, then married George Washington’s only surviving sister, Elizabeth (known as Betty), on 7 May 1750. At the time of her marriage, Betty was not yet seventeen years old. Fielding and Betty had nine children and possibly ten, but information was available only for nine: Fielding (b. February 1751, married Ann Alexander and then four additional times); Augustine (b. January 1752); Warner ( June 1755); George W. (b. March 1757, married Kate Dangerfield); Mary (died in infancy); Betty (b. February 1765, married Charles Carter); Lawrence (b. April 1767, married Eleanor Park Custis, the granddaughter of Martha Dandridge Custis Washington); Robert (b. June 1779, married Judith Brown) and Howell (b. December 1771, married Ellen Hackney Pollard). Fielding Lewis took advantage of his brother-in-law George Washington’s experience as a surveyor and requested that he survey a tract of a plantation for the purpose of building a mansion. George Washington agreed and afterward, when the land was surveyed, Fielding bought the property and built the home for his wife and family, but it wasn’t completed until the mid–1770s. The mansion, in Fredericksburg, was later, during the early 1800s, named Kenmore by new owners. The mansion still stands and remains open to the public. Fielding, like his brother-in-law, was a staunch advocate of the colonies during those trying days when the Americans were attempting to get the king and Parliament to lessen the tax burden following

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the conclusion of the French and Indian War. In 1760, Fielding entered the political field (House of Burgesses) when he was selected to fill out the term of a member who died. He was afterward elected and remained in the body until 1768. In 1775, Fielding Lewis was appointed to the Virginia Committee of Correspondence, but he also served on other committees during that period. Lewis’s primary contribution during 1775, in addition to committing much of his personal fortune, was to oversee the manufacturing of arms and ammunition for the army. The “Gun Manufactory,” as it was known, was financed by Lewis and supervised by another Patriot, Charles Dick. The original idea for the manufacturing plant was initiated by Colonel William Woodford (later brigadier general), but he left for military service. Both Dick and Lewis were in poor health by the time the operation got underway and the latter was frequently confined to his home. In 1776, Lewis was appointed brigadier general of militia; however, he continued to devote his time to supplying arms, clothing and other necessities to the troops and was not known as a field commander during any of the major battles, due in great part to continually deteriorating health. That year, Fielding Lewis was appointed chairman of the Spotsylvania County Committee of Safety. By the latter part of the war, his health reached a critical point, which prompted him to visit a family plantation in present-day Clarke County where he was expecting to regain his health. General Fielding Lewis died during the latter part of 1781 and was afterward interred at St. George’s church in Fredericksburg. Church records indicate that Fielding and two of his children are buried under the steps of the church. Other prominent Virginians of the period buried there include the brother of John Paul Jones, William Paul ( John Paul added Jones to his name after arriving in the colonies). General George Washington’s fatherin-law, Colonel John Dandridge, is also interred at St. George’s. Subsequent to the death of General Lewis, neither the state of Virginia nor Congress ever compensated his family. By the mid 1790s, the family was desperately in need of money. Betty Lewis survived her husband until 1797. That year the estate was sold by the family. General Lewis’ oldest son (of second wife, Betty) served as an officer in the home guard during the war. George, their second son, joined the service during 1777 and was attached to General Washington’s body guard. George attended to General Hugh Mercer when he was mortally wounded at the Battle of Princeton on 3 January 1777. Lawrence, another son, served as a secretary to General Washington. And, Robert Lewis, another son, served as private secretary to George Washington during his first term as president.

Lewis, Francis (Signer of the Declaration of Independence) Francis Lewis, one of the older members of the Continental Congress during 1776, was born in March 1713 at Landaff (Glamorgan, South Wales), a mountainous region of Great Britain. His father was an Episcopal clergyman, the Rev. Francis Lewis, and his mother was Amy Pettingal Lewis of Caernarvon, the daughter of an Episcopal clergyman. Both of his parents succumbed while he was a young boy. Francis, an only child, then came under the guardianship of an aunt named Llawelling. Under her guidance, Francis learned the Cymraeg language and afterward, while in Scotland, he also learned the original Celtic language, giving him command of three languages. He continued his education at Westminster in London. Having overcome the grief of losing his two parents and backed by a solid education, he plunged into the world of commerce and soon after became a successful entrepreneur. Initially he worked for a mercantile firm (counting house) in London. At the time he reached his majority (twenty-one), Lewis received a sizable inheritance, which he used to acquire merchandise for a business in the colonies. He arrived in New York about 1735. After getting settled, he entered into a partnership with Edward Annesley, his future brother-in-law.

At the time of Lewis’ arrival in America, New York was merely a small city and the inventory which accompanied him was deemed too large. Lewis left a portion of his merchandise in New York with Annesley and the remainder was taken by him to Philadelphia and turned into a profit. Lewis remained in Philadelphia for about two years before returning to New York, where he settled permanently and later raised a family after his marriage to his partner’s sister, Elizabeth, during 1745. Francis and Elizabeth had three children, Francis, Morgan and Ann. Following his return to New York, Francis became extremely active in his enterprises and traveled extensively to various ports in the world, including Russia. On two separate voyages, the vessels transporting Francis became shipwrecked off the coast of Ireland; however, he survived the ordeals. During 1741, although he was in America, it might have seemed as if he were in Siberia. Lewis experienced what had been a horrific winter, particularly in New England. He is known to have ridden his horse from New York to Barnstable, Massachusetts, while the entire route was ice bound, and the route covered the entire length of Long Island Sound. All of the harbors were frozen and the rivers were solid ice. Reports described ice still covering areas into the summer. Thousands upon thousands of cattle and sheep were lost to the elements. Later, during the French and Indian War, Lewis did not serve in the military; however, as a British mercantile agent, again he found himself amid new harrowing experiences, which included a major confrontation with French troops and Indian accomplices. On 10 August 1756, a French force composed of about 5,000 (troops and warriors), commanded by Louis Joseph Marquis de Montcalm, attacked Forts Ontario and Oswego. The defenses at Fort Ontario became untenable, compelling the defenders there to move to Fort Oswego. While Francis was standing near the commander, Colonel John Mercer, in Fort Oswego, a French barrage killed Mercer. By 14 August the defenders were compelled to surrender; however, Indians accompanying the French massacred about twenty-five Englishmen before the French restored order. Lewis was spared but captured along with more than 1,000 others, including British and Americans. Those able to escape made their way back to Albany. Lewis was taken to Montreal and from there to France. Subsequent to his release from captivity about 1763, he resumed his life and his fascination with politics and the American cause in reaction to the perceived injustices of the Crown. For his suffering while held by the Indians, Francis Lewis received a grant of land from the British government. As the colonists continued to become more disgruntled with the actions of Britain, Lewis was among those who gathered in New York, at Albany, during the fall of 1765 (Stamp Act Congress) to attempt to get relief by drawing up a petition and forwarding it to England; however, the Crown ignored the pleas. Also that year, he retired on Long Island in the town of Whitestone (in present-day Flushing, Long Island), and later, during 1771, he returned to New York City in an effort to assist his son’s entrance into the world of commerce. By the 1770s, the situation continued to deteriorate. During 1771, Lewis sailed from New York and spent some time in England, where he was able to discern that the probability of reconciliation was quickly fading. The trip to England confirmed his opinion that for the colonies to achieve liberty it was necessary to sever the bonds with the mother country. It is thought that Lewis also was a member of the Sons of Liberty of New York. During 1774, he participated in the New York Revolutionary committees of fifty-one and sixty, and he was part of the group that established the government of the state of New York. Lewis was elected as a New York delegate to the Continental Congress on 21 April 1775, along with Philip Livingston, James Duane, John Alsop, John Jay, Simon Boerum, William Floyd, Henry Wisner, Philip Schuyler, George Clinton, Lewis Morris and Robert Livingston. By

241 December 21, the delegates were informed that only five men were to attend at one time and they were directed to work it out among themselves so only five would be seated at each session. Francis Lewis was similar in character to Francis Lightfoot Lee and known to be a serious contributor to the cause, but not known for speaking on the floor. He served on various committees, including the Marine Committee, and some regarding commerce, and he served on the Board of Admiralty. In addition, he was known as an ally of General George Washington. When the plot later named the Conway Cabal was hatched to remove Washington from command, Francis Lewis stood in his defense. On 19 July 1775, Lewis, along with Robert Treat Paine and Henry Middleton, was placed on a committee to investigate a method to establish a hospital in Philadelphia. On 14 December that year Lewis was appointed to the committee directed to carry out the fitting of the armed ships. During 1776, Lewis remained a proponent of the Patriots’ cause and supported the Declaration of Independence; however, under direction of New York, due to the great numbers of Tories in the colony, the delegates were ordered not to vote for it. New York delegates during the debate continually abstained. However, on 4 July, when the Declaration was formally adopted, Lewis and four other New York delegates — William Floyd, Philip Livingston, Lewis Morris and Henry Misner — voted “Yea.” Lewis was among those who signed the parchment document on 2 August 1776. For that defiant act, in which he pledged his life, liberty and fortune, the British extracted a high price. After landing in Long Island (1776), the British plundered his personal property and destroyed his home, but even more disturbing, Lewis’ wife, Elizabeth, was seized and placed in barbaric conditions. The British kept Elizabeth from even changing clothes, and they purposely withheld food, leaving her to exist on minuscule portions. The news of the harsh treatment was transmitted to the Continental Congress through the efforts of one of her Negro servants, who somehow managed to get word to her friends in Philadelphia. The reaction was not unexpected. General Washington, upon receiving the distressing news, ordered the arrest of two prominent British women, the wife of the British paymaster general and the wife of Pennsylvania’s attorney general. The British were then informed that unless the circumstances of Mrs. Lewis were rectified, the British women, confined for the time being at their respective homes, would receive identical treatment as that given Elizabeth Lewis. Shortly thereafter, an exchange was made. However, Elizabeth Lewis was not permitted to depart New York for several months. When she did join her husband in Philadelphia, her health by that time had deteriorated to a point from which she never recovered, causing her to succumb during 1779. Elizabeth’s death immediately changed Francis’ life. He requested and received a leave of absence from Congress. However, he remained on the Board of Admiralty (appointed on December 7, 1779) until 1781. While in Congress, Lewis supported the Articles of Confederation, which were adopted on 15 November 1777. Subsequent to ratification by the thirteen states, the Articles became effective on 1 March 1781. Lewis’ name was listed on that day in the Francis Lewis (Biographical Sketches Congressional Journal as one of of the Signers of the Declaration of the signers. In addition to the loss of his Independence, Benson J. Lossing, 1854)

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wife, Francis Lewis, by the termination of the war, had lost his entire fortune. Besides the British destroying his home, his entire library and other papers were lost. From the end of his service, there are few surviving pieces if information regarding his private life. Francis Lewis was essentially left in poverty after the war. He lived out his remaining days with his sons until he succumbed during 1802 in New York City. He was interred in the Trinity Church cemetery in an unmarked grave. Francis, oldest of the three children of Francis and Elizabeth, married a daughter of a Tory named Ludlow. Morgan, the second son, became an officer and married the daughter of Robert and Margaret Beekman Livingston. Morgan served as an officer in the American Revolution and later rose to the rank of major general. He died at age 99. The third child and only daughter, Ann, married a British officer named Robertson; however, the marriage was opposed by her father. Nonetheless, Ann left with her husband for England and there was never again any communication with her family. Ann later became a widow and afterward, she began to receive money from an anonymous person. Each year the money arrived, but the donor did not become known until the death of King George III’s wife, Queen Charlotte, who had been the secret source of the money. Apparently, the queen had been aware of heroic actions of Captain Robertson and decided that someone as brave as Robertson should not “suffer penury.” One of Ann Lewis Robertson’s daughters married John Bird Sumner, archbishop of Canterbury, and another of her daughters married Wilson, archbishop of Calcutta, and a third married Sir James Moncrief, Lord Advocate of Scotland.

Lillington, Brigadier General John Alexander John Alexander Lillington (who used the name Alexander), the son of John and Sarah Porter Lillington, was born in Barbadoes, West Indies, about 1725. Alexander was a grandson of Alexander Lillington, who, during the early 1690s, was appointed deputy governor of North Carolina. Alexander’s (1) wife, Sarah Adams, was from Massachusetts. She and Alexander had four daughters — Ann, Elizabeth, Mary and Sarah — and one son — John — the father of the subject. Alexander’s father was a colonel in the British army and his grandfather, Alexander, served as governor of the Carolinas until 1698 during the period that the colony was under the proprietors. John arrived in North Carolina during 1734, and having lost both his parents, he was afterward raised by his uncle, John Moseley. As the colonies moved toward separation from Britain, Alexander was solidly on the side of the southern Patriots. During 1765, after the Stamp Act was passed by Parliament, North Carolinians, similarly to other colonists, bitterly resented the action. During January 1766, two ships were detained at Brunswick on charges of evading the stamp tax; however, the colonists in the vicinity of Rocky Point armed themselves and gathered at Wilmington. Once there, the men formed an association, composed of three directors, John Ashe, Alexander Lillington and Thomas Lloyd. The association then appointed Colonel Hugh Waddell as commander of the militia there. Once the formalities were completed, the troops advanced to Brunswick and the British warships that corralled the vessels were compelled to release the merchant ships. Subsequent to the completion of that mission, the militia moved to the governor’s (William Tryon) to take further action. The Patriots encountered a Mr. Pennington, the colony’s controller, and carried him from the premises, then persuaded him to take an oath not to distribute the stamps. Following Pennington’s agreement, the men visited the remaining stamp officers and from each, except Governor Tryon, who was not sought out, all took a similar oath, essentially derailing Parliament’s plan. The Stamp Act was later repealed. Nonetheless, it did not curtail Parliament from inventing new taxes that were considered equally oppressive to the colonists. In 1771 the Carolinas were undergoing

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turbulence from a group known as the Regulators, who had resented high taxes and held a high distrust of government officials Governor Tryon tried to suppress the insurrectionists, who had vowed to kill government officials. Lillington participated in the campaign and served as a colonel; however, as the relations between the colonists and Britain continued to deteriorate, he was in the forefront of the Patriots’ cause. During 1774, Lillington was appointed to the committee of safety in his district and during the following year, he participated in the action to seize Governor Josiah Martin (successor to Governor Tryon, who had been dispatched to New York as royal governor there). Also that year, while Alexander acted as colonel of the Minute Men in his district (Wilmington), his son, John, was commissioned as a lieutenant in the 1st North Carolina Continental Regiment. Colonel Lillington, who had a commanding presence, used it to advantage while working to recruit his Minute Men force, permitting him to raise his ten companies. All the while, ousted Josiah Martin had schemed with the British to regain control of the colony by an invasion by British Highlanders and Loyalists under General MacDonald, after the latter advanced from western North Carolina toward Cape Fear. The Highlanders had a reputation of being crack troops and their reputation stretched back to their fearless service in England. The plot was foiled due to the ingenious planning of Colonel James Moore, who prepared a staggering welcome committee that ravaged the Highlanders and terminated Loyalist organized resistance in North Carolina for several years. Colonel Lillington’s force was at Moore’s Creek Bridge when the British sustained their devastating loss. The victory rang loud and clear. The Provincial Congress ordered its delegates at the Continental Congress to support the imminent vote for independence. Meanwhile, the British fleet, while offshore, was uncertain whether to sail to Virginia to support Lord Dunmore or move against Charleston. General Henry Clinton chose the latter. Colonel Lillington and his Minute Men afterward marched to South Carolina to meet the threat there. During February 1779, Colonel Lillington, in recognition of his service, was promoted to the rank of brigadier general of militia. A few months later, General Lillington participated in the Battle of Stono on 20 June. His force performed meritoriously as his troops formed the left side of the line, while other militia under John Butler held positions on the right side. During December General Lillington led his command to Charleston to bolster General Benjamin Lincoln. When the enlistments of his force arrived, Lillington headed back to North Carolina. It was just before the British closed all exits; however, some of his command remained in Charleston and they were captured when it fell on 12 May 1780. Subsequent to the capitulation of Charleston, General Horatio Gates was sent south to assume command of the Southern Department. Gates had apparently decided in advance that the militia and its officers were undependable. He discounted the officers’ advice and sent Francis Marion, the Swamp Fox, out on foraging missions. Gates sustained a devastating defeat at Camden during June of 1780 and the loss ended his military career. Meanwhile, the British moved against Wilmington, North Carolina, and seized it on 29 January 1781. When the city fell, two of General John Ashe’s sons were among the captured troops and both were scheduled for execution; General Ashe escaped, but was later captured after being betrayed. British Major James Craig, once informed that the Americans would immediately retaliate if harm came to Ashe’s sons, had the executions cancelled. Much of the militia was sent to support General Nathanael Greene (Gates’ successor) against Cornwallis. Lillington’s command was charged with holding the line at Wilmington, but his force was insufficient to suppress Craig or to retake the city. Toward the latter part of April 1781, Cornwallis initiated his northward advance and at that time, General Lillington ordered his militia to retire to Kinston rather than face Cornwallis’ army with his Spartan force. General Lillington

directed he militia under him to head back to their homes and focus on the Loyalists that were disrupting the area. While Cornwallis marched toward Virginia, his force met no organized resistance and most of the townspeople fled as the Redcoats approached. The British caused havoc and many citizens were terrified. For a while, General Lillington had no troops under his command and the state commander, General Richard Caswell, sent no reinforcements. Major Craig and Loyalists devastated the region. Craig was finally forced back into Wilmington when he was informed of a continental force under General Anthony Wayne in the area. Meanwhile, General Lillington, having had neither men nor ammunition, was finally able to reform a command. Lillington moved to liquidate the Loyalists who had committed numerous atrocities. In November 1781, General Lillington was reinforced by General Griffith Rutherford and together they began to rein in the British. By 18 November about a month following Cornwallis’ surrender at Yorktown, Major Craig moved out of Wilmington having concluded his positions were no longer tenable. Nonetheless, the Loyalists continued to terrorize sections of the state near the South Carolina border and they were preparing to again move against Wilmington. By March 1782, General Lillington had eliminated the Loyalist insurgency in the area. After the war, General Lillington returned to private life on his estate, Lillington Hall, along the Cape Fear River about 30 miles from Wilmington. The estate was not damaged by the Loyalists, although they plundered the entire region, raising the probability that they held some high regard for their foe General Lillington. Nevertheless, he had committed much of his personal fortune to the war effort. General Lillington and his wife, Sarah Watters (daughter of William Watters), had four children: John, George, Sarah and Mary. General Lillington’s retirement years were short. He succumbed during April 1785 and was interred on 16 April. An epitaph on his tombstone at Lillington Hall gave no date of his death, only the date of the Battle of Moore’s Creek Bridge. A letter dated 16 April 1785, written by a Mr. MacLaine, mentioned General Lillington’s demise and surrounding problems: “Poor General Lillington is to be interred this afternoon. He very lately lost his youngest daughter, and his surviving son has been dangerously ill. The loss of his two favorite children in so short a time, and his own age and infirmities must have sat very heavy on him.”

Lincoln, Major General Benjamin Benjamin Lincoln, the son of Benjamin and Elizabeth Thaxter Norton Lincoln, was born in Hingham, Massachusetts, on 24 January 1733. Like, his father, Benjamin became a farmer, a profession that he practiced through the early 1770s; however, at times, he served in the militia and he also held some local political positions. Benjamin did not serve in the field during the French and Indian War; however, during July 1755, he was appointed adjutant of the Massachusetts militia (Suffolk County) and later, during 1763, he was promoted to the rank of major. During 1756, Benjamin married Mary, the daughter of Elijah and Elizabeth Barker Cushing, and their marriage brought about a large family. The children were: Benjamin (1756, married Mary Otis, the daughter of James and Ruth Cunningham Otis); Mary (1758); Elizabeth (1759); Sarah (1761); Theodore (1763); Martin (1766, died in infancy); Bela (1767); Martin (2) (1769); Edmund (1771); Hannah (1773) and Deborah (1776, died 1777). Following in the steps of both his grandfather and his father, Benjamin became town clerk in 1757, a post he retained until 1777. Benjamin also held other political positions, including justice of the peace, a position he gained during 1762. By 1772, Benjamin Lincoln had reached the rank of lieutenant colonel in the militia (Suffolk County). Lincoln was also elected a delegate to the Massachusetts Provincial Congress that year, which convened at Cambridge and at Watertown. He was appointed to the committee of correspondence. By that time he had become a staunch leader of

243 the Patriots’ cause. During that same period, Lincoln was selected as muster master of the state militia and became president of the Provincial Congress. During April 1775, the committee of safety and the committee of supplies met together at an inn, the Black Horse Tavern, on the 18th. The British, en route to Lexington, dispatched a contingent to the inn with the intent to seize rebels, particularly Samuel Adams and John Hancock. Others in attendance included Lincoln, Elbridge Gerry, John Glover, Jeremiah Lee (Massachusetts militia) and Azor Orne. Word of the British movement spread and most of the attendees departed the tavern; however, Gerry, Orne and Lee remained. The British arrived during the night of the 18th–19th, but the men that remained bolted from their beds and departed through a rear door. While the Redcoats encircled the tavern and began their exhaustive search, the trio that narrowly avoided capture was safely concealed in a cornfield. Colonel Lee, having become sick due to the chill while in the field, died within several months after the encounter. By 1776, Lincoln was raised to the rank of brigadier general of the Suffolk County militia (8 February) and soon after, during May of that same year, he was appointed major general. Meanwhile, General Lincoln had been a participant during the siege of Boston. After British General William Howe abandoned Boston on 17 March 1776, General George Washington moved much of the Continental Army to New York, but militia under General Lincoln remained in Boston to cooperate with General Artemus Ward. Lincoln was tasked with eliminating the blocking positions of the Royal Navy, which kept the port closed. On 20 March, General Lincoln was directed by the council to request of General Washington that several nearby towns, including Hingham, receive relief contingents to bolster the ongoing vigil of the British fleet. The HMS Renown was compelled by forces under General Lincoln to weigh anchor on the 13th of June 1776, which cleared the port of hostile shipping. Then General Lincoln moved from Massachusetts to join the main body of the Continental Army in New York. Lincoln’s militia participated in the Battle of White Plains on 28 October 1776; however, General Lincoln did not accompany Washington during the retreat, which pushed the Continental Army through New Jersey and into Pennsylvania. General Lincoln was preparing to join Washington; however, British presence in Rhode Island mandated that his force remain there. While Washington was engaged in Trenton during the latter part of December and at Princeton, New Jersey, in early January 1777, General Lincoln’s force participated in an attack by General William Heath to regain Fort Independence in the Bronx, which had been abandoned by the Americans the previous October. Nevertheless, the British repulsed the attack and retained the fort until September 1779. General Lincoln, still a major general of militia, was appointed a major general in the Continental Army on 19 February 1777. On 13 April the British launched an attack against troops under General Lincoln at Bound Brook, New Jersey. The Americans were surprised and although most of the 500 troops evaded capture, the British did seize Benjamin Lincoln (Pictorial Field Book an artillery unit and about of the Revolution, Benson J. Lossing, 70–80 troops. In addition, Lincoln’s baggage and papers, 1860)

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which were carried by one of his aides, was seized during the raid. Subsequently, as commander of the New England militia, General Lincoln established his headquarters at Manchester, Vermont, in July 1777. General John Stark arrived back in Vermont in August and met with General Lincoln. Stark was against the militia moving to the west side of the Hudson River as ordered by General Philip Schuyler. At the time, Stark had resigned from the Continental Army and agreed to stay with the militia for the defense of Vermont. General Lincoln, upset because Stark refused to serve under him, reported Stark to headquarters. This resulted in Congress, on 19 August, censuring him; however, Stark was unaware of the action. General Lincoln was ordered to move to New York to reinforce General Gates in New York to bolster him against the advancing army of British General Burgoyne. General Lincoln arrived at Gates’ positions on 29 September; however, on 13 September, Lincoln dispatched a contingent under Colonel Brown to Lake George. Brown’s command succeeded in seizing a large number of supply-laden bateaux there along with about 200 to 300 British troops. Other troops under Lincoln, following the success at Lake George, were dispatched to Mt. Independence and Skenesborough. On 7 October 1777, General Lincoln commanded the right wing of the army at the Second Battle of Saratoga. On 8 October while checking his lines, he was seriously wounded in the ankle by a shot from a musket as he returned to his headquarters. On 4 November 1777, with regard to the victory at Saratoga, Congress resolved that the thanks of Congress, in their own name, and in behalf of the inhabitants of the thirteen United States, be presented to Major General Gates, commander in chief in the northern department, and to Majors General Lincoln and Arnold, and the rest of the officers and troops under his command, for their brave and successful efforts in support of the independence of their country, whereby an army of the enemy of 10,000 men has been totally defeated, one large detachment of it, strongly posted and entrenched, having been conquered at Bennington, another repulsed with loss and disgrace from Fort Schuyler, and the main army of six thousand men, under Lieutenant General Burgoyne, after being beaten in different actions and driven from a formidable post, and strong entrenchments, reduced to the necessity of surrendering themselves upon advantageous to these states, on the 17 day of October.

The injury sustained by General Lincoln compelled him to return home to Hingham for a period of recuperation that would extend into about ten months. Although he returned to the field during the following year, he never completely recovered. Initially, the doctors were not sure they could save his left leg, however, it was saved, but it was shorter than his right leg. Following his recovery, Congress, on 25 September 1778, resolved “that Major General Robert Howe, be, and he is hereby directed to repair immediately to General Washington’s head quarters.” On that same day, Congress named Major General Lincoln as commander of the Southern Department in place of Howe. General Lincoln held the position until 13 June 1780. On 2 November 1778, Congress considered possible action if the British took no offensive action in Georgia or South Carolina. It resolved “that in such case, Major General Lincoln be directed to endeavour to reduce the province of East Florida.” It followed with a resolution on the 10th “that the President be directed to inform his excellency the president of the state of South Carolina, that Congress, by their resolution of the 2d instant, have directed Major General Lincoln to attempt the reduction of the province of East Florida, in case the enemy should not make an attack on the states of South Carolina and Georgia.” That day Congress authorized General Lincoln to pledge land grants to the officers and men who remained in the service until the seizure of St. Augustine. However, the invasion was never launched. General Lincoln arrived in Charleston during the latter part of December. At the time, General Howe was at Savannah. The British seized Savannah on 29 December.

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General Lincoln sustained another setback in Georgia on 3 March when the British thrashed the Americans at the Battle of Briar Creek. General John Ashe’s force refused to attack, leaving a force of Georgians under General Samuel Elbert to be mauled while Ashe fled. General Elbert was captured and held until 1781. The victory gave the British domination of Georgia. Meanwhile, General Lincoln, having lost much of his army, continued to fortify Charleston. During early March 1779, General Daniel Brodhead was appointed commander of Fort Pitt in place of General Lachlan McIntosh, with the former being directed by Congress to repair to the Department of the South to support General Lincoln. Having considered a letter from General Lincoln, Congress resolved on 17 April to replace him due to his ill health due to the leg wound at Saratoga in October 1777, which had not healed. Congress had been advised that further service by Lincoln could prove fatal. He was succeeded by Brigadier General William Moultrie, who was promoted to major general. However, Lincoln was not released; rather, he was informed that once he regained his health he was authorized to join General Washington. General Lincoln, however, still had command during April 1779. Leaving only about 1,000 troops in the lower part of South Carolina under General McIntosh, Lincoln advanced toward Augusta, Georgia, on 23 April. General Moultrie remained overall commander and he too was at Charleston. While the Americans marched toward Augusta, British General Augustine Prevost moved against Moultrie. General Lincoln greatly miscalculated British intent and on 29 April sent only several hundred troops back to bolster Moultrie. He continued with the main body to protect the American legislature, convinced the British movement was a ruse to get him to abort his advance. Overpowering British force compelled Moultrie to retreat to Black Swamp, where his forces held the ground. From there the Americans were pushed back to Charleston. By 11 May the British were at Charleston, which at the time had about 3,000 defenders under Moultrie and McIntosh. In the meantime, General Lincoln had reversed his advance and was speeding back to Charleston, prompting the British to cancel an attack and head for the coast, where they could gain support from the Royal Navy. The two sides clashed on 20 June at Stono Ferry, but unexpectedly, General Lincoln ordered Moultrie to retreat from James Island, leaving the clash to end with no victor. After the stalemate, combat diminished due to the summer heat. On 10 August 1779, a motion was passed by Congress requesting that General Lincoln, health permitting, remain in command in South Carolina. At the time, a French fleet was closing on the coast of Georgia. The British in Savannah declined a surrender ultimatum from the French commander, which opened a siege on 3 September. The forces under General Lincoln moved to rendezvous with the French, and by 1 October the ground forces under General Lincoln and D’Estaing were within a few hundred yards of the British defenses. On 9 October an attack was launched at the urging of the French, who feared the arrival of a British fleet. The Americans and French were unable to break through. After high losses, a retreat was called. During the heated fighting, Count Pulaski was mortally wounded and the allies sustained about 900 casualties, of which about 700 were suffered by the French. The British sustained fewer than 150 casualties. The French fleet was afterward hit by a severe storm, prompting Comte D’Estaing to send seven vessels to Virginia for repairs, but only one ship arrived there. By 19 October the French fleet sailed for France. During the Savannah expedition, a peculiar incident occurred. A soldier named Fickling was sentenced to death by hanging. At the scene, the rope broke and Fickling escaped death momentarily; however, another rope was quickly prepared and tested by a very large man to ensure Fickling would hang. Afterward, the execution proceeded, but inexplicably, the noose unraveled and Fickling descended to the ground alive and well. Fickling suddenly became a celebrity and cries of mercy

erupted. The situation was explained to General Lincoln and he spared Fickling, but he was drummed out of the service. Meanwhile, the surgeon general had departed from the site, unaware that the soldier escaped death. Later that night, the doctor was stunned when Fickling appeared at his door. He thought he was staring at a ghost and exclaimed: “Were you not hanged this morning?” Things got worse when Fickling responded: “Yes, I am the man you saw going to the gallows and was hanged.” The doctor, still fearful, yelled, “Keep your distance.” Eventually, Fickling was able to explain what occurred and that he had arrived only in search of food. The doctor, greatly relieved, responded: “If that be the case, eat and welcome, but I beg you, in future, to have a little more consideration, and not intrude so unceremoniously into the apartment of one who had every right to suppose you an inhabitant of the tomb.” On 29 December, Congress resolved “that Major General Lincoln be empowered, if he shall think it for the good of the service, to reduce the corps lately commanded by Brigadier Count Pulaski, and to incorporate such of the men as remain, into such of the regiments of horse and infantry under his command, as he shall think proper; the men so incorporated to be, nevertheless, considered as part of the quotas of the states to which they belong.” By January 1780, General Lincoln received word that a British invasion might be imminent. On 17 January he directed Captain Abraham Whipple to prepare to send two of the ships in his squadron to maintain a watch of an approaching armada. Soon after, on 1 February 1780, the British fleet arrived off Tybee lighthouse (Georgia); however, the fleet had encountered a storm while en route from New York. Friction developed in Charleston between Governor John Rutledge and General Lincoln on where the ships should be deployed. Captain Whipple and his officers all agreed they would be of more help if deployed off of Fort Moultrie, which Lincoln ordered. By 1 April the British were still preparing to strike; however, reinforcements had brought the force up to a strength of about 10,000 men. The siege continued, but Governor Rutledge had not been able to raise the militia. The British began bombing the city on 13 April. On that same day, General Lincoln urged Rutledge to depart the city to avoid capture. That evening, General Lincoln convened a war council to discuss defending the city or abandoning it while escape routes remained available, but no decision was made. On 20 April, General Lincoln, believing he had no options, attempted to seek terms for surrendering Charleston. The siege continued but British General Clinton refused to acknowledge General Lincoln’s proposals for a surrender with honor. On 8 May, the day after Fort Moultrie fell, General Clinton demanded unconditional surrender or face bombardment of the city. General Lincoln refused to surrender. The fighting on 10 May remained incessant and despite the great disadvantage, the colors remained flying on the morning of 11 May, but during the early morning hours, leading civilians within the city arrived at Lincoln’s headquarters urging a surrender to preserve the city. As dawn broke on the 11th, the defenders continued to pour fire upon the British while receiving heavy fire. The British were astonished at the tenacity of their opponents. General Clinton increased the pressure, and at about 0900, he ordered a bombardment of the city residential and business areas, igniting a huge series of fires. Fierce fighting continued until about 1400, when the British guns ceased fire. The beat of an American drum sounded parley. Again, General Lincoln requested surrender with honor and was ignored by Clinton. The city officially capitulated on 12 May and its fall became the worst defeat of the Americans during the conflict. General Benjamin Lincoln surrendered his 5,466-man army, which included ten Continental regiments, three artillery battalions, Continental seamen and Marines. General Henry Clinton and Admiral Marriott Arbuthnot accepted the American surrender, but General Charles Lord Cornwallis was not present.

245 The British compelled the Americans to march out of the fort with their colors encased. During July 1780, Congress appointed General Horatio Gates as commander of the Department of the South. General Lincoln was paroled shortly afterward. He arrived in Philadelphia during June. Following his time in Philadelphia, General Lincoln, on parole, returned to his home in Massachusetts and was exchanged during November 1780 for British General William Phillips. He returned to the army, serving with General Washington during spring of 1781. He also moved south with Washington when the campaign to defeat Lord Cornwallis began, and he was with Washington when Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown during October 1781. General Lincoln, second in command under Washington, oversaw the defeated British troops as they marched with their colors encased to the place where they laid down their arms and surrendered. On 30 October 1781, Congress appointed General Lincoln to the post of secretary of war, the first person to hold the position. He maintained his commission as major general until 29 October 1783 and resigned as secretary of war at about the same time. Subsequent to his service, he returned to Hingham. Afterward, he acquired land in Maine, but he retained his home in Hingham, where he also operated a mill along the Weir River. Later, he played a part in the negotiations with the Penobscot Indians that concluded in a treaty. When some turbulence erupted during 1786 (Shay’s Rebellion, 1786–1787), Massachusetts appointed Lincoln as commander of the militia. The expedition quelled the revolt. On 20 January General Lincoln departed with the militia and moved through Worchester, Hampshire and Berkshire counties, dislodging the insurgents as they advanced. Soon after, the rebels holding out at Petersham, Massachusetts, were stunned by a surprise attack on the night of 3–4 February 1787. The insurrection was terminated and the leader, Daniel Shay, escaped capture and absconded to Canada. Lincoln ran for political office during 1787 in an attempt to become lieutenant governor of the state, but he lost. During the following year, he ran again and got elected, serving one year. Lincoln, a proponent of the federal constitution, attended the state convention that year and worked to get it ratified. During 1789, Lincoln lost the position of lieutenant governor to Samuel Adams; however, President Washington appointed Lincoln that year as collector for the port of Boston. He was also named a commissioner charged with negotiating a treaty with the Creek Indians in Georgia. At the time, the Creeks remained powerful in the region, while the United States still lacked strength. Lincoln and two other commissioners, Cyrus Griffin and David Humphreys, held the conferences with the Creeks during the summer of 1789, but the talks ended without progress. Lincoln departed, but the issue had not ended. He afterward designed a plan to initiate an expedition into Georgia to root out the problem with the Creeks. Lincoln’s political life was renewed during 1790, when he was elected to the House of Representatives. Several years later, during 1793, he was again appointed as a member of a group charged with attempting to bring about a treaty with the Indians in Ohio. The commissioners — Benjamin Lincoln, Timothy Pickering and Beverly Randolph — traveled to negotiate with Indians at Sandusky, Ohio, but these talks were also unsuccessful. General Lincoln held his post as collector of the port of Boston until 1809, when he retired. He succumbed on 9 May 1810 following a short illness at his home in Hingham, where he was born. His funeral was attended by a large number of citizens and prominent leaders, including John Adams and Robert Treat Paine and the governor, Levi Lincoln. The sermon was given by the Rev. Henry Colman. In honor of General Lincoln, the church bells in Boston and other towns rang for one hour. Vessels in Boston Harbor, Forts Independence and Warren and the Charlestown Navy Yard had their flags lowered to half-mast. Following the church ceremony, General Lincoln was interred in the family crypt in the Hingham cemetery.

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General Lincoln had belonged to a number of organizations during his lifetime, including the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Massachusetts Historical Society and the Massachusetts Society of the Cincinnati, and at the latter he had been the president. Also, Harvard University awarded General Lincoln an honorary master of arts degree during 1780. Benjamin’s wife, Mary, survived him and lived until 23 January 1816.

Lippitt, Brigadier General Christopher Christopher Lippitt, the son of Christopher (1) and Catherine Holden Lippitt, was born on 28 October 1744 at the family estate (Lippitt Hill) in Cranston, Rhode Island. Christopher (1) and Catherine had eleven other children: Anthony, Freelove, Mary, Catherine, Warren, Phebe, Moses, Charles, Loudon, Waterman and John. Christopher Lippitt served in several civil positions in Rhode Island, including the General Assembly, to which he was elected during the 1760s. In 1766, Lippitt became a captain in the militia and was appointed a justice of the peace, retaining the latter until 1775. He was again elected to the assembly in 1773, and that he was appointed a colonel in the militia, where he commanded the 2nd Rhode Island Regiment in the state’s brigade. Colonel Lippitt participated during the siege of Boston while attached to Colonel Hitchcock’s command. During early January 1776, the British threatened Prudence Island when warships, including the sloop HMS Rose, anchored off the southern sector of the island, while the 16-gun Swan stood off the eastern side. Colonel Lippitt was involved in the evacuation of the citizens once it was learned that plunder was the goal of the British. Boats arrived from Warwick Neck to evacuate the people. As expected, British forces debarked and destroyed the village; however troops under Lippitt and others under Colonel John Waterman arrived to intercept the invaders. Heavy skirmishing erupted, but the Patriots prevailed by evicting the British, who were driven back to their boats. On 18 January 1776, Colonel Lippitt was appointed lieutenant colonel in the Continental Army and attached to Colonel Henry Babcock’s regiment; however, Babcock shortly thereafter lost his command. In May, Lippitt became colonel of the regiment. Adam Comstock became lieutenant colonel in place of Lippitt. Colonel Lippitt remained in that position until June of that same year. Shortly thereafter, on 19 August 1776, Colonel Lippitt assumed command of the 12th Rhode Island Regiment (state militia) and retained command until 18 January 1777, the date his enlistment ended. In the meantime, Colonel Lippitt participated in the campaigns in and around New York, including the Battle of Harlem and the Battle of White Plains. He participated in the Battle of Trenton on 26 December 1776 and the Battle of Princeton on 3 January 1777. During February, Colonel Lippitt returned to Cranston and within a short while he married, but in addition, he was again elected to the assembly, where he served through 1779. On 23 March 1777, Colonel Lippitt took Waite Harris, the daughter of William and Patience Harris Clark, as his wife. Christopher and Waite had twelve children. Colonel Lippitt was appointed brigadier general of Rhode Island militia during 1780. He commanded a brigade and participated in the Battle of Rhode Island during August 1780, when General Sullivan attempted to regain Newport from the British; but without the aid of the French, who failed to show, Sullivan was compelled to abandon the operation and retreat to the mainland. General Lippitt remained in command while the French army under Rochambeau was based at Newport, prior to their departure to Virginia to initiate the final stage of the campaign to eliminate Lord Cornwallis from the field. General Lippitt retained his rank beyond the close of hostilities. During his service in the military, Colonel Lippitt was influenced by a brother who lived in New York who persuaded General Lippitt to become interested in the Methodist religion. After the war, he used his home as a place of welcome for traveling Methodist ministers. General

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Lippitt returned to private life and became involved with the Lippitt Manufacturing Company, essentially a cotton mill, the third such company begun in Rhode Island. General Lippitt succumbed on 24 June 1784 and was interred at Lippitt Hill. His wife survived him until 8 September 1836. She too was interred at the family cemetery on Lippitt Hill, as were six of their twelve children.

Livingston, Philip (Signer of the Declaration of Independence) Philip Livingston, the son of Philip and Catherine (Van Brugh) Livingston, was born in Albany, New York, on 15 January 1716. In addition to Philip, the Livingstons had eight other children: Robert (1708, later colonel; 3rd Lord of Livingston Manor), Peter Van Brugh (1710), John (1714), Henry (1719), William (1723, later governor), Sarah Livingston (1725, later, Mrs. William Alexander, Lord Stirling), Alida (1728), and Catherine (1733). Philip’s ancestors originated in Scotland. His grandfather, Robert, departed Scotland during 1672 and at that time acquired a grant for a manor (Linlithgo Manor, Livingston Manor) on the Hudson River. Philip, having been born into an affluent family, received an excellent education. His college studies occurred in America at Yale, from where he graduated in 1737. Philip then entered the business world as a merchant operating from New York City. He succeeded and his business prospered. In the meantime, he took Christina Ten Broeck, the daughter of Mayor Dirck Ten Broeck and Margarita Cuyler Ten Broeck of Albany, as his wife. Philip and Christina got married at the Albany Dutch Church during 1740. The Livingstons moved into a home on Duke Street in Manhattan, but later, during 1764, Philip and his family also acquired an estate in Brooklyn Heights that gave them a grand view of the New York harbor and of the East (Hudson) River. Philip and Christina had nine children: Abraham, Alida, Catherine (married Stephen Rensselaer), Henry Philip, Margaret, Philip Philip, Peter Van Brugh, Richard (Dirck) and Sara. Livingston was elected as a local alderman representing the East Ward (one of seven wards in the city) during September 1754; he served through 1763. At the time of his election, fewer than 11,000 people lived in New York City. During 1758, the assembly was dissolved by Lt. Governor James Delancey, who assumed control of the government upon Governor Charles Hardy relinquishing the post to become an admiral in the Royal Navy. A new assembly was later chosen. It met on 31 January 1759, a time when Britain was heavily involved in the French and Indian War. Livingston was raising troops for New York to be used with the troops of the other colonies and the British regulars to seize Canada from the French. Upon the death of King George II, during 1760, the assembly was again dissolved; however, a new assembly was again organized and Livingston was elected to it. He attended the session when it convened at New York on 10 March 1771. During his first year of public life, 1754, Livingston participated at the Colonial Convention that convened in Albany. He remained in politics and served also in the provincial assembly (1763–1769) with other men soon to become prominent leaders in the Patriots’ cause. They included George Clinton and General Philip Schuyler. Livingston, who supported the Whigs, also attended the Stamp Act Congress of 1765. During 1768, the governor, Sir Henry Moore, was dissatisfied with the assembly and dissolved it. Livingston, at odds with the tactics of the governor, did not return as alderman; however, he did return to the assembly and once there, the governor plotted to remove him because he did not reside in the district (Linlithgo or Livingston Manor). The plot failed because many of the governor’s supporters served under identical circumstances, prompting the governor to have the objection to Livingston withdrawn. He was chosen as speaker when the assembly, dominated by Whigs, convened during October. The elections of

1769 gave domination of the New York assembly to the Tories and Livingston lost his seat. Although he remained a strong supporter of liberty and an equally steadfast opponent of the British treatment of the colonies, he did not favor the actions of the Sons of Liberty and did not join the organization. Livingston, during 1771, became well acquainted with Edmund Burke, who had been appointed in December 1770 to replace Robert Charles as agent of New York due to the frequent Philip Livingston (Biographical Sketches correspondence from a com- of the Signers of the Declaration of Indemittee of the general assem- pendence, Benson J. Lossing, 1854) bly and the agent. By 1774, the potential break from Great Britain was becoming much more probable. Livingston at that time became a member of a group known as the Committee of Fifty-one, brought about to select delegates from New York City for the Continental Congress coming up in September. Livingston was one of five delegates selected to represent New York at the First Continental Congress, as part of a 53-man delegation that met on 5 September through 26 October 1774 in Philadelphia at Carpenter’s Hall. Of the thirteen colonies, only Georgia did not send representation. The New York delegation would have preferred convening in the state house, Independence Hall. The other New York delegates were James Duane, Colonel William Floyd, John Jay and Isaac Low. Livingston also became a member of another committee, known as the Committee of Sixty, designed to enforce congressional directives. Philip also represented New York at the 2nd Continental Congress (1775) and that same year, he was also elected to the New York Committee of One Hundred, formed during April to govern the city until it held its initial Provincial Congress the following month. Livingston had been appointed president of the Provincial Congress on 20 April 1775. On 29 May 1775, Congress resolved “that Mr. [Benjamin] Franklin, Mr. [Thomas] Lynch, Mr. [Richard Henry] Lee, Mr. [Thomas] Willing, Mr. S [Samuel] Adams, and Mr. P [Philip] Livingston, be a committee to consider the best means of establishing posts for conveying letters and intelligence through this continent.” On 17 June, Livingston was appointed to a committee charged with “securing and preserving the friendship of the Indian Nations.” During 1776, he was one of those who supported independence, but was restricted by New York from voting “Yea.” He was absent from Congress on 1 and 2 July so as not to prevent a unanimous vote. However, on 4 July when the Declaration of Independence was formally adopted, Livingston and four others from New York — William Floyd, Francis Lewis, Lewis Morris and Henry Misner — voted “Yea.” The New York abstentions were ordered because of the high number of Tories in the colony. Although Henry Misner voted “Yea,” he later departed Congress and never signed the parchment document. Livingston’s brother William had been a delegate from New Jersey, but he departed during June 1776 to command the New Jersey militia and later that year became the first governor of New Jersey. When the Continental Army was being mauled by the British in New York and had been defeated at the Battle of Long Island during August, a war council was held at Livingston’s residence in Brooklyn Heights. It was there that General Washington and the attending officers decided to abandon Long Island. Livingston’s family was able to flee from their

247 home and escape to Esopus (Kingston) to avoid capture by the British when they occupied the city during September. Although the British failed to seize Livingston or his family, they made use of his property. The estate in Brooklyn Heights became a British naval hospital and the family home in Manhattan was transformed into a barracks for British troops. The estate in Brooklyn and the home in Manhattan survived destruction, but the former was lost to fire during 1813. In addition to serving in Congress, Livingston also served in the New York Senate. The constitution of New York was adopted on 20 April 1777 at Kingston, and during the following month, Livingston was elected as a state senator under the constitution. He represented the Southern District. Shortly thereafter, he attended the initial legislative session that convened on 10 September. In less than one month, on 2 October 1777, he, along with James Duane, Francis Lewis, William Duer and Gouverneur Morris, were selected as the first delegates to the federal Congress under the state’s new constitution. Livingston’s responsibilities, which were split between Congress and his home state, took an extra toll on his health, which had been poor due to his suffering with dropsy of the chest. During the following year, Philip, apparently acutely aware of his deteriorating health, traveled to Albany and then Kingston to tend to personal business and to gather with his family. While at Kingston, he penned a stirring letter to some of his friends in Albany. Alluding to the fact that he would not see them again, he urged them to remain steadfast in their quest for liberty. His message also told them to trust in God. Following his poignant goodbyes to his wife and children, Livingston returned to York and took his seat on 5 May 1778. Shortly thereafter, on 12 June, Congress was interrupted when word arrived that Philip Livingston had succumbed during the previous night. The news became more distressing when Congress was informed that “circumstances require his corpse should be interred this evening.” A resolution followed immediately “that Congress will, in a body, attend the funeral of Mr. Livingston this evening, at six o’clock, with a crape round the arm, and will continue in mourning for the space of one month.” The service was conducted by the Reverend Duffield. Livingston, who had been a Presbyterian, was interred on 12 June 1778 at Prospect Hill Cemetery in York, Pennsylvania. Henry Philip, his son, was the only family member who had been able to be with him at the time of his death. Henry Philip, at the time, was living at the residence of General Washington and upon word of his father’s condition, he sped to York to be at his side. Philip’s wife, Christina, survived him and died on 29 June 1801. Philip Livingston, during his lifetime, spent much time and energy on things other than politics and the cause for liberty. He was known as a philanthropist who supported various causes, including King’s College (later Columbia University), the New York Society Library, New York Hospital and St. Andrew’s Society. He served on several other committees in Congress other than those mentioned, including the treasury board, to which he was appointed during July 1776 and the Marine Committee, to which he was appointed during April 1777.

Livingston, Brigadier General William (Governor, Signer of the U.S. Constitution) William Livingston, the son of Philip and Catherine (Van Brugh) Livingston, was born in Albany, New York, at the family estate on 30 November 1723. William’s brother, Philip, was a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Philip, Sr., and Catherine had eight children in addition to William: Robert, later Colonel Livingston (1708, 3rd Lord of Livingston Manor), Peter Van Brugh (1710), John (1714), Philip (1716), Henry (1719), Sarah (1725), later, Mrs. William Alexander, Lord Stirling), Alida (1728), and Catherine (1733). Philip’s ancestors originated in Scotland. His grandfather, Robert, departed Scotland during 1672 and at that time acquired a grant for a manor (Linlithgo Manor, also Livingston Manor) along the Hudson

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River. William was raised by his grandmother, Sarah Van Brugh. At one point during his youth, William also spent about one year living among Mohawk Indians as part of a gospel ministry. While spending time with the Indians, William familiarized himself with their language. At age fourteen, William attended Yale, where his older brothers, Peter Van Brugh, John, and Phillip, had graduated in 1731, 1733 and 1737 respectively. William graduated at the head of his class in 1741. His goal in life at the time was to become a painter, not in line with his family’s wishes that he get involved with trading. However, William also had a gift for language and he held a potent pen that he was quick to use for sardonic wit as well as pointed sarcasm when he felt it necessary. In addition to being a Latin scholar, he had also become fluent in the Dutch and French languages. Upon graduation from Yale, William Livingston set out for New York, where he studied law under James Alexander until 1746, when a disagreement between William and Alexander emerged. William departed the law office and continued his studies at the office of William Smith (later supreme court justice). In the meantime, William married (about 1745) Susanna French, the daughter of Phillip French and the granddaughter (maternal side) of Anthony Brockholls, who had been lieutenant governor of New York. William and Susanna had thirteen children and of those, six predeceased General (Governor) Livingston. The others were: Henry Brockholst (married Catherine Kettletas); Susanna (married John Clive or Cleves Symmes); Sarah Van Brugh (married John Jay); William (married but wife’s name not discovered); Judith (married John Watkins); Mary (married James Linn); and Catherine (married Matthew Ridley and afterward, John Livingston). In 1748, Livingston completed his studies in law, and after being admitted to the bar, he established what became a prosperous law practice. Later, he also became involved with privateering. During 1749, his father died and his mother, who survived Phillip, died during 1756. Livingston initiated his political life during 1759 when he was elected to the state assembly and served in that capacity for several years. He was also known for his literary skills and had published various articles, including one during 1770 titled A Soliloquy, which was pointedly against Lt. Governor Cadwallader Colden, who had become quite unpopular since the passing of the Stamp Act (1765). In 1772, Livingston moved to Elizabethtown, New Jersey, and remained there until about autumn of 1773 when an estate (Liberty Hall) he had constructed was completed. He had acquired the tract about 1760. Around that time, Livingston’s dream of retirement and living as a gentleman farmer, was being shattered as the clouds of war began to gather. Livingston became a member of the Essex County committee of correspondence, and during 1774, he was elected as a delegate to the First Continental Congress, which convened in Philadelphia. That year his daughter, Sarah van Brugh Livingston, married John Jay. On 24 January 1775, the New Jersey Assembly opened a session at Perth Amboy and at that meeting, Livingston was again selected as a representative to Congress (Second Continental). On 3 June 1775, Livingston was appointed to a committee that included John Adams, Samuel Adams and Silas Deane, charged with drafting a letter to the inhabitants of Ireland. During October 1774, Livingston, along with Richard Henry Lee and John Jay, was appointed as a committee to draft a letter to the people of Britain. During 1775, William Livingston served on eleven separate committees. On 20 February 1776, the New Jersey Assembly again returned Livingston to Congress. Shortly thereafter, on 16 March, he introduced a resolution calling for a day of fast and “acknowledgment of God.” The resolution called for Congress to humbly implore His assistance to frustrate the cruel purposes of our enemies, and by inclining their hearts to justice and benevolence, prevent the further effusion of kindred blood. But if continuing deaf to the voice of reason and humanity, and inflexibly bent on desolation and war, they constrain us to repel their hostile invasions by open resistance, may it please the Lord of Hosts, the God of armies, to animate our officers and

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soldiers with invincible fortitude, to guard and protect them in the day of battle, and to crown the continental arms, by sea and land, with victory and success.

Livingston afterward was appointed to several committees; however, he departed Congress in conjunction with directions from the New Jersey Assembly in accordance with his promotion to brigadier general of militia on 5 June 1776. His departure made it impossible for him to be in attendance when the Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence. Nevertheless, Livingston was not anxious to declare independence and favored gaining an absolute commitment from France to support the cause. Other New Jersey delegates were recalled prior to the vote and substitutes with directions to vote for independence were sent to replace them. General Livingston repaired to Elizabethtown and assumed command of the New Jersey militia. By the latter part of June, General Livingston became aware of imminent combat when a British fleet arrived off Staten Island, New York. General Livingston accepted the responsibility and burden placed upon him by his appointment of brigadier general; however, he was a reluctant warrior with no natural propensity to be a military leader. With the British within striking distance of Elizabethtown, the Livingston family abandoned the estate and traveled to stay with relatives in Baskenridge (Somerset County), but by the following year, his wife Susanna was determined to return to her home. En route, by coincidence, she encountered General George Washington. Once informed of her determination to go home, he convinced her that the family estate would be a most dangerous place for her family. She relented and instead took her daughters to Percepany (Parcippany) and remained there for more than three years. Meanwhile, General Livingston continued to remain uncomfortable with his responsibility as commander-in-chief, which prompted him to repeatedly communicate with the Provincial Congress meeting that summer of 1776 in Burlington. Finally, the congress gave him some assistance. General Hugh Mercer was recalled from New York and after conferring with Livingston, General Mercer was able to assume some of the responsibility of galvanizing the militia. Mercer repaired to Amboy and by August a flying camp was organized. General Livingston’s responsibility centered upon only Elizabethtown and his force of about 1,500 men. Although Livingston’s military responsibilities were curtailed, he received little time to savor the relief. On 31 August 1776, the assembly and the legislative council elected General William Livingston as governor of New Jersey. Livingston replaced the royal governor, William Franklin, who had been ousted and transported to Connecticut. On the first ballot, Livingston and his opponent, Richard Stockton, received the same amount of votes, but on the following day, Livingston prevailed. Governor Livingston remained in office until 1790 and with each succeeding election, he won by either unanimous or wide majority votes. Although Livingston continued to be a competent and popular governor, the sentiments were not shared by either the British or the Loyalists. They disliked the governor from the onset and their animosity deepened as the war continued. Shortly after his election, Governor Livingston relinquished his command at Elizabethtown and repaired to Princeton. On 7 September William Livingston was inaugurated. As governor, Livingston was also considered commander-in-chief of the militia. Governor Livingston afterward told the legislature: “May the foundation of our infant state be laid in virtue and the fear of God, and the superstructure, will rise glorious and endure for ages. Then may we humbly expect the blessing of the Most High, who divides to the nation their* inheritance SEPARATES the sons of Adam....” The remainder of the year was less than tranquil for the legislature, as the British pressure had the members constantly scrambling. The legislature was pushed from Princeton to Burlington and from there to Pitts Town

and afterward to Haddonfield, just across the Delaware from Philadelphia. In the meantime, Congress was pressed for reinforcements. On 5 November 1776, Congress resolved “that the president write to Governor Livingston, and request him to send two companies of militia to guard the salt works near Tom’s river, and one company to be stationed at or near Shrewsbury, to intercept and put a stop to the intelligence said to be carrying on between the Tories and Lord Howe’s fleet; that the companies consist of fifty men each. The British threat became much worse by December 1776, when the British were moving toward Philadelphia and the New Jersey assembly disbanded on the 2nd, with each member, including Livingston, compelled to fend for themselves. In the meantime, the Continental Army was also under enormous pressure until General Washington launched the spectacular attack against Trenton on 26 December 1776. The stunning victory, followed by the equally impressive win at Princeton on 3 January 1777, saved the capital (Philadelphia), inspired colonists across the nation and saved New Jersey from becoming dominated by the British. During February 1777, Governor Livingston revitalized his literary skills and published (Dunlap’s paper) an essay, “The Impartial Chronical,” a honed satirical hit-piece that targeted the Gazette in New York, which was favorable to the British. On 5 June, acting on recommendations of Livingston, the assembly adopted an act that confiscated the personal estates of “refugees within the British lines, giving them a certain period of grace, in which, without loss of property, they might renew their allegiance to the State of New-Jersey.” The governor had several close calls when the enemy attempted to capture him, but none succeeded. In one incident, noted in a letter of 27 July 1777, Loyalists surrounded the house in Parsippany, where the governor was staying with his family; however, the governor, known for rising early, had awakened and departed the residence before the party that intended to capture him woke up. On 25 June 1777, Governor Livingston had penned a letter to Henry Laurens which mentioned his annoyance at the number of rumors concerning plots to kill or capture him. Livingston also made light of the price on his head being raised from “500 to 2,000 guineas unless it be that General Skinner intends to pay his master’s debts as he has long been used to pay his own.” Governor Livingston had also continued to be the target of the editor of the Royal Gazette, James Rivington, who ran repeated derogatory articles about Livingston, which prompted the latter to note in a letter written about 1780: “If Rivington is taken, I must have one of his ears; Governor Clinton is entitled to the other; and General Washington, if he pleases, may take his head.” In the meantime, Isaac Collins, a Quaker, established the New Jersey Gazette during December 1777 to offset the propaganda of Rivington’s journal. Subsequently, during 1782, the governor’s son, Henry Brockholst, who had served as secretary to John Jay, the minister to Spain, ended his service and sailed from Spain for America, but en route, the ship which was transporting him was intercepted by the Royal Navy and Henry was identified and imprisoned in New York. The governor, who frequently noted that he had little time to devote to his family during the war, returned to Liberty Hall in 1783. That November, the British finally abandoned New York. In January 1785, upon the nomination by Elbridge Gerry, Congress appointed Governor Livingston as a commissioner charged with overseeing the selection and construction of the federal buildings, but the governor made it clear that he did not have the expertise and for that reason, he declined the appointment. Subsequently, during 1785, Congress selected Governor Livingston as successor to John Adams as minister to Holland, but the governor declined, believing he had become too old to accept the position and because he was less than enthusiastic about leaving his estate to reside in a foreign country. Two years later, during 1787, Governor Livingston was a delegate to the Constitutional Convention. He supported the adoption of the U.S. Constitution and he signed it, but he did not participate in the debates. He was

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compelled to miss sessions due to other responsibilities of the governor’s office. Mrs. Livingston had become ill and suffered for a few years before her death in the summer of 1779 on 17 July. Governor Livingston returned to his home, Liberty Hall, on 12 June 1790 after having been at Amboy and upon his arrival complained of pains in the chest. The pain was accompanied by a heavy cough. Governor William Livingston succumbed on 25 July. He was interred alongside his wife at Elizabethtown (Presbyterian churchyard), but later both were re-interred in the family vault (Trinity Churchyard in Manhattan) of their son, Henry Brockholst. Again the remains of the governor and his wife were reinterred in Brooklyn at the Greenwood cemetery during 1844. Governor Livingston’s other service include councilor of the American Philosophical Society, elected in January 1781, and member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, elected in 1782. In 1788 Yale awarded Governor Livingston a doctor of laws degree. He also belonged to the Philadelphia Society for Promoting Agriculture. With regard to his religious affiliation, Livingston was a Calvinist, and during his time in the state assembly, he frequently opposed the Anglicans who dominated the assembly. Another cause that He supported was the abolition of slavery. Governor Livingston accomplished many important things as governor, during the war, and throughout his life, but he was known to have been proud to boast of one particular accomplishment and he often did, saying he was “proud to be a New Jersey farmer.”

could totally eliminate the resistance, but the warships never moved into action. On 13 August the Royal Navy sailed into the bay and trapped the entire fleet. Nineteen American ships were run ashore and set afire to prevent capture. Troops still aboard the transports were landed, but they were then compelled to trek through the wilderness for about 100 miles to reach the safety of American positions. Many did not complete the march. The troops, who were trying to reach friendly territory, suffered from a lack of food and at times, dogs had to be slain for food. General Lovell was one of the men who got lost and he might have died in the woods, but he was discovered by friendly Indians who gave him food and helped him find his way back to Boston. General Peleg Wadsworth had been separated from Lovell, but the former knew the route and had no trouble reaching Boston. Troops with him also suffered from lack of food. Inquiries followed the debacle and both Generals Solomon Lovell and Peleg Wadsworth were cleared of any misconduct. Captain Dudley Saltonstall of the Continental Navy received a separate investigation convened by members of the Navy Board. Commodore Saltonstall was found guilty and dismissed from the Continental Navy. Another officer (Continental Army), Lt. Colonel Paul Revere, was also acquitted of all charges. Castine remained under British control until 1783. General Lovell died at his residence in Weymouth, Massachusetts, on 9 September 1801. Hannah Lovell predeceased her husband on 8 July 1795. (See also, Wadsworth, Brigadier General Peleg for more details on the Penobscot Expedition).

Lovell, Brigadier General Solomon

Lynch, Thomas, Jr. (Signer of the Declaration of Independence)

Solomon Lovell was born on 1 June 1732 in Abington, Massachusetts, to David and Mary Torrey Lovell. Solomon’s father graduated Harvard during 1725, but there is no information indicating that Solomon attended college. Solomon served in the militia during the French and Indian War. During that period, Solomon married (1758) Lydia Holbrook, the daughter of John and Sarah Hunt Holbrook. Solomon and Lydia had two children; however, their first child (unnamed) was born in 1759 and died in infancy. Their second child, Lydia, was born during May 1761 (married Nathaniel Beal Quincy). Lydia died that year. In 1762, Solomon married Hannah, the daughter of James and Hannah Reed Pittey. Solomon and Hannah had seven children: James (b. January 1763, died March 1763); Sarah (b. May 1764, died during 1780s); Hannah (1) (b. October 1765, died December 1765); Hannah (2) (b. December 1766, died June 1767); James (2) (b. June 1768, no further information); Hannah (3) b. July 1771, married Luther Little) and Mary (b. April 1773, married Captain William Wildes). Prior to the outbreak of the Revolution, Solomon Lovell served in the assembly. During 1775, he participated in the siege of Boston. He rose in the ranks and by 1778 was brigadier general of militia. That year, General Lovell participated in the Rhode Island campaign led by General John Sullivan. The following year, General Lovell assumed command of the land forces that participated in the ill-fated Penobscot Expedition in which the American fleet under Dudley Saltonstall was destroyed by the British. The Marine committee authorized Commodore Dudley Saltonstall (in command of frigate Warren) to attack and reduce a British depot (Fort George) at Castine and reduce it; however, there was no coordination with the Continental Army. The fleet, composed of vessels from the Massachusetts Navy, privateers, the brigantine Diligent, sloop Providence and the 18-gun New Hampshire, sailed on 19 July 1779, and on 28 July a Marine detachment seized a British battery. Afterward, several thousand soldiers landed, but Saltonstall refused to provide a naval bombardment and after landing, the army never received Saltonstall’s order to attack. While the ground troops languished, British reinforcements were en route. Wadsworth and Lovell insisted that once the British ships were destroyed, the soldiers and Marines

Thomas Lynch was born into the family of one of the prominent Rice Kings of South Carolina, that of Thomas Lynch and his wife, Elizabeth Allston Lynch, on 5 August 1749. Thomas had two older sisters, Sabina, born during 1747, and Esther, born in 1748. The Hopsewee Plantation was (and still is) located along the North Santee River in the vicinity of Winyah, St. George’s Parish (present-day Georgetown County). The origin of the Lynch family leads back into Austria and from there to England. From England, a part of the Lynch family relocated to Ireland, and it is from there that John Lynch’s great-grandfather, Jonack Lynch, immigrated to America. There is no information regarding when Jonack arrived, but it is thought that he settled while the colony was still in its infancy. Thomas received an excellent education, initially at the Indigo Society School in Georgetown, where he studied until he was about thirteen. He was transferred to a school in England, where he attended Eaton, located in Buckinghamshire, to study the classics. Afterward he attended Cambridge. Thomas excelled in his studies, prompting his father to extend his stay in England to pursue a law degree. Subsequent to studying British law at the Temple, he returned to South Carolina about 1772. Although Thomas was well qualified to practice as an attorney, he convinced his father that his wealth was quite beyond what was necessary and that there was no need for him to enter a profession. At about the same time, the colonies were nudging toward independence and the tension between the colonists and Britain was escalating at a rapid pace. Thomas Lynch, despite having lived eight or nine years in England, immediately upon his return began to become involved in politics and his sentiments were entirely on the side of the Patriots. During 1772, Thomas married Elizabeth Schubrick, who had been his girlfriend prior to departing for England when he was only thirteen. Thomas and Elizabeth began their married life on the Peach Tree Plantation near Hopsewee, along the South Santee River in St. James Parish (present-day Charleston County). The plantation had been given to them by Thomas, Sr. The younger Lynch had been enthusiastically involved with the South Carolinians’ plight with the Crown and showed no signs of distancing himself from politics despite his marriage.

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During 1773, Lynch spoke publicly in Charleston about the tactics of the Crown and the injustices that had been thrust upon the colonists. His speech followed that of his father, but the cheers for Thomas, Jr., surpassed those received by his father. The young man’s voice bellowed with an eloquence that bounced off the walls and stirred the hearts of those gathered, but the one who showed the most satisfaction and pride was his father. Like his father, Thomas was determined to display opposition and side with those seeking independence if reconciliation did not occur. He attended the first and second provincial South Carolina Congresses. In addition, he attended the first state legislature and he participated as a member of the South Carolina constitutional committee. Lynch was available during 1775 when South Carolina raised its initial regiment of provincial regulars, the 1st South Carolina Regiment (Continental Army), commanded by Captain (later Brigadier General) Thomas Sumter. Lynch received a commission as a captain with command of a company, which for him was an excellent appointment that he measured against his experience and ability, but his father had been expecting him to have received a higher rank. Thomas Sumter and William Moultrie, two prominent leaders of the Patriots’ cause, also received the rank of captain. Once he received his commission, Lynch, accompanied by Captain (later Brigadier General) Charles Cotesworth Pinckney raised his complement of troops in North Carolina and departed for Charleston. En route, Lynch became violently ill from fever and was compelled to detach himself from the company. Following his recovery, he rejoined his command; however, the recovery was not complete and it had so weakened him that he never regained his good health. His military career had essentially ended, although he did not leave the service at that time. His father, Thomas, Sr., was in Philadelphia during 1776, attending the Congress and he too had become seriously ill. Thomas, Jr., attempted to get permission from Colonel Christopher Gadsden to depart South Carolina to get to see his father, but his request was denied. The incident ignited harsh feelings between Lynch and Gadsden. Due to the illness of Thomas, Sr., the South Carolinians unanimously elected Thomas, Jr., to join his father, who had been a delegate in Congress since 1774. Thomas departed Charleston for Philadelphia immediately after his election and upon his arrival he was pleased to find that his father had survived the stroke. Thomas, Sr., remained in Philadelphia recuperating, but his son again became ill. Despite the perilous state of his health, the younger Lynch refused to relinquish his responsibility as a delegate. He remained a supporter of independence and was one of the members of that group who pledged their lives, fortune and honor. Thomas, Sr., was too ill to participate in the ceremony. Subsequent to voting for independence and later signing his name to the parchment document, the younger Lynch initiated the journey back to South Carolina with hopes of his still ailing father making it home where he might gain full recovery. The great expectations of Thomas, Jr., were quashed when they reached Annapolis, Maryland. His father was struck with another paralytic attack, which caused his death. Thomas continued the trip to South Carolina, but his health continued to deterioThomas Lynch, Jr. (Biographical Sketches of the Signers of the Declara- rate alarmingly, and upon his tion of Independence, Benson J. Loss- return there was much trepidation among his friends coning, 1854)

cerning his life. He was urged to leave South Carolina to escape the torrid climate of Charleston and through a more moderate climate regain his health. The advice came not only from friends, but also his doctors. Nonetheless, a voyage to France was at the time a dangerous challenge and the possibility of capture by the British was high. In an attempt to lessen the odds of failure, Thomas Lynch, Jr., and his wife (Elizabeth) set sail on a vessel going to St. Eustatia, and from there they intended to board a neutral vessel to carry them to Europe. After the ship embarked, it was spotted a few days out at sea, but afterward, it vanished without a trace. It is thought that the vessel was lost to a storm while en route to the West Indies during 1779. Lynch’s mother, Elizabeth Allston Lynch, succumbed during 1755, while Thomas was still a child. His father, subsequent to the death of Elizabeth, remarried, taking Hannah Motte as his second wife. Thomas, Sr., and Hannah had one child, Elizabeth. Hannah Motte Lynch, subsequent to the death of Thomas, Sr., married Colonel William Moultrie during 1779. Also, Thomas, Jr., and Elizabeth had no children, but prior to their departure from South Carolina, he had taken the precaution to draw up a will, which enabled his three sisters, Sabrina and Esther from his father’s first marriage, and Elizabeth, from his father’s second marriage, to inherit his estate. The family plantation (Hopsewee Plantation) where Thomas Lynch, Jr., was born remains in existence and under private ownership, but it is open to the public.

MacPherson, Brigadier General William William MacPherson, the son of Captain John and Margaret Rodgers MacPherson, a privateer, was born in Philadelphia during 1756. William’s father, a Scotsman, had immigrated to America during the 1740s. During May 1758, while the privateer Britannia was engaged against a 36-gun French warship, the Britannia sustained heavy damage and Captain MacPherson was hit by a cannon shot that severed his arm. The French carried away all valuables and after damaging the sail and mast, set the ship adrift. Nonetheless, the survivors got the crippled vessel to Jamaica and by the following year Captain MacPherson was back to sea. He seized eighteen prizes, some of which had valuable cargoes aboard. By the time MacPherson retired from the sea, his prizes had made him quite affluent, but in the course of his life, he had been wounded at least nine times. The MacPhersons built a mansion (initially known as Clunie and afterward Mount Pleasant) on the east bank of the Schuylkill River. Captain MacPherson leased the mansion to the Spanish ambassador during the early part of the war, but later, during 1779, he sold it to General Benedict Arnold, who purchased it for his wife, Peggy Shippen Arnold. William’s mother was the sister of the Rev. John Rodgers of New York. She died on 4 June 1770 and afterward, William’s father returned to sea. It is thought that he remarried during 1792 while in Edinburgh; however, there is no information regarding specifics and the name of his second wife is unknown. After his early education, William completed his studies at Princeton. When William was still a teenager, at age about thirteen, he was accepted as a cadet in the British army. He received a commission as a lieutenant that was purchased by his father. When relations between the colonies had reached a breaking point, Lt. MacPherson, adjutant of the British 16th Regiment, deployed at Pensacola, Florida, decided that he would not bear arms against his fellow Americans. Nevertheless, his attempt to resign his commission was immediately rejected. Previously, William was upset upon hearing that his brother, John, had become a major in the Continental Army. John accompanied General Richard Montgomery on the Canadian campaign as an aide and fell with the general on 31 December during the attack against Quebec City. On the 30th, John penned a letter to his father: “If you receive this it will be the last this hand shall ever write you. Orders are given

251 for a general storm on Quebec this night, and Heaven only knows what will be my fate. But, whatever it may be, I cannot resist the inclination I feel to assure you that I experience no reluctance in this cause to venture a life which I consider as only lent to be used when my country demands it.” Following the death of his brother, William MacPherson became more determined to resign, but he remained with the regiment. When it arrived in New York, he again attempted to resign, explaining to General Henry Clinton that he chose not to bear arms against Americans. Nevertheless, MacPherson fought on the side of the British at the Battle of Monmouth ( June 1778) and became wounded. Later, Clinton permitted him to resign, but he was not allowed to leave New York, nor sell his commission. Regardless, he planned to move to the American cause. While still in New York, he was rowed out in a boat to go duck hunting, but he coerced the rower to head for the American positions, while under fire. MacPherson’s escape succeeded. During 1779, he hooked up with the Continental Army while it was along the Hudson River and entered the service there. On 6 April 1779, Congress took under consideration a report from the Board of War regarding William MacPherson’s memorial regarding becoming deputy commissary general of musters and, despite a recommendation by General George Washington, Congress postponed action. MacPherson was known by General Washington and through his efforts, on 16 September 1779, Congress resolved “that a brevet of Major in the Army of the United States be granted to William Macpherson.” And afterward it was “ORDERED that Major Macpherson repair to the Southern Army, and receive the orders of Major General Lincoln.” It is unclear whether Major MacPherson repaired to the Department of the South, but it is certain that he was not in Charleston when General Lincoln surrendered the city on 12 May 1780. For a while Major MacPherson served as an aide to General Arthur St. Clair. Most of his service was with Lafayette. During that period, while he was an aide to Lafayette, to the dismay of some officers of the Pennsylvania Line, General Washington appointed Major MacPherson as a commander of a partisan cavalry corps during the Virginia Campaign. Washington was taken aback by the contentiousness of the officers, but he stood by his directive and refused to acquiesce on his choice of the young MacPherson. MacPherson performed meritoriously throughout the campaign. During one clash with the British, he was injured seriously when he was thrown from his horse, but he recuperated and was back in the saddle at the head of his cavalry on 6 July 1781 at the Battle of Green Spring ( Jamestown Ford), where the British outnumbered the Americans (under Generals Anthony Wayne and Lafayette) by about 8 to 1. The British under General Charles Cornwallis set a trap by giving the illusion of making a retreat, but Lafayette discovered the ruse. However, General Wayne ordered a charge prior to making a disciplined retreat and the British were thoroughly punished and unable to pursue. Cornwallis continued his retreat toward Yorktown. Major MacPherson served for the duration, then retired to his home in Philadelphia. In the meantime, he married Margaret Stout during 1782. Margaret was the daughter of Joseph and Mary Keen Stout. Margaret’s father was a captain of a merchant ship and afterward served as a lieutenant in the Royal Navy. William and Margaret had four children: Maria; Julia (married Philip Houlbrook Nicklin); Margaret (married Peter Grayson Washington); and Joseph Stone McPherson (served in U.S. Navy as an officer, died unmarried). On 19 September 1789, President George Washington appointed MacPherson as surveyor of the port of Philadelphia. He was appointed revenue inspector of the port of Philadelphia on 8 March 1792. That same year, his father, Captain John MacPherson, died. During the following year, on 28 November 1793, Major MacPherson was given a new appointment, as naval officer of the port of Philadelphia. He retained the post beyond the terms of General Washington and through

MADISON

the administrations of Presidents John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. He held the post until his death. In the meantime, an insurrection erupted in western Pennsylvania after passage of the Whiskey Act during 1794. A group of men in Philadelphia gathered and formed several companies of militia. Major MacPherson was asked to lead the force and he accepted the command. The several companies merged to become a battalion and the name they selected was the “MacPherson Blues.” The battalion joined the militia forces under General (Governor) Thomas Mifflin. During the campaign, Major MacPherson was promoted to the rank of Colonel; however, later, Governor Mifflin appointed MacPherson to the rank of brigadier general of Pennsylvania militia. The insurrection was suppressed without major violence and the MacPherson Blues were disbanded; however, when relations with France (Quasi-War) emerged during 1798, the Blues were again formed and expanded by adding contingents of artillery, cavalry, grenadiers and marksmen. With the reformation complete, the battalion was transformed into a legion with General MacPherson as its commander. Meanwhile, General MacPherson’s wife, Margaret, died in Philadelphia on Christmas Day, 1797. She was interred in the churchyard of the Gloria Dei Church. General MacPherson later married again, taking Elizabeth White, the daughter of Bishop William White, who had been the rector of Christ Church in Philadelphia, as his second wife on 9 March 1803. General MacPherson and Elizabeth had two children, Ester (married Doctor Thomas Harris, surgeon general, U.S. Navy), and Elizabeth (married the Rev. Edwin Wilson Wiltbank). During March 1799, President John Adams appointed General MacPherson as a brigadier general in the provisional army. Afterward, MacPherson led his force into Northampton County (Pennsylvania) to deal with an insurgency (Fries Rebellion) that developed in opposition to revenue laws. When the turbulence was terminated, General MacPherson returned to Philadelphia and the legion was disbanded. Following his service in Northampton Township, General MacPherson retired from the military; however, he retained his position as naval officer of the port of Philadelphia until his death, which occurred on 5 November 1813. General William MacPherson was interred at St. Paul’s Churchyard in Philadelphia. His widow, Elizabeth, died during 1830.

Madison, James (Signer of the U.S. Constitution) James Madison, the son of Colonel James and Nelly Conway Madison, was born on 16 March 1751 in Port Conway (King George County), Virginia. At the time of his birth, James’ mother was visiting her parents. After the birth of James, his mother returned to the family plantation, Montpelier. James’ father was the son of Ambrose and Frances Taylor Madison. James’ mother was the daughter of Francis and Rebecca Catlett Conway Moore. In addition to James, his parents had the following children: Francis (b. June 1753); Ambrose (b. January 1755, later major); Catlett (b. February 1758, d. March 1758); Nelly (b. February 1760); William (b. May 1762); Sarah Catlett (b. August 1764); a son (b. 1766, died in infancy); Elizabeth (b. February 1768, d. May 1775); infant son (b. July 1770, died at birth); Reuben (b. September 1771, died June 1775) and Frances Taylor (b. October 1774). James received his early education from his mother as well as private tutors and attendance at a private school. He attended the College of New Jersey (later Princeton), from where he graduated during 1771 at age seventeen. After graduation, James remained an extra year to study for the ministry. Afterward, he returned home, but still, James was uncertain of which career he would pursue. But in the meantime, conditions in the colony had shifted and the colonists were beginning to seriously question the policies of the Crown and Parliament. The strained relations began at about the same time Parliament passed the Stamp Act during 1765. By the early 1770s, James had aligned himself with the Patriots’ cause. By 1775, his course was certain. James Madison became involved

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with local politics when he was appointed to the Orange County Committee of Safety. The following year, he was a member of the Virginia Convention. During the convention, Madison was instrumental in helping to frame the Virginia constitution. Also in 1776, Madison was elected to the House of Delegates, a position he held through 1777. Subsequently, during 1778, Madison became a member of the Council of State, where he served into 1780, the year in which he was elected to Congress. Madison remained in the Congress until 1783 and during the following year, he was returned to the Virginia House of Delegates, serving there until 1786, when he was returned to Congress until 1788. The struggle for independence culminated in victory while Madison was serving in Congress. The bulk of the fighting terminated with the surrender of General Lord Charles Cornwallis at Yorktown during October 1781, but the preliminary peace treaty wasn’t signed until 1782, with the official end to the war occurring during 1783 with the Treaty of Paris. Afterward, during 1785, while the nation was involved with various postwar problems, Madison attended the Mount Vernon Conference, which was called to find a way to increase navigation on the Potomac. It had earlier been determined that the boundary between Maryland and Virginia was the Virginia shoreline, not the middle of the Potomac. Maryland and Virginia concluded an agreement; however, according to the Articles of Confederation, the agreement was deemed invalid because the Articles forbid a treaty of any kind between separate states without authorization by Congress. Consequently, a new convention (Annapolis Convention) was called to find solutions to increase interstate, including linking the interior with the sea. It was expected that delegates from every state would attend, but only a few states sent delegates, which caused the convention to conclude without success; however, it did determine that a Constitutional Convention was required to either modify the Articles of Confederation or to design a new government. The Constitutional Convention was called and scheduled to convene in Philadelphia during May 1787. James Madison was a delegate and aligned with Alexander Hamilton and John Jay in creating a series of essays (The Federalist Papers, 85 essays) that were published in various newspapers in New York prior to the convention. They spelled out the dangers faced by the new nation because of foreign influence, and they validated the necessity of a new constitution. The essays were published under the name “Publius” and continue to be a primary reference source to better understand the Constitution. While a delegate at the Constitutional Convention, Madison’s knowledge of the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation bolstered his position in support of adoption of the Constitution and made up for his inability to master the art of rhetoric. Despite being a terrible public speaker, Madison’s understanding of the predicament and extensive knowledge of the facts made him a primary force during the discussions and debates, in which he spoke about 150 times. Only Gouverneur Morris and James Wilson spoke more often. On 17 September 1787, the Constitution was adopted, effective upon ratification by nine states. During his state’s ratification convention, Madison again was pressed to the forefront of the defenders to ensure ratification over the obJames Madison (Beacon Lights, J.C. jections of some other very prominent and powerful VirAbbott, 1896)

ginians, including Patrick Henry, Richard Henry Lee and George Mason. Nonetheless, those aligned with Madison prevailed. Virginia ratified the Constitution on 25 June 1788 to become the tenth state to join the union. The new Congress convened during early March 1789 and on 30 April, General George Washington was inaugurated as the initial president of the United States. Madison was a member of Congress in the House of Representatives from 1789 until 1797. During that period, he was instrumental in the adoption of the Bill of Rights (first ten amendments to the Constitution), and he participated as one of the congressmen who formulated the federal system of taxation; however, he had great differences with the administration, particularly the policies of the Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton. Others who shared Madison’s ideology included Thomas Jefferson. Madison and Jefferson were responsible for founding the Democratic-Republican Party (present-day Democrats) as the opposition party to the Federalists. The anti–Federalists gained power when they defeated John Adams to gain the White House during the tumultuous election of 1800, when after Jefferson and Aaron Burr each received the same number of votes and the election was tossed into the House of Representatives, which after thirty-eight ballots gave the presidency to Jefferson. In the meantime, during 1794, Madison abandoned his life as a bachelor when he married Dolley Payne Todd, the daughter of John and Mary Coles Payne. Dolley was about sixteen years younger the James. She had been married to John Todd, a Quaker, but he died within two years, leaving Dolley with one child, her son. Her marriage to James was childless. By about 1797, James Madison’s public activity began to wind down as he slipped into a period where his private life dominated his day, but later, during 1798, he became rejuvenated and authored the “Virginia Resolution” in opposition to the Alien and Sedition Acts, which were heavily favored by the Federalists and opposed by the Democratic-Republicans. At the time, the nation was imperiled by spies and others intent on harming the security of the United States. After the election of Thomas Jefferson, he bolted back into public life when he received a presidential appointment as secretary of state and served in that post from 1801 until 1809. Then he succeeded his political ally, Thomas Jefferson, to become the fourth president of the United States. As the newest leader of the United States, President Madison inherited much of the foreign intrigues that plagued the previous administration. Britain and France continued to create problems and similarly, on the domestic front, the nation was locked in a financial crisis. American vessels on the high seas were still being intercepted. All the while, diplomacy failed to resolve most of the problems. After a concentrated effort, the situation with France leveled off, but with the former nemesis of the United States, relations continued to become more strained and then, finally, but not unexpectedly, the War of 1812 commenced with Britain. Simultaneously, American forces were involved in a conflict (Patriots’ War) in Florida, where the Indians were incited by the Spanish and the British continued to impress American sailors into the Royal Navy. Once again, America was compelled to fight, but during the War of 1812, it was to keep its sovereignty, not to gain it. President Madison, on 1 June 1812, urged Congress to declare war against Britain and soon after, on the 18th, war was declared. A vote that month to also declare war against France failed in the Senate by only two votes. Initially, the United States sustained some setbacks, including the loss of Fort Michilimackinac and Detroit during August 1812; surrendered without a fight. During October 1812, President Madison, who had called up 100,000 militia troops in April, called up an additional 1,500 troops from Tennessee to launch an offensive against the Creek Indians in Florida. That December, Major General Andrew Jackson led the expeditionary force, composed of about 2,000 troops, into Florida and the campaign continued until 6 May 1813. In conjunction, while the

253 American land forces were struggling during the first year of the war, the United States Navy experienced great success, despite the more powerful Royal Navy. Later, during 1814, the British moved against the capital. As they advanced, the opposition, mostly militia, fled, leaving only a contingent of Marines and sailors under Commodore Joshua Barney at their front. Barney’s Marines and sailors held the line at Bladensburg during August, and while they stood steadfastly, Congress joined the militia and fled into Virginia. Although Washington had become a ghost town, Dolley Madison refused to evacuate until the president returned to the White House. At the time, he was at Bladensburg observing the battle. Dolley, while waiting for her husband, rescued an original copy of the Declaration of Independence and a portrait of George Washington. After the president returned, the Madisons calmly departed the capital. The British soon after occupied Washington and before leaving burned the White house. They were forced to abandon the capital, but not by U.S. troops; rather, a terrible storm arrived and that caused them to depart. On 12 September 1814, the British moved against Fort McHenry, and their commander, General Ross, proclaimed that he “would eat dinner tonight in Baltimore or in Hell.” A siege was raised on the 12th and lasted until the 14th, but Fort McHenry held and General Ross did not eat his dinner in Baltimore. He was killed and his body was preserved in a barrel of rum and shipped back to England. During the momentous siege, Francis Scott Key penned his poem, “The Star Spangled Banner,” but when he wrote it, he did not give it a title. “The Star Spangled Banner” later became the national anthem, but not until 1931. By the latter part of 1814, the war was brought to an end with the signing of the Treaty of Ghent on 24 December, but back in the United States, no one yet knew that the war had ended. The British were preparing to take New Orleans, while the Americans were preparing to defend. Shortly after the start of the New Year, on 8 January, the British attacked under cover of a fog and their ranks were decimated. Both sides claimed victory in the war, but the Americans, despite their unpreparedness, were able to prevent the British from prevailing. President Madison, following the conclusion of the war, completed his term with less stress until he retired during 1817, when he was succeeded by one of his trusted allies, James Monroe. Subsequent to leaving the presidency, James and his wife, Dolley, returned to Montpelier, but he did continue to be active in politics and he toiled with his journal from the Constitutional Convention, a valuable work that was eventually published by the government subsequent to the death of President Madison. In addition to his political activity, President Madison also served as rector of the University of Virginia from 1826 until 1836, the year of his death. And he also became co-chairman of the Virginia constitutional convention that convened between 1829 and 1836. President James Madison succumbed on 28 June 1836. He was survived by his wife, Dolley, and his stepson. Later, during 1844, Mrs. Madison sold the family plantation, Montpelier. In 1984, the property was given to the National Trust for Historic Preservation and it is open to the public as a museum, operated by the Montpelier Foundation.

Marion, Brigadier General Francis Francis Marion, the son of Gabriel and Esther Cordes Marion, was born during 1732 at the family plantation in Winyah, near Georgetown, South Carolina. Francis was a grandson of Benjamin and Louisa D’Aubrey Marion, French Huguenots who emigrated to America during the 1690s and settled in South Carolina near the Santee River. Gabriel and Esther had six children: five sons and one daughter. Francis, as a newborn baby, was described by one nineteenth century biographer: “I have it from good authority, that this great soldier, at his birth, was not larger than a New England lobster, and might easily enough have been put into a quart pot.”

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While a teenager, about 1747–1748, Marion chased his dream of being a mariner against the wishes of his mother, who unsuccessfully tried to dissuade him. Precise details are unknown and some ancient sources seem to have inserted details which have no authoritative validity. Nevertheless, the voyage occurred, yet neither the name of the ship or of its captain escaped obscurity. The voyage expected to initiate Francis’ excitement about sailing the seas was a harrowing trip to and from the West Indies. The vessel foundered and its six sailors initially escaped death only by flying into the boat without time to Francis Marion (Pictorial Field Book of even carry any water or food. the Revolution, Benson J. Lossing, 1860) According to earlier biographers, a dog that had been aboard ship when it went down swam to the boat and was picked up, but later, out of desperation, the dog was consumed. During the ordeal at sea, as described by one nineteenth century author, two of the men perished after they became delirious and left the safety of the boat. No other source can confirm the event, but the description is plausible. After languishing in the water for seven days, the survivors were spotted by another ship, which luckily was not a pirate ship. Francis and the others were taken to a port and afterward, he returned to his family. His dreams of being a seafarer forever vanished.5 By 1759, Francis Marion had left Winyah and settled on a plantation at Belle Isle. Meanwhile, the Cherokee, allies of the British during the French and Indian War, began to create problems on the southern frontier while they were returning to their territory. The Indian allies suddenly became enemies as the colonists retaliated when problems occurred, including horse stealing to replace ones Indians lost in the war. Some Indians were killed and others were captured. Governor William Henry Lyttleton of South Carolina sent out a call to the militia and Marion was one of many South Carolinians who responded. Meanwhile, Cherokee chiefs traveled to Charleston to confer with Lyttleton, but he was not convinced of their sincerity and the parley failed to end the turbulence. Lyttleton placed the chiefs under guard and when he departed for the Congarees, the chiefs were taken along. The incident did little to ease the crisis. Instead it infuriated the Indians, who reacted angrily after learning of the treatment given their chiefs. Nevertheless, Lyttleton proceeded to the Congarees about 150 miles outside of Charleston. A treaty was agreed upon there; however, the Cherokee afterward acted on their perception that they had been coerced into giving up braves for the offenses which cost the lives of colonists. The Cherokee reneged and fled into the mountains, but Lyttleton held the chiefs and removed them to Fort Prince George, a distant outpost commanded by Colonel Cotymore and occupied by a small garrison. Fort Prince George soon became the powder keg that ignited war. The Cherokees struck and killed 15 colonists in the vicinity of the fort. Later, a Cherokee leader, Oconostota, pulled off a ruse by sending a woman to persuade the commander to confer with him outside the fort. Captain Cotymore, accompanied by two officers, Lieutenants Bell and Foster, proceeded to the meeting place at the river. Once

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there, Oconostota, from the opposite side of the river, signaled his braves and without warning, the officers came under heavy fire that killed Cotymore and wounded the others. Nevertheless, the ruse failed to give the Indians possession of the fort, which was bolstered by artillery, but the incident infuriated the garrison. The chiefs who had been held captive were killed in retaliation for the ambush that took Cotymore’s life. Afterward, full-scale war erupted. Governor Lyttleton, who bore initial responsibility, was transferred to Jamaica and became governor there. The frontier, including the Carolinas, was swept by violent warfare that continued unabated. During August 1760, the Indians forced the defenders at Fort Loudoun to surrender with assurances that the garrison would not be harmed. Nevertheless, the Indians broke their word. The column was ambushed on the following day and about 30 were killed. The others, numbering about 150, were captured and taken as slaves. In response, General Jeffrey Amherst dispatched the Highlander Regiment and militia to bolster the available forces, building the army to about 2,600 men. Marion served at the decisive battle under the command of William Moultrie. Marion was delegated to lead a 30-man contingent (Forlorn Hope) against a strategic position to open a gap. The contingent was devastated after sustaining about 20 or 21 casualties, but the charge succeeded and Francis Marion was unscathed. The main body then took the advantage and continued the attack. Following the heated battle during June 1761, at Etchoe, the Cherokee warriors were compelled to retire to the mountains. The army destroyed their villages. Lacking food and supplies, the Cherokee were then forced to initiate peace talks. Following the campaign against the Cherokee, Marion returned to his residence, where he resumed farming and other enterprises, but the precise record of his activity from that point until the unfolding of the Revolution during 1775 remains unknown. It is known that he was successful in his endeavors had become a leader among his peers, and based on his later exploits during the war, he had obviously become well acquainted with the endless chain of swamps in the colony. Subsequent to the campaigns against the Cherokee, the relations between Britain and the colonies began to deteriorate. Although the northern colonies, particularly Massachusetts, felt the brunt of the policies of the Crown, there was some sympathy for the cause in the South. Marion was among the Patriots in that region, known also as the land of the Rice Kings. During 1775, on 17 June, Marion was appointed captain of the 2nd South Carolina Regiment, commanded by William Moultrie, who was appointed colonel of the regiment. On 14 November he was promoted to major. During the following year, he rose to the rank of lieutenantcolonel commandant on 16 September 1776. Afterward, on 30 September 1783, Marion was promoted to the rank of colonel. Although an officer in the Continental Army, Marion, who became known as the Swamp Fox, commanded militia and partisans. In the meantime, he had been appointed a brigadier general of South Carolina militia in August 1780. During 1775, Marion was a representative of St. John Berkeley in the South Carolina Provincial Congress when the congress concurred with and adopted the American Bill of Rights that had been proclaimed in Philadelphia by the Continental Congress. On 21 April 1775, the Patriots moved to the royal magazine at Charleston and confiscated weapons and gunpowder. The congress went back into session on 1 June and within a few days, it was decided to raise two regiments of foot and another composed of about 450 cavalrymen. The congress completed its agenda and adjourned on the 22nd; however, upcoming business was to be handled by the Committee of Safety and the General Committee. By that time, South Carolina had received a new royal governor, Lord William Campbell, the final representative of the king to serve in that capacity. Campbell had only been in the colony a few days, arriving in Charleston on 18 June. The governor’s untimely arrival collided with what was becoming an

aggressive move by the Patriots to sever ties with the Crown. By mid–August Campbell had already become aware of the strength of the Provincial Convention, and he requested help from the House of Assembly, but to no avail. It convened for the last time on 30 August. Captain Francis Marion was in the center of the activity. On 15 September he led a contingent that seized Fort Johnson on James Island. Later, during June 1776, a British fleet moved against Charleston. Marion, attached to Colonel Moultrie’s 2nd Regiment, defended from the fort (later Fort Moultrie) on Sullivan’s Island. The British under Generals Clinton and Cornwallis were repelled and their unexpected defeat caused a suspension of several years before Charleston was again threatened. The British sailed to New York from Charleston on 28 June. Subsequently, during autumn 1779, Lt. Colonel Marion participated in the attack against Savannah; however, Marion and others, including Count Pulaski, argued against the premature attack, prompted by the impatient French commander, Comte D’Estaing. The wellprepared British, aware of the imminent assault, effortlessly repelled the allied attack on 9 October and retained Savannah, while inflicting severe casualties upon the French-American forces. The siege was lifted on 16 October. The French fleet departed the area and sailed to the West Indies. Colonel Marion was among the units that returned to Charleston. General Lincoln’s defeat led to a move by Congress, which dispatched General Horatio Gates to the Department of the South to succeed Lincoln. Meanwhile, Colonel Marion returned to Charleston, and while reluctantly attending a party, became injured when he was trying to make an inconspicuous exit. He hurt his leg and was ordered out of Charleston when he was considered “unfit for duty.” The injured leg saved Marion from being taken at Charleston when it fell to the British on 12 May 1780. Nevertheless, Marion, a Continental officer still without a command, rode to join with General Johann de Kalb and afterward with General Horatio Gates upon his arrival. Gates was never impressed with the militia forces and he did not heed the advice of various veteran officers who were familiar with the rugged terrain when Gates’ army took the offensive from his headquarters in North Carolina. Gates dismissed Marion’s credentials and dispatched him with his cavalry on a foraging mission. On 14 August Marion’s force engaged and defeated a Loyalist force under Major Micajah at Port’s Ferry, South Carolina. The Loyalists were devastated, while Marion’s force sustained two casualties. Ironically, Marion, the only Continental officer that evaded capture at Charleston upon its fall, also missed participation in Gates’ debacle at Camden because he and his unit of about 250 cavalrymen were away on their foraging mission. Gates’ defeat at Camden on 16 August 1780 brought about the end of his military career; however, Colonel Marion, twice spared of possible death or imprisonment at the hands of the British, was in the process of becoming Cornwallis’ nightmare. By the 19th of August, Marion had become aware of Gates’ fate at Camden, but he chose not to inform his men for fear it would have hurt morale. On the 19th, Marion prepared to launch an attack against British positions at Nelson’s Ferry, where the British had relaxed their discipline at camp due to their complete victory at Camden. At dawn on the 20th, acting on accurate information from a Loyalist deserter, the ghost riders of the swamps struck with ferocity and lightningspeed from two points, despite their arrival being prematurely discovered. One contingent under Peter Horry galloped onto the devastated plantation of Thomas Sumter, while Marion charged against the enemy’s rear. The weapons (stacked arms) at the plantation were seized before the British could form and the Americans captured at Camden, who were being held there, were rescued. The contingent of about 150 Maryland troops seized at Camden was soon after rejoined with the Continental Army. After the attack, which unfolded and was completed in minutes, Marion led his command to the Pee Dee River and established camp

255 above Snow Island. Later, on 4 September, a contingent of about 200 Loyalists under Major Micajah Gainey, informed of Marion’s location, moved confidently to destroy the camp and liquidate the force. En route, the Loyalists unexpectedly discovered a contingent of Marion’s men to their front at Gallivan’s Ferry Bridge near Blue Savannah in Marion County. Initially, the Loyalists prepared to engage, but Gainey’s troops holding the path found themselves facing cavalry with their horses at full gallop. The Loyalists broke well before the cavalry hit their line and chose instead to haphazardly make way for the horses. Marion pondered the situation and chose not to attack the main body of infantry due to its numbers. He withdrew, giving the illusion of retreat, which again instilled confidence in the ranks of Gainey’s command. The British column advanced, but its cavalry had last been seen heading to the rear. Believing Marion was in fast retreat, Gainey plunged forward while Marion’s ghost riders waited patiently at their concealed positions. Just as the Loyalists moved into the trap, the woods sprang to life and the cavalry flew toward the awkward infantry column, but the foot soldiers were able to outrun the horses. Gainey’s troops vanished into the swamps and due to the Patriots being unfamiliar with that area, they did not pursue. Nevertheless, the Loyalists had been vanquished without a fight. Marion’s men inflicted more than physical pain. The Loyalists began spreading word of their fight with the ghosts in the swamp. The Loyalists had their confidence deflated by the Swamp Fox; however, Marion’s successes contributed greatly in expanding the confidence of his militia, which had responsibility of holding the cause together since Gates’ defeat. Marion’s legend began to spread rapidly and his victories against Loyalists and regulars alike also began to mount. As the days passed, with still no genuine contingents of the Continental Army in South Carolina, Cornwallis became aware that the pernicious strikes of Marion had placed his right flank in jeopardy. However, Marion’s activity did not deter Cornwallis from initiating an offensive into North Carolina. After leaving about 1,500 men to eliminate Marion, Cornwallis advanced toward North Carolina, but Marion, informed of Cornwallis’s activity, evacuated his positions on 8 September and he too bolted to North Carolina. The militia bivouacked at Great White Marsh, but only temporarily. Marion’s men, once informed of atrocities committed by troops commanded by British Major James Wemyss, wound their way back though the wilderness and established positions from which to strike yet again. At the time, the British had believed they had rid themselves of the back country men under Marion and had free reign to plunder the region and decimate the Patriots. At about midnight on 29 September, Marion launched a surprise attack against Loyalists under Colonel John C. Ball, deployed at the Red House Tavern at Black Mingo, from where they could control a strategic bridge and a creek. The region had been dormant from the British point of view and there was no indication that any Patriot forces were in the vicinity. Nevertheless, it was not uncommon for Marion’s men to strike as if they had come out of nowhere. As the horse nudged across the Willtown bridge, the noise of the hooves was detected and a signal given. The warning only expedited the charge and to the Patriots’ surprise, Colonel Ball had not fortified his positions. For a short time, the Loyalists created a problem, but it was overcome and the Loyalists were vanquished in about twenty minutes. Those who could fled toward the next British post at Georgetown, but 13 of the enemy were left behind. The Patriots also made good use of the horses left at the tavern, including Colonel Ball’s mount. Ball was among those who escaped, but he fled without taking time to mount his horse. Toward the latter part of the following month, word reached Marion that a Loyalist force under Colonel Samuel Tynes was at Tearcoat Swamp, dispatched from Camden to rid the area of Patriots in place of Wemyss’ command which had been ordered to Charleston. Marion broke camp on the 24th and moved out to spring yet another attack.

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At midnight (24th–25th), the silence of the night was shattered when Marion’s forces charged the enemy encampment from three separate directions. The swiftness of the attack left no time for the loyalists to react with rigid resistance. The Loyalists who could fled into the swamp and their commander, Samuel Tynes, unable to find his way to safety, was spotted and captured several days later. Meanwhile, the string of successes by Marion’s men continued to complicate British plans to eliminate the puny resistance in South Carolina. Lt. Colonel Banastre Tarleton concluded that he had the answer. Tarleton’s Legion set a trap at the plantation of the late General Richard Richardson, but the plot was foiled when Mrs. Richardson sent her son to forewarn Marion. The British campfires, lit to lure Marion into the empty camp, and the sights of the enemy weapons were not disturbed. Marion withdrew without taking the bait. On the following day, 8 October, Tarleton received information regarding Marion and initiated pursuit, but he only got introduced to the rear guard. Marion’s men vanished after reaching Jack’s Creek. Meanwhile, General Nathanael Greene had been named as Gates’ successor. On 4 December, Marion arrived at Greene’s headquarters to meet the new commander and the general told Marion that his reputation had preceded him. Greene, unlike Gates, had total confidence in Marion, and he respected the militia. Marion’s command had increased in numbers by December. The force stood somewhere between 600 and 700 troops. The Swamp Fox set up an ambush on the 12th to snare Tarleton’s Legion near the bridge across the Black River in the vicinity of Elliot’s Mill Pond, but unexpectedly, a column of about 200 recruits, escorted by contingent of the British 64th Regiment, approached and Marion snapped the trap. During the engagement, a British officer raised a white flag to call for talks. The British representative called for 20 men from each side to oppose each other. Marion agreed. While the opponents closed toward each other, the British retired without a fight and later, at about midnight (12th–13th), the British left the area. Marion sent a contingent to intercept them and the encounter occurred at Singleton’s Mills. The American cavalry prepared to attack and instead retired. The contingent was fearful of launching the attack, but not because of the British. As the attack force formed to storm the positions, but they were informed that the Singleton family had been hit by smallpox and aborted the assault. During January 1781, on the 24th, a force under Colonels Henry Lee and Francis Marion struck the British-held fort at Georgetown and discovered that the British garrison under Lt. Colonel George Campbell offered no signs of making a fight. At the time, the Americans had been en route from the victory at Cowpens to the Catawba River and chose not to risk casualties. Rather than taking the fort, Campbell and his garrison were given parole. In March 1781, Marion’s cavalry was still a primary objective of the British, but his ability to outfox them remained uncanny. The location of Marion’s camp at Snow Island was discovered by the British. A strike force formed and the camp was attacked; however, the British were only able to destroy an empty camp. Marion and his cavalry once again eluded capture. Afterward the British engaged Marion at Lower Bridge along the Black River, but the Redcoats were repulsed. On 5 March prior to dawn, a British force led by Colonel John Watson departed Fort Watson and headed for Nelson’s Ferry to set a trap for the Swamp Fox. Marion received word of the plan and countered by riding to Wyhoo Swamp to establish an ambush site near Santee Pass. On the following morning, the two sides clashed at the bridge in the swamp. The battle was intense and during the combat, Marion had ordered three separate charges, but the battle was inconclusive and the British force contained many regulars. Marion disengaged and moved to Cantey’s Plantation, between Nelson’s Ferry and Murray’s Ferry. Afterward, British Colonel Watson continued his fruitless search to find and destroy Marion.

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On 9 March the Redcoats rode to Cantey’s Plantation and on the following day, the roving column arrived at Mount Hope Swamp. Although Watson failed to catch his prey, Marion’s marksmen were in the vicinity, and they found Watson. Suddenly, the British were stung by a hurricane of fire, and before Watson could react, the invisible marksmen vanished into the swamp. Watson gave chase and the advance went uninterrupted until it hit the Lower Bridge leading to Kingstree. Passage was barred by Marion’s men, who again reappeared. The British were compelled to move to the Witherspoon and Blakely plantation to establish camp, but here too, the ghosts of the swamp visited the British and caused them to break camp and head toward Georgetown. Colonel Watson’s march again proceeded without incident and all was quiet. No partisans were detected by scouts. The road seemed clear of obstructions and it remained so until the column encroached Ox Swamp. Marion’s cavalry had arrived earlier and patiently waited. The apprehensive troops in the column moved cautiously, never knowing when the swamp would come alive with effective fire. Then again, without warning, Marion’s marksmen emerged from their concealed positions, raked the column and forced Watson to take yet another circuitous route. The British moved to Old Oliver Road as their plight was becoming desperate and still, they received little opportunity to return fire. Marion’s forces seemed to vanish before the smoke from their volleys dissipated. The pace continued to move more slowly after each ambush as the casualties continued to climb. Finally the column neared Georgetown and Watson was burdened with two wagons that were transporting the wounded. Morale seemed to rise when the column arrived at the Sampit River; however, the enthusiasm was quickly drained when they were again struck with a ferocious hurricane of fire. Colonel Watson’s pursuit of Marion was in vain, yet at every turn, the Swamp Fox was nearly close enough to touch. Watson’s command finally arrived at Georgetown on 28 October. The mission had been so harrowing that Watson was unable to bury the dead. During April 1781, Marion joined forces with Colonel Henry Lee to seize Fort Watson. The British post was placed under siege on 6 April but the cavalry carried no artillery. The defenders held confidently until one of the American officers, Major Hezekiah Maham, thought of improvising. Using his idea, the Americans constructed a tower from which the elevated sharpshooters (McCottry Rifles) had a perfect view of their targets. At dawn on 23 April the sharpshooters opened fire. Shortly thereafter, the garrison surrendered. On 6 May, Marion and Lee moved against Fort Motte, a former mansion. Mrs. Motte offered help to Marion’s men, who turned into archers after she began to supply them with flaming arrows. The cavalry, like knights of old, scored well with such a lucrative target and the fort was set ablaze, forcing the garrison to surrender on 12 May. Marion gave the 65-man garrison parole. Meanwhile, he had dispatched a contingent to secure Georgetown and the mission was successful. During the forays, Marion’s men also found time to join with General Greene. During June 1781, the cavalry accompanied Greene, who was also bolstered by General Sumter’s force when he moved toward Orangeburgh and Lord Rawdon. Greene chose not to engage due to Rawdon’s strength. Marion, along with Sumter and Henry Lee, were ordered to Monck’s Corner. Greene’s strategy caused the British concern and prevented them from concluding what destination (objective) had been chosen by Greene. Meanwhile, Lee, Marion and Sumter continued to harass British positions. Lord Rawdon remained unable to finish off the rebels as Cornwallis had expected and the latter’s thoughts of conquest in Virginia by that time were also beginning to vanish. During that same period, Lord Rawdon’s health had failed and he was preparing to embark for England, but he found time to order the execution of Colonel Isaac Hayne, an act that infuriated the Patriots and made them determined to get vengeance. The American forces under Greene continued to maneuver and evade a major fight, while the joint cavalry forces of Lee, Marion and

Sumter roved the terrain to unhinge the British wherever they were found. On 17 June a confrontation erupted at Quimby Bridge in Berkeley County. The British were able to hold against the cavalry and repulse the attacks, but at a high cost, which forced them to retire. On 22 August, General Greene moved from the Santee River towards Charleston, and when he reached the Congaree, his force increased greatly with the cavalry of Marion (by that time a brigadier general of militia ) and General Pickens’ contingent. Later that month, Marion reminded the British that his ghost riders were still on the prowl. At Parker’s Ferry on 31 August, a British contingent under Colonel William Harden was struck with a typical sudden attack that sent the force (Tories, Hessians and regulars) reeling. The battered column retreated toward Charleston. Soon after, due in great part to Marion’s contribution based on his knowledge of the swamps and terrain at Eutaw Springs, General Greene was able to engage the British in a major battle. At Eutaw Springs on 8 September, the two sides clashed and both sides inflicted punishing blows. The militia sustained high casualties during the see-saw battle, but as it continued to intensify, the Americans began to turn the tide. The cavalry under Colonel Henry Lee slammed into the enemy flank and rear to break the momentum of the British and cause their lines to falter. Nonetheless, they were able to reform at a stone house and hold their ground. Greene ordered a withdrawal, but there was no pursuit. The battered British retreated to Charleston to terminate the final major battle in South Carolina. Congress reacted after being informed of the battle at Eutaw Springs. On 29 October 1781, it resolved “that the thanks of the United States in Congress assembled be presented to Brigadier-General Marion, of the South Carolina Militia for his wise, gallant and decided conduct in defending the liberties of his country, and particularly for his prudent and intrepid attack on a body of the British troops on the 30th of August last [Parker’s Ferry], and for the distinguished part he took in the battle of the 8th of September [Eutaw Springs]. During the following month, on 19 October 1781, Cornwallis surrendered his army at Yorktown without ever eliminating his nemesis in South Carolina. General Marion did not participate in the Virginia Campaign. He was at Cantey’s Plantation when he learned of Cornwallis’ fate. Subsequent to the contest at Eutaw Springs, General Marion transferred command of his brigade to Colonel Peter Horry. During January 1782, Marion, having again been elected to the Provincial Congress, attended the session at Jacksonborough when it convened on 18 January. By that time, the Americans had become confident of total victory and the location they chose for the congress underscored their confidence. The British at Charleston were within easy striking range. To further the security of the congress, General Greene moved to the Edisto River and established camp, placing his army as a potent obstacle to the front of the convening Congress. Marion’s absence from his command was conspicuous and difficulties emerged that nearly caused the loss of the unit. Problems of command developed between Horry and Colonel Mayham after Mayham refused to serve under Horry on the claim that they held equal rank. The problem gave Marion second thoughts about relinquishing his brigade, but in retrospect he was needed in the Senate, for without him there was no quorum. Nonetheless, Marion was later persuaded to speed to the brigade after it was learned that the British, aware of his absence, were advancing from Charleston. Marion arrived at the brigade’s camp on 24 February 1782, but word arrived that the danger had passed and the British were returning to Charleston. The dispatch was erroneous and the British were on the move. The brigade was unexpectedly attacked and scattered. Once informed, Marion seized command of Mayham’s regiment and galloped to the scene of the incident near Wambaw Bridge. The troops that ran at the sight of the British were attached to two regiments of “reformed Tories.” Some drowned while attempting to flee.

257 Meanwhile, Marion arrived, halted the British charge and began to regroup the disoriented recruits. Afterward, articles were published stating that the Swamp Fox had been vanquished at the bridge and that he died by drowning while attempting escape. The obituary came as quite a surprise to General Marion. The regiments of Horry and Maham were both greatly reduced, but the personal dispute got solved when Marion conferred with Governor John Mathews and decided to merge the regiments. Marion, although preferring Colonel Horry, when asked by the governor who shall command, General Marion responded that it should be Mayham. Consequently, a disappointed Horry resigned; however, Marion calmed his feelings and raised his morale by appointing him commander at Georgetown. Later, mutineers planned to seize General Greene and carry him to the British, but the clandestine plan was foiled. Greene called for General Marion to head for the camp. Without delay, Marion departed from the Santee to quell the problem. The principal instigator, Sergeant Gornell, along with four other sergeants, each from the Pennsylvania Line, were arrested. At least ten other conspirators fled that night. The swift action terminated the mutiny. Gornell received a court-martial and was executed. The others were confined and the British were convinced not to move against Greene. Marion, aware of a new threat against Georgetown, was directed during April to speed to the post; however, when the forced march carried them to White’s Bridge, there was no sign of British presence. In May, again in the absence of Marion, Loyalists in the region around the Pee Dee River planned to go on the offensive after troops from North Carolina had completed their enlistments and returned home. A force under Major Gainey moved against a small contingent under Colonel John Baxter. Marion quickly got back in the saddle. In command of Colonel Mayham’s regiment, he raced back to Baxter’s location to quell the insurrection. Gainey was astonished at the sight of Marion, and his men were less than jubilant over challenging the Swamp Fox. Gainey also knew he would get no support from the British. He communicated with Marion in search of a truce, but he rejected a renewal of a treaty he consummated with Colonel Horry during the previous year. About 500 troops under Gainey relinquished their arms at a place known as Bowling Green between the Great and Little Pee Dee rivers. The treaty agreed upon was consummated on 8 June 1782. Subsequently, Gainey returned to Charleston, handed in his resignation and returned to join with the Americans. However, others in the band of Loyalists repudiated the treaty and under a Loyalist named Fanning, trouble continued to brew, but Fanning too had no resources to overcome Marion. He sent a flag of truce to Marion and sought free passage to Charleston for his family. Marion showed equal compassion to other Loyalists who came to him for protection, to the dismay of some of his officers, but Marion prevailed even when some plans for mutiny filled the air. Marion’s Herculean feats on the battlefield still had not ended due to British expectations. Marion learned of a British mission that included some minor sized vessels. The speed in which he led Mayham’s regiment toward Murray’s Ferry exhausted the command. Marion left the regiment behind to do recruiting while he rode ahead. At the ferry, Marion gathered militia, but paused there to await Mayham’s command. After joining Mayham’s and Conyers’ commands into one force, Marion, during mid–July, forded the Santee with about 300 dismounted infantry and a contingent of cavalry, then advanced to the Wassamasaw from where his scouts then roved from point to point watch British movement from the Cooper River to the Santee. The British however, were no longer the fearless warriors of the king and they by that time had become less anxious to enter combat, due in some part to the deterioration of the numbers and caliber of their cavalry. The situation of the British in Charleston had compelled them to enlist former slaves, but their training was poor and in one instance, a scouting party operating for Marion at that time encountered and en-

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gaged one such unit, composed of 26 men. The engagement was onesided, with Marion’s men devastating the contingent. Meanwhile, the British flotilla under General Alexander Leslie, composed of brigantines and galleys, sailed toward Georgetown in late July with a force of about 800 troops. Marion, anticipating their intent, bolted into action. He moved toward Georgetown and ordered all stores removed and relocated out of the reach of the Redcoats. No attack against the fleet was launched due to the guns on their galleys. The return to Charleston remained uneventful and the British were relieved knowing that Marion was at Georgetown, but their deduction regarding Marion, as usual, was wrong. The inexhaustible Swamp Fox calculated where the British would strike next and discerned it would be Watboo on the Cooper River. He raced there in the company of his cavalry to arrange a reception committee and encamped at the Colleton Plantation in the absence of the owner, a Loyalist who was no longer in the country. Meanwhile, from Charleston, a contingent of about 100 dragoons under Major Frasier moved against what he believed was a diminutive force under Colonel Ashby. The dragoons encroached the position about 25 August and at the time, Marion’s cavalry was roaming the river banks in search of the fleet, but it had been diverted. Lacking his cavalry, Marion depended upon his infantry and of those troops, many had were former Loyalists, including Major Gainey, giving Marion a slight bit of apprehension, but it was short-lived. Marion’s infantry effectively halted the British and his reformed Loyalists were staunchly loyal to the Swamp Fox. The defenders sustained no losses; however, the fight frightened one of Marion’s men. He fled and caused a major problem because he had been the driver of the wagon containing Marion’s ammunition. The British spotted the speeding wagon and captured it. Marion was unable to catch the wagon due to his infantry being out on patrol. Marion improvised. A five-man contingent armed with swords taken from five deceased British troops rode out on captured British horses to retrieve the wagon. The mounted infantry caught and captured the wagon, but British reinforcements arrived, which compelled the small band to abandon their prize. In a bit of irony, the British, unable to liquidate the Swamp Fox, at least gained some satisfaction in seizing his ammunition wagon, but by then he had no further use of it. The British no longer had to contend with the Swamp Fox and his ghost riders. They instead were preparing to abandon Charleston and the country. The British evacuated Charleston on 14 December. While they exited, en route to Gadsden’s Wharf, American forces were entering from the opposite end of the city. The only remaining influence of kings in South Carolina came from the Rice Kings, those who remained loyal to the Patriots’ cause. General Marion returned to his plantation, rather its remnants. The property had been devastated by the enemy during the war, and Marion had lost most of his fortune, leaving him close to poverty, but his indomitable character and his good health permitted him to rebuild his life. Most of his slaves had been taken away by the British, but the loyalty from others was unwavering. Ten former slaves returned to the plantation. Marion’s forces, like their commander, sustained many hardships during the war. Despite their plight they remained loyal and no one who served in his militia force received even one day’s pay. Their contribution to the nation’s cause was selfless. After he returned home, Marion was returned to the South Carolina Senate. While there, action was taken to insulate former commanders who might have acted improperly against the enemy during the war. Marion made it clear that he was “friendly to the bill,” but he adamantly opposed his name being included, and his name was omitted. Marion professed that he had never conducted himself unprofessionally and required no immunity from prosecution. With regard to the Confiscation Act, Marion was an opponent. On one occasion, in the company of Governor John Mathews, Marion

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proposed a toast at the dinner: “Gentlemen, here’s damnation to the Confiscation Act.” Subsequently, on 26 February 1783, the Senate of South Carolina paid thanks to Marion with the following resolutions: “RESOLVED, nem. Con., That the thanks of this House be given to Brigadier General. Marion, in his place, a member of this House, for his eminent and conspicuous services to his country ... RESOLVED, nem. Con., That a gold medal be given to Brigadier General Marion, as a mark of public approbation for his great, glorious, and meritorious conduct.” Although the Senate voted on presenting Marion with the medal, there is no verification that the action ever moved further. In 1784, the legislature established a garrison at Fort Johnson to protect the harbor at Charleston. General Marion was appointed as commandant with an annual pay of £500, and it is thought that the undertaking was done for the benefit for the man considered a hero and to assist him with regard to his huge losses sustained during the late war. At about the same time, General Marion married Mary Videau, a lady who was also a descendant of Huguenots. The newlyweds were beyond their youth and no children were born to them. However, Marion adopted a relative’s son and the boy received Marion’s name, but his son, who later married, had only daughters, ending Marion’s earlier thoughts of his name being carried forward. Marion retained a commission in the militia and maintained his position in the state Senate. In addition, Marion participated in the convention (May 1790) that established the state constitution. Afterward, he retired from public life, but he retained his militia commission until 1794. By that time, the gentleman and remarkable warrior for the cause of the republic was compelled to lay down his pen, to rest alongside his noble sword which had been placed back in its scabbard many years earlier. Marion was no longer well enough to legibly write; however, he continued to command his senses until the last. He had professed to being a Christian. He once also said: “Death may be to others a leap in the dark, but I rather consider it a resting place where old age may throw off its burdens.” During his final moments on 27 February 1795, General Marion stated more regarding his fearlessness of death: “Thank God, I can lay my hand on my heart and say that, since I came to man’s estate, I have never intentionally done wrong to any.”

Marshall, John John Marshall, the son of Colonel Thomas and Mary Randolph Keith Marshall, was born on 24 September 1755 in Farquier County, Virginia. Mary was the daughter of Parson James and Mary Isham Randolph Keith. After the death of Thomas’ father, “John of the Forest,” during 1752, his widow moved to a separate section of the county in Germantown (later Midland), where John was born. Later, Thomas moved to Goose Creek. In 1773, Colonel Thomas Marshall acquired his estate (Oak Hill) in the vicinity of the western foothills of Little Cobbler Mountain. John’s parents had fourteen other children: Lucy Ambler (predeceased Colonel Marshall); and those named in his will: Thomas, James, Charles, William, Alex. K., Louis, Mary Anne, Judith Brooke, Thomas Ambler, Susanna McClung, Charlotte Duke, Jane Taylor, and Nancy Marshall. Colonel Marshall participated in the French and Indian War and in the American Revolution. He led a regiment (3rd Virginia) at the Battle of Trenton and participated in the defense of Philadelphia, including the Battle of Brandywine during September 1777. During the fighting at Brandywine, his horse was hit, but he was unscathed. John, the oldest child in the family, received some of his education at a school in Westmoreland County, where both his father and George Washington attended earlier. One of John’s school mates was James Monroe. Nevertheless, John received the greater part of his education from his father. In the meantime, John joined the militia during 1773. In May 1775, word of the clashes at Lexington and Concord had reached Virginia. John Marshall was appointed as a lieutenant. He

traveled by foot to the muster field about ten miles from the county courthouse and met the troops in the company, but he also informed them that the captain was not going to be present. He arrived dressed in a “purple or pale blue hunting shirt, and trousers of the same material fringed with white. A round black hat, mounted with the buck’s tail for a cockade, crowned the figure and the man.” Afterward, Marshall told the troops that it was “time to brighten their fire arms and learn to use them in the field.” Marshall, having studied military tactics, brought a manual of arms and instructed the troops on drill. That summer, Marshall was appointed first lieutenant of the Minute Battalion. The next year, he participated in the action against Lord Dunmore at the Battle of Great Bridge, which was the battle that prevented the British from entering North Carolina. The victory ended royal rule in Virginia. On 30 July 1776, Lt. Marshall was commissioned as a lieutenant in the 3rd Virginia Regiment (Continental Army). Later, on 15 December 1776, he was promoted to the rank of captain lieutenant of the 15th Virginia Regiment (effective 31 July 1776). During the following year, on 20 November 1777, he was appointed deputy advocate general. On 1 July 1778, Marshall was promoted to the rank of captain and then transferred to the 7th Virginia on 14 September. He remained with the regiment until he retired from the service on 12 February 1781. Marshall participated in the defense of Philadelphia and his regiment was part of General Woodford’s brigade at the Battles of Brandywine (September 1777) and Germantown (October 1777). Following the contest of Germantown, the British retired and moved back into Philadelphia, which they occupied after the fighting at Brandywine. Marshall’s regiment spent the harsh winter of 1777–1778 at Valley Forge. He was athletic and known to be an extremely fast in running and jumping, but he picked up a nickname because of a pair of stockings his mother made for him. The stockings were noticed while he and another soldier were racing without their boots. The legs were composed of blue yarn and the heels were made from white cloth, prompting the men in his command to dub him “Silver heels.” During June 1778, when the British abandoned Philadelphia and were heading back to New York, Marshall participated in the Battle of Monmouth, on 28 June 1778, the final major confrontation in the northern states. Afterward Marshall participated with General Anthony Wayne when the Americans regained Stony Point with a brilliant bayonet attack on 16 June 1779. Shortly thereafter, Marshall participated in the capture of Powles’ Hook (Paulus Hook) on 18 August. Afterward, Marshall remained along the Hudson River until the end of the year. At that time, the Virginia Line was ordered to South Carolina, but the Virginians in his command had served out their enlistments, leaving Marshall without a command. He returned to Virginia while the legislature raised additional troops. It was at that time that John met his future wife, Mary Willis Ambler, whom he married several years later. In the meantime, he studied law and was admitted to the bar during October 1780. At about the same time, when a British force under Benedict Arnold arrived in Virginia, Marshall went back into active service and served under Baron Von Steuben. During spring of 1781, the officers in the Virginia Line exceeded the quota. Marshall resigned and later that year and resumed his private career. After the surrender of General Charles Cornwallis during October 1781 at Yorktown, Virginia, John Marshall began his political career. In the meantime, John’s father was taken prisoner at Charleston when it fell to the British during May 1780. After his release, Colonel Thomas Marshall visited Kentucky, and a few years later, he relocated there, leaving the family mansion, Oak Hill, under the care of John. In the meantime, during the spring of 1782, John Marshall was elected to the legislature, and later that year was appointed to the Privy Council (Council of State). During January of the following year, John married Mary Willis Ambler, the daughter of Jacquillin ( Jacquelin, Jacquilan) and Rebecca Burwell Ambler. Of John and Mary’s ten

259 children, six reached adulthood: Thomas; Jacquillin Ambler; Mary; John; James Keith and Edward Carrington Marshall. Shortly after their marriage, Mary became afflicted with a terrible nervous condition, but her husband was loyal and treated her especially well all through their lives. After their wedding, John and Mary moved to Richmond and resided there permanently. Some in Richmond looked down upon Marshall and his frontier characteristics that seemed out of place to the elite of the town. On one occasion, he was taking a leisurely stroll through the neighborhood, dressed very shabbily in a pair of shorts, and he was picking cherries from his hat and eating them as a treat while he walked. While he paused at the Eagle Hotel to speak with the owner, a man, preparing to go to court, stood nearby observing. As Marshall walked away, the owner of the hotel advised the man to seek the services of John Marshall; but indignantly, the man declined. Afterward, while the man from the hotel was in the courtroom waiting for his case to be called, his lawyer strolled into the courtroom dressed impeccably. Ironically, it was John Marshall who was the opposing lawyer in the other case. After watching the two men in court, the man quickly moved to John Marshall and sought his help, but he had a problem. He had already paid the other lawyer $100.00 and had only $5.00 left. John Marshall smiled and agreed to handle the case. During 1784, Marshall resigned from the Privy Council to spend more time with his family and his law practice, but later that year, although he was a resident of Richmond, he was elected to the legislature (senator) as a representative of his previous home county, Farquier. During 1784, Marshall was returned to the legislature as a senator and afterward, during 1787, he was returned to the Senate as a representative of Richmond. Marshall supported a strong central government and his convictions were often made known. On one occasion during 1786, he stated: “I do not conceive that we can exist long as a nation, without lodging somewhere a power which will pervade the whole union in as energetic a manner, as the authority of the state governments extends over the several states.” Marshall was not a delegate to the federal Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia during 1787, but he was a delegate at the Virginia state ratification convention as a representative of Enrico County, a county that was opposed to ratification. Nevertheless, Marshall had been an early supporter of ratification. The convention convened on 2 June 1788 in Richmond. Other influential Virginians who were there as delegates that opposed ratification were Patrick Henry, George Mason, Edmund Randolph, and Henry Lee. Nonetheless, Virginia, with the untiring efforts of John Marshall, James Madison and others, ratified the Constitution on 25 June 1788, to become the twelfth state in the union. Later, during 1789, Marshall was offered the position of U.S. District Attorney in Richmond, by presidential appointment, but he declined the post. He remained actively engaged in politics in Virginia, and in addition, he was commissioned as a brigadier general in the state militia during 1793. President George Washington again offered him a federal appointment in 1795, this time as attorney general of the United States, but he also declined that post. Marshall also declined a presidential appointment as minister to France during 1796. When he was offered a fourth federal position during 1796, by President John Adams, he accepted. Marshall, Charles Pinckney and Elbridge Gerry were named envoys to France to negotiate a settlement in the Quasi War with France. The three ministers joined in France during October 1797 in Paris. However, in France, they were in the midst of political corruption. Political chicanery was rampant in the country. The French attempted to seek bribes in an incident called the XYZ Affair. General Charles Coatesworth Pinckney was credited with the famous response, “Millions for defence, but not one cent for tribute.” However, General Pinckney later made it clear that he did not make

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the statement and that he could not take credit for something he did not say. In the meantime, French intentionally prevented progress in the talks and the Americans refused to acquiesce to French intrigue surrounding bribes for peace. Pinckney and Marshall returned to the United States, but Gerry remained, believing he could succeed on his own. He paid a high political price for not returning with the others after the debacle of the XYZ Affair. The hostilities (Quasi-War) with France did erupt, but the conflict was confined to the high seas and it was settled in summer of 1800 without full blown war. Meanwhile, during 1798, President Adams offered Marshall a position on the Supreme Court to succeed James Wilson, who had died, but he declined. Also that year, Marshall attempted to avoid running for the U.S. Congress. George Washington pressured him by mentioning what he had to give up to re-enter the army as lieutenant general. Marshall gave up his reluctance and ran for Congress and he was elected. Later, during 1800, he became secretary of state during the John Adams’ administration. On 31 January 1801, John Marshall was appointed chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, a seat he held until his death. Marshall was a particularly religious man who was raised in the Episcopal Church. He attended regularly, but never officially became a member. At one time he related to a relative that he “never communed was that he was a Unitarian in opinion, though he never joined their society.” Toward the latter part of his life, he came to believe in “the supreme divinity of Jesus,” and wished to commune, but thought it his duty to do it publicly. Nevertheless, he died before he officially entered the Episcopal Church. Chief Justice Marshall had remembered what his mother had taught him when he was just a child. From then until his death, he is known to have gone to bed each night after saying the two prayers he learned from his mother, the Lord’s Prayer and another still in great use: “Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord my soul to keep and if I die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take.” During autumn 1831, Justice Marshall became extremely ill and had to travel to Philadelphia for an operation (lithotomy), and at the time there was no ether. Chances of success were not very good due to his age, but he came through the operation, which was a complete success. However, tragedy struck the family later that year. John’s wife, Mary, died on Christmas Day 1831. On Christmas Eve, Mary placed a locket, which contained a clip of her hair, around his neck. Marshall never again removed the locket from his neck and directed that upon his death, the locket was to be the last thing removed from his body. Marshall again became ill and had to return to Philadelphia for medical help. He died there on 6 July 1835. During his final illness, Marshall continually asked why his son Thomas had not arrived to be with him, but he received no reply. Thomas, while passing through Baltimore en route to Philadelphia to be with his father, was killed in late June when a storm developed and caused a chimney to collapse upon him. Chief Justice John Marshall was carried back to Virginia and buried in Richmond next to his wife, Mary, at the Shockoe Hill Cemetery. Chief Justice John Marshall authored a biography on George Washington; the work was less than complimentary with regard to Thomas Jefferson.

Martin, Alexander (Framer of the U.S. Constitution) Alexander Martin, the son of the Rev. Hugh and Jane Hunter Martin, was born in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, during 1740. Alexander’s grandfather, also named Alexander, after the loss of his first wife departed Scotland and resettled in Ireland, where he met and married Martha Cochran. Martha cared for the children (including William and James) of Alexander’s first marriage; however, the family also grew larger. Alexander and Martha had the following children: Hugh (father of Alexander), Agnes, Ester (Esther), Henry, Robert and Thomas. After a while, Alexander pondered yet another move, but prior to

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venturing across the ocean to an unfamiliar world, he sent his son, Hugh, to determine if such a move would be worthwhile. When Alexander was informed of the land across the sea, it didn’t take long to decide that America was the next destination. The family booked passage and arrived in New Castle, Delaware, during 1721. From there the family headed farther north beyond Philadelphia and settled in Lebanon Township, Hunterdon County, New Jersey. By that time, Hugh, a Presbyterian minister, remained a bachelor, but subsequent to his encounter with Jane Hunter, whose family was also of Scots-Irish ancestry, his bachelor days were numbered. Hugh married Jane and the couple had four sons in addition to their oldest, Alexander, and two daughters, Jane and Martha. Alexander entered Nassau Hall (later Princeton) at an early age and graduated in 1756 with high honors and a doctor of laws degree. Afterward, he earned a master’s degree. Subsequently, Alexander repaired to Virginia to become a tutor for the son of a Presbyterian minister, but he later returned to New Jersey. While in Virginia, Alexander Martin seems to have decided to relocate in the South, where some of his relatives had already gone. By 1772, he had settled in Guilford Court House, North Carolina. During 1770, a group of Regulators interrupted court proceedings and violence erupted. Martin was among those injured in the melee. During the following year, Martin, as an officer (deputy king’s attorney), concluded an agreement with the Regulators that called for grievances to be committed to arbitration; however, the royal governor was less than enthusiastic when he was informed of the pact. Afterward, Martin was present at the Battle of Alamance when loyal forces under Governor William Tryon inflicted a severed defeat upon the Regulators, a group of dissident citizens that rebelled due to corruption in government. Martin and another man, the Rev. David Caldwell, are known to have been engaged in trying to prevent the battle, but their efforts failed. At some point Martin had been commissioned as a judge in the district court (Salisbury), a position he retained until June 1775. He also was a member of the militia and although his date of entry is uncertain, communication written by Governor Tryon during 1771 refer to him as Colonel Martin. In 1774, Martin became a representative of Guilford County in the House of Commons, and he remained in that assembly until 1775. Also that year, open hostilities erupted in Massachusetts at Lexington and Concord on 19 April. Congress reacted quickly and appointed George Washington as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army that was forming in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Martin was a delegate at the second and third Provincial Congresses held during 1775. And, that same year, following the Battle of Bunker Hill (Breed’s Hill) the British were corralled in Boston, and reinforcements were requested. On 1 September, Martin was commissioned a lieutenant colonel in the 2nd North Carolina Regiment. He participated in the Snow Campaign in December 1775 in South Carolina against the Loyalists there. Martin commanded two companies that were attached to Colonel (later brigadier general) Griffith Rutherford. Later, on 10 April 1776, Martin was promoted to the rank of colonel and assumed command of the regiment, a command that he retained until after the campaign to defend Philadelphia during 1777. Martin’s regiment participated against the advancing British Army under General William Howe below Philadelphia at the Battle of Brandywine during 9–11 September and afterward at the Battle of Germantown on 4 October. At the latter, the Continental Army stood at the edge of victory until friendly fire struck a later-arriving column under General Nathanael Greene. The confusion forced a retreat, but the British were not able to sustain pursuit. The British returned to Philadelphia and General George Washington established winter quarters at Valley Forge. However, Martin was arrested following the action at Germantown on charges of cowardice in the face of the enemy. He received a court-martial and was exonerated. Nonetheless, on 22 November 1777, Colonel Martin resigned his commission.

In 1779, Martin was elected to the North Carolina Senate as a representative of Guilford County and served in that body for eight years. He was re-elected three successive years, serving until 1782, except those sessions held during 1778–1779. Later, during 1785, Martin was again returned to the Senate, where he served one year and afterward, he returned yet again during 1787 and 1788. Martin was speaker of the Senate in 1780, 1781, and 1782. In North Carolina, the law at the time stipulated that a governor would be elected on an annual basis, but the term could not exceed three years in succession. In addition to his senatorial responsibilities, Martin was appointed to the Board of War during 1780 and served there until 1781, then afterward he was on the board’s succeeding body, the Council Extraordinary. Also in 1781, Martin became acting governor, and he served in that capacity until the following year, when he was elected governor of the state. He was governor until 1785. After his 1785 term ended, Martin was elected to the Continental Congress. He was also selected as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention, scheduled to convene in Philadelphia during May 1787. The other North Carolina delegates were William Blount, William R. Davie, Richard D. Spaight, Sr., and Hugh Williamson. Martin attended the sessions, but he was essentially a quiet Federalist, not seriously committed to the Federalists, and he also lacked the ability to participate in an oral debate. Martin left the convention during August 1777, before it adjourned, and he also abandoned his congressional seat. One of his fellow delegates from North Carolina explained that Martin’s departure was prompted because he “needed time to recuperate after his great exertions as governor to enable him again to exert his abilities to the advantage of the nation.” After discussions and debates, members of the convention reached the “Great Compromise” and broke a stalemate that existed between the smaller and larger states. It provided equal authority to each state in the U. S. Senate and representation by population in the House of Representatives. The Constitution was adopted on 17 September effective upon ratification by nine states. In North Carolina, the opponents and proponents held a convention for ratification, but the delegates essentially were unable to make a decision. They voted by a count of 184 to 84 to take no action on ratification and to propose more than twenty-five amendments, along with a bill of rights. The vote carried, leaving North Carolina on the fence awaiting action by the other states. Martin did not participate as a delegate to the state constitutional convention. He was defeated by an old former ally, David Caldwell, who was adamantly opposed to ratification. Ratification occurred without the support of North Carolina after New Hampshire sanctioned the Constitution on 21 June 1788. A new Congress convened during March of 1790 and George Washington was inaugurated on 30 April as the first president of the United States. In North Carolina a new convention was called and it and the General Assembly convened jointly on 2 November 1789. North Carolina ratified the Constitution on 21 November to become the twelfth state. At that time, Governor Samuel Johnston and Benjamin Hawkins were elected as U.S. senators. The election of Johnston as senator created a new dilemma, as the state lacked a governor, but the legislature quickly decided upon Alexander Martin. He served in 1790, 1791 and 1792, but during that term in office, he abandoned his ties to the Federalists and sided with the Democratic-Republicans (present-day Democrats). In 1790, Alexander accepted an appointment as trustee of the University of North Carolina, a position he retained until 1807. Later, during 1792, he was returned to the U.S. Congress as a senator after being elected by the Democratic-Republican legislature. While in the Senate, Martin supported the Alien and Sedition Acts, a series of four acts proposed by the Federalists during a period of turbulence called the Quasi-War with France in an effort to and protect the nation from aliens from enemy nations. Martin’s support was not

261 well received by the legislature back home. His alignment with the Federalists on that issue caused him to not get re-elected. He did win re-election to the North Carolina Senate during 1804, and he was reelected the following year; during that latter year he again acted as speaker. Governor Alexander Martin succumbed on 2 November 1807. He was interred on the grounds of his plantation (Danbury) on the Dan River in the vicinity of the mouth of Jacob’s Creek in Rockingham County, where had moved after leaving Guilford Court House about 1789. His grave site was on a bluff at the river’s edge. He never married.

Martin, Brigadier General Joseph Joseph, the son of Joseph and Susanna Chiles Martin, was born in Albermarle County, Virginia, in the vicinity of Charlottesville during 1740. Joseph’s father was one of eleven children, six daughters and five sons. Joseph did not receive a formal education, but he was taught the trade of a carpenter. The trade didn’t retain Joseph’s ideas of life so he abandoned the man he had worked under and joined the military by tracking through the wilderness to Fort Pitt in western Pennsylvania and enlisting there during the French and India War. During his time as a youth he had become a friend of Tom Sumter (later general), and when their service ended, Sumter arrived home prior to Joseph. Upon Joseph’s arrival, he discovered his friend Thomas was in jail in Staunton, Virginia. Joseph visited the jail and requested permission to stay with Sumter overnight. On the following morning, Joseph said good bye to his friend and left, but he neglected to take his tomahawk and he handed Sumter some money. Subsequently, Thomas, using the tomahawk and the money, escaped from the jail and later relocated in South Carolina. During 1762, Joseph married Sarah Lucas. Together they had the following children: Susanna (b. 1763, married Jacob Burns); William (b. November 1765); Elizabeth (b. October 1768, married Carr Walker); and Brice (b. 1770, married Malinda Perkins). The new responsibility since his marriage did not shave away boyhood propensity to be irresponsible. Joseph Martin settled in Orange County and worked as a farmer, but farming held as little appeal as becoming a carpenter. Martin, however, was not a drinker, nor did he swear, but he was deeply involved with gambling, and what little inheritance he received from his father was lost while gambling. Martin afterward began trading in pelts. He was also a hunter and thought to have been on the Long Hunters expedition that ventured into Powell’s Valley during the early 1760s. He also fell back on his gambling habits and apparently regained much of his earlier losses. Although he was never intoxicated, he used the pretense of intoxication and his trait of bullying to intimidate his opponents while they gambled. During that period, he was friends with and a companion of Thomas Sumter and Moses Cleaveland. About 1769, Sumter left Virginia for South Carolina and Cleaveland relocated in North Carolina. During 1773, Martin abandoned his prolonged absences from his family and acquired a tract in Pittsylvania County (later Henry County) along the Smith River. The following year, Martin was commissioned a captain by Lord Dunmore; however, during the Shawnee War, he served as a lieutenant in the Pittsylvania militia attached to Abraham Penn’s company. He was engaged in scouting and did not participate in the Battle of Point Pleasant during October 1774. Martin was an agent for the Powell Valley sector of the Richard Henderson (and others) purchase by treaty on 17 March 1775 (Sycamore Shoals). The next year, the Indians, edged on by the British, initiated hostilities, which compelled many of the settlements to be abandoned. Martin returned to Virginia to seek reinforcements. During July 1776, Eaton’s Station was attacked; the defenders included Captain John Sevier. Later, the defenders at Fort Watauga (Tennessee) were warned by Nancy Ward, a respected leader within the Cherokee tribe, that an attack was imminent. Thanks to the warning

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the fort was not lost. In Virginia that year, Joseph raised a company and participated in the campaign led by Colonel William Christian against the Cherokee Indians. The campaign succeeded and many of the Indian villages were destroyed. By spring of the following year, the Cherokee sued for peace. Martin was appointed as Indian agent in 1777, a position he retained until 1789, except for certain periods. He lived in Sullivan County (Tennessee, at the time part of North Carolina). After the war, Martin served in the North Carolina legislature and as a justice of the peace. During 1787, Martin, a representative of Sullivan County in the North Carolina assembly, was commissioned a brigadier general in the western (Washington) district, which made him commander of the Tennessee militia. His commission was dated 1787. While in that capacity, General Martin participated in several campaigns. During 1783, he was appointed as one of the commissioners charged with holding talks with the Chickasaw Indians in pursuit of a treaty. The talks were held at Nashville. Two years later, Martin participated in consummating another treaty (of Hopewell). Martin’s wife died during 1782. He remarried during 1784, taking Sarah Graves as his second wife. Joseph and Sarah had the following children: Joseph (b. September 1785); Jesse (birth date unknown, married Annie Armistead and later Cecilia Reed); Thomas (birth date unknown, married a Miss Carr); Lewis (birth date unknown, married a Miss Rucker); Alexander (birth date unknown, also married a Miss Carr); and a daughter (name unknown, married William Cleaveland, the son of Colonel Benjamin Cleaveland). In 1788, Martin was a delegate to the state ratification convention. He favored adoption of the federal constitution but it was initially defeated. The following year, another convention was held and again, Martin was a delegate. The United States Constitution was ratified on 21 November 1789. Following the successful ratification process, General Martin returned to his home in Virginia, where his family had resided the entire time he was in Tennessee and North Carolina. He also resigned from his position as Indian agent. The territory had been ceded by North Carolina to the United States. Martin had political enemies who accused him of collusion with Indians, but the charges were unfounded. And when settlers in a section of North Carolina (now Tennessee) seceded and proclaimed the state of Franklin, Martin played a part in bringing the turbulence to a conclusion. After returning to Virginia, Margin again entered politics. He served in the Virginia legislature and as a brigadier general of militia. One of his allies after returning to Virginia was James Madison, later president of the United States. He had always been a large man, after retirement he apparently continued to gain weight to become quite heavy. During autumn 1808, Joseph Martin was stricken by paralysis and within a short while died at his residence. He was interred on his estate.

Martin, Luther (Framer of the U.S. Constitution) Luther Martin was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey, during 1748. Luther’s father initially lived in New England, but he and his brother later moved to New Jersey. He was a farmer of modest means, and in addition to Luther, there were eight other children in the family. Nevertheless, Luther was able to receive a basic education. He absorbed a familiarity of the Latin language prior to entering the College of New Jersey (later Princeton). Once there, he also studied French and Hebrew. While Luther attended college, his two older brothers continued to toil on the farm; however, their father attempted to compensate them for their sacrifices of not receiving a formal education. Both brothers received a small tract of land, which their father had inherited. Luther subsequently mentioned his only inheritance from his parents: “It is a patrimony, for which my heart beats toward them a more grateful remembrance, than had they bestowed upon me the gold of Peru or the gems of Golconda [A city in India where diamond mines were

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discovered in ancient times].” Following graduation in 1766, Luther, having concluded that he wanted to enter the legal field, departed New Jersey and relocated in Maryland where he remained for a few years running a school in Queenstown (Queen Anne County). While in Maryland, Luther was able to utilize the library of Solomon Wright, a man who befriended him and considered Luther as a family member. The luxury of Wright’s library eased the pressure on Luther, already heavily involved with the responsibilities at the school. Consequently, by 1771, Luther Martin was admitted to the bar, but he still continued to further his study of the law to increase his knowledge and his skills. During 1772, Martin traveled to Williamsburg, Virginia, where he began to encounter many of the prominent men of the colony. He established a law practice in Northampton and gained authorization to practice his profession in the courts of Somerset and Worcester. He established his residence in Somerset. The practice expanded rapidly and Martin was overwhelmed with clients as his reputation became widely known. Martin’s success rate in the courts was impressive. At one point, of thirty defendants in criminal cases, defended by Martin, all but one gained acquittal. The years that passed between his graduation in 1776 up to his admittance to the bar paralleled a sharp decline in the relations between the colonies and Britain. As Britain rebounded from the debacle caused by the Stamp Act of 1765 by repealing it during 1766, the situation did not improve due to subsequent acts that were equally unfair in the minds of the Americans. British troops at Halifax, Nova Scotia, arrived in Boston during 1768, causing more consternation. Martin fully aligned himself with the Patriots. He attended a provincial convention held in Annapolis, Maryland, during December 1774 to coordinate actions with the First Continental Congress’ decisions that had been made when that body met earlier in the year in Philadelphia. There is no indication that Martin ever joined the militia during the early days of the war. However, in autumn 1774, he was appointed to the Patriot Committee of Somerset County, Virginia. Later Martin moved to Maryland, and during February 1778, he was appointed attorney general of that state. His primary focus concentrated upon the Loyalists, who were creating havoc. He also joined the Baltimore Light Dragoons and later, when the British were attempting to dominate Virginia, he accompanied the unit when it moved to join with Lafayette during July 1781. Nevertheless, Martin never got to participate in the Yorktown Campaign that forced the capitulation of British General Lord Charles Cornwallis. The governor recalled Martin to resume his duties as attorney general and take charge of the prosecution during a trial centering around treason. Subsequent to the close of hostilities, Martin took a break from his public career to get married. On Christmas Day 1783, he married Maria Cresap. They had five children, and of those, three of their daughters reached adulthood. In the meantime, Martin resumed his law practice and again, it grew extensively and in turn he prospered. Martin was elected to the Continental Congress in 1785; however, he was too engaged in his law practice and with his responsibilities as attorney general to attend sessions. He never traveled to Philadelphia to attend Congress. That same year, 1785, the flaws in the Articles of Confederation became evident after Maryland and Virginia concluded the Mount Vernon Pact, an agreement meant to increase navigation along the Potomac. The agreement was illegal under the Articles of Confederation, which prohibited states from consummating agreements without consent of Congress. A convention was called and scheduled for Annapolis during the following year. The Annapolis Convention was to examine ways to increase interstate commerce and to find a way to link a waterway that would connect with the interior of the country; however, very few states sent delegates. Consequently, it was decided to call for a constitutional convention to be held in Philadelphia for the purpose of forming a new government. Martin was selected as a delegate, representing Maryland,

along with Daniel Carroll, Daniel Jenifer of St. Thomas, James McHenry and John F. Mercer. He traveled to Philadelphia after the convention began in May and arrived with pre-conceived opposition to a centralized government in any form. After his arrival, he protested the rule which mandated secrecy and adamantly opposed the Virginia Plan, which proposed representation by population in both houses of Congress. However, he was not negative with all phases of the convention. Martin sided with equal representation in the Senate. Nonetheless, he was not shy about taking to the floor to advance his sentiments. An example of that occurred on 27 June when he dominated the floor for a speech that lasted several hours and focused on the flaws of the Virginia Plan. Luther contributed the Bill of Rights of the Judiciary which shaped Article VI of the Constitution: “This Constitution and the laws of the United States made, and which shall be made in pursuance thereof, and all treaties made or which shall be made under the authority of the United States, shall be the supreme law of the land; and the judges in every State shall be bound thereby, anything in the constitution or laws of any State to the contrary notwithstanding.” Martin proposed the Bill of Rights of the Federal Judiciary on 17 July and it was adopted by unanimous vote. His fellow delegate from Maryland, John F. Mercer, remained aligned with Martin, and when Martin quit the convention prematurely, he did not depart alone. Mercer followed suit. While he attended the sessions he made frequent references to what appeared to be an aura of superiority among some of the delegates, noting that “the aggrandizement of particular states and individuals often had been pursued more avidly than the welfare of the country.” Luther’s opposition to the constitution did not end when he returned to Maryland. He pursued his cause relentlessly to block the establishment of a federal government out of concern that states’ rights would be trampled. Another of the items he fought against was the inclusion of slaves when determining population. His stance was not confined to office talk; rather, he vigorously opposed ratification of the constitution by his state. Nonetheless, he did not prevail. Maryland ratified the U.S. Constitution on 28 April 1788, to become the seventh state to join the union. Despite his tenacious opposition to adoption of the Constitution, which had been strongly supported and pushed by the Federalists who saw a strong federal government as the surest way for the republic to survive, Martin later experienced a shift in his thinking, due to his evergrowing dislike for Thomas Jefferson, a vehement anti–Federalist. Martin, when in the process of showing emphatic displeasure about someone, would say, “Sir! He is as great a scoundrel as Thomas Jefferson.” By about 1791, Martin aligned himself with the Federalists. Later, after Jefferson became president, Martin found himself on opposite sides of Jefferson’s party when charges were lodged against Samuel Chase, a Federalist, signer of the Declaration of Independence and a sitting justice on the U.S. Supreme Court. Chase had also been a friend of Martin. Chase, a staunch Federalist, came under scrutiny by his political adversaries during the administration of Thomas Jefferson. During 1803, charges were lodged against Chase regarding his methods of handling grand juries in the trials of two men (Fries and Callender) accused of sedition. In March 1804, the House of Representatives voted for impeachment, and on 7 December, the House managers, led by John Randolph, delivered the articles of impeachment to the Senate. Chase’s trial by the Senate began on 2 January 1805 and was not completed until 3 March; however, Chase’s defense attorneys were able to expose the partisan nature of the charges. Of the charges, three gained a majority, but none gained the two-thirds vote necessary to remove Justice Chase. The Democratic-Republicans (present-day Democrats) failed. Consequently, Judge Chase returned to the bench. The trial seemed to verify that impeachment for reasons of partisanship was of no value and could not succeed.

263 Chief Justice John Marshall gave a non-complimentary description of Luther Martin during the trial, stating that Martin, “of medium height, broad shouldered, near-sighted, absent-minded, shabbily attired, harsh of voice, now sixty-one years old, with gray hair beginning to grow thin and a face crimsoned by the brandy which he continually imbibed — was the dominating figure of this historic contest.” Martin retired from his post as attorney general that same year. During the trial of Chase, Martin became friends with Aaron Burr (vice president under Jefferson, March 1801–March 1805). In 1807 Martin acted as an attorney during the tumultuous trial of Burr, who was charged with treason. Burr’s chief counsel was Edmund Randolph, another of the delegates to the Constitutional Convention that did not sign the Constitution. Burr was acquitted. Burr was still due to stand trial for the murder of Alexander Hamilton, but the case never made it to court. Burr fled the country before he could be apprehended by New York authorities. However, following some failed adventures, he did return to New York in 1812. Martin re-entered public life in 1813 when he became chief judge of the “court of oyer and terminer” (later City Court of Baltimore). Later, he again assumed the office of attorney general (1818). From that point forward, Martin’s life underwent drastic changes. Having raised himself from the life of a poor farmer’s son to becoming one of the state’s most affluent and effective sons, the descent was rapid and harsh. During 1819, Martin handled a major case, McCulloch v. Maryland, before the Supreme Court, in which the ruling would determine whether a state could tax federal institutions. The Supreme Court ruled against Martin. Following the judicial setback, he began to experience poor health, and that only contributed to another equally severe setback. Martin began to drink even more excessively and all the while, his accumulated wealth had been expended, but he sustained even more problems when he was also struck by paralysis. Nonetheless, he remained attorney general until he was compelled by his personal problems to retire during 1822. Luther Martin, having been reduced to poverty, died in 1826 far from Maryland, in New York City at the residence of Aaron Burr. At the time of his death, Martin had also lost some of his faculties and was slightly deranged. Martin was 78 years old when he succumbed. He was interred in the cemetery of St. John’s Church in New York, but no grave stone marks his final resting place. Although Martin reached the pinnacle of fame and fortune, his former prominence and even his existence tumbled into obscurity within a few years after he died.

Mason, George (Framer of the U.S. Constitution) George Mason, the son of George (3) and Ann Thomson Mason, was born in Doeg’s Neck (later Mason’s Neck), Stafford (later Fairfax) County, Virginia, during 1725. George’s mother was the daughter of Stevens Thomson (Attorney General of Virginia and the granddaughter of Sir William Thomson of London). George’s father was a descendant of George Mason (1), who fled from England to Virginia in 1651 when Cromwell defeated the forces of Charles II. It was George’s (1) son George (2) who became the grandfather of George (4, subject). During 1735, George’s father was killed in a boating accident, leaving George without a father when he was only about ten years old. His Uncle John ( John Mercer, who married Catherine, the sister of the elder George) assumed responsibility for raising George. John Mercer was also the father of John F. Mercer who, like George, became a delegate to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787. Upon the death of George’s father, he became heir to a massive estate with land holdings in Maryland and Virginia, which he received when he came of age during 1746. When George Mason reached adulthood, he left the family estate where his mother resided and moved to the estate at Doge Neck. In 1748, George failed in an attempt to gain a seat in the House of Burgesses, but during the following year, he did get elected as a vestry-

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man (Truro Parish). In the meantime, he continued to expand his land holdings through investment. Mason acquired a partnership in the Ohio Company, which was formed to invest in the territory in the Ohio River Valley. By the following year, 1750, George married Anne Eilbeck, who was about sixteen at the time. Anne was the daughter of Colonel William Eilbeck, a prosperous planter in Maryland and a merchant. George made a personal note in the family Bible that he married Anne on 4 April 1750, and he mentioned also that the Rev. John Moncure officiated at the ceremony. At about that time, George Mason initiated the project to construct his mansion, Gunston Hall, situated along the Potomac River in Truro Parish, not too far from Mount Vernon, which was in the same parish. The project was not completed until 1755. George and Anne had twelve children: George (5) (born 1753); Ann Eilbeck (b. 1755); William (b. 1756, died young); William (2) (b. 1757); Thomson (b. 1759); Sarah Eilbeck (b. 1760); Mary Thomson (b. 1762); John (b. 1766); Elizabeth (b. 1768, died young); Thomas (b. 1770); Richard (twin of James, b. 1772, died on day of birth); and James (twin of Richard, b. 1772, died day of birth). Meanwhile, Mason’s involvement with the Ohio Company was active. He became treasurer of the company subsequent to its reorganization during 1751. He retained that responsibility for his entire life and often the duties became tedious and complex, as he was compelled to commit large amounts of time attempting to regain contested land claims. Later, while the French and Indian War was ongoing, Mason succeeded in getting appointed to the House of Burgesses as a representative of Fairfax County and retained the seat until 1761. By that time, the war with France had terminated, but the treaty (Treaty of Paris) that officially ended the war did not get consummated until February 1763. Subsequent to the close of hostilities, King George III, the grandson and heir to King George II, issued his Proclamation of 1763, which prohibited any settlements west of the Appalachian Mountains, considered to be Indian territory; however, the attempt to maintain peace with the Indians failed, and the colonists were prohibited from moving westward. To add to the consternation of the colonists, the Crown in cooperation with Parliament brought about the infamous Stamp Act of 1765, which piled upon the burden of a prohibition of opening up new settlements an additional tax to pay the cost of the late war. Mason, already affected by the proclamation, became a conspicuous opponent of the Stamp Act, but he was not alone. People throughout the colonies were outraged. Despite the repeal of the act the following year, the Americans, ever so slowly, began to shed their allegiance to the mother country. With the repeal of the Stamp Act, new legislation continued to flow from the floor of Parliament in its place. The colonists retaliated by drawing up non-importation agreements that prohibited the import of British goods. Similarly to the reaction to the Stamp Act when agents were prevented from distributing the stamps, the Patriots, as the American dissenters became known, enforced the non-importation acts to ensure Loyalist sympathizers and less than patriotic merchants did not accept any British goods. By 1774, although there were some thoughts of reconciliation, all of the colonists’ attempts to have their complaints heard were essentially ignored by the British. Committees of Correspondence and Safety began to emerge to form a chain of communications between the northern and southern colonies. During 1774, Mason was appointed to the Fairfax County Committee of Safety. That same year, it was Mason who authored (with help from others) the Fairfax Resolves, a document that spelled out the measures to be used to defend against the aggressiveness of the British. In addition, Mason was deeply involved with forming a militia regiment composed of men from Fairfax County. Nevertheless, Mason’s involvement in the resistance was overshadowed by the death of his young wife, Anne, on 9 March of that year. During the following year, on 12 June, the Virginia Convention, convening at Williamsburg, delegated George Mason to prepare a draft of a state constitution and a

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declaration of rights. The documents were adopted by unanimous votes. The next month, the Continental Congress proclaimed the Declaration of Independence. In the meantime Mason retained his seat representing Fairfax County in the House of Delegates, authorized by the provincial government under the new state constitution. During 1777, Mason was elected to the Continental Congress, but he declined. Later, during 1780, Mason remarried, taking Sarah Brent as his second wife. By the following year Mason was ill and compelled to resign from the Virginia legislature. In 1781, during the Virginia Campaign, Mason was able to provide some aid acquiring and getting supplies to the front, which helped to bring the campaign to a successful conclusion. After the close of hostilities, Mason was involved with the Mount Vernon Compact (1785), which was an agreement between Maryland and Virginia intended to increase cooperation as well as navigation on the Potomac River. However, due to the restrictions imposed by the Articles of Confederation, the agreement was deemed invalid. A convention to try to rectify the problem was held in Annapolis during 1786, but only a few states sent delegates. Nonetheless, it was determined at Annapolis that the articles were too flawed to preserve the infant republic. Consequently, a new convention (Constitutional Convention) was called and scheduled to convene in Philadelphia the following year. The Constitutional Convention convened in May 1787. Another Virginian, George Washington, was a proponent of the adoption of a constitution and the president of the convention. Other Virginians included John Blair, James Madison, Doctor James McClurg, Edmund Randolph and George Wythe. Mason participated during the sessions, but he declined signing the final document. He favored a seven year term for presidents with no eligibility for re-election, and he favored granting the citizens the selection of only one branch of the Congress. He opposed counting slaves equally as freemen with regard to population representation, and he opposed representation based on property. Another of the issues he opposed was an article regarding the slave trade, believing that “slavery was a source of national weakness and demoralization.” Mason was one of the major players with regard to speeches, and his numbered more than 125. The Constitution was adopted on 17 September 1787, effective upon ratification by nine states. Other Virginians who did not sign the United States Constitution were McClurg, Randolph and Wythe. Mason also participated in the Virginia ratification convention and he opposed ratification, calling instead for a new Constitutional Convention. Another Virginian who worked to defeat ratification at the state convention was Patrick Henry. Mason was adamantly opposed to the “indefinite powers that were conferred on Congress and the executive [president]. However, he did not prevail. Virginia ratified the Constitution on 25 June 1788, to become the 10th state to join the union. Shortly after ratification by his state, Mason retired from public life and returned to his estate, Gunston Hall. With the ratification process complete, the new Congress convened during March 1789. George Washington was inaugurated on 30 April 1789 as the first president of the United States. George Mason was elected as one of Virginia’s initial senators, but he declined. George Mason died at his plantation on 7 October 1792. He was interred there in the old burial ground with no stone to make his grave. In 1869, the Sons of the Revolution erected a granite monument at the site. Gunston Hall remained in the family, but during the Civil War (War of the Rebellion), the plantation was ravaged. After the war, the estate changed hands several times and was later restored. Gunston Hall is open to the public.

Mathews, Brigadier General George George Mathews, the son of John and Ann Archer Mathews, was born during August 1742. George’s parents emigrated from Ulster about 1742 and settled in the vicinity of Balcony Falls, Virginia, in Augusta County (later, during 1778, Rockbridge County). George was

one of ten children. He and his brother, Sampson, formed a partnership and started to acquire land in the vicinity of Staunton and from there to Greenbriar in the western sector of the colony. The brothers leased land and entered the mercantile business. About 1762, George and Sampson established a store in Staunton in the vicinity of presentday Beverly and Augusta Streets. The business venture was prosperous and other stores were opened, including one at Lexington in cooperation with a partner, Jacob Lockhart. During 1765, George and Samuel acquired more land near Staunton between two prominent hills, Betsy Bell and Mary Gray. Later that year, they acquired even more land, purchasing a tract on Elk Run. There the brothers initiated the start of their Cloverdale estate, and they paid only 61 cents per acre for the land. Afterward, they acquired more than 2,000 acres in the same area. George built his mansion, Market Hill at Cloverdale, and remained there until 1785. In addition, George and Sampson opened a new store in Cloverdale during 1775. In the meantime, George also became a county magistrate and high sheriff (1770). As the nation moved to break with Britain, George Mathews aligned himself with the Patriots’ cause. In October 1774, Mathews participated in the Battle of Point Pleasant (Dunmore’s War) as a militia captain under General Andrew Lewis and performed heroically. Mathews’ company was composed of men who were at least six feet tall and they were one of several contingents that rushed the Indians’ flank and convinced the Indians that reinforcements had arrived. As the Revolutionary War broke out, Captain Mathews was appointed lieutenant colonel of the 9th Virginia Regiment. In addition, during 1776, Mathews was a member of the House of Burgesses. He was promoted to the rank of colonel (9th Regiment) in February 1777. The regiment participated in the defense of Philadelphia during 1777. At the Battle of Germantown (4 October), communications got confused and a fog hovered over the area when the Virginians under Colonel Mathews got into trouble as the British outflanked the regiment. The Virginians showed no signs of capitulation and fought with tremendous tenacity until the regiment was nearly annihilated. When the Virginians’ numbers amounted to only about one company, they were compelled to surrender. Colonel Mathews, repeatedly wounded during the fighting, was among the captured. He was not exchanged until 5 December 1781. After being exchanged, due to his poor health, Mathews retired to his estate, Market Hill, and attempted to resume his personal life to straighten out his affairs and tend to his family, which at the time included eight young children. However, the commander of the Department of the South, General Nathanael Greene, who had also fought at Germantown, was determined to regain Colonel Mathews’ services for the Continental Army. Colonel Mathews contacted Greene to inform him that family circumstances prevented him from returning to the field. General Greene persisted and afterward, Colonel Mathews repaired southward to join Greene and assume command of the 3rd Virginia Regiment. In December 1782, the British abandoned Charleston and Mathews proudly entered the city alongside his commander, General Greene. After the close of hostilities, during November 1783, Colonel Mathews received the rank of brevet brigadier general from Congress. General Mathews had returned to Virginia after the war, but while in the South, he had apparently decided that he was going to relocate. Some sources cite 1785 as the year that General Mathews moved his family to Georgia; however, other nineteenth century sources recorded that Mathews family moved in 1783. His brother Sampson, who served in the Continental Army as a colonel and participated in the Yorktown Campaign when George was still imprisoned, followed his brother and moved to Georgia during 1787. After becoming established in Georgia, General Mathews became a justice in Wilkes County and was elected as a commissioner of the recently established town of Washington.

265 General Mathews attended the Georgia Constitutional Congress, which ratified the U.S. Constitution on 2 January 1788 to become the tenth state in the union. The same year the convention was held (1787), prior to ratification on 2 January 1788, General Mathews had also been elected as governor of the state of Georgia (1787–1788) and re-elected 1793. Meanwhile, Mathews was elected from Georgia to the first U.S. Congress (1789–1791). During General Mathews’ second term as governor, he signed the Yazoo Land Bill, which was a bonanza for land speculators when territory (Alabama and Mississippi) west of the Mississippi River became available. Although the governor was implemented in the scheme, he made no personal gain. The legislation was later rescinded, but Mathews’ credibility suffered immensely. Subsequently, President John Adams nominated General Mathews as governor of the Mississippi Territory; however, sensing problems with the nomination within the senate, Adams withdrew the nomination to the consternation of General Mathews. The general headed directly to Philadelphia to relate his feelings to the president, but once there, the situation resolved itself with little effort on the part of President Adams. During the initial stage of the War of 1812, Mathews, with the rank of brigadier general, was deployed along the Florida frontier, which was under Spanish domination. Mathews was one of two commissioners holding authorization to accept Spanish (East) Florida if offered, but they also had authorization to intervene if any other nation attempted to seize control of Florida. General Mathews; however, moved to Amelia Island and occupied it after evicting the Spanish from the fort. The incident caused a furor in Spain and was labeled a violation of international law by the Spanish. The United States, already in conflict once again with Britain, was unprepared to fight two nations simultaneously. Consequently, General Mathews was recalled and a further incursion was cancelled. General Mathews, who favored seizing Florida, headed to Washington, D.C., to speak with President James Madison, but en route through Augusta, Georgia, General Mathews became ill and died. The fiery red-headed general’s final campaign ended on 30 August 1812. General Mathews was interred in Augusta in the cemetery of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. He had married Ann (Polly) Paul during 1762 and they had the following children (in alphabetical order): Ann; Charles Lewis; George; Jane; John; Margaret; Rebecca and William. Subsequent to Ann’s death, General Mathews again married, taking Margaret Cunningham, the daughter of John Cunningham and the widow of Robert Reed, as his second wife. The couple was married in Staunton, Virginia, by the Rev. Archibald Scott on 29 September 1790. There were no children from the marriage of Margaret and her first husband, Robert Reed. Turbulence developed in the marriage beginning with some jealousy on the part of General Mathews. The relationship deteriorated and eventually, Mrs. Mathews was granted a divorce by the Georgia legislature during February 1797. Mrs. Mathews resumed her former name and lived until 1827. According to records written by Colonel Thomas Rodney (member of the Continental Congress and judge of the Mississippi Territory) on Sunday, 31 March 1805, the colonel visited with General Mathews and performed the marriage celebration of General Mathews and “the widow Carpenter” (Mary) in summer 1804, which would indicate that General Mathews married a third time. General Mathews’ daughter Ann married General Samuel Blackburn, the latter having been born during 1758.

Maxwell, Brigadier General William William Maxwell, the son of John and Ann Maxwell, was born during 1733 in County Tyrone, Ireland. The family immigrated to the colonies during 1747 and established themselves on a farm in New Jersey (Greenwich Township, Morris County). Later, William entered the military and served during the French and Indian War. Subse-

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quently, he aligned himself with the Patriots’ cause and by 1773, it became clear that his path was leading toward a leadership position. In August, William Maxwell was elected chairman of the Sussex County Committee of Safety. By the following year, he had gained prominence among his peers, which caused him to be named during July 1774 as a deputy responsible for the selection process for New Jersey delegates to the First Continental Congress. Maxwell was not a delegate to the Continental Congress; however, he was a delegate to the first and second New Jersey provisional congresses. On 7 November, William was appointed by Congress as colonel in the Continental Army, with command of the 2nd New Jersey Battalion. Israel Shrieve was appointed lieutenant colonel. In conjunction, William Alexander (Lord Stirling) was appointed colonel of the 2st Battalion, with William Winds appointed as lieutenant colonel. The commanders of both battalions were directed to bring the battalions to full strength and depart for the fortifications on the Hudson River in the Highlands to await further orders of Congress. Congress appointed majors for each battalion on 7 November and resolved “that the companies in the said battalions consist of 1 Capt 2 lieutenants 2 ensign, 4 sergeants 4 corporals 2 drums or fifes and 76 privates.” On the 21st of December, Congress appointed Doctor James Holmes as surgeon to Maxwell’s 2nd Regiment. Orders arrived at Colonel Maxwell’s headquarters on the 8th of January which instructed Maxwell to expeditiously repair to Albany to join with General Philip Schuyler’s command. In the meantime, at the time of William’s appointment as colonel, the Canadian expedition, led by General Richard Montgomery, was underway. Colonel Maxwell was afterward ordered to join the expeditionary force, but in the meantime, the campaign began to sustain severe setbacks because the Canadians would not join the fight and due to lack of supplies and severe weather. Adding to the disadvantages was the fact that toward the latter part of the year, many of the troops’ enlistments were ending. The reinforcements under Maxwell also lacked sufficient weapons. On 15 February 1776, Congress took steps to rush supplies to Maxwell. It resolved “that the Secret Committee deliver 150 stand of the arms lately imported into this province ... to Colonel Maxwell, for the use of such of the companies of his battalion as want them, in order that they may immediately proceed to Canada.” Maxwell reached the expeditionary force during March of 1776, but the Americans had sustained a devastating defeat on 31 December at Quebec City, which included the loss of General Richard Montgomery and the wounding of Colonel Benedict Arnold. Nonetheless, Maxwell’s contingent participated at the Battle of Three Rivers and accompanied the remnant force on its retreat back to Ticonderoga. Maxwell’s unit acted as rear guard, but he was ordered to join the general retreat, and in place of the New Jersey battalion, a contingent of Pennsylvania covered the rear. After the force reached Ticonderoga a council was held to decide whether to defend or abandon Crown Point. Colonel Maxwell favored defending the post; however, he was in the minority and Crown Point was abandoned. On 23 October, while the British controlled New York, Congress appointed Colonel Maxwell as a brigadier general. He was one of two men promoted on that day. The other was Colonel William Smallwood. Shortly thereafter, General George Washington placed Brigadier General Maxwell in command of the New Jersey militia in the vicinity of Morristown with orders to taunt the British by raiding their lines there. In the meantime, the Continental Army had been sustaining repeated setbacks; however, General Washington had been able to evade a major confrontation and his ongoing retreat eventually got his forces safely to Pennsylvania, giving the army a reprieve. Washington punched back by discreetly crossing the Delaware without detection by the British on the morning of 26 December 1775 and springing a stunning surprise attack on the Hessian garrison at Trenton. The Americans, bolstered with confidence by the victory, evaded encirclement by the

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British, and while the Redcoats launched a surprise attack against the American positions on 3 January, they discovered only an empty camp. Washington had again outmaneuvered his enemy. The strategy succeeded in yet another victory at Princeton. Maxwell’s forces played their part. During the British withdrawal at Princeton, the New Jersey militia harassed the retiring columns at Elizabeth, Newark and Spanktown. On 5 January 1777, General Maxwell’s command attacked enemy positions at Spanktown (later Rahway) and succeeded in confiscating British supplies. The Americans and British continued to clash in that vicinity sporadically until well after the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown, with neither side able to clear the other from the region until spring of 1782. Meanwhile, on 8 March General Maxwell’s brigade engaged and defeated a British contingent at Amboy, New Jersey. The main British body by that time was back in New York, but British General William Howe had deployed a small garrison at West Amboy and at Perth Amboy. Other clashes occurred near Amboy until the British evacuated New Brunswick the following June. Subsequently, General Maxwell, as part of General Adam Stephen’s division, participated in the unsuccessful defense of Philadelphia when the British advanced from the Chesapeake during the summer of 1777. In September 1777, General Maxwell was directed by General Washington to deploy along the Elk River in Delaware to intercept the British if they approached the positions while advancing from Maryland. At the time, Washington was establishing his headquarters in Wilmington. The British under Howe engaged the Americans in a major battle on 9–11 September 1777 at Chadds Ford in Pennsylvania just beyond the Delaware border. The British moved in two separate columns, one composed of about 5,000 troops led by General Knyphausen, and the other composed of about 10,000 men under Lord Cornwallis. The British outflanked the American positions, prompting Washington to order Maxwell to bolt to the other side of the Brandywine Creek to halt the Hessian troops under Knyphausen. The British repulsed Maxwell’s lunge. Meanwhile, British forces repeatedly pounded the lines and after the sixth assault, at Dilworth, the Americans had depleted most of their ammunition and were compelled to withdraw. Meanwhile other British forces were pounding the lines at Chadds Ford. Maxwell’s command also participated in skirmishing at Paoli, near the White Horse Tavern on Lancaster Pike, which is remembered as the “Paoli Massacre.” American forces under General Anthony Wayne were surprised on 21 September and mauled. Later, with the British dominating Philadelphia, Maxwell’s contingent formed part of the left wing, along with some North Carolinians under General Lord Sterling at the Battle of Germantown on 4 October 1777. Although the Battle of Germantown took a turn for the worse due to mixups on a foggy morning, the British were unable to capitalize. Some American troops accidentally fired on General Nathanael Greene’s column, turning near-victory into defeat. Nevertheless, Germantown, linked with the victories at Saratoga during September–October that vanquished General Burgoyne, played a pivotal part in changing the course of the war. Following the fighting at Germantown (present-day Philadelphia), the British retired into the city, while General Washington maintained his winter quarters eat Valley Forge. Although the British controlled Philadelphia, they were unable to maintain domination of the Delaware River, which made their hold on Philadelphia untenable by spring of 1778. The British abandoned Philadelphia on 18 June and headed north en route to New York, with the Continental Army in pursuit. During that period, General Maxwell, at Valley Forge, was directed to intercept General Henry Clinton’s column at Mount Holly as it traversed New Jersey. Maxwell was to coordinate his action with the New Jersey militia under General John Dickinson, but Maxwell’s force panicked at the sight of the British column and retreated without launching an assault.

In the meantime, General Dickinson attempted to harass the Redcoats and General Washington dispatched reinforcements under Brigadier General Charles Scott of Virginia to augment Maxwell’s strength. The British continued their advance unimpeded; however, they chose a route through Monmouth rather than passing through South Amboy to avoid the task of crossing the Raritan River. It was there that a significant clash occurred, the Battle of Monmouth, which became the final major battle fought in the northern states. The Americans and the British fought to a stalemate at Monmouth; however, on the night of 28–29 June the beleaguered British abandoned their lines and moved toward Sandy Hook, undiscovered by the Americans. Despite no clear victory, it was the British who abandoned the field. While the Continental Army continued its strategy to vanquish the British, Indians, allied with the British, were causing havoc along the frontiers. During 1779, General John Sullivan was ordered to lead an expedition to terminate the savage raids that devastated some settlements. General Maxwell joined with Sullivan in May and participated in the campaign. Afterward, during November 1779, his command established winter quarters in the vicinity of Scotch Plains, New Jersey. Following the breaking of winter camp, General Maxwell participated in several clashes in the vicinity of Springfield, New Jersey, during June, including one on the 6th against a British contingent that raided the town, and another on 23 June when a major battle erupted in the vicinity of Elizabeth Town and Newark. The militia was pushed back, but the British failed to bludgeon the defenders. It was Maxwell’s final action of the war. Shortly afterward, Congress received a letter from General Maxwell in which he requested permission to resign. After consideration, Congress accepted. Following his retirement from the army, General Maxwell lived in Sussex County. In 1783, he was elected to the New Jersey assembly. General Maxwell spent much of his later years staying at Union Farm, which was the leased residence of Colonel Charles Stewart, who lived there with his daughter Martha Stewart Wilson and her daughter Margaret (Peggy). General Maxwell never married and Colonel Stewart after becoming a widower never remarried. Martha had been married but only for a short time as her husband, Captain Robert Wilson, was slain during the fighting at the Battle of Germantown in October 1777 and she never remarried. General Maxwell became so fond of Martha’s daughter that he included her in his last will and testament. General Maxwell died while at Union Farm on the 4th of November 1796, after unexpectedly becoming severely ill during a game of backgammon with Colonel Stewart on the evening of 3 November. Within about one hour after midnight (3rd–4th), the general died. He was interred in the Maxwell family plot in the graveyard on the grounds of the Greenwich Presbyterian Church. A marble monument that marks his grave states that Brigadier General William Maxwell “departed this life on the 4th of November in the year of our Lord, 1796 in the 63rd year of his life....”

McClellan, Brigadier General Samuel Samuel McClellan was born in Worcester, Massachusetts, on 4 January 1730. His father and two of his father’s brothers who lived in Scotland (county of Kirkcudbright) on the northern border of the Frith of Solway emigrated to America during the early eighteenth century. The oldest brother, according to the memoirs of General George B. McClellan, was the father of Samuel; however the names of the brothers were not included. During the French and Indian war, Samuel served as a lieutenant. In November 1757, Samuel married Jemima Chandler, the only daughter of Captain William and Jemima Bradbury Chandler. Captain Chandler died after becoming ill during an epidemic that struck in 1754. Jemima died prematurely during April 1764. Samuel remarried in March 1766, taking Rachel Abbe, the daughter of Joshua and Mary Ripley Abbe, as his second wife. In 1773,

267 Samuel McClellan raised a troop of horse composed of men from in and around Woodstock, Connecticut, where McClellan had settled to establish his own farm. He became captain of the troop. Two years later when the alarms rang out following the clashes at Lexington and Concord during April 1775, Captain McClellan’s troop sped toward Lexington to meet the threat, but en route, as they reached Oxford, word arrived that the British had moved back into Boston. Nevertheless, Captain McClellan’s company participated inn the Battle of Bunker Hill on 17 June 1775 and the ongoing siege of Boston. Meanwhile, back in Woodstock, an over-worried Rachel McClellan was jubilant when she received word that her husband had escaped harm at Bunker Hill; she paid credit to “Divine Providence” for his safety. In thanks, she planted three elm trees in Woodstock in remembrance of the favors granted. An offer of service in the Continental Army with the rank of colonel presented to McClellan by General Washington was courteously declined, with Captain McClellan explaining that he preferred to remain with the Connecticut militia. While in the militia, he rose in rank. On 15 October 1775, Governor Jonathan Trumbull appointed him a major, 11th Connecticut Regiment. On 2 December of the following year, McClellan was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel (4th Battalion), then on 7 December, he was appointed lieutenant colonel of the 11th Connecticut Regiment. On 25 September 1777, McClellan was appointed colonel of a battalion of militia and that was followed by promotion to the rank of colonel on 29 January 1779. Colonel McClellan was made a brigadier general (5th Brigade) on 10 June 1779. Subsequently, during 1781, a British force under the traitor Benedict Arnold began to attack Connecticut towns along the coast. On 6 September a small 23-man contingent at Fort Trumbull (not yet completed) escaped as about 800 enemy troops encroached it; however, at Fort Griswold, commanded by Colonel William Ledyard, the garrison refused to yield and declined an ultimatum to surrender. The fort was eventually overcome and the commander surrendered his sword, but the British officer, Colonel Eyre, then used the sword to slay Ledyard. General McClellan afterward took command of the fort and the surrounding region, which included the harbor at New London. There privateers would often arrive back in port with a boisterous entrance, including the firing of cannon. The unnecessary cannon fire, either from land defenses or ships in the harbor, often disturbed the citizens and frequently caused an erroneous alarm. General McClellan issued a ban on such firing. His order said, “Whereas the promiscuous firing of Cannon confuses the proper Signals and hath repeatedly alarmed the Country:—The Commanders of Privateers and other armed Vessels are hereby requested to discontinue the Practice, and on no Pretence to fire a Cannon while riding in the Harbour of New London.” Following the close of hostilities, General McClellan retired to his farm, but he did later serve a few terms in the legislature. Rachel McClellan died during January 1795. Several years later, General McClellan again remarried, taking Eunice Follansbee as his third wife. General Samuel McClellan succumbed on 17 October 1807. He was the great-grandfather of General George B. McClellan of the Union Army.

McClurg, James (Framer of the U.S. Constitution) James McClurg, the son of Doctor Walter McClurg (a surgeon in Royal Navy), was born during 1746. His family resided on an estate in the vicinity of Hampton, Virginia. He received an excellent education, including studies at the College of William and Mary, from where he graduated during 1762. Following his graduation, James was sent to abroad to further his studies in his quest to enter the field of medicine. In 1770, James graduated from the University of Edinburgh with a doctor of medicine degree, but he did not return to America. He traveled between London and Paris while he finished his postgraduate work. During 1772, while in London, James published “Experiments upon

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the Human Bile and Reflections on the Biliary Secretions.” His detailed piece succeeded in impressing the medical field and afterward, his article was translated into several other languages. By the following year, James, having completed his studies, embarked for home. Subsequently, as the nation moved toward separation from Britain, James McClurg was solidly aligned with the Patriots, and when hostilities erupted, he entered the militia and served as a surgeon. Later, during 1779, James married Elizabeth Seldon. Their children were Walter (died at age seventeen) and Elizabeth (married John Wickham of Richmond). McClurg’s medical practice in Williamsburg was succeeding and he was becoming a prominent citizen. Around James McClurg (Seldens of the time he got married, he was ap- Virginia, Mary Selden Kenpointed as a professor at his alma mater, nedy, 1911) William and Mary, where he taught anatomy and medicine. Earlier connections and relationships that he had cemented brought him friendships with other prominent leaders of the area, including James Madison, who proposed McClurg for the post of secretary of foreign affairs in 1782. Despite Madison’s endorsement, McClurg was not selected. However, he did retain an interest in politics. Following the conclusion of the Revolutionary War, Virginia and Maryland entered into an agreement (Mount Vernon Compact of 1785) regarding navigation along the Potomac River, which was a boundary line between the two states, but the agreement was later deemed invalid, due to restrictions imposed upon the states by the Articles of Confederation. A call was made for a convention to be held in Annapolis, Maryland, during the following year to resolve such restrictions, but few states sent delegates. Nevertheless, it became apparent by that time that either the Articles of Confederation had to be modified or a new government had to be established. A new convention was called and scheduled to be held in Philadelphia during 1787. The Constitutional Convention convened during May 1787 and continued through September. McClurg, although not a member of the legislature or Congress, was selected as a delegate to the convention, following the refusal of three other prominent Virginians, Patrick Henry, Richard Henry Lee (signer of Declaration of Independence) and Thomas Nelson, Jr. (signer of Declaration of Independence). The other Virginia delegates were: John Blair, James Madison, George Mason, Edmond Randolph, George Washington and George Wythe. Although McClurg attended sessions, some of his positions hardly saw daylight. He apparently supported more than a strong central government and advocated that a president be elected for life. In addition, he advocated a central government that would have authority over state laws. McClurg did not remain at the convention for the duration. He returned to Virginia toward the latter part of August. Afterward, following the “Great Compromise,” which guaranteed equality to the smaller states in the U. S. Senate and representation by population in the House of Representatives, the delegates broke a stalemate and the Constitution was adopted on 17 September 1787, effective upon ratification by nine states. McClurg did not sign the Constitution. Virginia ratified on 25 June 1788 to become the 10th state. Following his service at the Constitutional Convention, McClurg resumed his personal life. He later was appointed to the executive council of Virginia. During 1820, he became the president of the state medical society, a position he held into the following year. Doctor James McClurg succumbed on 9 July 1823. He was interred

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in the cemetery of St. John’s Church in Richmond, Virginia. His wife, Elizabeth, predeceased him on 28 June 1815 and she was also interred at St. John’s.

McDougall, Major General Alexander Alexander McDougall, a Scotsman, the son of Ranald and Elizabeth McDougall, was born about 1731–1732 on the island of Islay (Kildalton Parish), Scotland, one of the larger of the Inner Hebrides Isles. His parents immigrated to America during the latter part of the 1730s and along with other Highlanders settled in New York. While still quite young, Alexander went to sea aboard merchant ships, apparently preferring the life of a sailor to that of a farmer. Alexander once accompanied a ship that stopped at Islay, his birthplace, and there he married Nancy McDougall. After returning to America, he jumped from being a crewman to becoming master of a cargo vessel, and from there he eventually owned his own ship, the Schuyler. By the mid–1750s, when hostilities broke out between France and Britain, McDougall became a privateer aboard a merchant ship, the Tiger (Tyger) and later, the sloop Barrington. Life for McDougall and his family had been quite comfortable due to the wealth he accumulated, but during 1763, everything changed as tragedy struck. Alexander’s wife succumbed leaving him to raise their children. Soon afterward, his father died. McDougall at that point terminated his life as a privateer and focused on caring for his children and his mother. Various investments in land and other ventures again proved profitable for him. Nevertheless, being a Scotsman, a devout Presbyterian, and having a reputation for a lack of brevity and a peculiar dress code, he was an irregular fit in New York’s society circles. Nonetheless, he was a self-made man and despite his heavy brogue and backward manners, he succeeded where many others had failed. By the time McDougall reached his mid-thirties, he had acquired tracts in North Carolina, and in New York he owned about 3,000 acres in the vicinity of Albany. By 1765, McDougall had also acquired a deeper interest in the health of the colony. He resented the taxation of Parliament and the king, particularly the Stamp Act of that year. Later, during 1767, Alexander remarried, taking Hannah Bostwick as his wife. About two years later, Alexander increased his political activity when he joined the Sons of Liberty. During September 1769, elections were held in New York and the Moderate Party made substantial gains to give it a majority. The assembly adopted the Virginia Resolutions; however, unlike the other colonies, New York authorized housing for British troops. McDougall issued his anonymous piece “Address to the Betrayed Inhabitants” in New York. The assembly proclaimed the piece seditious. Although the troops were welcomed by the Moderate Party, the soldiers were not received well by the Patriots. When the British toppled the Liberty Pole, the tension mounted. Although McDougall’s pointed piece was published anonymously, the assembly fixed blame on him and had him arrested. In typical Scottish fashion, he stubbornly faced his accusers, declined pleading guilty to the charge of authoring what the assembly deemed seditious and he refused to pay bail. The sentence he received was 80 days; however, the assembly had not jailed a dissenter; rather, they had created a new rebel Patriot leader. McDougall’s stance catapulted him to a position of prominence and while in jail, with each day served, he became more widely known. In addition, a government-friendly jury found him guilty and the case was transferred to the state Supreme Court for trial. The key witness against McDougall succumbed prior to trial and the case was cancelled; however, the assembly remained adamant that he be compelled to testify. And yet again, McDougall held firmly, refusing to admit any involvement with the anonymous piece that had caused all the commotion and unrest. His refusal to admit guilt won him more time in jail. He remained confined until 1771. Subsequent to his captivity, McDougall became more involved with the Ameri-

can cause. During 1773, he was involved with the New York Sons of Liberty, who duplicated what the organization did earlier in Boston and prevented a British ship from unloading its cargo of tea in New York by boarding the vessel disguised as Indians and tossing the tea into the harbor. The Provincial Congress, on 30 June 1775, authorized that four regiments be raised, the 1st, 2nd and 3rd and 4th, commanded by Colonels Alexander McDougall, Goose Van Schaick, James Clinton and James Holmes, respectively. McDougall was responsible for recruiting men for his regiment and he contributed from his personal finances to support the unit; however, his contributions to the cause were not just monetary. One of his sons was killed during the Canadian expedition of 1775–1776 and his other son was seized as a prisoner. On 9 August 1776, Colonel McDougall was one of six men appointed as brigadier generals in the Continental Army. Toward the latter part of October, General McDougall’s command held positions on Chatterton’s Hill near the Bronx (on McDougall’s right flank). A heavy skirmish developed on the 26th and the seasoned British held the advantage, but McDougall’s troops engaged with tenacity and fought well without taking flight. Two days later at the Battle of White Plains, the British were able to seize the hill, but at high cost. General George Washington was able to retain Fort Washington and British General Howe halted the attack. Nevertheless, enemy reinforcements continued to flow into the area, and by 1 November the Americans had begun to withdraw to North Castle while the British moved to the Hudson River and Kings Bridge. On 21 December General McDougall assumed command of the Highlands Department, a position he would be called upon to fill six times during the conflict. The British, on 23 March 1777, launched a raid against Peekskill to seize the ammunition and stores. General McDougall’s forces were unable to repel the assault, but Lt. Colonel Marinus Willet sped from Fort Constitution (Martlaer’s Rock, Putnam County, later Constitution Island) to the aid of McDougall and the British were driven off by the following day. On 30 April, McDougall informed Congress that the British seized Danbury, Connecticut. Congress ordered that provisions in the threatened areas be removed. Congress resolved “that the salted pork and Beef now at Derby, Salsbury, Canaan, and Sharon in the State of Connecticut be removed into Ulster County in the State of New York and to the Distance of twenty Miles from Hudson’s River, provided the enemy are not in possession of Hudson’s River to the Northward of the Highlands....” McDougall was instructed to gather the supplies from the designated areas and relocate them. Soon after, on 12 May, General Israel Putnam succeeded McDougall as commander of the Highlands Department. McDougall was promoted to the rank of major general on 20 October. During February 1778, while Congress was convening in York, Pennsylvania, General McDougall was selected to participate, at the request of Lafayette, in the anticipated Canadian campaign, to be led by General Lafayette, if McDougall’s health permitted; however, the campaign was never initiated. Meanwhile, on 16 March 1778, McDougall resumed his command of the Highlands Department, succeeding General Israel Putnam. General Washington increased McDougall’s authority regarding the defenses of the North River (Hudson). On 21 March Congress concurred with Washington’s decision and it ordered the regiments of Colonels Van Schaick and James Livingston to move to Peekskill. In the meantime, on 20 March, another command change occurred: General Horatio Gates succeeded McDougall as commander of the Highlands Department, but on the 24th of November, McDougall for the third time resumed command of the department, succeeding Gates. On the night of 15–16 July 1779, General Anthony Wayne succeeded in seizing Stony Point, New York, from the British with a stunning surprise attack against positions thought to be invulnerable by the

269 defenders; however, a coordinated assault against Fort Lafayette failed to materialize because the two brigades under General McDougall had not advanced to the jump off positions where the force would have spotted the signal that Stony Point had been taken. On the 16th, the brigades under McDougall were transferred to General Robert Howe, but reinforcements dispatched by British General Henry Clinton prompted the Americans to cancel the attack against Fort Lafayette. The Americans also decided that Stony Point was of no further value. The British, unable to pull Washington into a major battle, retired and returned to New York. Later, on 27 November, General William Heath assumed command of the Highlands Department, succeeding McDougall. McDougall again resumed command of the Highlands Department in June 1780, but only until 3 August of that same year, when Benedict Arnold assumed command. Arnold afterward betrayed the country and fled from West Point aboard the HMS Vulture. General Washington took personal command of the Highlands Department on 25 September and retained it for several days. On 28 September 1780, McDougall yet again assumed command of the department and retained it only until 5 October, when he was relieved by General Nathanael Greene. Meanwhile, General McDougall had been elected to the Continental Congress. He took his seat on 17 January 1781. On 20 February, he was appointed to a three-man committee with Thomas Burke and James Madison charged with drafting a letter to General Washington to inform him of the arrival of British reinforcements in North Carolina and request that he confer with the French in Rhode Island to convince them to head south. About one week later, on the 28th, Congressman McDougall made a motion regarding officers’ uniforms, which was seconded by Theodorick Bland of Virginia and passed: Whereas, It is the policy of all wise nations to discourage extravagance and promote economy in their public officers, and an attention to this policy is indispensibly necessary in republicks; and, Whereas, It is improper for the officers of the army or navy of these states to manifest the least disposition to imitate the Enemy in any respect which will not promote the service of these states, especially to wear the uniform of the Enemy’s army or navy): That after the first day of February January next, no officer whatsoever in the service of the United States shall in any of them wear on his cloaths any gold or silver lace embroidery or vellum, on pain of being cashiered other than such as Congress or the Commander in Chief of the army or navy shall direct for the uniform of the corps and badges to distinguish officers. It is also resolved: That after the said first day of February January next, no officer of any description in the army or navy of the United States, or any other officer in their service, shall without express permission in writing from Congress the Commander in Chief of the Army or Navy wear any uniform usually worn by the British army or navy on pain of being cashiered.

Shortly afterward, Congress accommodated the wishes of General McDougall when he declined an appointment as secretary of marine. The resolution of 30 March said: “That the United States in Congress assembled, have a due sense of the zeal of Major General Alexander McDougall, for the safety and honour of America, and applaud his magnanimity in declining to ‘retire from the toils and perils of the field in the present critical condition of the United States in general, and that of New York in particular’: that they are well convinced of his wishes and disposition to render to the public every service in his power; but as Major General McDougall, for good reasons, cannot detach himself from his command in the army, and as the duties of the office of Secretary of Marine, to which he has lately been elected by Congress, may interfere with the execution of military duty, the United States in Congress assembled do not therefore expect his acceptance of that office.” On 24 June, General McDougall yet again assumed command of the Highlands Department, succeeding General John Paterson. McDougall

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retained the post (his sixth tour) until 18 January 1782, when he was succeeded by General William Heath, who assumed command of the department for the fourth time. General McDougall remained in the army until the close of hostilities. Afterward, he was elected to the New York Senate during 1783. He remained in that body until he died. General McDougall also was elected the first president of the New York Society of the Cincinnati. Other endeavors of the general included his efforts to establish the Bank of New York, of which he became the initial president. General Alexander McDougall succumbed in New York City on 9 June 1786. He was interred in the family crypt in the cemetery of the First Presbyterian Church in the city.

McDowell, Brigadier General Charles Charles McDowell, the son of Joseph and Margaret O’Neill McDowell and the brother of Joseph (later also a brigadier general), was born in Winchester, Virginia, during 1743. His parents arrived in Pennsylvania from Ireland about 1730, but after about two years, they moved to Winchester. From there the family moved to North Carolina and established residence at Quaker Meadows along the Catawba River several miles from Morganton. The elder Joseph was a grandson of Ephraim and Margaret Irvine McDowell. Ephraim is known as the founder of the McDowells of Virginia and when his sons moved to North Carolina, he accompanied them. A cousin named John McDowell (“Hunting John”) also relocated near the Catawba River about that time and settled in what was known as Pleasant Gardens. Charles and his brother Joseph each became known as part of the Quaker Meadow McDowells, which distinguished them from their relatives, John McDowell’s family. John McDowell, like his cousin Joseph, Sr., each had a son named Joseph and the two cousins are often confused. Charles, the older brother of Joseph, became a district commander in western North Carolina during 1775, but there is no specific date given for his rank of brigadier general. Initially, McDowell focused on erecting defenses in the vast region; however, his forces were also engaged against hostile Cherokee Indians. Meanwhile, the situation in the South had not been going well for the Americans. Savannah had fallen during December 1779 and Charleston followed on 12 May 1780. Nevertheless, during June 1780, General McDowell attacked British positions along the Pacolet River and compelled the force to surrender. But, yet even more distressing events unfolded for the American military. Shortly after the fall of Charleston, General Horatio Gates (successor to General Benjamin Lincoln, captured at Charleston) sustained a devastating defeat at the Battle of Camden on 16 August 1780. Gates’ defeat ended his military career. On 18 August the American militia, including the Overmountain Men under Colonel Isaac Shelby, devastated a British force in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains at Musgrove’s Mills in South Carolina. General McDowell participated in the battle. That year, a British-Loyalist force commanded by Major Patrick Ferguson, who had threatened to liquidate the Patriots, confronted McDowell’s forces. The British advanced on 29 August 1780 into Troy (later Rutherford County) and about 7 September they established a camp at Gilbert Town. Ferguson had been away with Cornwallis, but rejoined the unit (militia and American volunteers) on 1 September. Ferguson was ordered to remain in the backcountry to eliminate the remaining rebels and to simultaneously guard Cornwallis’ left flank. Ferguson anticipated springing an attack to seize General McDowell. He had additional plans that included ridding the region of the Overmountain Men under Colonels Shelby and Sevier. General McDowell chose not to wait for Ferguson’s arrival. Instead, he set up a welcoming committee. Ferguson led a column in search of McDowell’s positions and spotted no visible signs. The British reached Cowan’s Ford at Cane Creek without incident, until they column began to ford the creek on the September 12. At that point, General McDowell ordered his men to fire, and from their concealed positions on

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Bedford Hill, the Loyalists were raked with fire. Ferguson’s foray against McDowell and his plan to liquidate the Overmountain Men was suspended. He advanced no farther than the creek before he was forced back into camp at Gilbert Town. In the meantime, General McDowell had new plans of his own, to attack and capture Major Ferguson. He sent a dispatch to inform the Overmountain Men of Ferguson’s intentions to destroy them and requested their support to attack Ferguson. At the time, Colonel Shelby had returned to Watauga from Kentucky. The forces, under Colonels Shelby, William Campbell and John Sevier, set out to join McDowell on 26 September. Meanwhile, Shelby and the other commanders had also received word from Ferguson stating that “if they did not desist to the opposition to the British arms, he would march his army over the mountains, hang their leaders, and lay their country to waste, with fire and sword.” The reinforcements, anxious to bolster McDowell, sped toward his positions. After joining with the militia there, they expected to attack Gilbert Town; however, the clash did not occur until the Patriots encountered the enemy at Kings Mountain. On 7 October 1780, the Americans overcame horrific fire power to inflict a severe defeat on the British at Kings Mountain. Prior to the battle, the the Rev. Samuel Doak, incensed that Ferguson had boasted that God Almighty could not drive him from his positions, gave the men his blessing as they advanced against Ferguson. It was a stunning victory for the Patriots and a stinging setback for Lord Charles Cornwallis. The defeat compelled Cornwallis to delay his invasion of North Carolina. In addition, one of his infamous officers, Patrick Ferguson, was liquidated. Ferguson was mortally wounded and last seen leaning against a tree with his silver whistle dangling from his mouth. The North Carolina militia that participated in the battle was actually under the command of General George McDowell’s brother, who at the time held the rank of major. General Charles McDowell was to command the force, but politics got involved and McDowell agreed to repair to Mecklenburg to seek out General William Davidson to take command. In his absence, it was decided to strike before too much time had passed. Command passed to William Campbell. Also, Joseph McDowell, the cousin of Charles McDowell, is sometimes thought to have commanded at Kings Mountain, but it was Joseph of Quaker Meadows who was placed in command by Charles when he left for Mecklenburg and given the rank of acting colonel. His cousin Joseph of Pleasant Gardens, who had been first captain of the unit, was promoted to major. Meanwhile, General Charles McDowell’s force was disbanded about September with the militia going to various other points. General McDowell resigned his commission (the exact date he was commissioned is unknown). Nevertheless, he did not abandon the cause. He devoted his time and efforts to manufacturing gun powder. McDowell’s operation took place clandestinely in a nearby cave. In addition, General McDowell maintained a watch on the movements of British Major Ferguson’s force and relayed the intelligence to Colonel Shelby. The endeavor to manufacture powder proved valuable to the Patriots at the Battle of Kings Mountain. All the while, the Patriots were in motion to confront Ferguson. General Charles McDowell had married his cousin, Grace (Grizel) Greenlee Bowman, the widow of Captain Joshua Bowman (1st North Carolina Regiment, killed at Ramseur’s Mill, 20 June 1780). Grace was the daughter of James Greenlee and Mary McDowell Greenlee. Grace was a loving wife to Captain Bowman and rushed to the field to assist him after he was wounded at Ramseur’s Mill, but his wound was fatal. Grace also became involved in all of General McDowell’s endeavors to aid the cause. She assisted in acquiring the powder he was producing by using her home’s fireplace to make charcoal, then after dusk, Grace carried the coal to the cave where her husband made the powder. Following the battle at Kings Mountain, Grace arrived and acted as nurse to the wounded. Grace, like the rest of her family, had

no lack of nerve. At one point, while her husband was away from home, a band of Loyalists raided the house and confiscated items. Undaunted, Grace moved quickly and after gathering a group of men from neighboring homes, the party gave pursuit and intercepted the thieves. Once threatened at the point of muskets, the raiders instantly returned the stolen goods. General Charles McDowell saw no field action following Kings Mountain; however, his brother, Colonel Joseph McDowell, and his cousin, Major Joseph McDowell of Pleasant Gardens, both served for the duration and participated at the Battle of Cowpens, where General Daniel Morgan won a stunning victory over the British on 17 January 1781. After the war, General McDowell served in the state Senate (1783– 1788). He succumbed at Quaker Meadows on 31 March 1815. The inscription on his tombstone read: “To the memory of General Charles McDowell, A Whig officer in the Revolutionary War, who died, as he had lived, a patriot, the 31st of March 1815, aged about 70 years.” General McDowell was survived by four children. His oldest daughter became the wife of John Paxton and his other daughter married William Dickson. His son, Athan, later became sheriff of Burke County and his other son, Charles, Jr., married his cousin, Ann, the daughter of Major Joseph and Mary Moffitt McDowell of Pleasant Gardens. (See also, McDowell, Brigadier General Joseph.)

McDowell, Brigadier General Joseph Joseph McDowell, the son of Joseph and Margaret O’Neill McDowell, was born in Winchester, Virginia, on 25 February 1756. Joseph, Sr., arrived in Pennsylvania from Ireland about 1730, but after about two years, he moved to Winchester. From there the family moved to North Carolina and established residence at Quaker Meadows along the Catawba River. Joseph was the younger brother of George McDowell, who became the commander of the militia in western North Carolina during the initial stages of the Revolutionary War. Joseph, like his brother, became known as the McDowells of Quaker Meadows to differentiate them from their cousins, the McDowells of the John McDowell family of Pleasant Gardens. Joseph, Sr., and John McDowell each had sons named Joseph. Joseph (the subject) married Margaret, the daughter of Colonel George and Sarah McDowell Moffitt (Moffett). Sarah Moffitt was the daughter of Captain John McDowell. And Joseph of Pleasant Gardens married Margaret’s younger sister, Mary Moffitt. Joseph of Quaker Meadows and Joseph of Pleasant Gardens served together with General George McDowell in the various engagements in the Carolinas against the British and the hostile Cherokee Indians. During 1780, at the Battle of Kings Mountain, General George McDowell had been absent while on a mission to get General William Davidson to assume command of the militia, but the battle occurred, with his brother Joseph in command of the militia with the rank of acting colonel and Captain Joseph McDowell of Pleasant Gardens participating as major. The British were defeated at Kings Mountain, but there is some confusion as to which Joseph commanded in the Joseph McDowell (History of the Mcabsence of General George Dowells, John Hugh McDowell, 1918)

271 McDowell. The evidence, including a subsequent letter from Governor Isaac Shelby (1823), clarifies the confusion while speaking of Charles McDowell: “Colonel McDowell was the commanding officer of the district we were in, and had commanded the militia assembled in that quarter all the summer before against the same enemy. He was a brave and patriotic man, but we considered him too far advanced in life and too inactive to command such an enterprise as we were then engaged in. Colonel McDowell, who had the good of his country at heart more than any title to command, submitted to what was done, but observed that as he could not be permitted to command, he would be the messenger to go to headquarters for the general officer. He accordingly started immediately, leaving his men under his brother, Major Joseph McDowell.” Colonel Joseph McDowell’s troops performed admirably at Kings Mountain. As a result of the stinging defeat, General Lord Charles Cornwallis was compelled to postpone his invasion of North Carolina and he lost one of his key officers, the notorious Major Patrick Ferguson, who was fatally wounded during the fighting. His men carried him to a nearby tree where he was seen with his silver whistle still dangling from his mouth. Major Joseph McDowell, who became acting colonel when he assumed command of the militia, also participated at the victory at the Battle of Cowpens when General Daniel Morgan inflicted a severe defeat upon another of Cornwallis’ key officers, the infamous Banastre Tarleton. Colonel Joseph McDowell commanded just under 200 mounted troops at Cowpens and each was a skilled marksman. He remained in the service for the duration. After the close of hostilities, he became a brigadier general, but the exact date of his commission is uncertain. General McDowell later served in the North Carolina House of Commons in 1787–1792. In addition, he was a delegate to the constitutional convention in North Carolina during 1788. General McDowell opposed the federal constitution and his faction prevailed temporarily. North Carolina ratified the Constitution on 21 November 1789 in Raleigh to become the twelfth state in the union. Afterward, General McDowell was elected to the U.S. Congress during 1792 and he remained in Congress until 1799. During his time in Congress, General McDowell was an opponent of the Federalists. He was appointed to a commission charged with drawing the boundary line between North Carolina and Tennessee. General Joseph McDowell succumbed during 1801. Afterward, his widow, Margaret, moved to Virginia and from there she relocated in Kentucky. Joseph, the son of General Joseph and Margaret McDowell, later became a brigadier general in the Ohio militia. Also, General McDowell’s cousin and brother-in-law, Major Joseph McDowell, who was born during 1758, died during 1795. He and his wife Mary were the parents of Anne McDowell. Ann married her cousin, Captain Charles McDowell, the nephew of General Joseph McDowell and the son of General Charles and Grace McDowell. Subsequent to the death of Joseph of Pleasant Gardens, his wife, Mary Moffitt McDowell, became the second wife of Colonel John Carson. (See also, McDowell, Brigadier General Charles.)

McHenry, James (Signer of the U.S. Constitution) James McHenry, a native of Ireland and the son of Daniel and Agnes McHenry, was born on 16 November 1753 at Antrim (Ballymena County) in Ulster Province. His accepted date of birth is 16 November 1753; however, family records stated his birth year to be 1752, and later in life in a letter (1813) to Timothy Pickering, James gave his birth date as 1751, but that is contradictory because James’ older and only sister was born during 1751 (Anna died during 1771). James was initially educated in Dublin, but he immigrated to America during 1771, established his residence in Delaware and continued his earlier classical education by entering Newark Academy (later the University of Delaware), where he pursued a profession as a medical doctor. While

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in Philadelphia, James was cared for by Captain William Allison. James later married Captain Allison’s stepdaughter, Margaret Caldwell. The next year, James’ parents and his younger brother John followed him to America. James’ father and a brother established an importing business in Baltimore (Daniel McHenry and Son) on Calvert Street near Market (present-day Baltimore Street). The store handled “Dry Goods, Cloths, Hardware, Groceries, Spiceries, Wines, Teas, and Brandies.” James’ mother died a few years after she arrived in America, on 16 August 1774. Following completion of his studies, James McHenry became an apprentice under Doctor Benjamin Rush in Philadelphia and served with him for about two years. While working with Doctor Rush, James’ medical skills increased, while he was also receiving an education on the crisis facing the Americans due to the policies of the Crown and Parliament. Doctor Rush was a prominent physician, but he was also a high level Patriot who would be among those who attended the Second Continental Congress when it proclaimed the Declaration of Independence. McHenry, of Scots-Irish descent, found himself solidly aligned with the Patriots’ cause and soon after the clashes at Lexington and Concord, McHenry was one of the many who flocked to Massachusetts to support the resistance movement there. Prior to departing Philadelphia, McHenry prepared his will. In the event of his death, his estate was to be given to his father and brother. The will, dated 29 July 1775, also noted his devotion to the cause: “Being about to set off for the head-quarters in New England, to serve as a volunteer, or Surgeon, in the American army, raised by order of the Continental Congress and Provincial Conventions, to defend the liberties of Americans and mankind against the enemies of both, I therefore resign the disposal of myself and soul, in all sincerity and lowly reverence, to their first Giver. And should the events of war number me with the dead, in the name of the disposer of these and all other events, I will and bequeath....” Initially, he was a volunteer and held no rank in the military, but his skills as a surgeon were a welcome addition to medical officers at Cambridge. Not too long after applying himself as a volunteer (assistant surgeon) at the hospital in Cambridge, his skills were quickly noticed, and he was approached to accept a post as head of a hospital in New York where the troops who had participated in the Canadian Campaign were being treated for their wounds and various illnesses. McHenry accepted the challenge, but aware of what faced him in the Northern Department, he did not immediately depart for New York; rather, he returned to Philadelphia where he sought a supply of medical items that would be needed at the hospital. After returning to Philadelphia, the plan was interrupted when his former teacher, Benjamin Rush, selected McHenry as a regimental surgeon for the newly formed 5th Pennsylvania Battalion, a unit totally separate from the Pennsylvania part of the Flying Camp. In August 1776, Congress resolved “that [it has] a proper sense of the merit and services of doctor McHenry, and recommend it to the directors of the different hospitals belonging to the United States, to appoint doctor McHenry to the first vacancy that shall happen of surgeon’s berth in any of the said hospitals.” Consequently, due to the efforts of Doctor Rush, James’ imminent journey to northern New York was canceled. Instead, he accompanied the Continental Army’s 5th Pennsylvania Battalion when it advanced to New York to bolster the defenses against an anticipated attack by the British, who had abandoned Boston on 17 March 1776. Soon British intentions became clear when about 10,000 troops, composed of British and Hessian mercenaries, landed on Staten Island on 2 July 1776, two days before the official Declaration of Independence was proclaimed by Congress. By August enemy troops ashore at Staten Island numbered more than 30,000. In the meantime, General George Washington worked on fortifying New York to meet the onslaught. The 5th Pennsylvania, subsequent to its arrival in New York, was delegated to construct Fort

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Washington to protect the northern sector of Manhattan. The blazing temperatures of the passing summer were overshadowed by the heat of battle, which included the tenacious fighting at the Battle of Long Island and Harlem Heights on 27 August and 16 September. By 18 September the Americans were forced to begin the abandonment of New York. McHenry’s regiment suspended its work on the fort to support the retreat. Nevertheless, on 23 October, Washington called for the remaining troops in New York to evacuate, but the garrison at Fort Washington held its positions, in conjunction with General Nathanael Greene’s belief that the fort could hold. But suddenly, while the main body had headed for White Plains, Fort Washington was overwhelmed by a three-point attack that General Washington witnessed from his position across the Hudson in New Jersey at Fort Lee. The time had also passed to reinforce the beleaguered garrison. After a tenacious defense against a force of about 13,000 troops, the fort fell on 16 November 1776 and the garrison of about 2,500 men was captured. Doctor McHenry was among the captured. He and four other captives were doctors and they were permitted to care for the wounded. Later, Doctor McHenry was paroled (27 January 1777), but his exchange did not occur until 5 March 1778. He repaired to Valley Forge where Washington had established winter quarters (1777–1778) while the British controlled Philadelphia. Once there, McHenry was assigned to what was known as a “flying hospital,” where his services once again were used to aid the sick and wounded. Amazingly, Doctor McHenry had served at the siege of Boston and the defense of New York until his capture, and immediately upon his exchange he flew to Valley Forge, still as an unpaid volunteer with no rank in the Continental Army. His activity at Valley Forge was observed by General Washington, and McHenry was selected to become a member of Washington’s staff on 15 May 1778, a post he enthusiastically accepted, aware that he was still not on the payroll of the Continental Army. When word reached Washington that the British abandoned Philadelphia in June 1778, the Continental Army initiated pursuit. Doctor McHenry accompanied Washington and was a participant at the Battle of Monmouth on 28 June 1778, the final major contest in the northern states. His service on Washington’s staff brought him into Washington’s circle of trusted officers and opened opportunities for McHenry to become acquainted with many of the other top commanders of the Continental Army, including Alexander Hamilton and Marquis de Lafayette. In October 1780, Doctor McHenry was transferred from Washington’s staff to the command of General Lafayette, where he became aide-de-camp. One month prior to Doctor McHenry’s assignment with Lafayette, the treason of Benedict Arnold was exposed; however, Arnold was not captured. He escaped to the safety of the HMS Vulture on 25 September 1780, but he left his wife behind at West Point. Afterward he joined the British army and initiated raids in Virginia. General Washington countered by dispatching Lafayette southward to intercept the British invaders. Lafayette, in command of light infantry, arrived in Richmond on 25 April 1781 to bolster the militia, which was not able to match the firepower of the British raiders. Doctor McHenry accompanied Lafayette and participated in the campaign. Arnold was never captured. General Cornwallis’ plans in the Carolinas seemed perfectly executed to give the British domination of the Carolinas, but the arrival of General Nathanael Greene as successor to General Horatio Gates foiled the master plan. Cornwallis, after leaving troops behind to deal with the rebels, advanced to Virginia anticipating reinforcements, and to his dismay large numbers of reinforcements arrived, but they were not British. General Washington slipped away from his northern positions and met with a French fleet in Philadelphia that carried the Continental Army to Virginia. Suddenly, Cornwallis was up against more than Lafayette and his initial reinforcements under General Anthony Wayne. Eventually, Cornwallis was trapped at Yorktown and a British fleet was

blocked from arriving due to the French fleet that was offshore. Cornwallis was compelled to surrender his army at Yorktown on 19 October 1781. In the meantime, Doctor McHenry finally made the payroll. On 15 May 1780, James McHenry was commissioned as a major in the Continental Army with the date of his rank retroactive to 30 October 1780. Subsequent to the decisive victory at Yorktown, General Lafayette took leave to return to his family in France. Major McHenry resigned his commission toward the latter part of the year and returned to Maryland to enter a new phase in his life, moving from doctor-soldier to politician. McHenry was elected to the Maryland state assembly and held the seat for thirteen years. He had been elected to the Senate while he was away at Yorktown. In the meantime, he served in the Continental Congress from May 1783, replacing Edward Giles, who had died in office. That November, the legislature re-elected him to the Congress; he served until 1786. During his first year in Congress, McHenry was seeking a diplomatic post as minister to England or France, but he got engaged and cut short his efforts to become an ambassador. In January 1784, James married Margaret Caldwell, the daughter of David and Grace Allison Caldwell. Margaret’s father had died the year she was born, 1762, and her mother afterward married a second time, becoming the wife of her cousin, Captain William Allison, who raised Margaret and her brother John (who married his cousin, also named Margaret Caldwell) as if they were his children. The ceremony was officiated by a relative, the Rev. Patrick Allison (First Presbyterian Church of Baltimore) at the church that James and his wife attended. James and Margaret had the following children: Grace (b. November 1784, baptized soon after and died March 1789); Daniel William (b. November 1786, married Sophia Hall Ramsay, but he died unexpectedly during 1814); Anna (b. November 1788, married James Pillar Boyd); John (b. March 1797, married Juliana Elizabeth Howard, daughter of Colonel John Eager Howard); and Margaretta (b. March 1794, baptized March 27 and died prematurely in 1809). McHenry was selected as a Maryland delegate to the Constitutional Congress which convened in Philadelphia during May–September 1787 for the purpose of forming a new government. McHenry was a solid Federalist during both his state and federal service, and he held those same convictions, including favoring a strong central government, while serving at the convention. Nonetheless, McHenry did not play a large vocal part. James McHenry, similarly to some other delegates, maintained his own notes on the convention, but the deliberations at the convention were done in secrecy and the records were not preserved for posterity. Consequently, from those who did keep a record of the activity, some insight became available to the proceedings that brought about adoption of the Constitution on 17 September 1787, remembered as the “Miracle in Philadelphia.” Maryland ratified the Constitution on 7 April 1788 to become the seventh state. At the state convention, McHenry supported ratification, but two other prominent Marylanders, Samuel Chase (signer of Declaration of Independence) and Luther Martin, opposed ratification. Later that year, McHenry defeated Chase in an election for a seat in the Maryland General Assembly. Following adoption of the Constitution, ratification by nine states was necessary for it to become effective. New Hampshire, the ninth state to enter the union, ratified on 21 June 1788. The next year, McHenry was able to meet with his former commander, General Washington, when the latter passed through Baltimore en route to New York to be inaugurated (April 1789) as the first president of the United States. McHenry was elected to the General Assembly in 1789 against no opposition. In 1791, he returned to the state Senate and served there until he resigned to become secretary of war in 1796 upon appointment by President Washington. McHenry was informed by President Washington of several others (General Charles Pinckney, Colonel Carrington and Governor Howard of Maryland) who declined the position,

273 but Washington’s letter also explained why McHenry should accept, and he was convinced to take the post. Meanwhile, the army had bounced back from its disastrous defeat of Governor (general) Arthur St. Clair by Indians in November 1791 at present day Fort Wayne, Indiana. General Anthony Wayne scored a decisive victory at Fallen Timbers (Ohio Territory) during August 1794; however, McHenry was faced with a continuing problem along the frontier with regard to the strength and skills of the forces scattered at various posts. McHenry immediately focused on rebuilding the frontier forces, but meddling by the British, French and Spanish continued to cause problems. The French interference escalated into hostilities (Quasi-War with France), but the conflict was confined to the high seas and was settled during 1800 by the Treaty of Morfontaine. George Washington, who commanded McHenry during the war and later appointed him secretary of war, was recalled in June 1798 to serve as commander-in-chief, which essentially placed Washington under his former aide. It was James McHenry who visited Mount Vernon to inform him of his appointment. The Congress which had disbanded the army at the conclusion of the Revolutionary War and shredded the navy as well was reluctant to rebuild sufficiently to ensure the United States could forcefully meet the threats presented by an enemy. However, McHenry’s persistence and presence of mind while arguing his case prevailed. Congress did commit to increasing the army by twelve additional regiments. In the meantime, McHenry was serving as a civilian leader of the military as mandated by the Constitution during a crucial period, and he held firmly against anticipated military leaders who worked to dominate military appointments, and he again prevailed in minimizing interference with the civilian leadership. Those competing generals and their allies acquiesced to the authority of the Constitution. McHenry, as secretary of war, seemed to skillfully perform diplomatic surgery without causing massive complications. His former military experience in the field brought him empathy for the troops as well as a keen perspective on the needs that must be met for the nation to outgrow its infancy and gain a permanent place among the world’s powers. One of the necessities that he advocated was the establishment of a military academy to train officers to be skilled professional leaders. McHenry was not alone in the quest for a superior school to train the future leaders of the U.S. Army. Although Secretary of War McHenry had diligently carried out his duties, his strong Federalist views caused problems between himself and President John Adams during 1800 due to political differences regarding world affairs, particularly a slide towards war with Britain. President Adams and McHenry met in a contentious session and Adams called for McHenry’s resignation. McHenry complied soon afterward, resigning his post during 1800. He retired and returned to the solitude of his estate (Fayetteville) in Maryland to enjoy his later years at the place he named after his former commander, Lafayette. Within a few days of McHenry’s resignation, other positions opened upon the resignations of Timothy Pickering and Oliver Wolcott, Jr. All three had been closely aligned with Alexander Hamilton, the acknowledged leader of the Federalist Party. The major split in the Federalist Party led to the defeat of Adams by Thomas Jefferson in the election of 1800, and when President Jefferson assumed office in 1801 with the Democrat-Republican Party (present-day Democrats) in the majority, an investigation was initiated regarding McHenry’s management of the War Department and of his overseeing expenditures of the office. The investigation was unfavorable to McHenry, but he later replied in strong terms. Based on later information, the entire scheme appeared to be political payback. During McHenry’s tenure as secretary of war, the Americans established a fort in Maryland at Whetstone Point during 1798 and named it Fort McHenry in honor of James McHenry. The fort came under attack by the British and it was thought the British ensign would soon

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be hoisted. The British had already taken Washington, D.C., without a fight after they finally reduced a small contingent of sailors and Marines at Bladensburg. Nonetheless, Fort McHenry withstood the siege of 1814, and the American flag continued to fly above the fort and inspire Francis Scott Key to pen the national anthem, “The Star Spangled Banner.” Key penned the immortal poem while he was offshore during the bombardment, but the poem did not immediately receive a title. When first published by a Baltimore newspaper, it still had no title. The original document remained in obscurity for about sixty years and then it appeared and sold for about $50,000. The poem became the national anthem by congressional action in 1931. One of the defenders who participated in repelling the British at Fort McHenry carried the same name. He was the son of James McHenry and served as a volunteer. James McHenry died during 1816. He was survived by his wife, Margaret (Peggy), who lived until 1833, and by his daughter Anna and his son John. He was interred in Baltimore at the Westminster Presbyterian Cemetery.

McIntosh, Brigadier General Lachlan Lachlan McIntosh was born to John Mohr (More) and Marjorie Fraser McIntosh about 1726–1727 (several nineteenth century sources place his birth date on 17 March 1725) in Scotland in the vicinity of Borlam and Inverness. Lachlan’s ancestors included some chiefs of the “Chatan” clan, known for their frequent fighting that added to the incessant feuds that plagued Scotland for centuries. The good fortune of the Borlam clan dissipated during the Rebellion of 1715, when the Highlanders supported Prince Charles Edward’s unsuccessful attempt to regain the throne of England for the House of Stuart. Lachlan’s father fought under his uncle, William McIntosh, and victimized the British at Edinburgh when the British were struck by a surprise assault by the Highlanders who crossed the Firth of Fourth in darkness without being detected by British sentries. However, later at Preston, the British were able to encircle the Scots, essentially ending the chances of the Stuarts returning to power. William McIntosh was among the captured. The McIntosh family, having sided with the vanquished, lost their property, which was the primary reason that John and his family immigrated to America during 1736. Lachlan’s parents had eight children in addition to Lachlan, their second son, prior to embarkation. They were William (b. about 1725–1726); John (b. 1728); Alexander (b. 1729); Mary (b. 1730); Joseph (b. 1731); Phineas (b. 1732); Janet (b. 1734); and Lewis (twin of Janet, b. 1734). After their arrival in Georgia, John and Marjorie had three more children: Ann (1737); Barbara (1739); and George (1739). The group with which the McIntosh family sailed included about 130 Highlanders with General James Edward Oglethorpe. They arrived in Georgia during February 1736 and established a settlement along the Altamaha River and named it New Inverness (now Darien, Georgia). The Scotsmen’s plumes, kilts and pipes were, in modern terms, a hit with the Indians. The new inhabitants, after being accepted without hostilities, began to associate with the Indians and went on hunting excursions with them. Although initially the Scots got along with the Indians, ongoing tension continued with Spain, which often brought the hostilities into the region. John McIntosh was appointed as the civil commandant at New Inverness; however, he was directed to enlist 100 of the Highlanders as a light infantry force for General Oglethorpe’s regiment. In 1740, General Oglethorpe led an expedition to Spanish-controlled Florida and debarked at an island opposite St. Augustine. During the expedition, Captain John McIntosh, a group of allied Indians and a contingent from South Carolina, the latter led by Colonel Palmer, had taken an overland route and just prior to reaching striking distance of St. Augustine, they reached Fort Mose (sometimes called Fort Moosa), a fortification manned by Negroes who fled Georgia and the Carolinas to escape slavery under the protection of the Spanish. The

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Negroes had to agree to convert to Catholicism to gain the protection. Nevertheless, the Spanish in force surprised the British and many of McIntosh’s men were either killed or captured. Captain McIntosh was wounded and captured. The unanticipated defeat of McIntosh and Palmer’s contingent foiled any chance of victory by Oglethorpe, and to make the loss more grave, the British had seized no Spanish officers who could have been used to exchange for McIntosh. Consequently, St. Augustine held and Captain McIntosh was transported to Spain and confined there for a prolonged period, which caused his health to deteriorate. Lachlan and his older brother were still young when their father was taken captive. General Oglethorpe had both Lachlan and William placed in his service as cadets. Later, when word spread that Charles, the Pretender, was preparing to invade England, General Oglethorpe made plans to return to the mother country to support its defense; however, before he set sail, Lachlan and William were discovered aboard ship and anxious to sail to continue the family tradition and fight alongside the Pretender (Prince Charles Edward). General Oglethorpe warned them of their fantasy and explained that their future was in Georgia. Although he was of the House of Brunswick, he would maintain their desire to support the House of Stuart. Neither of the boys embarked. In the meantime, they received education from their mother, and under the guidance of Oglethorpe, both received education in such subjects as mathematics. Nevertheless, after Oglethorpe departed, their service in his regiment soon terminated. William, the older brother, initiated a career in agriculture, but Lachlan departed Georgia for Charleston. The reputation of Lachlan’s father preceded the young man’s arrival at Charleston. Henry Laurens, an influential man of the Charleston community, took a genuine interest in him. He provided employment in his counting house, but more importantly, the Laurens family brought young Lachlan into their home as a member. That opportunity enhanced his educational experience and increased his skills in the mercantile business. Nonetheless, Lachlan lacked interest in the mercantile world. Instead, he became a surveyor. Subsequently, McIntosh the surveyor became involved in a controversy that erupted between Georgia and the Carolinas regarding the land situated between the Altamaha and St. Mary Rivers. Included in the controversy was Governor James Wright of Georgia, formerly attorney general of South Carolina. The dispute ignited a prolonged mutual dislike between McIntosh and Wright, the latter remaining a nemesis of McIntosh until the royal governor was ousted as the Revolution was unfolding. In the meantime, Lachlan married Sarah Threadcraft, the daughter of George and Esther Lesene Threadcraft of Charleston, during January 1756, and he resettled back in Georgia. At the time, when Lachlan met Sarah, she was living with her mother, who had by that time remarried John Cuthbert in Williamsburg, South Carolina. Lachlan and Sarah had the following children: George, Henry Laurens, Catherine, John, Lachlan, William, Hester and Hampton. Georgia, during 1774, was not a Patriot bastion, and it was the only colony that did not send representation to the First Continental Congress in Philadelphia during September 1774. However, during December 1774, St. John’s Parish acted on its own and moved to secede from GeorLachlan McIntosh (Pictorial Field gia to join with South CarBook of the Revolution, Benson J. Los- olina. In addition, the Patriots ratified the action of the sing, 1860)

First Continental Congress, then selected Doctor Lyman Hall as its delegate. South Carolina rejected the secession movement, but Hall repaired to Philadelphia. He attended but did not participate in the voting because he didn’t represent the entire colony. On 11 May a party of Patriots seized the gunpowder held in the royal magazine in Savannah. Shortly thereafter, on 22 June 1775, a gathering of patriots was held at Tondee’s Tavern in Savannah, and a council of safety was formed. Joseph Habersham, who was the instigator for the committee, also formed the group known as the Georgian “Liberty Boys.” By that time, it was becoming obvious in Georgia that the split from the Crown was permanent. On 10 July, Georgia Patriots aboard a warship seized a British vessel laden with ammunition, making the prize the first British ship seized by Americans. Ten days later, Congress received a letter, dated 8 July from Georgia, proclaiming its intent to align itself with the other colonies, finally bringing all thirteen colonies into the fold. Up to that point, Congress had only referenced the twelve united colonies. Events were quickly unfolding. On 4 November 1775, Congress authorized Georgia to raise one battalion for the Continental Army, along with South Carolina’s three battalions. By early January 1776, the Patriots were accelerating the action to rid themselves of royal government. Governor James Wright was seized and placed under house arrest on 6 January. Later, on 11 February, Wright fled to a British warship. On that same day, the council directed Lachlan McIntosh to assume command of the Savannah defenses. McIntosh had to concern himself with a possible invasion by sea and or a land attack originating in Florida. He was not a resident of Savannah, but he was well respected as a military leader. The Georgians appointed him colonel commandant of the first regiment raised in the colony. Georgia authorized three additional regiments, and McIntosh was appointed brigadier general commandant effective September 1776. In the meantime, on 12 January 1776, a British warship, transporting land forces, arrived at Tybee Island, but McIntosh was not compelled to act. The British did not initiate any action against Savannah. On 2 March a British squadron entered Savannah’s harbor to seize supplies from merchant ships and to capture seamen for service in the Royal Navy. McIntosh directed an operation in which the Americans self-fired a vessel and sent it down the Savannah River to ignite other fires. The plan worked. The burning Inverness set the Nellie afire and from there the two ships drifted downstream, setting other ships afire. The British quickly departed and moved to Cockspur Island. The incident is remembered as the Battle of the Rice Boats (or the Battle of Yamacraw Bluff ). On 28 April 1776, Colonel McIntosh sent a dispatch to General Washington to inform him of the great need for supplies, but there was encouraging news in the letter. McIntosh said that recruiting was progressing very well. General McIntosh participated in the “First Invasion of Florida” on 22 August in command of the Georgia troops. General Charles Lee was the overall commander. The invasion force never reached Florida due to sickness in the ranks and command problems. On 1 January 1777, although General McIntosh was unaware, Congress, after receiving an intercepted letter (dated 9 July) from Royal Governor Patrick Tonyn at St. Augustine, issued orders for the arrest of the general’s brother, George, and stated the reason: “for the safety of the united States of America.” By the following month, McIntosh’s political difficulties also increased. On the 22nd of February the Georgia Council of Safety, concerned about an imminent British invasion from Florida, handed Archibald Bulloch full executive (dictatorial) powers to govern; however, unexpectedly, Bulloch died two days later. The cause of his death was never determined, leaving some doubts as to whether he died of natural causes. Nonetheless, his successor was Button Gwinnett (signer of the Declaration), who still held grudges since he was initially overlooked as top military commander.

275 The disagreements between Bulloch and McIntosh escalated after Gwinnett ascended to power as president of Georgia on 4 March 1777. On his initial day as president, the council of safety directed Bulloch to initiate a new invasion of Florida to terminate the ongoing raids by a Loyalist-Indian ranger force. Fort McIntosh had been struck on the 17th of February and its small garrison (regulars under Captain Richard Winn) was able to hold only until the following day. The rangers (British Tories and Indians) held overwhelming strength. Captain Winn capitulated after a guarantee by the Tories that the column would be protected from Indian atrocities. The British protective force vanished, but Winn’s command did make it to Fort Howe on the 19th. The explosive relationship between McIntosh and Gwinnett moved to the brink of violence on the 14th of March when Gwinnett ordered the arrest of Lachlan’s brother on charges of treason. About two weeks later, President Gwinnett, unable to raise sufficient forces for the invasion of Florida as directed by the Council of Safety, requested of McIntosh that he provide Continental troops and the latter responded affirmatively. On 13 of April, Gwinnett’s troops arrived at Sunbury and the Continental contingent led by McIntosh joined them on the 14th. The animosity that existed between Gwinnett and McIntosh expanded to the Continental officers. Gwinnett ordered a war council on the 15th, but the officers of the Continental Army refused to attend, based on Gwinnett’s lack of military experience. The simmering anger erupted into a compressed inferno on the 17th, when McIntosh’s vanguard departed Sudbury only to learn that Gwinnett ordered his forces to stand in place. Gwinnett had requested that McIntosh’s regulars lead the expedition into Florida, but McIntosh didn’t expect to advance without the militia. The conditions continued to deteriorate and by 1 May both Gwinnett and McIntosh were recalled to Savannah, leaving the expedition under the command of Colonel Samuel Elbert, who departed Sudbury that same day. Elbert divided his command with one contingent under himself moving by water and the other under Colonel John Baker advancing on an overland route with the intent of both forces reuniting at the Georgia-Florida border. The expedition (Second Florida Invasion) also failed. In the meantime, the feud between Gwinnett and McIntosh turned deadly when Gwinnett challenged McIntosh to a duel. The two men met on the field at Wright’s Plantation on the outskirts of Savannah on 16 May. Both men were wounded in the exchange, but Gwinnett sustained a fatal blow and succumbed on the 19th of May. The old saying that political grudges never end fit the situation at that particular duel. Gwinnett initiated the challenge. Nevertheless, Gwinnett’s political allies arranged for charges of murder against McIntosh. He was tried and acquitted. The political situation in Georgia mandated that McIntosh depart. He was directed to join with General George Washington, which he did. General McIntosh was with the commander-in-chief at Valley Forge throughout the winter of 1777–1778. Subsequently, on 26 May 1778, General McIntosh was appointed as commander of the Western Department. He succeeded General Edward Hand. While at Fort Pitt, General McIntosh initiated an expedition against the Indians (allied with the British) in the Tuscarawas Valley (Ohio). During that same period (1778) McIntosh ordered the construction of Fort Laurens (Ohio) and Fort McIntosh. After constructing Fort Laurens, McIntosh left a small garrison and returned to his headquarters. The expedition force did not engage in any major confrontations and no attacks were launched; however, Fort Laurens later came under frequent attacks by the Indians and British. McIntosh held the post as commander of the Western Department until 20 February 1779. About twenty troops died while based at Fort Laurens, between present-day Canton and Columbus, Ohio, and they were buried there. On 20 February, Congress, after consideration of a letter from McIntosh dated 29 January 1779, resolved: “Whereas Brigadier M’Intosh, commanding a detachment of the army at Fort Pitt, hath requested

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leave to retire from that command: Resolved, That the Commander in Chief be directed to appoint a proper officer to succeed to the said command; and that Brigadier General M’Intosh, on being relieved, repair to the main army or to such post as shall be assigned to him by the Commander in Chief.” General McIntosh was succeeded by Colonel (later brigadier general) Daniel Brodhead, the latter receiving the command from Congress on 5 March 1779. After considering a letter dated 11 April from General McIntosh, Congress on 18 May 1779 authorized him to join the southern army. McIntosh participated in the siege of British-held Savannah, which began about 9 September, and the disastrous attack (October 6–19, 1779) due to French pressure to delay the attack, until reinforcements (Continental Army contingents) arrived. The British repulsed the assaults and the Americans lost Count Pulaski. Making matters worse, the French fleet departed the area on the 19th when Comte D’Estaing embarked for France. The Americans retired to Charleston. During February of the following year, Congress on the 11th directed General Benjamin Lincoln to “employ Brigadier General McIntosh outside of the state of Georgia.” On 15 February, Congress directed that General McIntosh be informed he is to await further orders and that he is no longer needed in the army of the south. Meanwhile, on the 11th, forces, including the German Jaeger Corps under British General Henry Clinton, landed on Simmons Island (later Seabrook Island) about thirty miles south of Charleston, South Carolina. Clinton initiated a naval blockade of the city while awaiting reinforcements (Cornwallis’ force, which departed Ireland later than expected). While the British continued to close against Charleston, some of the officers, including General McIntosh, pressed to have Charleston evacuated to salvage the army and position it from where the British could be resisted. A council was held on 13 April and evacuation to the opposite bank of the Cooper River was discussed, but General Lincoln was ambiguous and made no decision to evacuate the Continental Army units. Charleston capitulated on 12 May 1780 and General McIntosh was among the captured. The British held him prisoner until 9 February 1782. Subsequent to his release, General McIntosh and his family remained in Virginia until the hostilities ended. Upon their return to Georgia, it was apparent that their property was in ruins. McIntosh’s commission terminated on 3 November 1783. He never recovered financially and was compelled to live out the remainder of his life close to poverty. During the years of his private life, McIntosh received an opportunity to enter politics. He was elected to Congress during 1784; however, he did not serve. In 1787, McIntosh was tapped to become a commissioner charged with solving a boundary dispute between Georgia and South Carolina. After having dedicated his life to the birth of the nation, General Lachlan McIntosh succumbed in Savannah on 20 February 1806. He was interred in Savannah at the Colonial Cemetery. Other Revolutionary War leaders buried there include Archibald Bulloch, Button Gwinnett, Joseph Habersham and General Samuel Elbert.

McKean, Thomas (Signer of the Declaration of Independence) Thomas McKean, the son of William and Letitia Finney McKean, was born on 19 March 1734 in New London, Pennsylvania, a new town that was settled in Chester County near both Delaware and New Jersey. Thomas’ father had emigrated from Ireland, and after his arrival in America he married Letitia Finney. They had three other children, Dorothea, Robert and William. Thomas’ father owned a tavern in present-day Chatham. His mother succumbed when he was about eight years old. About a year after the death of his mother, Thomas began to receive his education from the Rev. Francis Alison, a highly respected man who himself had emigrated from Ireland. Under the tutelage of Allison, Thomas surpassed all expectations, including his

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grasp of the Greek and Latin classics. In addition, he excelled in moral philosophy, general literature and history, while simultaneously enhancing his natural talents regarding rhetoric. Following completion of his studies, Thomas began to study law at the office of a relative, Robert Finney, and there too, he became well versed in the law. His progress had been so rapid that he was accepted by the bar when he was only twenty years old. Thomas was eligible to practice in the courts of common pleas in Kent, New Castle, and Sussex counties. He also practiced in front of the Supreme Court. By 1756, he was admitted to practice in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and by the following year, he was able to practice in front of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. At that time, Delaware and Pennsylvania had not been officially separated, although each contained a separate legislature. The two colonies did not become separate until 1776, when they declared independence. Thomas’ reputation as an excellent lawyer and as a highly regarded man continued to spread. Despite his young age, he was quickly becoming a leader within his community and beyond. During 1757, Thomas McKean was appointed secretary of the Delaware assembly, a post he retained for two years; however, he had not yet publicly entered politics. During the following year, he joined a military unit, Richard Williams’ Company of Foot. The political period of his life began during 1762 when he was elected to the Delaware assembly as a representative of New Castle. His popularity was such that he continued to be elected to the post, and for the last six years that he held the position, he was residing in Philadelphia. The people in his district, however, refused to select a replacement. Thomas married Mary Borden, the daughter of Colonel Joseph and Elizabeth Rogers Borden during 1763. The McKeans had six children. Mary, born during 1771, died during childbirth. The others were Joseph Borden (b. 1764); Robert (b. 1765); Elizabeth (b. 1767); Letitia (b. 1769, married George Buchanan); and Anne (b. 1773, married Andrew Buchanan). Mary, the wife of Thomas, succumbed shortly after the birth of Anne. McKean, already practicing in Delaware and Pennsylvania, was admitted to the New Jersey bar association during 1766 and with admittance, he was eligible for all its courts, including the Supreme Court. Subsequent to his admittance to the Supreme Court, he traveled to London. In 1768, Mary Borden McKean’s sister, Anne, married Francis Hopkinson, making the latter also the brother-in-law of Thomas McKean. Unknown to either at the time, both Thomas and Francis would find themselves in Congress, serving together during 1776, when both became signers of the Declaration of Independence. During 1765, following Parliament’s issuance of the Stamp Act, McKean attended the Provincial Congress (known as the Stamp Act Congress) in Albany as one of the representatives of Delaware. The meeting was at times contentious and at its conclusion, two of the attendees, including the man chosen as president, Timothy Ruggles of Massachusetts, refused to sign on with the other Patriots. Ruggles had served during the French and Indian War as a brigadier general. He refused to sign his name to the articles that had been adopted by the body. At the end of the session, McKean took exception to Ruggles’ refusal, primarily because it was without explanation, and called upon him to explain why he feared affixing his name. Ruggles in turn retorted that he did not need to provide a reason, which ignited McKean to probe further. Finally Ruggles blurted out that his conscience prohibited him from signing the document, but this only encouraged McKean, who essentially taunted Ruggles by repeatedly saying the word “conscience” with more penetrating sarcasm. Ruggles, responded by challenging McKean, who immediately accepted. The fight never occurred. Later, Ruggles switched allegiance and sided with the British. He remained in Boston under protection of the British and later raised a contingent of Loyalists, but apparently did not accomplish anything. By 1779, Ruggles fled to Nova Scotia. On the day following the close of the Provincial Congress, Ruggles

was making a hurried departure from New York en route to Massachusetts. Upon his return to his home, the Massachusetts assembly directed that Ruggles receive a reprimand for his lack of positive action at the congress. The other attendee who exhibited trepidation about signing the document was Robert Ogden of New Jersey. Ogden was pressed more privately by McKean about signing, but Ogden refused, then became concerned that his constituents would learn of his non-action. They did, and Thomas McKean (Biographical Sketches McKean, when he was in of the Signers of the Declaration of New Jersey, took every op- Independence, Benson J. Lossing, 1854) portunity to inform the public of Ogden’s inaction. Ogden threatened to challenge McKean, but he never carried out his threat. The incident in Albany cost Ogden his position as speaker of the house in the New Jersey assembly, and he experienced further harassment when people in various towns began to burn his image in effigy. Meanwhile, McKean continued his spirited support for the Patriots’ cause, while simultaneously transacting his normal business. In 1771, McKean was appointed collector of customs and commissioner of revenue at New Castle. Subsequently, during 1772, he was elected speaker of the Delaware assembly and afterward, during 1774, he was a delegate to the First Continental Congress, a seat which he retained throughout the conflict, serving until 1781. Thomas, George Read and Caesar Rodney acted as delegates from Delaware during the initial session of Congress, which convened on 5 September and ended on 26 October 1774. Coincidentally, Read, born the same year as Thomas McKean, also received his studies from the Reverend Alison. Thomas remarried three days before Congress convened, taking Sarah Armitage as his second wife on September 2nd. Afterward, Thomas and his family relocated to Philadelphia. The couple’s first child, a boy, died during childbirth. Thomas and Sarah were afterward blessed with a second child, Sarah, on 8 July 1777, and she was followed by a son, Thomas, Jr., during 1779. Two sisters followed, Sophia Dorothea (b. 1783) and Maria Louisa (b. 1785, unmarried). Sarah, who converted to Catholicism, married Don Carlos Martínez de Marquis de Casa Yrujo, the Spanish minister. Sarah became known as the Marchioness de Casa Yrujo. During September 1775, McKean was assigned to the Secret Committee, charged with clandestine activity. Benjamin Franklin and Robert Morris were also named to it. On 5 December, McKean was appointed to the committee delegated to devise ways to arm the ships of the Continental Navy. Other members were Samuel Chase, John Hancock and Richard Henry Lee. During 1776, McKean was in the forefront of those attempting to move the Declaration of Independence through as soon as possible. A stalemate developed on 1 July among the Delaware delegates after Caesar Rodney was compelled to rush back to Delaware to quell riots that had been ignited by Loyalists. In Rodney’s absence, the other delegate, George Read, was less than anxious to vote for independence. McKean, sensing a serious problem, sent word to Rodney to speed back to Philadelphia to tip the Delaware vote to the “Yea” side, but in the meantime, Rodney, a rather frail man, had taken ill while back with the militia he commanded. With total disregard for his health and an ongoing horrific storm, Rodney dashed back to Congress in a gallop from Sussex County and completed the exhausting 80-mile ride

277 on 2 July in time to cast his “Yea” vote, assuring Delaware’s consent to the Declaration of Independence. McKean was present during the vote and cast a “Yea;” however, an error occurred in the record and his name was omitted as having voted for the document. Afterward, all three Delaware delegates signed the parchment document. McKean was the last of the fifty-six to sign. Soon after the vote, McKean moved out in command of a Continental regiment (Philadelphia Associates) and spent time in New Jersey. Consequently he was not available during August when the parchment document was completed and presented for the signatures. It was during that period, September 1776, that he was selected as a member of the convention charged with drawing up the Delaware constitution. Colonel McKean departed New Jersey for Delaware and upon his arrival in Dover, and upon the request of the assembly, the document was designed by McKean and by the following day completed. It was adopted by unanimous vote. Simultaneously, Thomas served on various committees in Congress throughout 1776 and into 1777. He was the sole signer that also served as governor of two states (Delaware and Pennsylvania), and he served in office concurrently in two separate states. McKean remained in the Delaware legislature until 1783, except for one short period that began during December 1776, when he lost his seat due to conservative opposition. During September of 1777, the British inadvertently brought about yet another change for McKean when they landed in Maryland and launched their invasion to gain Philadelphia. British and Hessian troops advanced and seized Wilmington, Delaware, and captured the governor (president), John McKinly. On 22 September, Thomas McKean, at the time being speaker, succeeded McKinly. The British also made attempts to seize McKean, but he and his family through several expeditious motions escaped capture. Governors in the state of Delaware received the title of president until the state established a new constitution during 1792. During 1778, McKean also became a justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, while maintaining his other responsibilities. McKean penned a letter that year to Congress, which included a complaint that Count Pulaski had resisted the authorities of the state. An inquiry followed and Pulaski was directed that all officers were to obey the laws of the various states. During November 1778, McKean had another personal encounter. He informed Congress that he had been in an altercation with Brigadier General William Thompson, and as McKean described the incident, Thompson had used “abusive, disrespectful, and contemptuous expressions.” Thompson claimed that he had evidence to prove otherwise. On 23 November, after a letter from Thompson was read, Congress attempted to pass a motion and it failed, but then it resolved “that the said Brigadier W[illiam] Thompson has, by offering the said memorial, been guilty of an insult to the honor and dignity of this house, and of a breach of privilege.” The tag match between Thompson and McKean continued through December until finally on the 23rd, it was settled by an apology from General Thompson. On 3 March 1780, Congress selected the last Wednesday in April as a day of prayer, fasting and humiliation for all the states. McKean was appointed to the committee designated with setting up and carrying out the resolution. He was also appointed, during the June 1780, to the committee assigned to “devise means more effectually to prevent and punish persons debasing the continental currency by counterfeits.” Shortly thereafter, on 10 July, Samuel Johnston, elected as president on the previous day, declined the presidency. Congress elected Thomas McKean in his place. McKean informed Congress on 23 October that he sought to resign. His letter said: “Whereupon, Sir: I must beg you to remind Congress, that when they did me the honor of electing me President, and before I assumed the Chair, I informed them, that as Chief Justice of Pennsylvania, I should be under the necessity of attending the Supreme Court of that State, the latter end of September or at

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farthest in October. That court will be held to-day; I must therefore request, that they will be pleased to proceed to the choice of another President. I am, sir, with much respect, your most obedient humble servant, Thos. McKean. Philadelphia, October 23d, 1781.” Congress accepted his resignation by resolution: “That the resignation of Mr. [Thomas] McKean is accepted. Ordered, That the election of a President be postponed until to-morrow.” Nevertheless, on the 24th Congress unanimously resolved “that Mr. [Thomas] McKean be requested to resume the chair, and act as President till the first Monday in November next; the resolution of yesterday notwithstanding.” McKean remained president until Congress elected John Hanson on 5 November 1781. Hanson held the position for one year as presiding officer of Congress with no powers under the U.S. Constitution. After his resignation became official, McKean continued with his other service. He remained on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court until 1797. Two years later, he was elected governor of Pennsylvania and served three terms ending 1808, when he retired and finally settled down into private life. During his service as governor, attempts were made to have McKean impeached for “high crimes and misdemeanors,” but no evidence emerged to allow the process to continue and succeed. McKean, as a Federalist, participated heavily in getting the U.S. Constitution ratified in Pennsylvania; however, later, his Federalist sentiments faded. After 1783, when his congressional service ended, McKean focused his political activities in Pennsylvania. As a Federalist, during 1787, he supported the Constitution and he worked to get it ratified in Pennsylvania. However, by the 1790s, McKean began to sway from the Federalists due primarily to their position regarding foreign policy, but his intentions became obvious during Pennsylvania’s constitutional convention (1789–1790). McKean, as governor, deserted the Federalists to become a member of the Democratic-Republicans, but in the aftermath, McKean accumulated political enemies within both parties. As governor, McKean used the political spoils system to his advantage, creating bitter opposition as he appointed relatives and political cronies to positions. He also ignited additional dissent when he declined to convene a convention to revise the state’s constitution. The political warfare that emerged nearly cost him the position of governor. McKean’s reelection came about when opponents of modifications to the constitution from both parties threw their support to him, giving him the victory. Following McKean’s retirement from public life during 1808, he remained quiet and continued to reside in Philadelphia. During the War of 1812, when it was thought that the city was jeopardized, McKean temporarily bounced back into public life and presided over a meeting regarding the defenses of the city. The British were checked in Maryland. Fort McHenry remained under the control of the Americans and the British were compelled to retire. Consequently, the attack against Philadelphia never materialized. Thomas McKean reverted back to his private life and lived five more years. Although he did not attend a university, McKean received three honorary degrees, from Princeton during 1781, from Dartmouth in 1782, and a doctor of laws degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1785. Thomas McKean succumbed on 24 June 1817. He was interred in the First Presbyterian church cemetery, but later he was re-interred in Laurel Hill Cemetery. The latter also became the final resting place of a large group of prominent Americans, including Union Generals Henry Bohlen, Samuel W. Crawford, Rear Admiral John Dahlgren, Uric Dalhgen, John’s son and a Union officer who was killed leading an attack against Richmond, and Richard Dale, who served with John Paul Jones on the Bonhomme Richard. Some of the other luminaries interred at Laurel Hill include General Hugh Mercer, who participated in the American Revolution, Union General George Meade, and Confederate General Samuel French. McKean made arrangements in his last will and testament to ensure

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that his wife would receive money as long as she lived. He stipulated that she should receive payments twice a year. His property was distributed among his children and grandchildren. The distribution included the following: his son, Joseph, received the mansion near 3rd and Pine in Philadelphia, his son Thomas, Jr., received Chatham, and his granddaughter Mary Rogers received property in Holmsborough (present-day Philadelphia). Andrew Petit, a widower who had married Thomas’ daughter, the late Elizabeth McKean Petit, received property in Beaver County, which was to be held in trust for Thomas McKean’s four grandchildren. Thomas, Jr., was private secretary to his father while he served as governor, and he was also appointed adjutant-general of the Pennsylvania militia. The cemetery, Laurel Hill, where Thomas McKean was interred, is on Ridge Avenue in Philadelphia overlooking the Schuylkill River and is open to the public. Laurel Hill Cemetery has been designated a National Historic Landmark.

The tailor, unsure of his measurements took an extra step of measurement. The tailor “buttoned it around him and four other men.” General Mead’s last will and testament read, in part: “IN THE NAME OF GOD, AMEN, I, JOHN MEAD, of Greenwich, the County of Fairfield and State of Connecticut being sick and weak in body, but of a sound disposing mind and memory, thanks be to God for the same, and calling to mind that it is appointed for all men once to die and not knowing how short my time may be in this world do make and publish this last will & testament in manner following, and first of all I give up my soul to God that gave it hoping to receive salvation through the merits of my Saviour Jesus Christ, my body I commit to the earth to be decently buried with a Christian burial by my executors hereafter to be named.” General Mead named the following children in his will: John, Alan, Seth, Walter, Mary Mead Handford, Ann Mead Eels, Elizabeth Mead Hobby, Mary Ann Mead Sniffen, and Mehetabel.

Mead, Brigadier General John

Mercer, Brigadier General Hugh

John Mead, the son of John and Elizabeth Lockwood Mead, was born in Horseneck (Greenwich), Connecticut, about 1725. John took up farming at his estate at Horseneck. He married Mary Brush, the daughter of Benjamin Brush, in 1752. John and Mary had nine children; however, in his last will and testament, only eight children of his first marriage were mentioned. During the French and Indian War, John was appointed a lieutenant of the West Company (militia) of Greenwich on 13 October 1757. Subsequently, during October 1767, John was promoted to the rank of captain. As the relations between the colonies and Britain were deteriorating, John was again promoted. On 13 May 1773, Captain Mead was commissioned a major of the 9th Connecticut Regiment of militia. He became involved in local issues, and prior to the outbreak of the Revolutionary War, he had served in the legislature eight years; however he remained there through the war years and beyond until 1788. John also served as a justice of the peace (Fairfield County) from 1769 through 1774. When open hostilities occurred, Major John Mead was offered a commission as a captain in the British army, but he turned down the appointment. Soon after he was appointed lieutenant colonel of militia. Colonel Mead participated in the Battles of Long Island and Harlem Heights, and at the Battle of White Plains in October 1776. When the Continental Army was evacuating New York, Colonel Mead commanded the final units to depart. Following that campaign, Colonel Mead returned to Horseneck and assumed responsibility for that region for the remainder of the war. During September 1777, the Connecticut Council and the governor directed a small force to move to guard the fort at Saybrook. At the same time, about one-fourth of the 4th and 9th Regiments were to repair to Horseneck under the command of Colonel John Mead and Major Abel to defend that part of the state against British raids. During the course of the war, Colonel Mead was often away from his estate and it was frequented by Loyalist raiders. He was compelled to move his family to a safer location. During January 1780, Colonel Mead requested aid from the assembly, describing how he was forced to abandon his home and how his financial means had been exhausted due to his several years in the field. The assembly resolved “that Colonel John Mead receive out of the public treasury of this state the sum of £400 money.” In May 1781, Colonel Mead was promoted to brigadier general. He remained on active duty for the duration. General Mead’s wife, Mary, died during 1785. He later remarried, this time to Mehetable Blackman Peck (widow of Jonathan Peck). General Mead and Mehetable had one daughter, named Mehetable. General John Mead succumbed on 3 December 1790. He was interred in the ancient burying ground at the summit of Put’s Hill; however, the exact grave site remains unknown. Apparently, General Mead was quite portly and an anecdotal tale has passed down through the years about the general’s tailor, who was charged with making a vest.

Hugh Mercer, the son of the Rev. William and Anna Monro Mercer was born about 1725 in Aberdine, Scotland. Some sources marked Hugh’s year of birth as 1721; however, church records document his baptism in 1726, making it more probable that he was born 1725–1726. Hugh’s parents had two other children, Margaret (baptized 8 June 1724) and Isabel (baptized 30 October 1735, married Colonel George Mercer, the step-brother of John Francis Mercer, framer of the U.S. Constitution). While his father was a minister, his maternal grandfather, Sir Robert Monro, was a military man who fought in the British Army at such places as Fontenoy, France. He was killed in the struggle against Prince Charles (the Pretender) in 1746 at the Battle of Falkirk. In the meantime, Hugh completed his fundamental schooling and afterward, during 1740, he entered Marshall College, where he studied medicine and graduated in 1744. Two years later, Doctor Mercer was among the Highlanders who supported Prince Charles Edward’s ill-fated attempt to seize the Crown for the House of Stuart. Subsequent to the devastating loss at Culloden on 16 April 1746, where Mercer served as an assistant surgeon, he was compelled to take flight to avoid being caught by the victorious forces of the Duke of Cumberland (William Augustus, second son of King George II), who ravaged the Scots. After returning to Aberdeen, Mercer remained concealed until autumn to evade capture. At that time he found passage to America and sailed from Leith to begin his new life as a doctor in the colonies. Mercer arrived first at Philadelphia, but after a while, he headed west and established himself at Greencastle (later Mercersburg), Pennsylvania. Mercer’s medical practice continued to grow as the settlers scattered about the wilderness accepted him; however, his instincts to use his medical skills in the military prompted him to join in the Braddock expedition against Fort Duquesne during 1755. Mercer served as a captain during the campaign. On 9 July, the day of General Edward Braddock’s defeat, he was badly wounded. The French held concealed positions and when the British initiated their second crossing of the Monongahela at about 1300, they were shredded. Every officer that was mounted, except George Washington, was cut down and Braddock had five horses shot from under him before he was hit by a mortal blow. Hugh Mercer (Pictorial Field Book of The British were ordered to the Revolution, Benson J. Lossing, 1860)

279 remain in a rigid formation that hindered their progress. They returned fire, but it was blind. When the French forced a haphazard retreat, Mercer was left on the field; however, he evaded capture and eventually made it back to the main body. During that period, the threat from both the French and their Indian allies compelled many settlements to form their own military associations. Hugh Mercer was commissioned a captain in the command of Colonel John Armstrong during 1756, and his commission was dated March 1776. Armstrong initially enlisted as a private, but by May 1756, he had become a lieutenant colonel in command of the militia. Armstrong ordered a series of forts to be built stretching from the Susquehanna River to the Maryland line. Captain Mercer received responsibility for a large area. He established his headquarters at Fort McDowell (Bridgeport, Franklin County) south of Fort Loudoun. While he held command at Fort Loudoun, Mercer again became wounded during an exchange with Indians and yet again, left behind the main body with the Indians on his heels. Captain Mercer had the presence of mind to conceal himself within a hollow tree trunk. The Indians, unable to discover his hiding place, abandoned the chase. Mercer, despite his severe wound, managed to take off in a different direction and complete a trek of more than 100 miles of wilderness to reach Fort Cumberland (formerly a trading post established by Christopher Gist) in present-day Cumberland, Maryland. Captain Mercer survived on “roots herbs and the carcass of a rattlesnake.” Also in 1756, Captain Mercer participated in the Kittanning expedition against hostile Indians. And yet again, he was wounded. Due to his heroism and leadership during the several campaigns against the Indians, Mercer was presented with a “splendid memorial medal” by the Corporation of Philadelphia. In the summer of 1757, Captain Mercer was appointed commanding officer at Shippensburg and later was promoted to the rank of major. Major Mercer was appointed in 1757 commander of the Pennsylvania forces located west of the Susquehanna River. In 1758, Major Mercer commanded a contingent of the army under General Forbes that marched against Fort Duquesne. Sources differ on whether Major Mercer actually met Colonel George Washington during the various campaigns against Fort Duquesne, but at some point the two were introduced and became close friends. After the French and Indian War, Major Mercer abandoned western Pennsylvania as his home and moved to Virginia in the vicinity of Fredericksburg. It is thought that Washington had been responsible for Mercer becoming a Virginian. After settling in Fredericksburg, Mercer established a medical practice and in the same building opened an apothecary shop at the intersection of Main and Amelia Streets. His residence was in a two-story home at the intersection of Princess Ann and Amelia Streets Fredericksburg was an extremely active town for the Patriots. General Washington frequented the town to visit his mother, who lived not far from a primary gathering place, the Rising Sun Tavern. Other Patriots who became friendly with Mercer included John Paul Jones, who lived there with his brother, William. It was in Fredericksburg where John Paul added Jones to his name. After Mercer relocated in Fredericksburg, the actions of the Crown began to ignite dissension among the colonists, creating a problem. The citizens wished to remain loyal to the king, but his policies began to increase pressure through taxation and other policies of Parliament the colonists saw as heavy handed. During 1774, Doctor Mercer purchased Ferry Farm, where George Washington had spent much of his early life. His mother, Mary Ball Washington, never remarried after the death of George’s father, Augustine, but she did move to Fredericksburg in 1772. Colonel Mercer, however, never moved into his residence at the estate because his plans were interrupted by the American Revolution. By 1775, the breakaway from the mother country had become inevitable. For Virgini-

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ans, the point of ignition began on 21 April 1775 when Lord Dunmore, the royal governor, dispatched Royal Marines to seize the gunpowder at the magazine in Williamsburg. Patriots, including Hugh Mercer and Patrick Henry, moved to regain the powder, but Peyton Randolph persuaded the group to abort the attack. By the 9th of June Lord Dunmore ( John Murray, 4th Earl) abandoned Yorktown and moved aboard a British warship, the HMS Fowey. On 12 September Hugh Mercer became colonel of the Minutemen, with Mordecai Buckner being selected as lieutenant colonel and Robert Johnson as major. In January 1776, Colonel Mercer was elected commander of the 3rd Virginia Regiment, as recorded in the Virginia Convention: “Wednesday, January 10, 1776, Convention proceeded by ballot to the appointment of a Colonel of the Third Regiment, and there was a majority of the whole Convention in favor of Hugh Mercer. Resolved, therefore, that the said Hugh Mercer be appointed Colonel of the Third Regiment.” The convention authorized three regiments. Patrick Henry received command of the 1st and was chosen as commander of all Virginia forces. William Woodford of Caroline County was selected as commander of the 2nd. There was opposition to Mercer as commander-in-chief, despite his military service during the French and Indian War, though some objected to him because he was from northern England (Scotland). In the first ballot, Hugh Mercer received 41 votes and Patrick Henry received 40, with Thomas Nelson getting ten and William Woodford receiving one. A second ballot was taken to choose between the top two men and Patrick Henry prevailed. Mercer’s brother-in-law, George Weedon, served in the 3rd Regiment as lieutenant colonel (later major general, militia). Weedon, the proprietor of the Rising Sun Tavern, had married Catherine Gordon. Colonel Mercer had married Isabella Gordon, the daughter of John and Margaret Gordon and the sister of Catherine Gordon Weedon. In addition, Thomas Marshall, the father of John Marshall (later chief justice of the Supreme Court) served in the 3rd Regiment as major. At the time Mercer became colonel he was residing in a home referred to as the “Sentry Box” on Main Street. Colonel Mercer had earlier offered his services to Virginia when he informed the Virginia Convention: “Hugh Mercer will serve his adopted country and the cause of Liberty in any rank or station to which he may be assigned.” Colonel Mercer was ordered to move to Williamsburg and while there, a contingent arrived from the other side of the mountains (Tennessee-Kentucky) and they deplored discipline. “Gibson’s Lambs” led by Captain Gibson terrorized the town and threatened to kill any officer who interfered with their activity. Nevertheless, Colonel Mercer informed the troops that a continuation of their actions would lead to their deaths. He also confined some of the leaders, while informing them of their obligations as soldiers. The townspeople expected Mercer to be murdered. However, he prevailed. Within a short time, the confined troops were released and the unit from that point became a solid part of the Virginia military. During February 1776, Congress, pursuant to action by the Virginia Convention on the 14th, resolved: The convention of Virginia having recommended persons for field officers of the six batallions ordered to be raised in that colony, the Congress proceeded to an election, when, Patrick Henry, Esqr. was elected Colonel, of the first battalion, William Christian, Esqr. lieutenant colonel, Frank Eppes, Esqr. major. William Woodford, Esqr. colonel, of the second battalion, Charles Scott, Esqr. lieutenant colonel, Alexander Spottswood, Esqr. Major. Hugh Mercer, Esqr. Colonel, of the third battalion, George Weedon, Esqr. lieutenant colonel, Thomas Marshall, Esqr. Major. Adam Stephen, Esqr. Colonel, of the fourth battalion, Isaac Reade, Esq. lieutenant colonel, Robert Lawson, Esqr. Major. William Peachy, Esqr. Colonel, of the fifth battalion, William Crawford, Esqr. lieutenant colonel, Josiah Parker, Esqr. Major. Mordecai Buckner, Esqr. Colonel, of the sixth battalion, Thomas Elliott, Esqr. lieutenant colonel, James Hendricks, Esqr. Major. That the president fill up the commissions to the above officers, and that he send blank commissions to the convention

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of Virginia, to be by them filled up for the officers in the said batallions, under the rank of a Major.

On 5 June 1776, Colonel Mercer was commissioned as a brigadier general in the Continental Army. The next day, the president of Congress dispatched the following letter: President of Congress to General Mercer, Philadelphia, June 6, 1776. Sir: I am directed by Congress to inform you that they yesterday appointed you a Brigadier General in the armies of the United Colonies, and that they request you will immediately on receipt hereof set out for headquarters at New York; for which purpose I am commanded to forward you this by express. Should you take Philadelphia in your way, I must beg you will do me the favor to call at my house, as it is highly probable I shall have something in charge from Congress ready for you at that time. I do myself the pleasure to enclose your commission; and have the honor to be, sir, Your most obedient and very humble servant, J. HANCOCK, President.

Subsequently, General George Washington placed General Mercer in command at Paulus Hook and assigned him responsibility for a contingent of Pennsylvania militia. Mercer’s duties included defending the positions if an attack originated from Staten Island. That same year, General Mercer participated at the victory at Trenton. Some modern historians reject the idea that General Mercer had engineered the plan to attack Trenton; however, according to The Life of Hugh Mercer by John T. Goolrick (1906), Mercer did initially receive credit for the action: “For this brilliant victory historians, with one accord, give credit and glory to Mercer. Major Armstrong, his aide-decamp, who was present at a council of officers, and who was with Mercer at the crossing of the Delaware, is authority for the statement that Mercer suggested this expedition, fraught with so much peril and uncertainty.” Soon after the victory of Trenton, General Mercer was again in the thick of battle. The British moved to trap the Americans on 2 January 1777, but General Lord Cornwallis, after pushing Washington’s army back in the vicinity of Trenton, did not follow up, believing he would complete the task on the following day. However, Washington abandoned camp without dousing the fires and kept a skeleton force of troops at the encampment to maintain noise as if digging entrenchments. On the 3rd, Cornwallis discovered he had been yet again outwitted by Washington’s rabble army. Meanwhile, the Americans took the offensive. However, at a point about mid-way between Trenton and Princeton, someone screamed erroneously that the column was encircled. General Mifflin’s militia became frightened and some stampeded to the rear. Nevertheless, the column continued its advance through the darkness. At dawn, as the column reached Stony Brook, Washington split his force into two columns under Generals Nathanael Greene and John Sullivan. The brigades of General Hugh Mercer and Colonel Cadwalader (militia, Marines and Pennsylvania riflemen) advanced along Quaker Road to secure a key bridge that dominated the primary route linking Princeton and Trenton. Soon the British observed the Americans who passed over the bridge. General Mercer believed it was a foraging or scouting party. He maneuvered to cut the contingent off to prevent it from reaching Princeton to signal the approach of the Patriots. Meanwhile, the British under Colonel Charles Mawhood understood it was Washington’s vanguard. Mercer descended to intercept, but the British in force charged, executing a bayonet attack. A contest began for control of high ground west of Clark’s house, with the Patriots reaching it ahead of the British. The Americans blasted the British, but by the third volley, the Redcoats unleashed another bayonet attack. By that time, General Mercer’s horse had become injured and he dismounted, then moved to rally his beleaguered force, but a British soldier appeared and struck General Mercer with the butt of a rifle. Nonetheless, Mercer refused to surrender and attempted to resist, only to be repeatedly struck with bayonets. In the meantime, Wash-

ington rushed reinforcements to Mercer’s command and the British attack was halted; however, General Mercer had been mortally wounded. The British, however, only halted the bludgeoning of Mercer when they thought they had killed him. One British officer, Captain Leslie (son of the Earl of Leven) made an attempt to save Mercer from the savage beating, but as he moved to aid the fallen general, he was struck by a musket ball that inflicted a mortal blow. By that time, General Washington had arrived at the front. He rallied the troops to prevent a rout, but in the process, Washington found himself between the two sides as both opened fire. Despite being caught in a close-range cross-fire, he emerged unscathed. The Americans won the day, but General Mercer had fought his final battle. General Mercer succumbed on 12 January 1777 at the Clark house. General Wilkinson, who was present afterward, stated: “Excited to brutality by the gallantry of his [Mercer’s] resistance, they stabbed him with their bayonets in seven different parts of his body and inflicted many blows on his head with the butt-ends of their muskets; nor did they cease their butchery until they believed him to be a crushed and mangled corpse....” During his final days, General Mercer was attended by Doctor Benjamin Rush and Doctor Archibald Alexander of Augusta County, Virginia. He died while in the arms of Major George Lewis, a nephew of General Washington. General Mercer was survived by his wife, Isabella, and his children, Isabella Gordon (married Robert Patton of Fredericksburg, Virginia), John (b. 1772, died 30 September 1817), William (birth and death dates unknown, born deaf and dumb), George Weedon Mercer (died unmarried) and Hugh Tenant Weedon (an infant at the time of his father’s death). Hugh’s education was paid for by the United States government through an Act of Congress during 1793. The funeral of General Mercer was covered by the Pennsylvania Evening Post, which said of the ceremony on 18 January 1776: Last Sunday evening, died, near Princeton, of the wounds he received in the engagement at that place on the 3rd instant, Hugh Mercer, Esquire, Brigadier-General in the Continental Army. On Wednesday his body was brought to this city, and on Thursday buried on the south side of Christ Church, with military honors, attended by the Committee of Safety, the members of the Assembly, gentlemen of the army, and a number of the most respectable inhabitants of this city. The uniform character, exalted abilities, abilities, and intrepidity of this illustrious officer will render his name equally dear to America, with the liberty for which she is now: contending, to the latest posterity.

On 8 April 1777, a congressional committee reported its findings that a monument be erected to the memory of General Mercer at Fredericksburg, in the State of Virginia, with the following inscription: “Sacred to the memory of HUGH MERCER, Brigadier-General in the Army of The United States. He died on the 12th of January 1777, of the wounds he received on the 3rd of the same month, Near Princeton, in New Jersey, Bravely defending the Liberties of America. The Congress of the United States, In testimony of his virtues and their gratitude, Have caused this monument to be erected. Sacred to the memory of HUGH MERCER, Brigadier-General in the Army of The United States. The Congress of the United States, In testimony of his virtues and their gratitude, Have caused this monument to be erected.

Nevertheless, Congress did not follow through and the monument was not erected. Initially, General Mercer was interred at Princeton; however, shortly thereafter, his remains were taken to Philadelphia and he was buried on the grounds of Christ Church. In 1817, one of his sons visited the grave which was marked by a plain stone and had the following inscription: “In memory of General Hugh Mercer, who fell at Princeton, January 3rd, 1777.” The St. Andrews Society, during 1840, arranged for General Mercer’s remains to be removed and re-interred at Laurel Hill Cemetery, which became the final resting place for many prominent Americans of the Revolution. Its location near the Schuylkill River

281 made it a popular place to visit well into the 20th Century. General Mercer’s grave site at Laurel Hill also received a large monument in honor of his memory. Subsequently, in 1897, General Mercer’s memory and service was honored in Princeton, where a bronze plaque was unveiled on October 1 near where the general was mortally wounded. Confederate General Hugh W. Mercer was a grandson of General Hugh Mercer. Ferry Farm in Fredericksburg has been preserved and remains open to the public, along with nearby Kenmore, which was the home of General Washington’s sister Betty and her husband, General Fielding Lewis.

Mercer, John Francis (Framer of the U.S. Constitution) John Mercer (3), the son of John (2) and Ann Roy Mercer (2nd wife), was born in Stafford County, Virginia, on 17 May 1759. John’s mother was the daughter of Doctor Roy of Essex County, Virginia. His father, John (2), was the son of John (1) and Grace Fenton Mercer of Dublin, Ireland, and the grandson of Noel Mercer of Chester, England. John (2) married Ann on 10 November 1750. He was initially married to Catherine Mason, the daughter of Colonel George Mason (2) and a sister of George Mason (3) as well as an aunt of George Mason (4, framer of the Constitution) of Dunstan Hall, Virginia. John’s father (and his first wife) also raised his cousin, George Mason (4, framer) following the death of George’s father in a boating accident. John had step-brothers and sisters from his father’s first marriage: Mason (b. July 1726, died same month); John (b. December 1727); Elizabeth Mason (b. February 1730); George (b. June 1730, married Isabel Mercer, sister of Doctor General Hugh Mercer and then Mary Neville, daughter of Christopher Neville of London); John Fenton (b. August 1733, served as captain, French and Indian War, killed near Fort Edward in 1756); James (b. February 1736, married Eleanor Dick, daughter of Charles Dick of Fredericksburg); Sarah Ann (b. June 1738, married Samuel Seldon of Salvington); Mary (b. August 1740, married Daniel McCarty); Thomson (date of birth unknown, d. April 1742) and Cattesby (b. October 1743). John’s brothers and sisters from his father’s second marriage were: Grace Fenton (b. February 1751, married Muscoe Garnett); Mungo Roy (b. September 1753, d. February 1771); Elinor (b. October 1754, thought to have been the woman who married Henry Micou during 1803); John (b. September 1757, died young); Anna (b. 1760, married Benjamin Harrison, Jr., son of Benjamin Harrison, signer of Declaration of Independence); Maria (b. 1761, married Richard Brooke of Mantapike, Virginia); Robert (birth date unknown, married Mildred Ann Byrd Carter, daughter of Landon Carter of Cleves in King George County, Virginia). John Francis received an excellent education, including William and Mary College, from where he graduated during 1775. At age 17, he joined the 3rd Virginia Regiment and was commissioned as a first lieutenant on 26 February 1776. The regiment was commanded by Colonel Hugh Mercer. After Mercer’s promotion to brigadier general, Colonel George Weedon became commander. Captain (later Colonel) William Washington’s company was incorporated into the regiment. Another of the officers was Major Thomas Marshall, the father of future Supreme Court chief justice John Marshall. The regiment participated in the New York campaigns and the retreat to Pennsylvania during 1776 and the Battle of Trenton, but afterward, the regiment was assigned responsibility for guarding Hessian prisoners seized at Trenton. During the struggle to defend Philadelphia, John Francis Mercer was wounded on 11 September 1777 at the Battle of Brandywine, slightly below the city. Later that month, Mercer was promoted to the rank of captain (effective retroactive to 26 June 1777). Then on 8 June 1778, he was appointed as an aide to General Charles Lee with the rank of major. Mercer participated in the Battle of Monmouth (28 June 1778), which became the final major battle in the northern states.

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At the battle, General Lee ordered a retreat, which infuriated General George Washington. Washington, however, was able to rally the troops, and after reprimanding Lee, the latter did re-enter the battle. Both sides claimed victory. Nevertheless, after dark, while Washington was making preparations to attack at daylight on the 29th, General Robert Howe abandoned his positions and resumed the retreat toward New York. Subsequent to the battle, the South became the new battleground. Meanwhile, Lee requested a court-martial. It convened in Brunswick, New Jersey, on 2 July 1778, with Major General Lord Stirling acting as president. On 12 August Lee was found guilty of the first offense and sentenced to a one year suspension from serving in the Army, but Lee departed the army permanently. Major Mercer remained with the regiment until July of the following year. After the court-martial of General Lee, he resigned and returned to Virginia to resume studies of the law at William and Mary. After completing his studies, Mercer reentered the military with the rank of lieutenant colonel of the Virginia militia during October 1780. He was directed by General Lawson to raise a “legionary corps of militia.” Mercer joined with the forces of General Peter Muhlenberg during November 1780 and soon after, Muhlenberg broke camp and the corps was disbanded. Mercer returned to Fredericksburg to resume his law practice. Subsequently, during May 1781, General George Weedon, in command of a force near Williamsburg, requested on behalf of Lafayette that Colonel John Mercer raise a volunteer force of cavalry. With the help of others, volunteers were raised, initially about thirty and later about fifty riders. Within one week, at their own expense the corps was in the saddle and completely armed. Shortly thereafter they advanced to Hanover County and joined with Lafayette’s forces. Colonel Mercer’s volunteers performed admirably against the British and the skirmishes included troops under Colonel Banastre Tarleton. During one mission, on 6 July, Colonel Mercer found himself within the lines of Cornwallis’ headquarters at the residence of the Rev. James Madison, the president of William and Mary College. Mercer and his contingent of a few men were within yards of Colonel Tarleton’s quarters and then, unexpectedly, they became surrounded by a sea of Redcoats. The British had the Americans trapped in a yard with brick walls, but as the British maneuvered to close upon Mercer, he and the others outwitted their pursuers and headed in the opposite direction, escaped capture and rejoined his main body concealed in the nearby woods. Later, Mercer participated in the siege of Yorktown and clashed on several occasions, including a major confrontation on 2 October. General Washington conveyed in general orders on 4 October his thanks “to the Duke de Lauzun and his gallant officers and men, the corps of the allied Army, Duke de Lauzun’s Legion and the Militia Grenadiers of Mercer.” General Lord Charles Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown on 19 October 1781. Mercer resigned from the military during November 1781. Following the termination of his military career, Mercer next entered politics. He was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates during 1782 in place of Edmund Randolph, who resigned. Mercer took his seat on 6 February 1783. Later in 1782, Mercer was elected to the Continental Congress. In 1785 he returned to the Virginia legislature and remained until 1787. In addition, during 1785, John had gotten married. He and his wife, Sophia Sprigg, the daughter of Richard and Margaret Caile Sprigg, departed Virginia to reside in Maryland (Anne Arundel County) on a plantation that Sophia had inherited. In the meantime, a series of events unfolded that exposed severe flaws in the Articles of Confederation. These flaws prevented progress of interaction among the states and prevented the nation, essentially operating as thirteen separate nations, from forming a strong union capable of ensuring the infant republic’s ability to survive. During 1785, Maryland and Virginia reached an agreement (Mount Vernon Compact) that would increase shipping along the Potomac River and lead

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to the construction of a canal to link the interior of the country with the seacoast. However, the agreement was deemed invalid because the Articles prohibited states from negotiating treaties with each other without the consent of Congress. Consequently, a new convention was called and scheduled to convene at Annapolis during 1786, with each state expected to send delegates. At the thinly attended Annapolis Convention, it became apparent that a constitutional convention was required to either strengthen the Articles or form a new government. Subsequent to the convention in Maryland, the Constitutional Convention was called, scheduled to convene in Philadelphia during May 1787. Mercer was selected as a delegate from Maryland, along with Daniel Carroll of St. Thomas, James McHenry and Luther Martin. The delegation was split, with Carroll and McHenry supporting a strong central government and Mercer and Martin in opposition. During the sessions, Mercer voiced his opposition, but neither he nor Luther Martin remained for the duration of the convention. Both departed early. The United States Constitution was adopted on 17 September 1787, effective upon ratification by nine states. Mercer, Luther Martin and other opponents continued their opposition back in Maryland in an attempt to prevent ratification at the state convention, but they did not prevail. Maryland ratified the Constitution on 28 April 1788 to become the seventh state to join the union. After the conclusion of the state convention, Mercer sided whole heartedly with the anti–Federalists (Democratic-Republicans, present-day Democrats) after being elected to the state House of Delegates, where he served through 1789. In 1791 he was again elected to the same body and he remained in that capacity until the following year, but in addition, Mercer was elected to the U.S. Congress in place of William Pinckney, serving there from 22 November 1791 to 13 April 1794. The transition caused confusion because Pinckney, although elected, never took his seat; however, within a day of receiving the report from Maryland, Congress accepted it and Mercer was seated. Subsequent to his service in the U.S. Congress, Mercer returned to the Maryland House of Delegates and served there during 1800–1801. At that time, 1801, Mercer was elected governor of Maryland and served two terms in that post (1801–1803). In the meantime, Thomas Jefferson of the Democratic-Republican party was elected as the third president of the United States during 1800, ending the reign of the Federalists, who aided the election in great part due to infighting. During Jefferson’s first term, John Mercer broke away from the Jeffersonians and became a Federalist. As the years passed, Mercer’s health continued to deteriorate. By 1821, in an attempt to seek a cure, he traveled to Philadelphia to consult with doctors there, but in vain. John Francis Mercer died while in Philadelphia. He was interred in Philadelphia in a vault at St. Peter’s Church, but only temporarily. Later, his remains were carried back to Maryland, where he was re-interred on the grounds of his estate, Cedar Park. Governor Mercer was survived by his wife, Sophia Sprigg, who was upon her death also interred at Cedar Creek in close proximity to her family members, including her parents, Richard and Margaret Caile Sprigg, her grandparents, Thomas and Elizabeth Sprigg, and her great grandparents, Richard and Sophia Galloway. Governor Mercer was also survived by his daughter, Margaret Mercer, who spent her life in a quest to educate girls. Margaret died unmarried during 1846. Governor Mercer’s son John became a major in the U.S. Army and accompanied General Winfield Scott to Europe on a mission to examine the military fortifications there. Major John Mercer married Mary Scott Swann, the daughter of Thomas Swann of Alexandria, Virginia, and the sister of Governor Thomas Swann of Maryland.

Meredith, Brigadier General Samuel Samuel Meredith, the son of Reese and Martha Carpenter Meredith, was born in Philadelphia about 1740–1741. Reese and Martha had

three other children: John (died young); Anna (or Anne, married Colonel Henry Hill) and Elizabeth (married George Clymer). Reese, a native of England who was educated at Oxford, immigrated to the colonies after the death of his father, John Meredith, during 1729 and arrived in Philadelphia during February 1730. After settling in Philadelphia, he became employed in the counting house of John Carpenter, where he later became a partner. Reese had married his boss’ daughter, Martha, and upon the death of her father, he received control of the business. Samuel was born in the family mansion (2nd and Walnut Streets), initially built by his great-grandfather, Samuel Carpenter, one of the early colonists in the city. Samuel’s father had befriended George Washington while the latter was a young colonel in Philadelphia on a visit during 1755. Reese Meredith noticed Washington in a coffee shop and, aware that he was alone and a stranger, introduced himself and afterward invited George home for dinner. From that encounter, a strong friendship developed and the unknown stranger later became the commander-in-chief of the Continental Army. Reese became an affluent merchant in Philadelphia and his son Samuel received an excellent education at Doctor Robert Allison’s academy. Once he completed his studies, Samuel began to work in the family business. As Samuel moved into adulthood, he too became friends with Washington. In May 1772, Samuel married Margaret Cadwalader, the sister of Colonel (later brigadier general) John Cadwalader. Samuel and Margaret were married in the Friends Meeting House and the marriage was blessed by seven children: Martha, Elizabeth, Annie, Thomas (died young), Thomas (2), Margaret, and Maria. Prior to the American Revolution, Samuel Meredith served in the Pennsylvania legislature. During May 1774, he attended the meeting held in Philadelphia to discuss the actions of Parliament and the king. Shortly thereafter, on 18 June 1774, Meredith attended the meeting in Philadelphia when the call for a Continental Congress was proclaimed by John Dickinson and Thomas Willing. Afterward, Meredith became a delegate to the Provincial Congress that met in Independence Hall on 23 January and continued until the 28th. In April 1775, Meredith was present when huge numbers of citizens arrived at the state house and it was decided to form several defense battalions. The 3rd Battalion (Associators) was to be commanded by John Cadwalader with the rank of colonel. John Nixon was appointed lieutenant colonel. Thomas Mifflin became senior major and Samuel Meredith was appointed as second major. The battalion’s first activity under Colonel Cadwalader occurred during May 1775 when the unit (later known as the Silk Stockings Battalion) rode out to meet and escort the southern delegates that were en route to the Continental Congress. Shortly afterward, the battalion headed north to greet the delegates that were en route to the Congress from the eastern colonies. During July 1776, General Washington requested that the three battalions raised in Philadelphia be dispatched to Amboy. The battalions moved northward and remained in the vicinity of Amboy for about six weeks before returning to Philadelphia. Later that year, the three battalions were merged into one brigade, with Cadwalader (promoted to brigadier general of militia) in command. Meanwhile, Major Meredith participated in the campaigns in and around New York during 1776. In December, Meredith was appointed lieutenant colonel. He participated in the Battle of Trenton on 26 December 1776 and the Battle of Princeton on 3 January 1777. The brigade went into winter quarters at Morristown after the contest at Princeton, but during February returned to Philadelphia. During April 1777, on the 5th, Samuel Meredith was commissioned as a brigadier general (4th Brigade of militia). John Armstrong was appointed major general on 5 June, and during the following month James Irvine was appointed brigadier general. The four brigades under the command of Armstrong were: 1st, General Cadwalader; 2nd, James Potter; 3rd, Samuel Meredith and 4th, James Irvine. The British occu-

283 pied Philadelphia, curtailing Meredith’s activity; however, prior to taking the city, General Meredith participated in its defense at the Battle of Brandywine and the Battle of Germantown, the latter occurring during October 1777. General Meredith also committed much of his personal wealth to the cause, including a contribution of £10,000 (silver), an amount that was duplicated at the same time by George Clymer, a signer of the Declaration of Independence who married Elizabeth Meredith (March 1765), the sister of Samuel Meredith. George Clymer afterward went into business (Meredith and Sons) with his father-in-law and Samuel. In the meantime, Samuel’s father had become a staunch supporter of the Patriots’ cause, as did his son and son-in-law. In November 1765, the three partners each signed the Non-Importation Resolutions. Subsequent to the death of Reese Meredith during 1778, Samuel Meredith and George Clymer formed a new partnership (Meredith and Clymer), and that business continued until the partners dissolved it during 1782. Samuel was also the brother-in-law of General Philemon Dickinson who married Mary (Polly) Cadwalader, the sister of his wife, Margaret Cadwalader Meredith. General Meredith resigned from the service and was succeeded on the same day, 9 January 1778, by Colonel John Lacey, with his commission as brigadier general effective that day. General Meredith’s resignation was due in great part to the rapidly deteriorating health of his father and the absence of his partner and brother-in-law, George Clymer, from the family business. Nevertheless, General Meredith continued to remain loyal to the cause. He was elected to the state assembly as a delegate from Philadelphia on 6 November 1778 and he remained in that capacity until October 1779. Also in 1779, General Meredith, along with George Clymer and Colonel Henry Hill (also Samuel’s brother-in-law), provided funds to arm and equip a sloop, the Mariah, which carried a crew of twenty-five seamen and eight guns. Later, during November 1781, Meredith was again elected to the state assembly and held the position until October 1783. Later, General Meredith was elected to Congress and served 1786–1788. Subsequent to ratification of the U.S. Constitution (17 September 1787), President George Washington, on 9 August 1789, appointed General Meredith as surveyor of the port of Philadelphia, but he only retained the post for about six weeks. General Meredith was appointed as the first treasurer of the United States. At first, he resided in New York, just across from the presidential mansion, but by the following year, he was back in Philadelphia. During his last year in office, he resided in Washington, D. C., the newly established federal capital. It turned out to be a costly appointment for General Meredith, who loaned the new government $20,000, the first money acquired by the U.S. Treasury. While holding the position of treasurer he made another loan to the government, in the amount of $140,000. He retired from the post during 1801. During his terms as treasurer, the books balanced perfectly and “not a single discrepancy marred the accuracy of his accounts.” By the time he retired, General Meredith’s health had begun to fail and his personal financial condition had suffered greatly. He had served under three presidents, George Washington, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. After leaving public service, General Meredith lived out the remainder of his life at his vast estate, Belmont, which was spread over Clinton, Mount Pleasant and Preston Townships and encompassed about 22,000 acres in Wayne County, Pennsylvania. Meredith had acquired 75,000 acres in Wayne County and owned another 67,000 acres spread between Lackawanna, Luzerne and Wyoming Counties, also in Pennsylvania. Meredith and Clymer owned between 500,000 and 1,000,000 acres in Kentucky, New York, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. General Meredith died on Monday, 10 February 1817, at Belmont. His wife, Margaret, survived him and lived until 20 September 1820. Both were interred on the estate in the family cemetery. They had six

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surviving children. Their only son, Thomas, a lawyer, later served as a major during the War of 1812. Their daughter Martha married John Read and they became the parents of General John Meredith Read. Elizabeth died unmarried during 1824. General Meredith’s third daughter, Annie, married Samuel Dickenson. Margaret died unmarried in 1826 and Marie died unmarried during 1854. In addition to his military and political career, General Meredith was a director of the Bank of North America, established in conjunction with the wishes of Congress by a group including Robert Morris. He was also the President of the Welsh Society in Philadelphia, which was known as the “Royal Society of Ancient Britons.” In 1901, the state of Pennsylvania proposed a statue in memory of General Meredith for his services to the country, including his time as treasurer, but the proposal was opposed by a member of the legislature, William Stone, said that the state could not afford the cost and that it was uncertain whether Meredith was the first treasurer. According to the records of Pennsylvania, William Stone had a great propensity for voting against expenditures of any kind. Nonetheless, on 8 June 1904, about 103 years after his death, a monument in the memory of General Samuel Meredith was dedicated at Pleasant Mount in the vicinity of Honesdale. The remains of Samuel and his wife, Margaret, having been removed from their unmarked graves, were re-interred at the site. The event was marked by a large celebration that included a parade with bands and a contingent of the 13th Regiment (Spanish-American War veterans). The celebration was topped with the unveiling of the monument by Sarah Maria Meredith Graham, the granddaughter of General Meredith.

Middleton, Arthur (Signer of the Declaration of Independence) Arthur Middleton was born on 26 June 1742 in Charleston, South Carolina. Arthur’s parents, Henry and Mary (Baker Williams “Molly”) Middleton, lived on a plantation known as Middleton Place, composed of 200 acres on the Ashley River. The plantation was the dowry of Molly, the only child of John Williams. Henry Middleton eventually possessed several tracts of land on either side of the river and a series of plantations, as well as about 800 slaves. Henry and Molly had a total of twelve children. In addition to Arthur, they were Sarah, John, Henry (1746–1747), Henrietta (married Edward Rutledge), Williams, Thomas, Mary I (d. 1750), Esther (married Charles Drayton), Sarah (married Charles Coatesworth Pinckney), Mary II, and Susannah. Arthur’s father was a prominent citizen of the Lowlands (Charleston area) and like others there was referred to as one of the Rice Kings. Arthur, having been born into an affluent family, received many advantages, including the opportunity to receive a superior education in England. When he was about twelve, his parents sent him to London, where he attended school at Hackney for two years and from there transferred to the Westminster. At the latter, Arthur studied the Greek and Latin classics. He then advanced to Cambridge to complete his formal education. Arthur remained in England after his graduation from Cambridge and from there he traveled to southern Eu- Arthur Middleton (Biographical Sketches rope to lengthen his stay by of the Signers of the Declaration of Indeabout two years. He finally pendence, Benson J. Lossing, 1854)

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returned to South Carolina about 1764. While Arthur was in Europe, his mother succumbed (9 January 1761) and during the following year, his father remarried, taking Mary Henrietta Bull as his second wife. During his time in Europe, Arthur had been further polishing his skills. In Italy he spent some time in Rome and became more acquainted with the fine arts and became particularly interested in painting, but that did not diminish his love of music and poetry or his high interest in architecture. After his arrival back in America (1763), Arthur began to readjust to life in the South. During the following year, he married Mary, the daughter of Colonel Walter and Elizabeth Gibbs Izard. Colonel Izard was an officer of the South Carolina militia. Arthur was soon appointed justice of the peace and elected to the colonial assembly; however, after some years in South Carolina, Arthur and Mary, during 1768, traveled to England and remained in Europe until about 1771. Upon their return, the couple set up residence at Middleton Place, which Arthur received from his father. Arthur Middleton, despite spending a large part of his life in England, displayed no sentiments for the mother country through the tumultuous period that was unfolding. He was solidly placed within the Patriots’ wall of opposition against the Crown in South Carolina and intent on gaining independence. He was elected to the South Carolina assembly during 1772 and gained re-election during 1773. Arthur participated in the first and second South Carolina provincial assemblies during 1775 and 1776 and strongly opposed not only the Crown, but also the Loyalists in the colony. He advocated the seizure of the property of Loyalists that had departed the colony and was a proponent of tarring and feathering Loyalists. Middleton was also involved with the raid to seize the royal arms stored in Charleston to prevent the governor from using them against the Patriots. In the meantime, during 1774, his father had been elected as a delegate to the First Continental Congress, which convened in Philadelphia during September. During the latter part of the session, the president, Peyton Randolph, was compelled to return to Virginia. In his absence, Arthur’s father, Henry Middleton, was president for four days, however, during the following year, when the Second Continental Congress convened, Randolph was re-elected to the post. Henry continued to serve in the Second Continental Congress, while Arthur was appointed to the South Carolina Committee of Safety on the 14th of June. The committee had the responsibility of raising military forces to oppose the Loyalists. In contrast, the royal governor, Lord William Campbell, was focused on stamping out the rebel opposition with a swift overwhelming blow. While awaiting the arrival of British regulars, Campbell maintained a benign outward posture. Campbell’s ruse was spoiled when he inadvertently shared the intelligence of the imminent arrival of the Redcoats to Adam McDonald, a Patriot intentionally introduced to Governor Campbell as a Loyalist who was prepared to quash the rebels. Campbell urged patience and exclaimed that British troops were en route. In addition, the Patriots had previously learned of British intentions after letters from former governor Robert Eden were intercepted. The Patriots quickly learned of the master plan of the British and exposed Campbell. Meanwhile, the British fleet had anticipated a rendezvous with Loyalists in North Carolina, but the Americans eliminated the Loyalists (Scots Highlanders). Another fleet that was transporting General Lord Charles Cornwallis’ force from Ireland failed to show up. Consequently, the British fleet under Commodore Peter Parker, transporting Major General Henry Clinton’s force, sailed from Cape Fear toward Charleston during March 1776. At the time, the British under Parker and Clinton had chosen Charleston although in Virginia, Governor Dunmore had urged the British fleet to come to his aid. Nonetheless, the Patriots under General Charles Lee and Colonel William Moultrie handed the British an embarrassing defeat at Charleston during late June 1776, forestalling British plans in the South. Lord Campbell was wounded during the attack and Commodore Parker’s pants

caught fire. Parker sailed north and arrived at Sandy Hook on 31 July. In the meantime, the Patriots in South Carolina continued to form their government. During February 1776, Arthur Middleton was a member of the committee that drew up the blueprint for the state’s constitution. That year, Arthur was elected as a delegate to Congress to replace his father, Henry, the latter having been considered too conservative. Arthur’s stepmother, Mary Henrietta Bull Middleton, had succumbed on 1 March 1772 and his father, during January 1776, remarried a third time, taking Lady Mary Mackenzie, the daughter of George Mackenzie (3rd Earl of Cromartie), as his wife. Mary had been the widow of Thomas Drayton Clarke and of John Ainslie. After Arthur Middleton arrived in Philadelphia and took his seat in Congress, he did not often speak on the floor, but from his first day there, he strongly urged independence. During early July when the motion was on the floor, he voted “Yea.” Afterward, when the parchment document was completed, he — like the other men, who pledged their fortunes, sacred honor and lives — affixed his signature. While in Congress, Middleton became a close friend of John Hancock. Middleton departed Congress during the latter part of 1777 and returned to South Carolina. He declined re-election to Congress in 1778. During 1778, the South Carolina legislature elected Arthur governor of the state by secret ballot without his knowledge; however, he opposed the constitution, which he thought to be illegal and he declined the position. Rawlin Lowndes was elected in his place. Middleton was also elected to Congress during 1779 and 1780, but he did not attend. It is thought that his absence was due to the British threat in his state, where he served in the militia. Arthur, during 1779–1780, participated in the defense of South Carolina. He served in the field and with his brother-in-law, Governor Edward Rutledge, the latter having married Arthur’s sister Henrietta during 1774. Rutledge commanded an artillery contingent. While the British pressed to regain the colony, Middleton’s family sustained severe deprivations similar to those suffered by other South Carolinians. Middleton urged his family to move to a safer location north of Charleston at a friend’s residence. He was able to escape capture, but the British devastated Middleton’s property. The British also seized about 200 slaves from Middleton’s plantation. Nevertheless, when Charleston fell during 1780, he was among those captured. The British also captured two other signers, Thomas Heyward, Jr., and Edward Rutledge, at Charleston, but yet another, Lyman Hall of North Carolina, had departed Charleston prior to its fall. Middleton, Heyward and Rutledge were transported to St. Augustine and kept under barbaric conditions until released in a prisoner exchange during 1781. Following his release, Middleton returned to Philadelphia, was again elected to Congress and resumed his congressional duties, giving him the personal pleasure of being in Congress when the body was informed of General Cornwallis’ surrender at Yorktown during October 1781. After Charleston fell to the British, who in the process captured thousands of Americans in the worst setback of the war, Arthur’s father, Henry, renewed his allegiance to the Crown. Nevertheless, when the Americans finally prevailed, Henry’s property was not confiscated. Arthur was yet again re-elected to Congress during 1782 and also that year to the South Carolina assembly. He remained in Congress only until November due to his desire to return to South Carolina to attempt to salvage what was left of his property and possessions and to serve his home state. After returning to Charleston, Middleton did serve in the South Carolina legislature. In the fall of 1786, he was struck by fever and never fully recovered. On New Year’s Day 1787, Arthur Middleton succumbed at age 44. He was interred at Middleton Place. He was survived by his wife, Mary, two sons and six daughters. John, the Middletons’ third son, died in infancy (1783). The other children were Henry (b. 1770, married Mary Helen Hering, daughter of Julius Hering; Henry was late governor of South Carolina); Maria Henrietta (b. 1772, married Joseph Manigault);

285 Elisa Carolina (b. 1774, unmarried); Emma Philadelphia (b. 1776, married Henry Izard); Anne Louise (b. 1778, married Daniel Blake); Isabella Johannes (b. 1780, married Daniel Elliott Huger); Septima Sexta (b. 1783, married Henry Middleton Rutledge); and John Izard (b. 1785, married Eliza Augusta). Mary Izard Middleton lived until 1814.

Mifflin, Major General Thomas (Signer of the U.S. Constitution) Thomas Mifflin, the oldest son of John and Elizabeth Bagnall Mifflin, was born in Pennsylvania on 10 January 1744. His parents were affluent Quakers. Thomas received his education under the tutorship of the Reverend Caleb Smith and graduated from the College of Philadelphia (later University of Pennsylvania) during 1760 when he was about sixteen years old. Thomas afterward ventured into the mercantile business by working for William Coleman. He married his cousin, Sarah Morris, in 1765, the same year that the Stamp Act was enacted by the British Parliament. Thomas by that time had also entered into business as merchants with his brother, George, and his sentiments regarding the growing split between Britain and the colonies was firmly planted with the latter. Thomas, however, was not directly involved with politics at the time of his marriage. Nevertheless, he had become a member of the American Philosophic Society and through that association, he appeared to be drawn into politics. During 1772, Thomas Mifflin was elected to the Provisional Assembly. Before that, in 1769, he had been a member of the non-importation committee. During 1774 he was elected as a Pennsylvania delegate to the First Continental Congress along with Edward Biddle, Joseph Galloway, John Morton and Samuel Rhoads. Mifflin also was a delegate during the following year and while Congress was in session, following the clashes at Lexington and Concord, Mifflin is known to have stated on the floor: “Let us not be bold in declarations and afterward cold in action. Let not the patriotic feelings of today be forgotten tomorrow, nor let it be said of Philadelphia that she passed noble resolutions, slept upon them and afterward neglected them.” On 29 May 1775, Congress received a draft of a letter drawn up by John Jay to the people of Canada, which was approved. It said: “To the oppressed Inhabitants of Canada. Friends and countrymen, Alarmed by the designs of an arbitrary Ministry, to extirpate the Rights and liberties of all America, a sense of common danger conspired with the dictates of humanity, in urging us to call your attention, by our late address, to this very important object.” Mifflin and John Dickinson were charged with having the letter translated into French and printed, and afterward prepare the copies for shipment to Canada. Shortly afterward, Congress was informed that Major Philip Skene (commander at Ticonderoga and Crown Point) had been captured. Thomas Mifflin, John Adams and Silas Deane were appointed as a committee to investigate all the correspondence which Skene had been carrying. On 14 August, Mifflin, although not among the general officers selected on 16 or 22 June, was appointed quartermaster general with the rank of major and the pay grade of $80 per month by General George Washington. He retained the post until 7 June 1776. His entry into the Continental Army caused a problem due to the Quakers’ pacifism. Mifflin was read out of the Quaker Society. He was also appointed aide-de-camp to General Washington. While the Americans were in the process of tightening their hold on positions around Boston, some skirmishes developed, including a clash with a British foraging party on 9 November. Mifflin was a participant at Phipps Farm, also known as Lechmere Point, and the British attempt to seize cattle failed. Mifflin’s personal courage and heroism was noted during the incident and by the following month, he was promoted to the rank of colonel. In March of 1776 while at Boston during the final stages of the siege, on the 6th, Colonel Mifflin and his contingent prepared a surprise for the British. Mifflin’s troops packed a large num-

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ber of hogsheads (large casks) with sand and stones and set them at the tip of the slope, ready to be unleashed upon the Redcoats at the first signs of their ascent, but General William Howe cancelled the assault due to inclement weather and the sight of even more American defenses in the heights. The British instead began to prepare to evacuate the city, but with the Americans controlling the heights, the task of safely extricating about 10,000 troops was not expected to be effortless. The city was abandoned Thomas Mifflin (Pictorial Field Book on 17 March. of the Revolution, Benson J. Lossing, By the following month, 1860) Colonel Mifflin was in New York. On 4 April he informed the Committee of Safety that within ten days, about 12,000 troops would be in place to defend the city. Colonel Mifflin was promoted to the rank of brigadier general on 16 May, less than one month prior to the Declaration of Independence. After conferring with Generals Washington, Horatio Gates and Mifflin, Congress on 24 May resolved to instruct the commander in Canada to “contest every foot of the ground” and prevent the British from breaking through on the St. Lawrence River. On 7 June 1776, Stephen Moylan was appointed quartermaster general. He succeeded General Mifflin; however, Mifflin again resumed his position on 28 September, succeeding Moylan. He retained the post until 7 November 1777. Mifflin was a participant of the forces that were compelled to abandon Long Island during the summer of 1776 and commanded a contingent that covered the withdrawal. Afterward, General Mifflin was ordered to Philadelphia when the city was being threatened by the British. During December, he was called upon to dispatch reinforcements to General Washington, who was faced with the British advance upon Philadelphia. On 10 December Mifflin was ordered to move through the surrounding counties to gather militia to help defend the city. By that time, the British had forces in Trenton, New Jersey, less than fifty miles from Philadelphia. In the meantime, Washington pulled off a surprise attack and defeat of the British at Trenton on the morning of 26 December. Mifflin was part of the operation. On 3 January 1777, militia under General Mifflin panicked after receiving erroneous information that they were surrounded; the unit retreated during the Battle of Princeton. Nevertheless, the other forces maintained discipline and the British were vanquished. During the following month, on the 19th, Congress promoted Mifflin and four others to the rank of major general. General Mifflin was to remain in Philadelphia; however, on 4 June 1777, Congress directed him to move to join with General Washington. By autumn, General Mifflin, believing his health to be poor and that it was his duty to return to Congress their commissions of major general and quarter master general, submitted his resignation in a letter dated 8 October. Congress took the matter into consideration on 7 November 1777 and resolved “that General Mifflin’s resignation of his commission of quarter master general be accepted, but that his rank and commission of major general be continued to him, without the pay annexed to that office, until farther order of Congress.” That day, Congress appointed Mifflin and Colonels Timothy Pickering and Robert H. Harrison to the new Board of War. General Mifflin accepted. Meanwhile, there was a new optimism in Congress, following the surrender of General John Burgoyne’s army at Saratoga during the pre-

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vious month. On 8 November Congress resolved “that General Mifflin be desired, notwithstanding his resignation of quarter master general is accepted, to continue in the exercise of that office, and that he be invested with full powers to act until another quarter master general is appointed and enters upon the duties of the office.” While General George Washington had again forestalled disaster by preventing Burgoyne’s hook-up with General Henry Clinton, there was a growing insurgency within Congress and some general officers to oust Washington. General Mifflin, with the leverage of the Board of War, sided with those working to install General Horatio Gates in place of Washington. The incident, instigated by General Thomas Conway, was known as the Conway Cabal. The plot was foiled, beginning with General Alexander (Lord Stirling) handing a copy of a circulating letter (originally between General Conway and General Gates) to Washington. Patrick Henry and John Laurens also forwarded copies of the letter to Washington. Other staunch supporters, including Charles Carroll of Carrollton, aided in terminating the plot. Many years later, John Jay revealed some of the peculiar occurrences during that period. He stated at the time, when John Adams was close to death, that if the doors of Congress had been open, the plotters would not have attempted to “injure Washington with the Army and the people.” Nonetheless, Washington remained in command and General Conway resigned. On 12 January 1778, General Mifflin was one of three men appointed by Congress to travel and confer with Washington. On 2 March Congress received a progress report from the committee at camp with Washington, which included General Mifflin. With regard to the quartermaster department, Congress resolved “that the same be adopted, instead of that agreed on the 5 day of February and that there be one quarter master general, and two assistant quarter masters general.... That Major General Greene be appointed quarter master general [Greene succeeded Mifflin].” On 21 May 1778, Congress resolved “that Major General Mifflin have leave to join the army under the command of General Washington.” Mifflin was elected to the Pennsylvania state assembly in 1778. He again served in 1780 and was a strong opponent of the state constitution. Meanwhile, Congress began to look into the department of the quartermaster. On 11 June 1778 it resolved “that General Washington be directed to order an enquiry to be made into the conduct of Major General Mifflin, late quarter master general, and the other officers who acted under him in that department, and if it shall appear that the extraordinary deficiencies thereof, and the consequent distresses of the army, were chargeable to the misconduct of the said quarter master general, or any of the said officers, that a court martial be forthwith held on the delinquents.” On 23 January Congress acted on a committee report, and based on affidavits it appeared probable “that during the winter 1777, and the spring 1778, when the army was in the suffering state before mentioned, sundry brigades of waggons in the public service were sent to New Windsor, Newburg, Hartford, and Boston, with flour and iron on private accounts, and brought back private property; that it also appears probable from said affidavits, that the said flour and iron had been taken as for public use at the regulated prices then fixed by law; and that the waggons during such transportation, were subsisted at the different posts on the public forage; that Colonel Robert Lettis Hooper, then and now deputy quarter master general, appears to have been the principal director of the said waggons at that time.” An inquiry and court-martial was ordered by General Washington; however, the inquiry was not initiated. In February 1779, Congress received a new letter from General Mifflin, again requesting a response to his resignation request of the previous August. Congress accepted it. General Mifflin, after his separation from the service, continued his personal endeavors as a merchant and as an investor in privateering. He remained involved in the national government, including an appoint-

ment in 1780 as one of three commissioners who recommended the reorganization of the military staff departments. In 1782, Mifflin was returned to Congress, and during the following year, he was selected as president of the body from December 1783 through June 1784. Mifflin became speaker of the Pennsylvania general assembly in 1785, a position he retained until 1788, the year that he was elected president of the Pennsylvania Supreme Council, which was equivalent to being governor. He succeeded Benjamin Franklin. Mifflin had also participated as a member of the Constitutional Convention of 1787, though he took no key part in the proceedings and did not make any speeches. Nevertheless, he supported the United States Constitution and became one of the signers. Mifflin remained president of the Supreme Council until October 1790. During his terms the state was thrown into turbulence after the Whiskey Act, which created a furor in the western part of the state. Nonetheless, the disgruntled citizens’ insurrection was settled by a combination of Mifflin’s personal appearances and the threat of arms by militia and federal troops. He also handled the Fries Rebellion that erupted during 1798. During 1790, under the authority of the new state constitution, Thomas Mifflin ran for governor of Pennsylvania on the Federalist ticket and easily defeated General Arthur St. Clair by a landslide. He ran for two other terms against the same opponent, Frederick A. Muhlenberg, and was victorious both times, the latter election being won by a margin of about 30 to 1. Although Mifflin won on the Federalist ticket, he eventually moved Pennsylvania into a stronghold for the Jeffersonian Republicans (modern-day Democrats). During his terms of office, Governor Mifflin made great progress with expanding the roads within the state and greatly improved its penal code and other projects such as those associated with public works. During Mifflin’s final term, he had become overburdened by his lack of personal finances and the creditors, during 1799, aggressively sought payment. That year, having been succeeded as governor by Thomas McKean, Thomas Mifflin was elected to the state legislature. The former general and governor Thomas Mifflin had no heirs and was destitute when he succumbed on 20 January 1800. He was interred in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, at the cemetery of the Trinity Lutheran Church. Fort Mifflin, on the outskirts of Philadelphia in the vicinity of Philadelphia International Airport, was named in his honor. Mifflin County, established during September 1789, was also named in his honor. In addition to serving as a general and as governor of Pennsylvania, Thomas Mifflin also devoted time to other interests, including serving as a trustee of the College of Philadelphia (later, University of Pennsylvania).

Miles, Brigadier General Samuel Samuel Miles, the son of James and Hannah Pugh Miles, was born in Whitemarsh, Montgomery County, just outside of Philadelphia on 11 March 1740. Samuel’s grandparents had immigrated to America with William Penn. At about age sixteen, following the defeat of General Edward Braddock by the French outside Fort Duquesne, Samuel enlisted in a company commanded by Captain Isaac Wayne, the father of General Anthony Wayne. He participated in the operation under Wayne to subdue hostile Indians in Northampton. Samuel’s actions were noticed and passed on to the governor, who appointed him as an ensign during 1757. In the meantime, his enlistment expired during February 1756. Samuel Miles re-enlisted and served as a sergeant and served in a company commanded by Captain Thomas Lloyd. Miles remained in the service and began to advance in rank, moving from sergeant to lieutenant during the campaign to seize Fort Duquesne. He was wounded when the French and Indian allies launched an assault at Fort Ligonier. Nonetheless, the British prevailed. On 24 November 1758, the fort fell without a fight. The French garrison of about 500

287 troops abandoned it in the face of General John Forbes’ army, which had been closing against it. Fort Duquesne was entered on the 25th and renamed Fort Pitt. Miles participated during the remainder of the conflict. The French capitulated at Montreal on 8 September 1760. That year, Miles was promoted to the rank of captain and was named commander at Presque Isle (Erie, Pennsylvania). Although Miles served in the militia for the British, like many of the American officers, he displayed no sentiments that leaned toward Britain while the nation began to separate from the mother country. Miles was among the first in the region to support the colonies in the ongoing struggle against the policies of the king and Parliament. After returning from his military service during 1761, Samuel established a business as a wine merchant in Philadelphia. In addition, he married Catherine Wister (16 February 1761), the daughter of John and Anna Rubenkam Wister. Her father was a prosperous merchant and although he did not favor the marriage, he reconciled with Samuel after they married. Afterward, John put Samuel in business as a merchant in partnership with his son William. Samuel and William handled rum and wine, but they also carried other items, including sugar. The business prospered and Miles was becoming one of the prominent citizens of the city. During 1766, he was made one of the city’s wardens. Later, during 1772, he was elected to the general assembly. He served into 1773 and by the following year, 1774, when the colonies were beginning to drift from the mother country, Miles formed a militia unit and was elected as its colonel. That year, Miles was attended the Provincial Congress of 1775 as a member. Colonel Miles was again elected to the assembly in 1775, and he served into the next year during the critical time when Congress declared independence. In 1776, Colonel Miles was a member of the Committee of Safety and colonel of a Pennsylvania rifle regiment. Loyalists in Delaware were causing problems around that time. Delaware was then considered the Lower County of Pennsylvania. Colonel Miles’ regiment was dispatched to Sussex County to quash the insurrectionists. In conjunction, he relinquished his seat in the assembly. Following that duty, Colonel Miles’ regiment was accepted into federal service in time for his outfit as part of the Flying Camp, to expeditiously head to New York to bolster General George Washington at Long Island. Nevertheless, during the heated Battle of Long Island in August 1776, Colonel Miles was among the captured. During his captivity, he was promoted to brigadier general of Pennsylvania militia. General Miles was exchanged during April 1778, but his extended captivity cost him his rank. The assembly appointed another in his place. Unable to regain his rank as a brigadier, General Miles resigned. However, he remained loyal to the cause and served as auditor of accounts beginning in the latter part of 1778. Afterward, he was appointed deputy quartermaster general of Pennsylvania (1780), a post he retained until 1782. General Miles was appointed as a judge of the High Court of Errors and Appeals from 1781 to 1787. He also commanded the troops of cavalry that welcomed General Washington when he arrived in the city in 1787, and he was commander of the city troop during the grand parade at the spectacular Fourth of July celebration of 1788. In Samuel Miles (Annals of Miles Ances- addition, General Miles was appointed to the Supreme try, Charles Banes, 1895)

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Council during 1788. He served on the Philadelphia City Council in 1789, followed by his election as mayor of the city of Philadelphia during 1790, a position he held until he retired from public life in 1792. At that time, General Miles moved to his country estate just outside the city in Cheltenham Township (Montgomery County), where he lived out the remainder of his life. Despite his intent to enjoy his retirement, he was again elected to the assembly during 1805, but the task was too much for General Miles due to his health. He was struck with a recurring sickness after attending the opening session in October and shortly thereafter, he returned home. General Samuel Miles succumbed on 29 December 1805. He was interred in the cemetery of the First Baptist Church in Philadelphia. General Miles remained a fervent Baptist throughout his life, and each of his four sons became Baptist ministers. He penned his autobiography during 1803. General Miles belonged to several organizations, including serving as a Trustee of the University of the State of Pennsylvania (1786), and of Philadelphia College during 1789. During 1791, the two educational facilities merged to become the University of Pennsylvania; General Miles remained as a trustee until 1793. He and his wife, Catherine, had ten children. Two of those, Samuel and James, predeceased their father. The others were (in alphabetical order) Abigail, Charles, John, Joseph, Hannah, Mary, William, and Wister. His daughter, Hannah, married Joseph Borden McKean, the son of General (Governor) Thomas McKean. In 1772, General Miles acquired a large amount of land in Miles Township (Centre County), Pennsylvania, that encompassed about 9,000 acres; however, he never lived there. At the close of the American Revolution, General Miles leased the land to German farmers. Nevertheless, after the war, his sons, John and Joseph (later general), moved to Bald Eagle Valley in 1792.

Miller, Brigadier General Henry Henry Miller, the son of John Miller, was born in Manor Township, Lancaster County, on 13 February 1751. Henry’s father acquired land in Conestoga Manor and founded the town of Millersburg (later Millersville). Henry attended school in Lancaster and decided to pursue a career in law. He began to study law during 1769 in the law office of Collinson Reed at Reading, Pennsylvania. Afterward, Henry continued his studies under Samuel Johnson (prothonotary of York County). After finishing his studies and gaining admittance to the bar, on 26 June 1770, Henry married Ursula Rose, the daughter of Joseph Rose, who emigrated from Ireland. Henry and Ursula had six children, four daughters and two sons: Joseph (killed during War of 1812, serving in the U.S. Army); William (killed while serving in the U.S. Navy during the War of 1812); Capandana (married a Colonel Campbell); Mary (married Thomas Banning); Julia Anna (married David Watts, the son of General Frederick Watts of Carlisle); and Harriet (died unmarried). In 1772, Henry and Ursula relocated to York, where Henry soon became the collector of excise (tax collector), a position he retained for about two years. By that time, 1774, the colonies were under great pressure from Britain and the land was consumed with calls for independence. Henry was among those who supported the cause. Once word of the clashes at Lexington and Concord (April 19, 1775) arrived in York, the call for volunteers went out across the region. Henry was among the first to volunteer his service. On 14 June 1775, Congress called for companies and battalions to be raised to confront the British threat, and by the following month, independence was declared by that same Congress. Captain Michael Dondle raised a company of volunteers from York and the surrounding area, including the vicinity of Getty’s Tavern (later Gettysburg), a prominent gathering place of the period. Henry Miller was appointed as Captain Dondle’s senior lieutenant. The unit was afterward attached to Colonel (later brigadier general) William Thompson’s rifle regiment, which when filled out was com-

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posed of six Pennsylvania companies as well as two from Maryland and another two from Virginia. The regiment moved out heading north on 1 July and arrived in Cambridge on 25 July. One day later, the regiment was posted along the front lines of the American positions outside Boston. Several days later, two contingents, those of Captain Dondle and Lt. Miller, moved out on a reconnaissance mission after being informed of British activity in front of Bunker Hill. Trees had been cut down and defenses were being constructed. The Patriots, after dark on the 29th, attempted to encircle an enemy post on Charleston Neck, snagged some prisoners, and from them determined the British strategy. Dondle’s contingent advanced undetected to the rear of the outpost while Miller’s unit closed from the left. The mission got interrupted just prior to the linkup when a British contingent spotted Miller’s force. A tenacious skirmish occurred, but the Patriots did succeed in capturing two Redcoats. Shortly thereafter, Captain Dondle resigned as commander of the company. Lieutenant Miller was promoted to captain and assumed command of the company. The regiment (Yorktown Rifle) continued to participate in the siege of Boston and remained there until after the British abandoned the city on 17 March 1776. Meanwhile, the Continental Army was reorganized on 1 January 1776 and at that time, Captain Miller’s battalion was redesignated the 1st Pennsylvania Regiment. Colonel Edward Hand became its commander. The regiment, after its service at Boston, redeployed on Long Island. On the 22nd, the British, about 20,000 strong, initiated their landing on Long Island at New Utrecht. The operation unfolded under the protection of three warships. The Battle of Long Island ignited on the 27th. Despite the great odds, the Americans, although forced to retreat, fared well on the field and inflicted harsh punishment on the enemy. On the 31st, Captain Miller, whose company was posted to the left of the “great road below Brooklyn Church,” said in a letter to his wife that although his units “were brought into action by the great spirit which prevailed among the Pennsylvania, Maryland and lower country troops, the result of the battle could not be properly called a defeat.... We forced the enemy to retreat three different times from their advanced posts, and their loss was greater than our own.... The retreat was conducted in such a manner, as would do honor to the most experienced Generals and army in the world: for it entirely disconcerted the designs of the enemy to surround us. I had the honor to be in the rear guard, the Sun was up before I left the Island.” His assessment was shared by many other officers, and the battle casualties bear out their conclusions. The British claimed thousands were killed and have never adjusted their figures. Captain Miller participated during the retreat from New York and the Continental Army’s flight across New Jersey into Pennsylvania to evade the pursuing British forces. Miller’s company was assigned the responsibility of being the rear-guard during the retreat, and his riflemen were credited with doing a superb job of slowing the Redcoats. General James Wilkinson, who was on scene during the march into Pennsylvania, later noted: “Major Miller of Hand’s riflemen was ordered by General Washington to check the rapid movements of the enemy in pursuit of the American army, while retreating across the State of New Jersey. The order was so successfully executed and the advance of a powerful enemy so embarrassed that the American troops, which afterwards gained the Independence of their Country, were preserved from an overthrow, which would have proved the grave of our Liberties.” Later that year, Captain Miller participated in the Battle of Trenton (26 December 1776) and his contingent was part of the vanguard at the Battle of Princeton on 3 January 1777. On 12 March 1777, Captain Miller was promoted to the rank of major, back-dated to 28 September 1776. Afterward, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel of the 2nd Pennsylvania Regiment, effective 1 March 1777. Lt. Colonel Miller’s unit participated in the defense of Philadelphia, including

the Battle of Brandywine and the Battle of Germantown, the latter during October 1777. A few days after the fighting at Germantown, Major Miller wrote to his wife and described how the Americans had achieved victory, then due to fog and confusion, the complete victory slipped away, but he noted: “Our army is in higher spirits than ever, being convinced from the first officer to the soldier, that our quitting the field must be ascribed to other causes than the force of the enemy: for even they acknowledged that we fled from victory. We hope to meet them soon again, and, with the assistance of Providence, to restore our suffering citizens to their possessions and homes.” After the battle, there was some skirmishing, but the British moved back into Philadelphia and General George Washington established winter quarters for the Continental Army at Valley Forge. During June of the following year, the British, unable to dominate the Delaware River in its entirety, were compelled to abandon the city. On the 28th, the American army intercepted the retreating columns at Monmouth and a conflagration ensued. During the day’s tenacious contest, Lt. Colonel Miller was in the forefront of the fighting. At day’s end, while the army was preparing to finish the encounter on the following day, the British reinitiated their retreat. Colonel Miller, shortly after the battle, in a letter to his wife penned on 4 July, stated: “I had the misfortune of having two horses killed under me during the action; the first by a cannon and the second by a musket ball. The return of the dead and buried of the enemy is 308; their wounded must be at least 600 or 700. This evening a ‘feu de joy’ will be fired by the whole army in commemoration of the anniversary of our independence.” The Battle of Monmouth was the final major confrontation in the northern states. Later that year, on 21 November, Colonel Miller dispatched a letter to General Washington that included his resignation due to family affairs. By that time, Miller’s family had sunk into near poverty due to his absence for more than three years. Later, during October 1780, Colonel Miller was elected high sheriff of York County, a post he retained for three years. During 1783, Colonel Miller was elected to the assembly and he remained in that body for two terms, then was returned to the assembly in 1785. Following his term (1785), Colonel Miller was appointed as prothonotary of the Court of Common Pleas. Later, during August 1786, he was commissioned as a judge of the York County courts. Subsequently, Colonel Miller was elected as a delegate to the state constitutional convention that convened during 1789–1790. While Colonel Miller had become adjusted to life as a civilian, trouble broke out with the Indians in the Northwest Territory. Forces under Josiah Harmar and Arthur St. Clair had sustained devastating defeats. Afterward, Miller rejoined the military as brigadier general in command of the 1st Brigade (York and Lancaster militia) attached to the 2nd Division, commanded by his former commander during the Revolution, General Hand. Subsequently, he was appointed quartermaster general during the Whiskey Rebellion in western Pennsylvania. After the rebellion was quashed, he returned home and was appointed as revenue supervisor for the District of Pennsylvania. Nevertheless, as a Federalist, Colonel Miller was unwanted by the Democratic-Republicans (present-day Democrats), and upon the election of Thomas Jefferson, Miller was ousted and succeeded by one favored by Jefferson, General Peter Muhlenberg. General Miller moved his family to Baltimore during 1801 and established a lucrative business which flourished until 1807, when Congress enacted the Embargo Law that strangled commercial and shipping enterprises across the nation. General Miller, however remained in the area and when the continued tension with Britain erupted into the War of 1812, he accepted a Maryland commission as brigadier general and assumed responsibility for the defenses of Fort McHenry. The British invaded and sacked Washington, D.C., but Fort McHenry repulsed the attack. Francis Scott Key, offshore during the bombardment, was inspired to write the “Star Spangled Banner.” At the time Key penned the poem, the piece had no title and the original written

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document remained in obscurity for about sixty years. The poem did not become the national anthem until 3 March 1931. Subsequent to the close of hostilities, during 1818, General Miller left Baltimore and retired once again to private life on a farm that was located where the Susquehanna and Juniata Rivers converged. Turbulence developed later when the British again appeared near Baltimore, but his recall to duty lasted only a short while as he accompanied Pennsylvania regiments as quartermaster general to deal with the crisis. In 1821, Pennsylvania Governor Joseph Hiester, a brigadier general during the Revolution, appointed General Miller as prothonotary of the Perry County Courts during 1821. When his term expired, he returned to his residence at Carlisle where he lived in retirement. Henry Miller succumbed on 6 April 1824. His wife Ursula had died the previous year.

to the General Assembly for about nine years as a representative of Warren County. During 1786, General Miller was elected to the U.S. Congress. He was seated on 14 July 1786. During May, he was elected to serve a new term during November; however, neither General Miller nor the other congressman elected, George Champlin, ever traveled to be seated. The general was easily recognized due to his portly physique as described by Edward Field in his work of 1899, The Diary of Colonel Israel Angell: “The personal appearance of General Miller was very striking, owing to his remarkable size. His weight was above three hundred pounds. His boots were said to have held a bushel of corn apiece, while four boys were easily buttoned into his vest.” General Nathan Miller died on 20 March 1790. His wife, Rebecca, survived him and succumbed on 21 August 1817.

Miller, Brigadier General Nathan

Monroe, James

Nathan Miller, the son of Colonel Nathan and Patience Turner Miller, was born in Swansea (later Warren), Rhode Island, on 20 March 1743. Nathan’s paternal grandfather, Samuel Miller, was among the initial settlers in Swansea to establish a ship building business. In addition, Samuel acquired vast tracts of land. The Millers as a family were aligned with the Patriots’ cause as relations with Britain began to deteriorate. When the war exploded upon the scene, Nathan and his brother William Turner Miller entered the service to defend the nation against the British. In the meantime, during January 1764, Nathan married Rebecca (Rebekah) Barton, daughter of Samuel and Lillis Turner Barton. Rebecca was also Nathan’s cousin. Nathan and Rebecca had two children: Caleb (died young), and Abigail (married Chris Wheaton). During October 1775, the Rhode Island General Assembly appointed Nathan Miller as commissary to the troops under Brigadier General Esek Hopkins (later Commodore Hopkins). Miller became a recruiting officer in 1777, then during the following year, he along with a small group of others financed a privateer, the General Stark. The life span of the General Stark was rather short, but it did seize two prizes before being captured by the Royal Navy. In 1778, General Miller was appointed to the Rhode Island Board of War. He participated in the campaign of General John Sullivan, including the Battle of Rhode Island (late August 1778), when the Patriots, lacking expected support from a French fleet, were compelled to abandon the siege of Newport and retire to the mainland. Later, on 5 May 1779, the General Assembly enacted legislation that merged the militia of several towns into brigades. General James M. Varnum was appointed major general of the force and Nathan Miller was appointed brigadier general of the Newport County militia. After the British abandoned Newport, the French began to arrive there during July 1780. General Miller, a descendant of Huguenots, became quite friendly with the various French commanders and his estate was a frequent visiting place. General Lafayette, after he established positions at Warren, also became a close friend of Miller. Miller and Comte de Rochambeau exchanged swords, and the one (a rapier) received from Rochambeau was handed down through the Miller family. On 26 February 1781, the assembly took steps to fill the void in Newport with the imminent departure of the French. The assembly directed that 1,200 militia, to be commanded by General Miller, be called to duty for a period of one month. The combination of military and political responsibilities weighed heavily on General Miller, and the burden was becoming too great, prompting him to hand in his resignation (1781) and retire to resume his private life. His resignation was not well received by the general assembly. The body persuaded Miller to assume command of a vessel (flag-of-truce), the Nancy, and to sail to New York to negotiate a prisoner exchange with the British. Although General Miller’s service in the field seems to have terminated, he remained active and served on various committees. He was a deputy

James Monroe, the son of Spence and Eliza Jones Monroe, was born in Westmoreland County, Virginia, on 28 April 1758 on the family estate located where Monroe Creek flows into the Potomac River. James entered William and Mary College during 1774, but the following year, he joined the military subsequent to the clashes at Lexington and Concord on 19 April 1775. James was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the 3rd Virginia Regiment. The next year he participated in the New York campaigns and was with General George Washington during the retreat through New Jersey when British General William Howe was attempting to vanquish the Continental Army. That same year, James Monroe was promoted to the rank of first lieutenant. He was wounded during the Battle of Trenton on 26 December. He also participated in the defense of Philadelphia, including the Battle of Brandywine in September and the Battle of Germantown in October. On 20 November 1777, Monroe was promoted to the rank of major and assigned to the staff of General William Alexander (Lord Stirling). He remained in the Continental Army until December 1778 and participated in the Battle of Monmouth during June 1778. After he resigned, James returned to Virginia where he later, during 1780, studied law under Thomas Jefferson. During 1782, Monroe was elected to the assembly and was appointed to the Executive Council. By the following year, he entered national politics when he was elected to Congress, where he remained until 1786. That year, James married Eliza Kortwright, the daughter of Lawrence Kortwright. He met her while attending sessions of Congress in New York. James and Eliza had two children, Eliza (married Judge George Hay), and Maria (married Samuel L. Gouverneur). James and Eliza settled in Fredericksburg, where James established his law practice. James Monroe was again elected to the Virginia Assembly during 1787; however, he was not a delegate to the Constitutional Convention that year in Philadelphia. The following year, he was a delegate to the Virginia ratification convention. Monroe sided with those who raised opposition to ratification, but his allies did not prevail. The U.S. Constitution was ratified by Virginia on 25 June to become the tenth state to join the union. The new Congress convened in early March 1789, and then on 30 April, General George Washington was inaugurated as the first president of the United States. James Monroe had been elected as one of the initial senators from Virginia. He was in office when President Washington was inaugurated. Monroe remained in the Senate until he was appointed minister to France during 1794 as successor to Gouverneur Morris. Later, during 1796, Monroe was recalled by President Washington. After returning to America, Monroe resumed his law practice, but two yeas later he returned to public life when he was elected governor of Virginia; he retained that post for three years. After his term ended, his friend and ally, President Thomas Jefferson, appointed Monroe and Gouverneur Morris as special envoys to the French Court, which at the

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time was under the domination of Napoleon. While working with Gouverneur Morris, the pair negotiated with Napoleon for the acquisition of Louisiana, which Napoleon was prepared to sell to the United States to ensure that it would not be gained by Britain. Following the conclusion of his diplomatic mission in France, Monroe moved to Spain and worked with Charles Pinckney in negotiations with Spain regarding boundary conflicts. Prior to returning to the United States, Monroe was in England again working with Pinckney to consummate a treaty. The pair succeeded, but the treaty was declined by Congress. After his return, Monroe was elected governor of Virginia during 1811, at a time when the United States and Britain were on a collision course. By that time, President James Madison had been in office for about two years, and like his predecessor, Thomas Jefferson, Madison was a Democratic-Republican and an ally and friend of James Monroe. President Madison named Monroe secretary of state and concurrently for a period of time (27 September 1814 to 2 March 1815) he was also secretary of war. In 1815, Monroe was again named secretary of state, and he retained the post until 1817, when he became president of the United States (4 March 1817 to 4 March 1825). During Monroe’s two terms as president, the United States still faced problems with hostile Seminole Indians in Florida who were incited by the British and the Spanish. And during his initial year, he also had to deal with pirates operating in Florida, but by May of 1818, General Andrew Jackson seized the Spanish garrison at Pensacola to terminate that Indian war. Afterward General Jackson deported the Spanish to Havana, Cuba. Other expeditions against the Seminoles would be launched, but the Seminoles never signed a peace treaty with the United States. Although progress was made against the pirates, the U.S. Navy did not totally terminate the problem until about the time the Civil War erupted. President Monroe was succeeded by President John Quincy Adams, the son of John Adams, during 1825. After completing his term as president, James Monroe again returned to his home. Of his accomplishments, President Monroe is remembered mostly because of the Monroe Doctrine which he issued on 2 December 1823. It said, in part: “The American Continents by the free and independent condition which they have assumed, are henceforth not to be considered as subject for future colonization by any foreign Power.” On the Fourth of July 1826, the nation lost two of its prominent leaders, John Adams (father of President John Quincy Adams), and Thomas Jefferson, the second and third presidents respectively. The date was the fiftieth anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. After the death of his wife, Eliza, President Monroe departed Virginia and relocated in New York, where he lived with his daughter, Maria, who had married Samuel L. Gouverneur. President James Monroe died there on the Fourth of July 1831.

Montgomery, Major General Richard Richard Montgomery was born to Thomas and Mary Franklin Montgomery in the vicinity of Raphoe County, Donegal, Ireland, on 2 December 1736. Richard’s father represented Lifford in the British Parliament. Richard was afforded an excellent education, including attendance and graduation from Trinity College in Dublin. Richard then became an ensign in the 17th Regiment of Foot during August of 1756, while the Seven Years’ War (called the French and Indian War in North America) was ongoing. His unit participated in the successful siege of Louisbourg during 1758 and at the Battle of Quebec during September 1759. Richard Montgomery was promoted to lieutenant during the 1758 campaign. After that war, Montgomery participated in the hostilities with Spain when the British expeditionary force seized Havana, Cuba. In 1773, Montgomery sailed for the American colonies and settled in King’s Bridge (Westchester County), New York, during 1773. Also that year he married Janet Livingston, the daughter of Robert and

Margaret Livingston of New York. By that time, the crisis in the colonies due to the taxation policies of the king and Parliament had pushed the Americans to a point from which the cries of independence were becoming more frequent, yet simultaneously, many continued to believe that reconciliation was possible. Following the battles at Lexington and Concord in April 1775, war seemed inevitable. Montgomery had been a participant at the New York Provincial Congress Richard Montgomery (Pictorial Field during 1775, before he en- Book of the Revolution, Benson J. Losstered the Continental Army. ing, 1860) On 16 June, Congress selected two major generals and agreed to appoint brigadier generals. By the 19th, two additional major generals were added and that action was followed on the 22nd with the appointment of eight brigadiers. Montgomery had been appointed as the second brigadier. Of the general officers, only three were not born in America: Richard Montgomery, Horatio Gates (England) and Charles Lee (Wales). Soon after the appointments were made, Montgomery and David Wooster were assigned to the Northern Department under Major General Philip Schuyler. Montgomery departed for Saratoga to confer with General Schuyler. In Saratoga he said goodbye to his wife, with comforting words that she would not be disappointed in him. Meanwhile, plans for an invasion of Canada were underway. General Montgomery, second in command to General Schuyler, was to depart Fort Ticonderoga, which had been seized by Benedict Arnold during the previous May (10th). Montgomery’s force acted as vanguard and was to later join with Schuyler at Montreal. Ticonderoga had given the Americans strategic positioning between Lake George and Lake Champlain. Intelligence received during late July indicated that Sir Guy Carleton was planning to launch an invasion, and the Americans sought to seize Montreal and Quebec to destroy Carleton’s chances of invading the colonies. The overall plan calculated that Canadians, equally dismayed with Britain, would join the Americans’ attempt to compel the British to abandon Canada. Montgomery, commanding about 1,200 troops, left Crown Point aboard two gondolas, the Hancock and Schuyler, supported by armed a group of bateaux and armed rowboats. The force proceeded to St. John’s, initiated a siege and during September compelled Carleton to abandon his positions and retire to Quebec City, giving the Americans domination of St. John’s by the early part of November. Montgomery was also bolstered by rangers under Major Timothy Bedell, the Green Mountain Boys of Vermont under Seth Warner, and a contingent of French Canadians who had thrown their allegiance to the American cause. Another contingent, artillerymen from New York under Colonel Lamb, also arrived, bringing Montgomery’s army to a strength of about 2,000 troops. The Americans established obstacles on the Richelieu River to block the HMS Royal Passage from entering Lake Champlain. Montgomery dispatched a contingent under Major John Brown to seize the fort at Chambly, while he led the main body toward St. John’s. Fort Chambly, defended by a diminutive force, held for some time, but was forced to capitulate on 18 October. Meanwhile, on 25 September, the campaign sustained the loss of Ethan Allen when his contingent separated after meeting up with Major Brown. Allen was captured. Despite the hardships of the campaign, progress continued, and on 13 November, Montgomery’s forces se-

291 cured Montreal. After word of the seizure of Montreal reached Congress, Montgomery, on 9 December, was promoted to the rank of major general. By the time Montreal fell, the American force had been diminished greatly due to sickness and exhaustion. When Montgomery departed Montreal intending to join with another force under Benedict Arnold at Quebec City, his force numbered only several hundred men, with the remainder holding Montreal. Arnold’s contingent left Massachusetts on 18 September. General Schuyler, who had become ill, returned to Ticonderoga after transferring command to Richard Montgomery. By the latter part of October due to sickness and shortages of supplies, Arnold lost part of his force, which returned to Massachusetts. The remaining force, numbering fewer than 700, reached the St. Laurence River on 9 November, but the hook-up between Arnold and Montgomery did not occur until 1 December. By that time, both forces had been depleted and exhausted due in great part to sickness and the nasty elements. On 21 September, Montgomery informed Congress of his desperate need of winter clothing and money was insufficient to support his force. Many of the troops were nearing the end of their enlistments, one month distant. The siege at Quebec City did little harm to the British, who remained secure within the walled city and showed no signs of moving out to engage the Americans on the Plains of Abraham. The American artillery proved futile against the thick walls. Montgomery, having served with the British army during the French and Indian War, had been familiar with the terrain in Canada, and having been at Quebec City when Marquis de Montcalm and Major General James Wolfe were both slain, was confident that General Carleton, who had been quartermaster general for General Montcalm, would not venture onto the Plains of Abraham to engage the Americans. That conclusion left Montgomery with several options, including a siege, but the ground had been too frozen to construct trenches. It was decided during a war council toward the end of December that an assault had to be launched. The decision to storm the fort included the knowledge that the expected revolt of Canadians would not occur. It was thought that not to attack would surely cause the remnant army to perish. The Americans struck prior to dawn on 31 December during a snow storm, but the city held, and as anticipated, Carleton did not leave the fortress. Initially, despite the frigid conditions, the advance went well and the Americans took their first objective. From there, Montgomery, peering at the palisades, the next obstacle, pointed to the objective with his sword, exclaiming: “Men of New York. You will not fear to follow, where your General leads-march on.” With Montgomery in the front of the column, the British laid down a line of fire that cut heavily into the line. Montgomery was one of the first to be hit and slain. Two of his aides, Captains John MacPherson (New York) and Jacob Cheesman (Pennsylvania Rifles), also were killed. The bodies of all three men were recovered along the side of the iced over river on the following morning. Just after Montgomery fell, a contingent led by Captain Hendricks of the Pennsylvania Rifles charged to aid the wounded general, but Hendricks was also cut down. Hendricks had been assigned guard duty for that day, but he requested permission to accompany the attack force. By that time, the Americans were close to victory; however, upon the death of Montgomery, the confidence and spirit of the survivors had been lost. Colonel Arnold was severely wounded, but in addition to heavy losses sustained by the Americans, General Montgomery was mortally wounded. The British, despite their small numbers, were able to await reinforcements, which arrived during spring 1776. Subsequent to the arrival of the fresh British troops, the Americans withdrew with British General John Burgoyne’s fresh troops in pursuit. The corpse of Montgomery was initially mixed with other American casualties, but Governor Guy Carleton was persuaded by his future wife to provide Montgomery with a coffin and proper burial. After word of General Montgomery’s death reached Congress, it di-

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rected that a marble monument in his honor be erected on the grounds of St. Paul’s Church in New York City. It was inscribed: “This Monument Was erected by order of Congress, 25th January 1776, to transmit to posterity, A grateful remembrance of the Patriotism, conduct, enterprize, and Perseverance, of Major General Richard Montgomery; Who, after a series of success, Amidst the most discouraging difficulties, Fell in the attack On Quebec, 31st December 1775, Aged 38 years.” The remains of General Montgomery were extricated in 1818 and transported to New York City, where he was re-interred on the grounds of St. Paul’s Church. An escort was dispatched to Canada to retrieve his remains. Montgomery’s original coffin remained intact. However, there was nothing inscribed on the plate. The skull was also perfect, except for his jaw, which had been shattered when he was fatally wounded at Quebec. When the escort party arrived at Troy, New York, the original casket was placed inside of a new mahogany casket. The State of New York had a silver plate engraved for its cover. The inscription: “The State of New York, in honour of General Richard Montgomery, Who fell gloriously fighting for the INDEPENDENCE AND LIBERTY OF THE UNITED STATES, Before the walls of Quebec, the 31st day of December 1775, caused these remains Of this distinguished Hero, to Be conveyed from Quebec, And deposited on the eighth day of July 1818, In St. Pauls’ Church in the city of New York, near the monument Erected to his memory, BY THE UNITED STATES.” Janet Montgomery, Richard’s widow, relocated after his death and survived him until 1827.

Moore, Major General Andrew Andrew Moore, the son of John Moore, was born in Augusta (later Cannicello), Virginia (Augusta County, later Rockbridge County), during 1752. Andrew, while rather young, was aboard a vessel en route to the West Indies that was shipwrecked. Andrew and others escaped death and found safety on an island, where they are reported to have survived by eating lizards (probably iguanas). After several weeks, they were rescued and safely returned to America. Andrew pursued a career in law and was admitted to the bar during 1774. He completed his studies at Augusta Academy (later Washington and Lee University, renamed subsequent to the death of one of its presidents, Robert E. Lee) in Lexington, Virginia. As a lawyer, Andrew Moore prospered, but the clouds of war continued to gather over the colonies. Moore first entered the militia during 1776 when he was appointed a lieutenant. After receiving his commission, Moore recruited about one hundred men. He first served in a company commanded by Captain John Hays (Daniel Morgan’s Rifle Regiment) and afterward commanded a company in the same regiment. Captain Moore participated in several campaigns, including that which brought about the surrender of General John Burgoyne’s army at Saratoga during October 1777. Captain Moore resigned from the Continental Army during 1779. After his resignation, his military record becomes unclear. Some sources, nineteenth century and modern, note that Captain Moore after his resignation was appointed a brigadier general of militia, yet during 1781 (Yorktown Campaign), Andrew Moore is known to have participated with the rank of captain. His older brother, William, a veteran of the French and Indian War, also participated in the Yorktown Campaign. A contingent led by Captain Andrew Moore departed Red House for Norfolk during January 1781 to bolster other Virginia forces that were converging to intercept a British force under Benedict Arnold. The militia under Moore was apparently under a three-month enlistment. Following the operation, it appears that Captain Moore’s military service during the Revolution ended. Captain Moore’s lieutenant was John McClung. Other units that responded to the threat included companies under Colonel John Bowyer and Captains Samuel Wallace, John Cunningham, William Moore and James Buchanan.

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Skirmishes occurred at Great Bridge, Gunn Bridge and other locations. In the meantime, General Washington was pulling out of the north to deal with British General Lord Cornwallis (Yorktown Campaign). That same year, 1781, Captain Moore was elected to the state legislature and he remained in that body until 1788, except for one year (1784). Regarding his rank, Andrew Moore, John Bower, William Alexander, and Arthur and Alexander Campbell were among the initial trustees of Augusta Academy (later Washington and Lee University) when it reopened at Mulberry Hill (vicinity of Lexington) during 1782, but the academy reopened as an undenominational institution, separated from the Presbytery. At that time, Andrew Moore and John Bower were referred to as generals, the only two trustees with that title; however, no documentation verifies and specific time of a commission. General Moore attended the first board of trustees meeting on 30 January 1783. The academy was beset with problems, including destruction by fire. The name was eventually changed to Washington Academy (1798) and afterward Washington College (1812) before finally being renamed Washington and Lee University. General Andrew Moore played a key part in its establishment of. In 1778, he was a delegate to the state convention that ratified the United States Constitution on 25 June at Richmond to become the 10th state in the union. Moore’s vote to ratify was against the instructions given to the delegates. The next year, General Moore was elected to the U.S. Congress; he served from 4 March 1789 until 3 March 1797. Moore served in the state House of Delegates from 1799 until 1800. He held a term in the Senate from 1800 to 1801. Later, during 1804, General Moore was again elected to Congress. That year he became the first person residing west of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia to be elected to the U.S. senate. The dual role unfolded when he was appointed on 5 March 1804 to fill out a vacancy in a term that began back in March 1799. He succeeded Wilson C. Nicholas, who resigned. On 4 December General Moore was elected to serve out the remainder of Abraham B. Venable’s term due to the latter’s resignation. He remained a senator until 1809, the year he was commissioned a major general in the Virginia militia. The following year he was appointed as a United States marshal and held the post until his death on 14 April 1821. General Moore had married Sarah Reid, the daughter of Andrew and Magdalen McDowell Reid. Sarah’s mother had a twin sister named Sarah, but she died soon after marrying a Presbyterian minister, Caleb Wallace. General Moore and Sarah had two sons and five daughters, but the names of their daughters were unavailable. Their sons were Samuel McDowell Moore (married Evalina Alexander, daughter of Andrew Alexander) and David E. Moore (married Elizabeth Harvey). Of the five daughters, it is known that one married into the McCampbell family, and their second and third daughters each married into the Venable family. A fourth daughter married Judge Abraham Smith and their fifth daughter married Major John Alexander. General Andrew Moore was interred at Lexington Cemetery (later Stonewall Jackson Memorial Cemetery).

Moore, Brigadier General James James Moore, the son of Colonel Maurice Moore and his second wife, Elizabeth Porter Moore, was born during 1737 in Brunswick County, North Carolina, on his parents’ plantation, known as Rock Point. James’ grandfather, James Moore, had been governor of South Carolina during the early 1700s. James’ father, Maurice, had played a key part in the military prior to and after the birth of James. James’ father and his two brothers, Nathaniel and Roger, established Brunswick Town, North Carolina, along the Cape Fear River. Maurice initially married Elizabeth Lillington, the daughter of Major Alexander Lillington and the widow of Colonel John Fendall and Samuel Swann.

Maurice and Elizabeth had four daughters, Margaret (married Thomas Jones), Mary (married her cousin John Porter and then her cousin, Maurice Moore, son of her uncle Nathaniel Moore), Elizabeth (married a Mr. Brown and afterward, George Minot), and Ann (mentioned in his last will and testament). Following the death of Elizabeth, Maurice married Elizabeth Porter, the daughter of John Porter. From that marriage, in addition to James, two other children were born, Maurice (judge) and Rebecca. James Moore as a young man participated in the French and Indian War and for a time was placed in command of Fort Johnston, located at the mouth of the Cape Fear River at Smithville (named in honor of Governor Benjamin Smith, changed to Southport in 1887). Fort Johnston was one of three forts authorized by the North Carolina legislature during 1748 and one of the two forts that were actually built, he other being Fort Granville. During 1754, Fort Johnston was reconstructed in the shape of a star. Governor Arthur Dobbs named James Moore as captain and placed him in charge of the fort. Captain Moore also participated in an expedition that sent his command to defend South Carolina. Later, during 1764, Captain Moore became a member of the provincial legislature. In 1769 and 1770, he represented New Hanover. In the meantime, he had also been appointed by Governor William Tryon as a colonel of artillery in 1768, during a period of turbulence caused by a group known as the Regulators. The group was formed to oppose high taxes; however, members modified their plans and began to include violence as a method of resistance. The incident ended without violence; however, during 1771, again the governor faced problems with the Regulators, prompting him to once again place Moore in command of the artillery. Colonel Moore participated in the Battle of Alamance, in which Governor Tryon commanded the forces that quashed the insurrection. Despite Moore’s participation in support of the royal governor, he was firmly in the camp of the Patriots in opposition to the oppressive polices of the king and Parliament that had been pressed upon the colonies. During the period when the colonists were pondering independence and reconciliation, Britain ordered the port of Boston to be sealed. When word of the drastic action reached North Carolina, it sparked an immediate reaction among the Patriots in the Cape Fear region. The word spread that a meeting to deal with the crisis had been set for 21 July 1774 in Wilmington. William Hooper (later a signer Declaration of Independence) chaired the meeting, which included James Moore, Samuel Ashe and Robert Howe. Those attending called for another meeting on 20 August that would include deputies from each county. From the second gathering, representatives to the initial North Carolina assembly were elected on 25 August 1774 at New Bern. Afterward, a committee of safety was formed and James Moore became one of its members. In August 1775, a third provincial congress convened and it was ordered that two continental regiments be established. Moore became colonel of the 1st North Carolina Continental Regiment, after garnering one more vote than his brother-in-law, John Ashe (married to James’ sister, Rebecca). By that time, the Patriots had taken other action to dominate in North Carolina. Fort Johnston had been burned and the royal governor, Josiah Martin, had fled to a British warship, from where he was coordinating with the British to terminate the insurrection and maintain control of the Carolinas. A master plan had been put together calling for the Loyalists (Highlanders) to march from the interior to the sea to meet an approaching British fleet that was transporting a force commanded by Sir Henry Clinton. On 10 January 1776, Governor Martin directed his Loyalist commander, General Donald MacDonald, to initiate the march to the coast. Martin and Clinton had not anticipated any major interruptions, particularly with some of the king’s finest colonial warriors, the Highlanders. It was expected that any rebel opposition encountered would effortlessly be rolled over.

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293 Meanwhile, Colonel Moore concentrated his efforts on victory and dismembering the formidable Highlanders. He established his defenses at Moore’s Creek Bridge (Widow Moore’s Creek Bridge) in the vicinity of Wilmington. By 26 February the Loyalist force, while moving through the swamps en route to the coast, discovered that their path was blocked by about 1,000 Patriots. The Loyalist commander, General MacDonald, cautioned against a further advance, but he was overruled. He relinquished command to the younger officers and an attack to demolish the obstacle was planned for the following day under the command of Lt. Colonel Donald McCleod. Only about one-third of McCleod’s force of about 1,500 carried arms. Prior to dawn on the 27th, at about 0100, the British unfolded their surprise attack against Moore’s positions, only to discover that they were assaulting empty positions. The Patriots, however, had not fled. Instead, they greased the bridge with soap and the fat from livestock and methodically removed parts of the bridge’s planks, creating a dangerous crossing point during darkness. Meanwhile, the guns of the Patriots had been concealed on the opposite bank, awaiting the charge. The British made it to the opposite bank and became more confident when they encountered no fire. Then suddenly the sounds of the Highlanders’ pipes were drowned out with one horrific barrage from extremely close range. McCleod and another commanding officer, John Campbell, fell at the first burst. The survivors bolted for safety, but few made it. About 900 prisoners, including General McDonald, were seized. General Clinton, upon his arrival on 12 March, was dismayed to learn of the devastating defeat and that the Highlanders would not be joining with his regulars. Colonel Moore’s victory was so overwhelming that the Loyalists in North Carolina were unable to form a solid force against the Patriots. Moore also crushed Governor Martin’s dream of regaining the colony for the king. Word of the spectacular accomplishment soon reached Congress and Colonel James Moore was appointed brigadier general on 1 March 1776. John Armstrong, Andrew Lewis, William Alexander and Robert Howe were made brigadier generals that day. General Moore, subsequent to his commission, was sped to Charleston to participate in the defense of the city against an anticipated attack by the British. Moore was in Charleston when General Charles Lee arrived to command the forces, and he remained there until September 1776. General Moore did not easily adjust to the climate of Charleston and his health began to fail. He departed Charleston for home during January 1777, but he stopped at the residence of his brother, Maurice, prior to reaching his residence. While there, he succumbed from fever on 15 January. Maurice died within one hour of the death of James. James and his brother Judge Maurice Moore were interred together. General Moore, prior to his death, had been directed to move north to join with General Washington. Subsequent to his death, General Francis Nash assumed command of General Moore’s brigade. General Moore was survived by his wife, Ann Ivie, and four children, Duncan, James, Sarah (married John Swann) and Mary (married William Watters). General Moore’s sister Rebecca had married General John Ashe. General Ashe succumbed during 1781 after being stricken by smallpox in a British prison.

Morgan, Brigadier General Daniel Daniel Morgan was born in New Jersey and, according to his biographer, James Graham, who documented his life during 1856, Daniel’s birth occurred during the winter of 1736. He was of Welsh descent and his parents, of whom little is known, immigrated to America sometime between 1720 and 1730. Initially, Daniel’s parents resided in Pennsylvania, but after being in their new country for about two years, they moved to Hunterdon County, New Jersey. (Some historians of the nineteenth century, including Thomas J. Rogers, listed Daniel’s birth-

Daniel Morgan (National Archives)

place as Durham Township in Bucks County, Pennsylvania; however, based on contribution by descendants and other reliable sources, Hunterdon County is considered the correct location.) Information surrounding Daniel’s family has not survived the ages. It is unknown whether he had siblings. Daniel, for reasons unknown, never spoke of his family and when someone inquired, he never responded with any specifics. Similarly, a record of Daniel’s early life remains unknown. The first details of his life that have been passed down begin when he was a teenager who relocated in Virginia, but even then the mystery continued. There is no documentation regarding Daniel’s level of education, or his reasons for setting out on his own and relocating in the western part of Virginia. Daniel traveled through Carlisle, Pennsylvania, during the winter of 1753. He remained there for a short while after gaining some work, but by spring he departed Carlisle and crossed into Berkeley County, Virginia. Once there, Daniel gained employment on a farm owned by a Mr. Roberts who later employed Daniel to supervise a sawmill he established. While employed at the sawmill, Daniel received an offer from a Mr. Ashley, which he accepted. Daniel relinquished his toil in the fields as well as the lumber business to become a wagoneer (forerunners to modern-day truckers). He transported supplies from the region to the area east of the Blue Ridge Mountains. After about one year, Daniel was not yet able to start his own business, but he did change employers. He began transporting freight for a Mr. Ballantyne, a planter who owned a plantation along Opequon Creek. Daniel hauled for Ballantyne for only about six months. By then, he had saved sufficient funds to purchase his own horses and wagon. Unknown to Daniel Morgan, while he was building his freight company, earth-shaking events were unfolding west of the Blue Ridge Mountains in a region coveted by two separate world powers, Britain and France. A flash-fire erupted in the vicinity of Pittsburg (later Pittsburgh) during 1754 when the French seized a British party that was building a fort (Fort Prince George). The British reacted by building a force to

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retake the region and extricate the French. Initially, a contingent of Virginians led by Colonel George Washington advanced toward the French post, but overwhelming French forces compelled Washington to capitulate at Fort Necessity. In 1755, General Edward Braddock led a British Army to dislodge the French. Braddock was defeated and lost his life in the process, but another British force under General John Forbes did regain the region during the latter part of 1758. On 8 September 1760, the French capitulated at Montreal. During that period, Daniel’s life as a wagoneer ceased, but his adventurous spirit cast him into a different profession: that of a soldier. Daniel Morgan, the easygoing, quick witted civilian, was shoved on a course that propelled him toward his remarkable military career. Still, only scant information regarding the personal life of Daniel Morgan has been handed down for the period of about seven years after the Braddock campaign. Some incidents, however, have escaped obscurity. During the advance of Braddock, the baggage wagons trailed the main army. A civilian ruffian challenged an officer in command of a company of Virginians, but Morgan interjected his viewpoint and persuaded the officer, a captain, that he couldn’t fight the man because if he were beaten, it would be disastrous for the command. Morgan selected himself to stand in for the officer. Shortly thereafter, the antagonist, known for his strength and ability as a fighter, was expeditiously reduced by Morgan, who transformed the bully into a whipped lamb. Later, during 1756, Morgan engaged in a disagreement with a British officer who became personally offended by some action or possibly reaction by Morgan. The infuriated officer slapped Morgan with the flattened part of his sword. Instinctively, Morgan retaliated. The British officer was succinctly dropped to the ground by a solid punch, leaving the officer unable to arise for some time. Morgan received a courtmartial and a barbaric sentence, 500 lashes. Morgan received 499 lashes while tied to a white oak tree, and he survived the ordeal, with chivalry in place and his sense of humor intact. The officer later apologized and Morgan accepted. In later years, Morgan said the lashes were “the work of Ole King George” and added that the king still owed him one lash to fulfill his promise. Another incident that escaped obscurity occurred during spring of 1757, when the frontier was undergoing severe turbulence due to attacks by French-Indian forces. After a 40-man contingent of Virginians under Captain Hugh Mercer (based at Fort Edward) was ambushed, only six men made it back to the fort. Militia was called upon and Daniel Morgan was among those who expeditiously moved to Fort Edward. It remains unknown what rank he held, but it is believed he held command of some type. It is the first record of his military service. The fort was attacked, but it held, and while the French and Indians were retiring, Morgan bellowed: “Let us follow the red devils.” The charge resulted in a rout and the incident seemed to catapult Daniel Morgan to a much more visible position among his fellow Virginians. It was about that time that he made the acquaintance of Colonel George Washington. By the following year, Morgan was recommended by others to be awarded the rank of colonel, but Governor Robert Dinwiddie declined. Shortly thereafter, the governor, having learned of Morgan’s influence with the settlers in the vicinity of Frederick, acquiesced and made him an ensign. Morgan was deployed at Fort Edwards and other posts, and his frontier tour was not uneventful. On one mission, during 1758, in the company of two escorts, a contingent of French and Indians launched an ambush in the vicinity of Hanging Rock. Two troops were killed. Morgan escaped death, but he received a severe wound from a musket ball that entered the back of his neck and passed through his mouth before exiting through his left cheek. Despite his debilitating wound, Morgan retained presence of mind and managed to remain mounted, but the horse apparently suffered trauma during the brief period of fire and had to be coaxed to gallop away before the Indians could claim Morgan’s scalp. The two fallen troops had already

lost their scalps. Morgan’s horse fortuitously headed straight for the fort and she was too fast, despite Morgan’s two hundred pounds, for the pursuing Indian to intercept her. The Indian had to settle for a toss of his tomahawk. Morgan, about six feet in height and of muscular build, was a lucrative target for the incensed Indian, but his aim was poor and the tomahawk missed the mark. Meanwhile, Morgan continued to lose blood and his destiny was left to the care of his horse. By the time his horse reached the gates of the fort he had become delirious, but he did survive. Life on the frontier did little to increase Daniel’s virtues. He often participated in drinking, gambling and fighting. He particularly engaged in fighting with a family named Davis whose members, until the emergence of Daniel Morgan, had essentially dominated the area around Berryville. The three Davis brothers intended to oust Morgan and his associates from the local gathering place, a tavern operated by Benjamin Berry. Berry’s Tavern was west of the Shenandoah River about ten miles from Winchester. Morgan prevailed and his primary nemesis was no longer considered an overpowering individual. It was the Davis brothers who were eventually ousted from the mountain. A town that emerged at the location of the tavern became known as Battletown, drawn from its lasting reputation acquired from the contest between Daniel Morgan and the Davis brothers. Following the close of the French and Indian War, Morgan acquired land in the vicinity of Winchester (a 1762 land grant), but during the following year, he again entered military service when new trouble burst upon frontier. The explosive period was known as Pontiac’s War. Pontiac’s warriors swept across the Ohio Valley to sweep it clean of the settlers. The Indians inflicted tremendous loss of life and caused horrendous damage. Nearly all of the frontier forts were overrun, however, the warfare was terminated at the Battle of Bushy Run during August 1763. After the frontier was again deemed safe from Indian attacks, Morgan returned to his farm. During the next decade, he continued to multiply his holdings, but yet another major confrontation appeared on the horizon that would again propel him onto the battlefield. In the meantime, Morgan had begun to depart from his wild lifestyle after considering the shallowness of his actions. His new line of thinking also paralleled his newest interest, an attractive young lady named Abigail Bailey, whom he met in Berkeley. Morgan built a residence known as Soldier’s Rest on the property he acquired near Berry’s Tavern. He and Abigail resided there after their marriage, which occurred sometime just before Britain and France officially ended the war. The couple had two children, both girls. Like Daniel, Abigail (or Abbie, as she was known), came from a family of little means. Each of them had less than a great education; however, Abbie had an incessant thirst for knowledge and an inner strength that was destined to elevate Daniel, both educationally and characteristically. Abbie became the force that molded the spirit of Daniel. His bad habits vanished and together they studied to make up for the lack of a formal education, well before Daniel’s fortunes and reputation carried both of them into the society circles of the region. During Pontiac’s war, Morgan served with the rank of captain. In 1771, William Nelson (acting governor of Virginia) awarded him a commission as captain of the Frederick militia. Captain Morgan participated in the campaign known as Dunmore’s War against the Indians during 1774. Afterward, he returned to his farm for the winter and spring of 1775. While Morgan was at home, the simmering flames of independence escalated into a genuine conflagration after the British marched toward Concord during April 1775 and followed that incident with the Battle of Bunker Hill the next June. Morgan’s period of relaxation was quickly terminated after the Continental Congress called for the raising of rifle companies to resist the British. Two were to be raised in Virginia and Daniel Morgan was unanimously appointed as captain of

295 one. Once informed of his commission, Captain Morgan without delay initiated his action to raise a rifle company. Shortly thereafter, Morgan’s company contained 96 men, each a marksman. General George Washington arrived in Cambridge on 3 July and Captain Morgan, who departed Winchester for Cambridge 600 miles distant, arrived with his company within a short while. Morgan’s rifle company averaged nearly thirty miles per day and completed the trip in twenty-one days. Despite the arduous journey, every man who began the journey was encamped outside Boston on 8 August. The arrival of the Virginians caused some excitement; the northerners were surprised when they spotted the uniforms. The Virginians, nearly every man in the company, was clothed in a buckskin coat and each man carried either a tomahawk or an axe along with their rifle-barreled weapon. The reputation of the Virginians as skilled marksmen and tenacious fighters had preceded their arrival. Morgan’s men experienced an uneventful period for a while with no combat, but that soon changed when the Virginians were diverted to participate in the Canadian Campaign under Generals Philip Schuyler and Richard Montgomery. Morgan’s company was attached to the command of Colonel Benedict Arnold. Arnold was jubilant about Morgan’s company joining his command. He made specific notes about the frontiersmen in his diary: “Morgan, with his coon-tailed caps and leather jerkins and long rifles from the mountains of Virginia, I wanted; cursed, twisted guns, the most fateful widow and orphan makers in the world”; and “shirt-tail men, the British came to call them.” Arnold also noted Colonel Morgan’s earlier incident with the British officer: “For knocking down a British Lieutenant, he [Morgan] received five hundred lashes without flinching.” On the 31 December, an attack was launched to seize Quebec. At one point, General Montgomery’s force attacked and at the opposite end of the city, Arnold pressed forward. Montgomery was slain and Arnold was wounded. Captain Morgan assumed command after Arnold was injured. He pressed forward, making progress; however, with Montgomery knocked out, the British concentrated on Morgan and his force. While Morgan slowly advanced, a British officer, Lieutenant Anderson, who commanded a garrison in that section of Quebec, encountered Montgomery’s troops and demanded surrender. Morgan’s response was violent. He grabbed a rifle and shot the officer in the head. At the time, Morgan was still unaware that Montgomery’s attack had failed. At about the same time as the lieutenant fell to the ground, the British moved back behind a barrier. A tenacious battle ensured, but Morgan’s force lacked ladders, making the task of overrunning the barrier more difficult. The subject of retreat was discussed, but still unaware of Montgomery’s fate, it was decided that if Montgomery’s forces broke through, their strength would be needed. Meanwhile, the struggle continued, but suddenly all paths to the rear were severed and Morgan’s command was entrapped. Captain Morgan was compelled to surrender, but he retained his defiance after exhibiting a short burst of exasperation that included some tears. He refused to surrender his sword, despite repeated threats too shoot him, and he rejected several pleas from his own men not to sacrifice himself. With his sword in hand and his back to a wall, facing the Redcoats, he glanced at a man and inquired if he was a priest and received an affirmative answer. Captain Morgan at that point decided to surrender his sword without submitting himself to the British. As he handed his sword to the priest, Morgan stated: “Then I give my sword to you; but not a scoundrel of those cowards shall take it out of my hands.” The Americans had lost the battle for Quebec, but they continued to maintain the siege. Arnold had been taken to a monastery and was recuperating under the care of nuns. By spring, the Americans, short of men, ammunition and food, were unable to continue once reinforcements arrived. The Americans retreated toward Crown Point with the British in pursuit. While a prisoner, Morgan and the other officers received excellent treatment, but

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Morgan was specifically targeted as a candidate for the British army. He was repeatedly solicited to abandon the American cause. When offered a colonel’s commission in the British Army, he scoffed: “I hope, sir, you will never again insult me in my present situation by making me offers which plainly imply that you think me a scoundrel.” On 7 August 1776, all the American prisoners at Quebec were paroled. Their numbers included 51 officers and 373 non-commissioned officers and enlisted men. The prisoners headed home on 10 August when transports sailed for New York. The convoy arrived there on 11 September, but was detained for a while and finally moved on to Elizabethtown Point, New Jersey. Once again Daniel Morgan’s reputation preceded his arrival. The story of his extraordinary courage at Quebec had already been forwarded to General Washington. After Morgan’s arrival at headquarters, Washington gave him a hero’s welcome. Furthermore, he recommended (by a strongly enthusiastic letter to Congress) that Captain Morgan be promoted to colonel, with a stipulation that it done with discretion until his parole was arranged. Afterward, Morgan returned to Virginia, where he received yet another hero’s welcome, one that was especially appreciated, given to him by his two children and his wife Abigail. That November, Morgan was notified that in accordance with Washington’s wishes he was being promoted to colonel and his exchange was imminent. The notification was correct. Colonel Morgan was exchanged prior to the end of the year. His immediate instructions were to initiate a recruiting drive. At the time, the Continental Army desperately needed fresh troops to sustain itself. Morgan raised about 180 men and immediately thereafter sped toward Morristown, New Jersey. The column arrived during early April. After his arrival, a corps of rangers (500 men) described as light infantry was established by General Washington. Command of the corps was given to Colonel Morgan. Organization of the corps was completed on 13 June. That month, Morgan’s command engaged British forces at Somerset Court House (present-day Millstone) on the 17th and 19th. Afterward, Colonel Morgan was directed to move to New York to supplement the American forces under General Horatio Gates who were facing General John Burgoyne’s Army, which was trying to break through and link up with General Howe. Morgan’s force participated at the First (Freeman’s Farm) and Second (Bemis Heights, 7 October) Battles of Saratoga, with Colonel Morgan playing a primary role in the defeat of Burgoyne. It was at that first battle that Morgan introduced the British to his whistle, the “turkey call.” The whistle snapped his troops out of their temporary confusion during a critical part of the battle and supplemented by their Southern yells, the British (center column) were driven back by the Virginians. After Burgoyne’s defeat, Colonel Morgan, on 1 November, received orders to repair to depart New York and rejoin General Washington. At the time, the British had occupied Philadelphia and General Washington was at Whitemarsh. Morgan and his rifle corps arrived at Whitemarsh about 17 November. On 5 December, General Cornwallis advanced beyond Germantown to Chestnut Hill north of Philadelphia and attempted to draw Washington into a full-scale fight. Skirmishing developed at Whitemarsh. Morgan’s corps sustained casualties (27 killed or wounded) during the engagement; however, the British paid heavily, and on the 8th, Cornwallis returned to Philadelphia. Washington moved to Valley Forge. It was yet another critical period for the Continental Army, which had already escaped destruction several times. Washington wrote to Congress from Valley Forge: “I am now convinced beyond a doubt, that unless some great and capital change takes place in that [the commissary] line, this army must be inevitably reduced to one or the other of these three things — starve, dissolve, or disperse, in order to obtain subsistence in the best manner they can.” Shortly after arriving in Valley Forge, Colonel Morgan returned to Virginia. His departure had a dual purpose. Although he was anxious to see his family, he was also ill. He spent the winter in Virginia to re-

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cuperate and to attend to personal business, then in spring returned to join his command. It was a timely arrival at his command’s camp at Radnor. The British were preparing to abandon Philadelphia. Prior to departing, the British sent out a large force to snare Lafayette (20 May, Battle of Barren Hill), but the latter outfoxed the enemy after being informed of the British advance. Lafayette redeployed on strategic ground at the Schuylkill River, which foiled the Redcoats and compelled them to abort the mission. A contingent of Morgan’s corps participated; afterward, Morgan was directed to pursue the British as they returned to Philadelphia, but no engagement occurred. In late June, General Washington crossed the Delaware in the vicinity of Lambertville, New Jersey, in pursuit of the British, who were en route to New York. Morgan’s regiment participated in the advance as part of the vanguard. On the 27th Colonel Morgan was directed to deploy near the British lines at Monmouth and prepare to attack at dawn on the following day; however, inexplicably, the order to attack was never given by General Gates. Consequently, Morgan’s riflemen did not participate in the Battle of Monmouth Court House. Subsequent to the Battle of Monmouth, a contingent of Morgan’s regiment participated in the retaliatory action against the Loyalists and Indians that raided the Wyoming Valley (Wyoming Valley Massacre — 3 July 1778). Colonel Morgan returned to Virginia in late summer. Earlier he had professed his desire to resign due to not having been promoted. General Washington reluctantly agreed to permit Morgan to offer his resignation; however, Washington also pressed Congress with his opinion of how valuable an officer Daniel Morgan had been to the cause. Nonetheless, Morgan’s military career ended, at least for awhile. Many in the service besides Washington were extremely proud of Colonel Morgan and his abilities. One such officer in the Virginia brigade was General John Neville, who included these words in a letter written on 9 November 1779: “Then, say they, for old Morgan a brigadier, and we would kick the world before us. I am not fond of flattery; but I assure you, on my word, that no man’s ever leaving the army was more regretted than yours, nor no man was ever wished for more to return.” General Neville was captured at Charleston during May 1780. On 13 June 1780, General Horatio Gates communicated with Morgan and urged him to return to the army under Gates’ new command, the Department of the South. Gates succeeded General Benjamin Lincoln, who had been captured at Charleston the previous May. Morgan agreed to the proposition. Coincidentally, during 1782, General Neville’s son, Lieutenant Presley Neville, also seized at Charleston, married Morgan’s daughter Nancy. Shortly after the communication of Gates to Morgan, on 16 June Congress recalled Colonel Morgan and ordered that he “be called into service, and employed in the southern army as Major General Gates shall direct.” By the following month, Morgan was beginning to be elevated in rank when the Board of War recommended that he be promoted to brigadier general. Congress acted upon the recommendation on 13 October by appointing Daniel Morgan a brigadier general. In the meantime, Morgan joined with Gates during the latter part of September, but by then, Gates had already sustained a devastating loss at Camden. That defeat — which also cost the life of General Dekalb, who remained on the field after Gates took flight for Hillsborough — essentially ended the military career of Horatio Gates. By early December 1780, General Morgan met with General Nathanael Greene, who succeeded Gates. General Greene divided his force, placing part of his army under the command of General Morgan. Morgan spent part of Christmas Day establishing a camp near Grindal’s Shoals from where he could launch stinging raids against the British who held Wynnsborough. Beginning on 27 December the Americans, including militia commanded by Colonel Andrew Pickens and Francis Marion, pounded a Loyalist contingent at Fairforest Creek near Ninety Six. They moved to strike another contingent at

Williamson’s Plantation, but there the Loyalists retired before Morgan’s forces arrived. On the 30th, the Americans occupied Fort Williamson without incident. The loss was severe for General Cornwallis, who from that point forward was unable to persuade the Loyalists in the region to form for battle. Cornwallis, infuriated upon hearing of the loss near Ninety Six, dispatched Lt. Colonel Banastre Tarleton to dispose of Morgan’s rabble, but when Tarleton’s Legion arrived on 2 January, the Redcoats found only an abandoned camp. Tarleton, however, remained determined to root out the elusive Morgan. Nearly two weeks later, on 12 January 1781, Tarleton neared the conclusion that his prey has escaped the net, but just before returning to his base of operation, he was informed that Morgan’s camp had been located, but that the Americans had advanced beyond two rivers, complicating Tarleton’s plan of attack by forcing him to construct rafts to ferry his infantry. By 16 January Tarleton moved beyond the Enoree and Tyger Rivers to reach yet another, the Pacelot River. All the while, Americans posted in the woods along the path of advance had been tracking the progress and forwarding it to Morgan. Morgan again frustrated Tarleton by abandoning his camp and bolting toward Thicketty Creek in the vicinity of Burr’s Mills and Cowpens. During the evening of the 16th, General Morgan, never one to fret about odds, decided the chase had ended. He concluded it was time to take on the British bully. Morgan’s force was composed of slightly under 1,000 men. Anticipated reinforcements from General Thomas Sumter had not arrived due to Sumter’s stubbornness and refusal to respond to the calls for help. Other expected reinforcements under General William Davidson also never arrived. Morgan split his force into two units, commanded by Colonels Howard and Pickens, the latter having recently arrived with about 250 mounted North Carolinians. Morgan then designated Colonel William Washington’s cavalry as reserve. On the morning of the 17th, Tarleton’s force spotted his opposition and his appetite for a quick kill intensified, but he remained unaware of the concealed forces of Colonel John E. Howard and Washington’s cavalry. Nevertheless, the sight of Pickens’ militia and the foregone conclusion that the line would fold at the first glance of the bayonet increased Tarleton’s confidence. At about dawn, the British, already positioned, advanced to exterminate the ragged line of militia. A contingent of mounted North Carolinians fired at the Redcoats and Loyalists (in green uniforms) to divert their attention and it succeeded. Tarleton sent cavalry to liquidate the interference, but sharpshooters were waiting for the charge and the cavalrymen were shot from their horses. Tarleton was witness to his riderless horses returning to his positions. Morgan’s strategy had been so successful that Tarleton’s cavalry was not willing to continue the attack. The unfolding scenes of victory slipping from his grasp prompted Tarleton to order an infantry attack, but some of the approaching British cavalry had not yet emerged from the woods. Nonetheless, without cavalry protection, the infantry charged. The militia, despite their usual propensity to retire rather than face the bayonet, held firm as ordered by Colonel Pickens. Upon orders, the militia fired, received an ineffective volley from the British, and then fired again before retiring as instructed. The British, thinking there was disarray, initiated a charge by dragoons to finish off the retreating militia. Meanwhile, General Morgan, who was observing the battle, unleashed Washington’s cavalry, which plowed into the dragoons and inflicted severe punishment. Tarleton, however, continued to remain confident. Some confusion struck the Patriots, but the British mistook the confusion for cowardice and moved to complete the hunt and clear the field, except that the initiative was executed without orders and the Americans had not been retreating, only reforming. Consequently, the tide turned and the British were hit with tenacious fire, then struck by a bayonet attack and charging American cavalry. Tarleton lost about 100 killed and 229 wounded. About 600 men were captured. General

297 Morgan’s force, including militia, sustained 12 killed and 60 wounded. General Daniel Morgan was awarded a gold medal from Congress for his actions at Cowpens; however, he did not receive it until 1790. Colonels William Washington and John Eager Howard received silver medals. Following the victory, General Morgan retired, but Cornwallis gave chase. Morgan’s force hooked up with General Greene on 31 January. The chase by Cornwallis got interrupted on 3 February when successive storms burst upon the region, preventing the British from crossing the Yadkin River. Cornwallis was able, however, to initiate an artillery barrage that reached the American camp, but scored no damage. Both Greene and Morgan interpreted the second storm as a “visible interposition of Providence.” On 4 February, again General Morgan split from Greene’s location and moved toward Guilford Court House, with the main body following. The trek, normally not difficult, became arduous for Morgan, who was becoming severely hampered by rheumatism. Morgan was joined at Guilford Court House on the 7th, but by then it was obvious that his days in the saddle were numbered. The pain had become overpowering. By mid–February General Morgan departed North Carolina for his home. Colonel Otho H. Williams assumed command in his place. Morgan’s tactics during the Carolinas Campaign worked nearly flawlessly. Some accounts attribute his success to luck and speed; however, a serious study of the various movements from point to point dispel those opinions. At every turn, General Morgan was fully apprised of the situation, and his decisions proved sound. Other occasional historical descriptions of General Morgan imply that he was not quite so ill. There is more than sufficient information to attest to the fact that his health first began to fail during the Canadian Campaign of 1775 when he suffered from “ague and fever.” Other unfounded legends include his grave differences with General Greene, something which is especially erroneous. General Greene, who authorized General Morgan’s leave of absence during February 1781, was well aware of the poor health of his second-in-command. All of the correspondence between General Greene and General Morgan dispel the lingering stories of a caustic relationship; rather, the material suggests the exact opposite. Except when General Morgan had been shot in the neck and lost several teeth in the pre–Revolution days of the French and Indian War, he served throughout the war without again being wounded. He went back to Virginia but would again return to service. Meanwhile, he struggled to get back to his family. En route he was compelled to remain at the house of General Robert Lawson, and after regaining enough strength to continue, he again had to pause at the residence of another Virginian, Carter Harrison. Morgan finally rejoined his family during early March. Once there, he was still unable to venture from his home until the following month. During that period, General Morgan raised a force (cavalry and riflemen) at his own expense to bolster Lafayette’s efforts in Virginia during the campaign to finally reduce Cornwallis. Morgan joined with Lafayette and operated under Lafayette with General Anthony Wayne. By August, General Morgan was again overwhelmed by his recurring ailments and forced to retire from the field. Afterward, he employed some British prisoners to construct a new residence, in the vicinity of White Post. The estate was known as Saratoga. After Cornwallis surrendered in October 1781, Morgan’s health had greatly improved and he was prepared to resume command in the field. However, the war was winding down. During spring of the following year, General Morgan returned to his command and he remained on active duty until Congress disbanded the army. For a while, General Morgan had lost the friendship of General Washington, who reacted to false accusations regarding Morgan taking advantage of the Virginia troops who were sustaining great hardships. The erroneous information was spread by speculators who had become incensed that Morgan intervened to provide assistance, thereby

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preventing the troops from being swindled by the speculators. The calumny was exposed and the cooled relationship was quickly restored. In 1792, following the disastrous defeat of the U.S. Army by Indians (November 1791), Morgan was appointed brigadier general of the United States Army. However, at the time, other events were unfolding that prevented him from serving with General Anthony Wayne to avenge the defeat of St. Clair. Morgan, during the previous year, had been appointed major general of the Virginia militia. Also, turbulence had developed in Pennsylvania, where his daughter Nancy’s father-inlaw, General John Neville, was under appointment of President Washington as inspector of Western Pennsylvania. Insurgents detained Morgan’s son-in-law Colonel Presley Neville and his wife, Nancy, Morgan’s daughter. In reaction, General Morgan took the form of a typical father. He sought out every friend and associate that he could reach to have them accompany him to Pittsburgh to rescue his daughter. Meanwhile, General John Neville corresponded with Morgan and assured him that his daughter and children were safe and in Pittsburgh. Subsequently, General Morgan was part of the military force dispatched to western Pennsylvania to suppress the Whiskey Rebellion. Following the end of the crisis, General Morgan returned to Virginia, permanently terminating his military career. General Morgan and his wife, Abigail, relocated back at Soldier’s Rest, which was much less spacious that Saratoga and more fitting for the couple. In 1797 Morgan was elected to the U.S. Congress, but his service was uneventful. Nonetheless, his health again failed and forced him to return to Virginia during June while Congress remained in session. In 1799, rumors spread that General Morgan had died. He received a letter, dated 10 April at Mount Vernon, from George Washington who expressed his great pleasure that the reports of Morgan’s demise in the newspapers had been premature. Around that time, General Washington was recalled as commander-in-chief of the army to deal with the crisis with France (Quasi War). General Morgan also received an appointment of general officer, but the turbulence did not escalate into a ground war and Morgan did not enter active service. Abigail Morgan had become a professor of religion and her influence on the general continued through the years. During his later years, he had become especially friendly with a Presbyterian minister, the Rev. William Hill. General Morgan became a devout Christian for his remaining days. During a discussion with a friend about his prayers in Canada, the general replied that he had not, as suggested, mocked religion in Canada. Morgan stated: “No, Mr. Mackin, I never used mockery of that kind, nor ever treated religion disrespectfully. I always believed in the truth and importance of religion, and knew that I was a great sinner for neglecting my duty to my God. If I ever prayed in earnest, it was upon that occasion, when I was committing myself into the hands or the Almighty, and imploring his protection. Having done so, I arose from my knees, dismissed my fears and led on my men to the assault. I verily believe that it was entirely owing to an overruling Providence, in which I reposed confidence, that I was so mercifully· protected, and brought off safely from the dangers through which I passed that morning [31 December 1775 at Quebec].” General Morgan’s health continued to deteriorate until finally he was unable to remove himself from his bed. The last days of his life required constant bedside assistance. On 6 July 1802, General Daniel Morgan succumbed. He was interred at the Presbyterian burial ground in Winchester, Virginia. Abigail Morgan later removed to Pittsburgh to live with her daughter and son-in-law (Presley and Nancy Neville) and their fifteen children (nine boys and six girls). From there she moved to Kentucky with another daughter, Betsy Heard, and her husband, Major James Heard; the Heards had five children (three daughters and two sons). Mrs. Morgan succumbed during 1816 at her granddaughter’s country residence near Russelville, Kentucky. Her daughter Betsy had predeceased her during 1813.

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Morris, Gouverneur (Signer of the U.S. Constitution) Gouverneur Morris, the son of Lewis (2nd Lord of Morrisania Manor) and Sarah Gouverneur Morris, was born on 31 January 1752 at Morrisania (Bronx) in New York. His father had first been married to Catherine Staats Morris (about 1730–1731), and after her death he married Sarah in 1746. Gouverneur’s grandfather, also named Lewis, was the first governor of New Jersey. In addition to Gouverneur, his parents had four other children: Sarah (died young), Catherine, Euphemia and Isabella. Gouverneur’s stepbrothers and stepsister from his father’s first marriage were Mary (1724); Lewis (b. 1726, signer of the Declaration of Independence); Richard (b. 1730, later judge of the vice admiralty court and chief justice of the New York Supreme Court); and Staats Long (a Loyalist). The second marriage of Gouverneur’s father was not received with jubilation in the family, and there was growing friction between the older children and their stepmother. Gouverneur received his initial education in New Rochelle, an old Huguenot settlement and while there, he also learned to speak fluent French. At about age twelve, he entered King’s College (later Columbia) and graduated in 1768. Gouverneur earned a master’s degree during 1771. He then pursued a career in law and studied under a prominent New York attorney, William Smith. During his time with Smith, Gouverneur, already aligned with the Patriots’ cause, increased his intensity. Through Smith’s guidance he became more disciplined and lost some of his propensity to not apply himself. Gouverneur possessed an excellent mind and a quick tongue (often too quick), but at times he leaned toward laziness. The experience of preparing for acceptance by the bar also brought him into contact with other friends of Smith who also were committed to the cause in resistance to the policies of the Crown and Parliament. During 1774, Gouverneur Morris was admitted to the bar, and by the following year, when hostilities erupted, he was elected to the Provincial Congress. While Morris was rising in the ranks of the Patriot leaders, all was not tranquil within the family. His mother was totally aligned with the Loyalists and his one stepbrother, Staats Long, was an officer in the British army. Nevertheless, his other stepbrother, Lewis, Jr., was also a staunch Patriot and later became one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. Gouverneur sided with Lewis and in addition to serving in the Provincial Congress, he also joined the New York militia. The British, subsequent to the Battles of Lexington and Concord during April 1775 and Bunker Hill the following June, were essentially bottled up in Boston by the Continental Army and supporting militia units. The Continental Army was reorganized on 1 January 1776 and by about that time, the New York militia was composed of two regiments. The regiment to which Morris belonged chose not to join the Continental Army. Morris was asked to become its lieutenant colonel, but with the regiment’s reluctance to join the Continental Army, he declined the command. Afterward, Morris continued with the responsibilities he had in the Provincial Congress, including his position as chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, which oversaw the funding of the war. Morris also was involved with increasing the effectiveness of the militia and the task of neutralizing the Loyalists who dominated in New York. The Provincial Congress also designated Morris as the liaison between the Continental Army and the Continental Congress, a task handed to him during May 1776. At the time, New York was attempting to bolster the defenses in preparation for an anticipated invasion by the British, the latter having been forced to abandon Boston on 17 March 1776. The British first landed at Staten Island on 2 July, two days prior to the official Declaration of Independence by Congress. About 10,000 troops under British General William Howe landed, but by August their numbers grew to more than 30,000 and included both regulars and Hessian mercenaries hired by the king. Morris’ mother sided with

the British and granted the British full use of the estate. There is no evidence to confirm Morris’ military activity during that period, but it is believed that he rejoined his regiment as a volunteer to participate in the defense of New York. The British, however, succeeded in gaining New York and forcing the Continental Army to retreat into Pennsylvania, where the army arrived toward the latter part of the year. Later that year, New York held a convention to Governeur Morris (Pictorial Field establish a new constitution Book of the Revolution, Benson J. (adopted during April 1777) Lossing, 1860) and Morris was a delegate. Morris was appointed to the New York Committee of Safety in 1777, during a time when the situation in the Northern Department was facing a grave threat subsequent to the invasion by General John Burgoyne, who had advanced to Ticonderoga and seized it without a fight. Morris, as a member of the committee, repaired to the area and worked to coordinate action of the state and the Continental Army in the region. Later that year, following a series of setbacks, the British were handily defeated at the First and Second Battles of Saratoga during September and October 1777, respectively. And General John Stark delivered a decisive blow against a contingent of Burgoyne’s forces at the Battle of Bennington (actually fought in New York, not Vermont). Burgoyne surrendered his entire army on 14 October 1777. The capitulation of Burgoyne aborted any chance of his hook-up with General Henry Clinton, who was on the advance from New York toward Albany. In early October Morris was back in the militia as an aide to General George Clinton when the Americans were blocking passage of British General Henry Clinton. The Americans posted along the Hudson at Forts Clinton and Montgomery, above Stony Point, which had fallen, came under a heavy attack on 6 October. The forces were commanded by Generals George and James Clinton, but the attack was expected to be against Fort Independence on the opposite bank of the river. Fort Montgomery fell without much effort, but Fort Clinton defenders held defiantly until they were forced to abandon the positions. General George Clinton and Gouverneur Morris escaped capture, but many others were seized. Nonetheless, the British did not wholeheartedly continue the advance and despite repeated urgent messages from Burgoyne, Clinton did not dispatch reinforcements. In the meantime, Morris was unable to return to his home, which was by then a British post. This complicated his political life too. Without his residence, he was not eligible to be a candidate for reelection to the Provincial Congress. Moves were made to modify his situation, but Morris declined a break in the rules to have him appointed to the congress. Other measures were undertaken that made him eligible to serve. Consequently, he accepted and joined the body at York, Pennsylvania, on 20 January 1778. His brother Lewis resigned from Congress during the previous year and Gouverneur succeeded him. Meanwhile, on 10 January 1778, Congress resolved “that three members of Congress, together with three members of the Board of War, be appointed a committee to repair to General Washington’s headquarters, as soon as may be, and, in concert with him, to form and execute a plan for reducing the number of batallions in the continental service.” One day after Morris arrived at York, he was added to the committee. Upon his arrival at Valley Forge, he was immediately unnerved at what he observed and afterward described as “an army of skeletons ... naked, starved, sick, discouraged....”

299 On 16 April 1778, Congress took action regarding British and Hessian officers joining with the Americans. It resolved “that a committee of three be appointed to prepare and report terms to be offered to such foreign officers and soldiers in the service of the king of Great Britain, as shall quit that service and chuse to become citizens of any of the United States of America.” Morris was appointed to the committee, along with Samuel Chase and Francis Dana. In June, Congress resolved “that a committee of three be appointed to prepare the form of a ratification of the articles of confederation.” Morris was also appointed to that committee, with Francis Dana and Richard Henry Lee. Pursuant to consideration of a letter from General Nathanael Greene, Congress on November 10 included Morris on a three-man committee to supervise the Quartermaster Department. Morris’ popularity declined the next year due to his personal traits, which included sarcastic barbs and undiplomatic remarks. He failed to gain re-election and moved to Philadelphia. Rejection by his fellow New Yorkers actually worked out well. Morris established a law practice and entered into the mercantile business. In the meantime, he became acquainted with Robert Morris, known as one of the financiers of the American Revolution. The relationship grew into a close friendship. Later, during 1779, Robert Morris was appointed minister of Finance, which was equivalent to being a treasury secretary. The post operated under the Articles of Confederation and when Robert Morris accepted the position, he chose Gouveneur Morris as his assistant. Both men acted diligently with regard to unscrambling the poor condition of the nation’s finances and brought about stability that greatly aided the war effort. Gouverneur Morris invented the word “cent,” the foundation of the decimal coinage upon which the United States later based its currency. During May 1780, Gouverneur Morris was involved in a terrible accident while driving his carriage in the city. Something spooked his horses and they began to gallop away, causing him to lose control, but as he worked to regain control, he was thrown from the carriage and suffered severe damage to his ankle. Morris’ physician was away from Philadelphia at the time, but he received aid from two other doctors. After examining the fractures, the doctors informed Gouverneur that it was best to amputate below the knee to save him from death. Having few options at the time, he agreed to the operation, but when his physician, Doctor Jones, returned and examined Morris, he concluded the operation was not necessary. After the war, Morris chose not to return to his estate in New York, but he did later reconcile with his mother. About seven years had passed since the family split due to differing political views. His stepbrother, Staats, never bore arms against the Americans. He was based out of country and later rose to the rank of major general in the British army. Later, to his amazement, Morris was elected as a Pennsylvania delegate to the Constitutional Convention, scheduled to convene in Philadelphia during May 1787. By that time he had apparently had a personal transformation in which he was able to shed his harsh and caustic remarks that had so often caused him problems with his peers. His abilities, described as extraordinary yet often hidden behind his sarcasm, shone brightly during the convention. Morris worked the delegates skillfully to play a strategic role in preventing regional agendas from causing the convention to fail. The “Great Compromise,” offered by New Jersey, became the compromise that enabled the members to galvanize and close ranks to bring about the adoption of the U.S. Constitution on 17 September 1787. Throughout the deliberations, Morris frequently took to the floor to promote his beliefs, which included the end of slavery, freedom of religion, and a strong central government. Morris’ adamant stance regarding freedom of religion was not new. During the heated debates at New York’s state constitutional convention (1776–1777), there was fierce opposition, led by John Jay, to granting Catholics citizenship without first making them swear an oath be-

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fore the state Supreme Court that included the following: “That they verily believe in their conscience that no pope, priest, or foreign authority on earth has power to absolve the subjects of this State from their allegiance to the same” and “that they renounce ... the dangerous and damnable doctrine that the Pope or any other earthly authority has power to absolve men from sins described in and prohibited by the Holy Gospel.” The motion failed by a large majority. Morris afterward made a motion “that the toleration granted should not be held to justify practices inconsistent with the peace and safety of this State.” His motion was adopted and became permanent in the state’s constitution. Morris was also instrumental in making the final document as strong as possible at the time through his position as “primary draftsman.” Morris, subsequent to the personal success he achieved at the convention, continued in public life, while he also resumed his personal pursuits; however, the Constitutional Convention is where he reached the pinnacle of his political life. During the latter part of 1788, he sailed to Europe on business, and after a period of forty days on the high seas, he reached Paris on 3 February 1789. He remained abroad for about ten years. Nevertheless, while there, his services were utilized by the United States government on more than one occasion. In France, at the time, King Louis XVI had been ousted and a revolution was about to erupt. During March of 1790, in accordance with orders from President George Washington, Morris left France for England, where he acted as a representative of President Washington with regard to finalizing various uncompleted items from the original peace treaty of 1783 that officially ended the war. Neither his mission in France, nor his time in England succeeded in any genuine way; however, it was not due to any intimidation. Morris was able to reach down into his past and rejuvenate his unique sarcasm to deal with his counterparts. In England he was lightning-quick with retorts while engaged with the British representatives. He later returned to France, and during spring of 1792, he succeeded John Adams as ambassador to France. While there Morris and Lafayette were involved in the scheme to get King Louis XVI out of Paris, but through the fearfulness of the king and his procrastination, the escape attempt failed and a contingent of Swiss Guards was killed in the process. Initially, Morris admired the king, but later, after discovering he was cowardly, the admiration vanished, but as he recorded in various communications, he did pity the sovereign. Lafayette was betrayed and imprisoned by the allied foreign monarchs when he escaped from France after the French Revolution that began in earnest during August 1792. Morris tried to assist Lafayette by personally guaranteeing funds that the Dutch were to forward to him. He did personally help Lafayette’s wife and children. Paris was in chaos and the ambassadors from the other countries fled the capital, but Morris refused to be intimidated and forced from the city. He was the sole minister to remain and he believed that to show fear would injure America’s honor. During that chaotic period, a group of Frenchmen barged into his house and informed Morris that they had come to search for weapons that were hidden in his residence. Morris stood his ground, aware that weakness would lead to a disaster, and retorted “that they should not examine his house, that it held no arms, and moreover that, if he had possessed any, they should not touch one of them.” In short order, he followed with his demand for “the name of the blockhead or rascal who had informed against him.” He insisted that the “blockhead” would be punished. The house was not searched and the disgruntled hunters departed empty handed. He encountered several more harrowing experiences and was arrested more than once; however, France at the time had few friends and they were not anxious to anger the United States, which bolstered Morris’ position. Another American, Thomas Paine, had been involved in the French Revolution and he too was arrested and imprisoned, but Morris offered no help, believing Paine “would be saved by his own insignificance.” He added, “So

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the filthy little atheist had to stay in prison, where he amused himself with publishing a pamphlet against Jesus Christ.” Morris saw an exhibition at the Cathedral of Notre Dame, which had been defiled by the revolutionists, and he described one of the dancers as follows: “This girl, Saunier by name, followed the trades of an opera dancer and harlot; she was very beautiful and next door to an idiot as to her intellectual gifts.” He also wrote about Catholics and in one letter noted: “Those individuals of arrested mental development who now make pilgrimages to our Lady of Lourdes had plenty of prototypes even in the atheistical France of the Revolution.” In the meantime, the United States sent James Monroe to France to replace Morris. Morris moved to England after being recalled, but later returned to the continent during 1796, then visited many of the capital cities before finally sailing for home on 4 October 1798. After eighty days at sea, the vessel arrived in America. Morris re-entered New York politics and through his relationship with Alexander Hamilton, considered the leader of the Federalist Party, he was appointed to fill an unexpired term in the United States Senate. At the end of the term he moved to gain re-election, but he failed in the effort and returned to private life. There he continued to pursue new endeavors, including involvement in the building of the Erie Canal. The project was first considered during 1808 and was intended to link the Hudson River to Lake Erie, a massive undertaking for the period. The project got underway on 4 July 1817 and was finally completed during October 1825. Gouverneur married Anne Carey Randolph, the daughter of Thomas Randolph of Roanoke, Virginia (later West Virginia) on Christmas Day 1809. They had one child, Gouverneur, Jr. Despite his birth into a family of great wealth and prominence, he was able to grasp the need for an effective government with fairness for all, but he also was aware of too much power in the hands of an unbridled government and that thought became ever-present while he was in France during the period where the government had become tyrannical. Gouverneur Morris succumbed on 6 November 1816. He was interred in the cemetery at St. Anne’s Episcopal Church in the Bronx, New York. (See also, Morris, Lewis.)

Morris, Lewis (Signer of the Declaration of Independence) Lewis Morris was born in New York on 8 April 1726 at Morrisania (Bronx) in New York. His parents were Lewis (2nd lord of Morrisania manor) and Catherine Staats Morris. Lewis’ grandfather, also named Lewis, was the initial royal governor of New Jersey. Lewis was one of four children. The others were Mary (1724), Richard (1730) and Staats Long. Lewis’ brother Richard in 1762 became a judge of the vice admiralty court and the chief justice of the New York Supreme Court, while his brother Staats remained loyal to the Crown. Following Lewis’ mother’s death about 1730–1731, his father remarried (1746), taking Sarah H. Gouverneur as his second wife, and from that union, five more children were brought into the Morris family; however, one, named Sarah, died at an early age. The others were Catherine, Euphemia, Governeur and Isabella. Lewis, Jr., was reared on his family’s farm and received an excellent education. He attended Yale and graduated during 1746. Several years later, in 1749, Lewis married Mary Walton, the daughter of Jacob and Maria Beekman Walton. Mary’s sister, Elizabeth Walton, married James Thompson and their daughter, Anne Thompson, married Elbridge Gerry, another of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. Like the Lewis family, the Waltons were affluent, their wealth having been accumulated by their activity as merchants and involvement in shipping, a business originally started by Mary’s grandfather, William Walton. The Waltons established shipyards along the East (Hudson) River and operated a fleet that engaged in commerce in the West Indies and the Spanish Main (Caribbean, Central America, Florida, Mexico and the northern sector of South America). Lewis and Mary had ten children: Lewis, Jacob, William, James,

Staats, Richard Valentine, Catherine, Mary, Sarah, and Helena. As the oldest child of Lewis and Catherine, Lewis inherited the estate in Morrisania upon the death of his father during 1762. Until that time, Lewis had not actively participated in politics; however, soon after becoming the 3rd Lord of Morrisania, his interest began to accelerate. During the 1760s his opposition to the policies of the Crown toward the colonies brought about his entrance into public life. The Stamp Lewis Morris Lewis (Biographical Act and others, including the Sketches of the Signers of the Declaraact that made it mandatory tion of Independence, Benson J. Losto house British troops in pri- sing, 1854) vate homes, began to infuriate Lewis. He had become so vehemently opposed to the British that he was perceived as to anti–British to be selected as a delegate to First Continental Congress, in which there remained great hope among the members that reconciliation remained a possibility. Earlier, Lewis had opportunities to side with the British. His brother Staats had served in Parliament and through that relationship, Lewis had won favor with the king. In the meantime, the benevolent sentiments held for the mother country continued to wane as time passed. By 1775, it seemed obvious that war was inevitable, particularly after the engagements at Lexington and Concord. At the time, New York was heavily tilted toward Great Britain and the Loyalists greatly outnumbered the Patriots. The odds did not discourage Lewis Morris He was among those who urged the provisional convention of New York, held during 1775, and it was there during April that he was selected as a delegate to the Second Continental Congress, scheduled to convene during the following month. In the meantime, Lewis’ brother, Staats, remained a Loyalist and was an officer in the British Army. His stepmother was also a Loyalist who was so committed to the cause that she later permitted the British to occupy the estate. Nevertheless, Lewis’s stepbrother, Gouverneur, like himself, was a committed Patriot who would serve in the militia, the Provincial Congress and later become a signer of the U.S. Constitution. Lewis attended Congress and from his initial day (15 May) there, he strongly supported independence. Morris was appointed to various committees in 1775, including one responsible for the defenses of New York. In addition, he served on the committee on Indian Affairs. The tasks assigned to him made it necessary to travel throughout New England and New York. Morris was also sent to the western frontier as part of a party delegated with attempting to convince the Indians to remain neutral and not join with the British against the Americans. Morris remained at Fort Pitt until early 1776 and then returned to Philadelphia. The mission did not achieve any great success. Although Morris had been known for his intelligence and his ability to operate the farm on his estate, he was also thought of as a military leader. In addition to serving in Congress, he was a brigadier general in the New York militia. Much of his time during 1776 was spent in the field with the troops. Despite his many duties, Morris was in attendance in Congress during July 1776. He was among that unique group who pledged their lives, fortunes and sacred honor to achieve independence. Although New York initially abstained on 2 July, Lewis also signed the parchment document during August. Shortly thereafter, his family personally received the consequences of Morris’ support of the Declaration of Independence. The family property was

301 near New York City (present-day Bronx). After the British occupied the city, Morris’ estate was ravaged. His family, however, under the guidance of his wife, Mary, escaped harm. She was able to transport furniture and the younger children to Harrison’s Purchase. The three oldest sons ( Jacob, Lewis and William) were serving in the Continental Army at the time. Towards the latter part of the war, Jacob, who had served under General Charles Lee at Charleston (1776), rose to the rank of brigadier general. Another son, Lewis, stationed in New York, was able to communicate to his father and relate the move of the family and the dire circumstances of Morrisania in a set of letters dated 6 and 14 September 1776. Subsequently, Lewis (son) served with General John Sullivan and then with General Nathanael Greene in the southern theater in the Carolinas. Morris’ third and youngest son, William, was an officer in an artillery unit for the duration. Their father, Lewis Morris, remained in Congress until 1777. One of the last committees assigned to him was that which was charged on 13 March 1777 with conferring with General Horatio Gates to discern the present state of affairs. Morris’ replacement in Congress was a man of like mind. It was his half-brother, Gouverneur Morris. Another of Lewis’ brothers, Staats Long, had been in the British Army and served in India. During the American Revolution he was a Tory who sought protection from the British in Boston while they occupied the city. Later, Staats was promoted to the rank of British major general. He fled to Canada and became governor of Quebec. After departing Congress, Lewis Morris returned to New York and was promoted to the rank of major general (militia). He also served as a county judge in Worcester (1777–1778) and concurrently was a state senator (1777–1781). After a break in his service in the Senate, he was again re-elected serving during 1784–1788. His service with the militia centered upon improving the military and other administrative tasks rather than duty in the field. After the war, Morris was never able to regain his pre-war lifestyle, but he did return to his estate to attempt to salvage it from the ruins and resume farming. By the end of hostilities Morris had lost most of his wealth. The Redcoats, not satisfied with having plundered his residence after they occupied New York during 1776, set his land afire, which devastated about 1,000 acres of forest and farmland. Despite the enormous personal losses, Morris never regretted his stance against Great Britain. From nearly the moment he signed the Declaration, his fortunes began to turn downward. Morris remained dedicated to the American cause and supported the U.S. Constitution, and after it was adopted, he worked to have it ratified. He attended the ratification convention in Poughkeepsie during 1788. Lewis Morris succumbed on 22 January 1798. Both he and his wife, Mary, the latter having succumbed during 1794, were interred in the family crypt at St. Ann’s Episcopal Church in the Bronx. See also, Morris, Gouverneur.)

Morris, Robert (Signer of the Declaration of Independence and of the U.S. Constitution) Robert (2) was born in Liverpool, England, on 31 January 1734. Little is known about his early life, including the circumstances regarding his mother, Elizabeth Murphet Morris, of whom even less has been recorded. There is no evidence to even support Robert ever having known his mother. His father, Robert, Sr. (1), however, had been an iron worker who immigrated to America while Robert was being raised by his grandmother. Robert set out to rejoin his father when he was about thirteen, arriving in the colony of Maryland about 1747. By that time, his father had discarded his profession to take other employment. Robert, Sr., during 1747 was the Chesapeake agent for a vast tobacco enterprise, Foster, Cunliffe and Sons, based in Liverpool. Although neither Robert, Sr., nor his son received a formal education, their natural ability to learn served them both well. Robert’s father ac-

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cumulated a large, excellent library that included classics. Initially, after arriving in Maryland, Robert, Jr., was placed under the tutorship of the Reverend Gordon, but the relationship remained uneasy as the pupil remained unconvinced that he was progressing. When questioned by his father about his lackadaisical interest, Robert explained that he could learn no more from his teacher. The elder Morris afterward sent him to Philadelphia to be tutored by one of his per- Robert Morris (Biographical Sketches sonal friends, Robert Green- of the Signers of the Declaration of way. The change in scenery Independence, Benson J. Lossing, 1854) became a pivotal opportunity for Robert. Mr. Greenway accelerated Robert’s education and when he had finished his studies, Greenway found him employment in a mercantile house operated by Charles and Thomas Willing. Robert sustained a setback during the summer of 1750 when his father was accidentally wounded by a shell from the vessel Liverpool, when the crew prematurely fired a salute in Chesapeake Bay and struck the boat that was carrying Robert back to shore. Robert, Sr., sustained a broken arm; however, due to the unavailability of excellent medical treatment at Oxford, he came down with blood poisoning, which led to his death within a few days. Robert, Sr., was interred just outside of Oxford at White Marsh Burial Ground in St. Peter’s Parish, Talbot County, Maryland. Despite his youth and inexperience, Robert Morris gained a quick grasp of the business once he began to work in the counting house. Due to his ability, he was later made a partner. After becoming a partner, Morris on occasion traveled aboard one of his ships on voyages to the West Indies and during one such voyage, he was seized by the French and cast ashore on one of the islands. Despite having no money, he was able to work his way back to America by repairing the watch of a Frenchman and receiving compensation, which he used to buy passage on a ship. By 1765, Morris, although born an Englishman, had become a vigorous opponent of British policies toward the colonies, and when the stamps to be used in accordance with the Stamp Act tax arrived at Philadelphia, Morris was at the foundation of the resistance. During October 1765, the merchant vessel Royal Charlotte, carrying stamps and escorted by the HMS Sardine, anchored south of Philadelphia prior to entering port in anticipation of opposition. As the ships came into sight, it became evident that their arrival had been expected. Church bells throughout the city began to ring while muffled drums began to beat and all the other ships in the Delaware River lowered their flags to half-staff. By about 4 P.M. when a meeting was held to deal with the problem, businesses in the area closed and large crowds had already begun to gather around the state house, Independence Hall. A committee that included Robert Morris traveled to the home of John Hughes, the designated stamp agent. The discussion with Hughes on that Saturday did not immediately settle the issue, due in part to Hughes being seriously ill; however, he later agreed not distribute the stamps without the authorization of the citizens of Pennsylvania and Delaware. In November, Morris and about 400 other merchants signed the Non-Importation Resolution. The next year Morris was appointed to the Board of Port Wardens by Governor John Penn. In the meantime, Morris’ success as a businessman continued to increase and his personal wealth expanded greatly; however, he remained single. His bachelor status ended during 1769. Robert married Mary,

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the daughter of Colonel Thomas White and his second wife, Ester Hewlings Newman, the sister of Bishop William White. At the time of the wedding, Mary was twenty-one years old. The marriage ceremony was conducted by the Rev. Richard Peters in Philadelphia on 2 March 1769. Robert, at the time of his marriage, was affluent and well respected among his peers, but he was not a part of high society. However, his marriage to Mary opened up a new circle of friends and associates through the connections of his in-laws. Robert and Mary had seven children: Robert (3) (b. December 1769); Thomas (b. 1771); William White (b. 1772); and Hettie (also Hester, b. 1774, married John Markam Marshall); Charles; Maria; and Henry. The Morris family lived quite comfortably in Philadelphia and the business continued to prosper, making Robert Morris one of the wealthiest men in the colonies. His sons Robert (3) and Thomas were sent to Europe to receive their education and while there they were cared for by a family friend, Matthew Ridley. William, Charles, and Henry, the three youngest boys, attended the University of Pennsylvania. Although he sided with the Whigs as the tension mounted between the colonies and Britain, Morris retained the hope that reconciliation was possible. Some earlier depictions of Robert Morris implied that he favored conflict because he would gain financially, particularly in the shipping part of his business; however, there is no foundation of truth in the accusations and no evidence of any kind to substantiate the charge that he sought war for private benefit. During April 1775, at the annual gathering at City Tavern in Philadelphia, a group of prominent men of the town met to celebrate St. George’s Day. During the meeting, word arrived that detailed the British movement against Lexington, which had occurred in Massachusetts on the 17th, prompting the meeting to suddenly come to a conclusion, as those in the tavern bolted outside and expressed their anger. Morris, who was presiding, found himself gazing upon an empty room. Within a month, the Pennsylvanians established a Committee of Safety composed of twenty-five men. Its purpose was to oversee military activity within the colony. Benjamin Franklin was chosen as president, with Robert Morris being selected as vice-president. Franklin and Morris remained in their respective positions into the following year. On 28 July 1775, the Pennsylvania Committee of Safety directed Morris to devise methods to acquire medicines from places such as Holland and Spain. Also in 1775, Morris was elected as a delegate to the Second Continental Congress. When the subject of war for independence was raised, he opposed it on the ground that it was premature. The others from Pennsylvania who opposed independence were not re-elected, but Morris was sent back to Congress. On 18 September 1775, Congress passed a resolution to establish the Secret Committee to handle clandestine activity with regard to importing 500 tons of gunpowder, 10,000 stands of arms, 20,000 musket locks and 40 brass six-pounders. The committee included Robert Morris, John Dickinson, Benjamin Franklin and others. Shortly thereafter, on 16 November, Congress resolved “that two small swift sailing vessels be provided for packets, to be under the direction of the Congress.” Robert Morris was appointed to procure the vessels and have them prepared to sail within thirty days. On 13 December 1775, Morris was added to the Secret Committee in place of Thomas Willing, who resigned. On 14 December Morris was appointed to a 14-man committee charged with fitting out the armed ships. During the following year, he continued to serve on key committees, including another appointment on 28 June 1776 to the Committee on Foreign Correspondence. The committee, formed less than one week prior to the crucial vote regarding independence, was charged with devising methods to secure alliances with foreign governments. Others on the committee included Benjamin Franklin and John Adams. By the time the Declaration of Independence was adopted, Morris was one who had pledged his life, fortune and sacred honor. He became the primary financier of the conflict and often, his financial con-

tributions were done in secret. Morris, like Franklin, was one of the Pennsylvania delegates at the Continental Congress during 1775 and 1776, and although Morris definitely sided with the Americans, he was quite reluctant to declare independence. On 2 July 1776, after the motion to declare independence was placed on the floor by Richard Henry Lee of Virginia, Robert Morris was one of the four Pennsylvania delegates who dissented. The other three were John Dickinson, Charles Humphreys and Thomas Willing (Morris’ business partner). On 4 July, Dickinson and Morris were absent to permit the Pennsylvania vote to move without dissent. The people reacted to the dissent by not electing Humphreys, Dickinson and Willing; however, Robert Morris was re-elected. Morris remained loyal to the cause and on 2 August when the parchment document was presented, Morris affixed his name to it. By the latter part of the year, the Americans remained in a precarious position: the new nation’s finances were insufficient to properly fund the war. Some of the blame fell to the colonies that failed to pay their quotas. Morris provided $10,000 of his personal funds as a loan and it was that contribution that preserved General George Washington’s forces and permitted him to carry out the surprise move against British-held Trenton, New Jersey. That year, Morris and many others opposed the state constitution that was adopted in convention. The Philadelphia representatives elected to the assembly in November, including Robert Morris, were heavily anti-constitution. They were instructed to use all their influence to delay execution of the constitution, but they were greatly outnumbered by the representatives from the counties outside of Philadelphia that supported the new state constitution. By November 1776, the situation in the city had worsened as the British were encroaching. On the 12th of December Congress evacuated and fled to Baltimore. The state assembly suffered similar problems and those who arrived to organize the state government also departed, and some of them never arrived to take their seats. Although Congress fled, three members — Robert Morris, George Clymer and George Walton — were appointed on 21 December as a committee charged with remaining in the city to operate the government. Congress’ resolution said, “Robert Morris, George Clymer, and George Walton, Esqrs. [are to] be a committee of Congress, with powers to execute such continental business as may be proper and necessary to be done at Philadelphia.” Nevertheless, the committee became a committee of one, Robert Morris. He had no contact with Clymer or Walton, but he maintained uninterrupted communications with General Washington. Washington afterward handed the Patriots a stunning and unanticipated victory at Trenton on 26 December 1776, which was soon after followed by the victory at Princeton on 3 January 1777. The victory over the Hessian troops at Trenton finally broke the myth of the invincibility of the Hessian soldiers and their bayonets. Morris continued to contribute from his personal fortune to aid the cause and often it was done under the cloak of secrecy. Although Morris remained in the city, his wife, Mary, and their children fled to Maryland and remained there at the residence of Mary’s stepsister, Sophia Hall. Meanwhile, the defeat of General William Howe’s forces in New Jersey terminated the threat against Philadelphia, which permitted Congress and the state assembly to return to the city. After the return of Robert’s family, the British again threatened the city and Mary and the children fled to Lancaster and remained at the house of Baron Stiegel, originally from Manheim, Germany. During that same crucial period, Morris, opposed to Continental paper currency, notified Congress that their paper money was of little value and that the citizens had no confidence in it. Paper currency continued to flow, but it never overcame hard currency and instead became more valueless as time passed. Congress returned to Philadelphia during March 1777, despite warnings from Morris that it was still too dan-

303 gerous due to an ongoing British offensive. The assembly also returned, but still the factions prevented any action on the state constitution. Morris was approached about becoming president of Congress in 1777, but he declined. He also supported the Articles of Confederation, which were adopted on 15 November 1777. The Articles were dispatched to each state for ratification. They became effective 3 March 1781 and on that day, the Journals of the Continental Congress show Robert Morris as one of the signers. In addition to raising his own family, Morris had a half-brother, Thomas, who was illegitimate. Morris raised him as one of the family; however, his brother did not lead a life of virtue or integrity. In addition to ensuring that he received an excellent education, Morris also retained confidence in him despite his reputation. Thomas, through the efforts of Robert, was appointed as American agent in Nantes, France, but the endeavor became a disaster. Initially, Morris believed the accusations regarding his brother were personal political attacks, but eventually, he realized he had been wrong. Morris wrote to the commissioners and directed them to dismiss his brother, but in February 1778, Morris received word that it wasn’t necessary to fire his brother, because he had died. Morris had apparently not spent much time in Congress at York after November 1778, and he had also requested a leave of absence from the Pennsylvania assembly in order to attempt to restore some order within his personal business. He was re-elected to Congress again during December 1777. It was his final term in Congress, due to the rules in the state constitution governing Pennsylvania. He had been elected initially by the proprietary assembly, the Constitutional Convention of 1776, and twice by the Pennsylvania legislature. The state constitution mandated that no one could serve more than two terms. Morris was also re-elected to the state assembly during the latter part of 1778 on the Anti-constitution ticket, which assured him an abundance of political enemies in the Constitution party. Other enemies joined the chorus when he sided with Silas Deane against Arthur Lee during their bitter disagreement as American commissioners. A key opponent of Deane was Thomas Paine (Constitution party) and his published articles in support of Lee drew Robert Morris into the cauldron. The attacks and accusations continued for the duration of the war. Morris was also attacked by Henry Laurens for alleged irregularities while he handled the finances of the Secret Committee. Morris demanded a congressional inquiry and was totally vindicated. The committee report stated: “Your committee are of the opinion that the said Robert Morris, has clearly and fully vindicated himself, and your committee are further of opinion that the said Robert Morris in the execution of the powers committed to him by the said Secret Committee, has acted with fidelity and integrity, and an honorable zeal for the happiness of his country.” On 15 February 1779 a letter written by John Jay, president of Congress, cleared Morris of all charges. The letter related to Morris a “unanimous act of Congress of the 11th inst., not only acquitting your conduct in the transaction it relates to blame, but giving it that express approbation which patriotism in the public, and integrity in every walk of life, merit and seldom fail ultimately to receive.” That year, Morris’ political enemies again accused him of wrongdoing regarding prices of goods on a ship that arrived in Philadelphia. It was an example of political infighting for power rather than focusing on the enemy. General John Cadwalader, while attending a meeting, attempted to speak on behalf of Morris and came under attack. The conservatives came to Morris’ aid, held a meeting chaired by Morris, and acquitted him of all charges. During July 1779, Silas Deane, writing about the turmoil in Philadelphia, stated in a letter: “It is a melancholy reflection to think that whilst our common enemy is wasting our seacoasts and laying our fairest and most peaceable towns in ashes, we are quarreling among ourselves and can scarcely be restrained from plunging each other’s swords into our bosoms.” Morris completed his

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term in the assembly, but the Anti-Constitutionists scored a victory in the elections (1779) and Morris was not re-elected. Although he was not serving in either Congress or the assembly, Morris continued to support the Patriots. He continued to supply funds from his personal accounts and use cargo from his privateers to bolster the army. During 1780, the constitutionists reversed their losses of the previous year and scored well in the state elections. Morris was again re-elected to the assembly. In another incident of Morris using his own funds, he secretly provided money to support General Nathanael Greene’s southern campaign after he had been selected to command the force during autumn of 1780. Greene was not made aware of who provided the funds until after the war. Morris’ actions saved the southern army. During 1781, he was appointed superintendent of finance by Congress, but he postponed taking the position until he, along with others including General Thomas Mifflin, were able to eliminate the worthless paper money and replace it with currency of value. That year Morris proposed to Congress the establishment of a national bank; the idea was accepted. During July 1781, Morris and others planned a secret mission to acquire silver by sending the Trumbull on the clandestine voyage under the ruse of delivering flour. The captain’s instructions directed him to toss and sink the secret papers if faced with capture. Soon after departing the Capes, a British warship did seize the Trumbull, but the papers were thrown overboard and sank to the bottom of the sea. Captain James Nicholson and Richard Dale were captured and later exchanged. Subsequently, a French warship, the La Resolute, laden with hard currency (2,500,000 livres and 18 sous) arrived in Boston. Great precautions were then taken to map out a presumably safe, circuitous overland route to evade confiscation by the British and deliver the treasure to Philadelphia. Finally, on 6 November, Major William Nicholson, Continental Marines, arrived in Philadelphia and announced that the train was sixteen miles from Philadelphia. The currency was transferred that day to Mr. Hillegas, the treasurer of the United States. The North American Bank at 3rd and Chestnut Streets received its charter from Congress on 7 January 1782 and on that day began to transact business. The bank was greatly responsible for establishing the credit of the United States with foreign nations. In 1783, Morris and his assistant, Gouverneur Morris, who spoke fluent French while Robert spoke only English, persuaded the French to make a short term load to provide hard money for General Washington’s army when it arrived in Philadelphia en route to Yorktown. By February 1782, the financial condition of the bank was becoming unstable due to the states’ refusal to contribute their allocated shares. On 2 February, Morris said in a letter to Congress: “I would to God that I could say that there were even the appearance of general vigor and exertion. But the truth is very different....” By July 1783, only South Carolina had contributed its full amount. Meanwhile, political adversaries of the Bank of North America continued to focus on bringing about its demise. In 1785, the Pennsylvania assembly succeeded in having its state charter annulled. By that time, Morris had resigned (1 November 1784) from his position in the office of finance, about 18 months after his initial resignation. Congress, upon Morris’ resignation, appointed a board of treasury to oversee the finances of the country. In one questionable decision by Morris during his tenure, it was he who suggested to Congress that the newest ship in the fleet (the double-decker America), which had been promised to John Paul Jones, be given instead to the French in place of one of their vessels that sank in the vicinity of Boston Harbor. Nevertheless, Morris and John Paul Jones remained close friends. Jones named Robert Morris the executor of his estate. After Jones died in poverty in France, Jones’ sword, presented to him by King Louis XVI, was received by Morris during 1795. Rather than keep it, Morris believed it would better serve the memory of Jones if it were presented to Commodore John Barry. Later, it was transferred to Richard Dale,

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and afterward continued to be handed down to members of the Dale family. After the war, Morris continued as superintendent of finance. He and Congress were forced to depart the city hurriedly when a contingent of troops arrived to demand back pay. Meanwhile, during 1785, Morris and his family moved from their house on Front Street to a threestory mansion, previously owned by John Penn, located on High Street. During 1786, on the 30th of December, the Pennsylvania assembly selected a committee of seven to represent the state in forming a new government. Robert Morris was one of the appointees. Others included Gouverneur Morris, Thomas Mifflin and George Clymer. An eighth delegate, Benjamin Franklin, was added later. During June 1787, Morris dispatched the vessel Alliance to China in a private enterprise. The voyage became the first “out of season” passage of any vessel. Robert Morris and Gouverneur Morris personally charted the route. Following adoption of the U.S. Constitution (1787), which Robert signed, the Pennsylvania assembly during October 1788 selected Robert Morris and Robert MacClay, the latter from Harrisburg, as the first U.S. senators. Morris served 1789–1795. Afterward, President George Washington appointed him secretary of the U.S. treasury, but he declined the appointment and recommended Alexander Hamilton for the position. Robert Morris and his wife, Mary, had become close friends of General Washington and through the years, Washington often stayed in the Morris residence while he was commander-in-chief and after he became president. On 22 May 1789, Martha Washington and her grandchildren, Eleanor and George Washington Parke Custis, were met at Chester by a party accompanied by a small contingent of light horse. A luncheon was held at Gray’s Gardens and afterward, Martha Washington was escorted to the Morris house, where they spent the night before proceeding to New York. Robert Morris closed out his public life by completing his term as senator. From the latter part of November 1790 until the end of his second term in office and the inauguration of Thomas Jefferson, President Washington resided in the Morris house, except for one period while the plague was inflicting havoc with the city of Philadelphia. At that time, Washington resided in Germantown, now part of Philadelphia. While Washington resided in Morris’ High Street house, Morris and his family lived in a property acquired during 1790 on Sixth Street adjacent to the High Street house. During the plague the Morris family lived in a former home of John Penn in Lansdowne, which Morris had gained through default by a Mr. Greenleaf. Other property he owned included “Trout Spring” in Upper Merion and his “great tract” in Morrisville, opposite Trenton, New Jersey. During 1794, Morris and his partner John Nicholson formed the Asylum Company. Upon part of about one million acres they built a town called Asylum along the Susquehanna, intending to draw new settlers. Morris discarded his interest during the following year. He began construction of a mansion in the city on Chestnut Street in 1794. It extended from 7th to 8th Streets and from Chestnut south to Walnut Street, but his deteriorating finances and pressure from creditors compelled him to abandon the work before it was completed. The mansion became known as Morris’ Folly. Earlier, Morris and his partner Thomas Willing had also owned a plantation in Louisiana, but disposed of it when the territory came under Spanish control. By 1795 it had become more difficult to complete the mansion. Morris had lost his fortune due to poor land speculation dealings in many places acquired through the North American Land Company, whose secretary was Morris’ son-in-law, James Marshall, the husband of Hettie, Morris’ daughter. The tracts were located in Pennsylvania (north and west of the Ohio and Allegheny Rivers respectively), Georgia, Kentucky, western New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia in the area which would become known as Washington, D.C. The matter was complicated further by default of the Bank of England.

Morris sought refuge from his creditors at the “Hills,” his estate on a knoll known as Lemon Hill along the east bank of the Schuylkill River, which he dubbed “Camp Defiance.” Creditors included the Bank of Pennsylvania, Bank of the United States and the Bank of North America, but the most dogged of all was George Eddy, who eventually caused Morris’ imprisonment. On 15 February 1798, he was arrested by the sheriff and the next day transferred to the debtors’ prison on Prune Street, where he languished until 26 August 1801, when he was released under a new bankruptcy law. Criminals who were sentenced to jail were provided with food and clothing, but debtors were provided no essentials. They were compelled to provide their own necessities, including food and clothing. Morris’ wife and daughter, Maria, visited him almost daily for the entire period he was detained. His son, William, died during October of 1798 from the fever that plagued Philadelphia at that time. The Morris family literally had to walk past layers of caskets which held corpses to get to see Robert. Despite the tragic loss of lives that continued to rapidly increase in the prison as well as the city, Morris did not become ill. He was released from his imprisonment during 1801. Robert Morris, the financier of the American Revolution, lived out the remainder of his life in poverty. He succumbed in Philadelphia at age 73 during May 1806. He died in obscurity surrounded by family members. There were no public accolades, nor any monuments built in his memory. He was interred in the William White and Robert Morris Family Vault at the cemetery of Christ Church in Philadelphia. His wife, Mary, who survived him by twenty-one years, was also interred there. In addition to his great personal sacrifices during the struggle with Britain, he has another distinction attached to his legacy. He had signed all three of the major documents of the period, the Articles of Confederation, the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution. Only one other man shares that legacy, Roger Sherman of Connecticut.

Morton, John (Signer of the Declaration of Independence) John Morton was born during 1725 in Ridley (present-day Ridley Park), Pennsylvania, at the time in Chester County but later Delaware County. His father, John, of Finnish-Swedish extraction, died just before John’s birth. His mother, Mary Richards Morton, also of Swedish descent, remarried an Englishman, John Sketchley, while John Morton was still an infant. Through his stepfather, John was taught the trade of a surveyor, but his formal education lasted only several months. As a young man, John was known to have been quick to learn and he grew to become known also as a man of integrity. In addition to his skills as a surveyor, John also became a farmer. The combination of farming his lands and engaging in work as a surveyor brought him stature in the community and wealth. John married Anne Justis, the daughter of Morton and Brita Walraven Justis of Delaware, about 1745–1746. According to Peter Stebbins Craig, historian of the Swedish Colonial Society, John and Anne were second cousins, with both being descendants of Marten Martensson, the great-grandfather of John Morton. John Morton’s entry into public life began during 1764 when he was elected to the Pennsylvania state assembly. He presided over the assembly during his final year and a half of service (1775–1776), which coincided with his service in the Continental Congress. He was named justice of the peace during 1764 and in the following year, Morton was selected by the House of Representatives to travel to Albany as a Pennsylvania delegate to the general congress known as the Stamp Act Congress. His public life continued beyond the convention and during 1766, he was elected as the county sheriff. Despite a lack of formal legal training, Morton was appointed in 1774 to the Superior Court of Pennsylvania and later as a judge on the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. As the conditions between Britain

305 and the colonies worsened, Morton remained staunchly on the side of the Patriots. He was elected as a delegate to the First Continental Congress, which met in Philadelphia, and afterward was re-elected, serving in Congress during 1775 and 1776. After hearing news of the British movement against the Minutemen at Lexington in 1775, Morton was offered a position as colonel, but he declined due to his position on the state Supreme Court. Similarly to Delaware, the Pennsylvania delegates were for a while at a stalemate on the subject of independence when the decision had to be made during July 1776. It was John Morton’s vote that assured a “Yea” from Pennsylvania. Until his vote was cast, Morton had been considered a moderate, but through his relationship with Benjamin Franklin, he was persuaded to side with the proponents of independence. When the vote was taken, dissenters Thomas Willing and Charles Humphreys lost their attempt to derail the Declaration of Independence. Benjamin Franklin, James Wilson and Morton carried the day. Morton’s vote sealed the Declaration of Independence’s unanimous vote. John Dickinson and Robert Morris intentionally remained absent to permit the vote to pass. Morris later signed the parchment document. Morton remained in Congress after he signed the Declaration and for awhile, he was chairman of the committee of the whole during consideration of the Articles of Confederation, but he succumbed before the Articles were adopted during November 1777. One of his sons, John, died while a prisoner of the British aboard the HMS Falmouth, the dreaded prison-ship moored in New York Harbor. During his confinement, he wrote in a letter the American prisoners were “almost starved and could eat brickbats if they could get them.” John Morton’s contributions to the nation and its path to independence were consistent; however, the stress took a high toll on his health as he made that crucial decision. Morton was later struck by fever during April 1777 and never recovered. He died several days after becoming ill. Morton, holding a deep understanding of his action during 1776 and a confident sense of its consequences, had remarked during his final days from his death-bed in retort to some of his friends who had never forgiven him for casting the vote for independence: “Tell them that the hour would yet come, when it would be acknowledged, that his vote in favour of American independence was the most illustrious act of his life.” Morton, the first of the signers to succumb, was interred at St. James Church in Chester, Pennsylvania, where he had attended services and remained active throughout his lifetime. Upon the death of his wife, Anne, at an unspecified time during the 1800s, she too was interred there. Shortly after Morton’s death the British arrived in the Chesapeake and moved against Philadelphia. John Morton’s widow and children escaped from their residence prior to the British arriving there after the Battle of Brandywine (9–11 September 1777). Some damage was done to the property, but the British were more concerned with advancing to seize Philadelphia, sparing the Morton home from total destruction. Anne and John’s eight children survived him. They were: Aaron, Sketchley (married Rebecca, daughter of John and Mary Neidermar Taylor), John (served as a surgeon’s mate with the 4th Continental Artillery, died 4 February 1778 while a prisoner on the HMS Falmouth in New York harbor), Sarah, Lydia, Elizabeth (unmarried), Mary (married Charles Justis of Kingsessing), and Anne (married Captain, later brigadier general, John Davis of Chester County). Aaron Sketchley Morton has been noted for service in the Continental Army as a major; however, he is not listed in the Historical Register of the Officers of the Continental Army (Francis Heitman, 1914) as having served.

Moulton, Brigadier General Jonathan Jonathan Moulton, the son of Jacob and Sarah Smith Moulton, was born on 30 June 1726 in Hampton, New Hampshire. Jonathan found his first military service during the various hostilities against the Indi-

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ans, including the Ossippe, along the northern frontiers. In addition to being a frontiersman, he began to acquire large tracts of land, including a piece of territory known as Moultonborough, which he and sixtyone others acquired as a grant from Governor Benning Wentworth during November 1763. Later, he was able to get a grant for New Hampton. Jonathan married Abigail Smith, the daughter of Benjamin Smith, on 22 February 1749, and together, they had the following children: Josiah (b. December 1740); Sarah (b. April 1752, d. January 1754); Jonathan (b. May 1775–1776); Abigail (b. October 1758, d. November 1759); Mary (“stifled in press bed” October 1760); Benning (b. May 1760); Anna (b. April 1763); William Pitt (b. September 1766); Elizabeth (baptized March 1768); Jacob Smith (b. May 1770, married Nancy Tilton); Joseph (b. April 1772). The family sustained a tragedy during 1775, when Jonathan’s wife, Abigail, died on 21 September. On 11 September 1776 Jonathan remarried, taking Sarah Emery as his second wife. Sarah was the daughter of Doctor Anthony Emery. Jonathan and Sarah had four children: Sally (b. June 1779); Emery (b. May 1782); John Washington (b. September 1783) and Nathaniel Thayer (baptized August 1787). Throughout the Revolutionary War, Jonathan Moulton served in the militia with the rank of colonel; however, a record of promotion is elusive. Nevertheless, on various church records, notations stated that certain children being baptized were the children of General Moulton. General Moulton’s life is surrounded by peculiar legends including one that he, by his own admission, sold his soul to the Devil for a “bootful of money.” Moulton, as the legend goes, received a promise from the Devil to fill the boot with “gold doubloons.” Moulton then cut the foot from the boot and when Colonel Weare visited Moulton, the latter’s chamber was filled with the gold. Afterward, a woman related to the governor that she witnessed the Devil getting even and saw the “Devil fly away with old Moulton across the heaterpiece or triangular corner lot near his house, the day of Moulton’s death [September 18, 1787].” These incidents were drawn from the papers of Meshech Weare and of Governor William Plumer. In Plumer’s diary, an entry dated 18 September 1786 states: “The Instances of his [Moulton’s] fraud and deceit, Injustice and oppression are numerous; he has reduced many families from at affluence to beggary. For 20 years he has been a constant suitor In the courts of law, where he has often attempted to corrupt judges, bribe jurors, suborn witnesses, and seduce the counsel employed by his opponents. I have evidence of his conveying a right of land to a judge who was to decide the title to that and all the other lands that he claimed in that township.”

Moultrie, Major General William William Moultrie, the son of Doctor John and Lucretia Cooper Moultrie, was born in Charleston, South Carolina, on 23 November 1730. William’s father, from Culross, Shire of Fife in Scotland, immigrated about 1729 and established residence in South Carolina. William’s parents had three other sons, John (Loyalist who became lieutenant governor of East Florida), James (chief justice East Florida, pre Revolution), and Thomas (captain in American Revolution). In 1749, William married Elizabeth Demaris de St. Julien. The couple had two children, but only their son, William, Jr., born in 1752, reached adulthood. Their daughter died when she was about thirteen. William Moultrie fought as a volunteer in the campaign against the Cherokee during 1760. In a later expedition he served as a captain under Colonel Archibald Montgomery. Subsequently, Montgomery was replaced and Moultrie served under his successor, Colonel James Grant, during the 1761 expedition that overwhelmed the Creeks and compelled the Indians to sue for peace. Francis Marion (the Swamp Fox) served with Captain Moultrie during that campaign. As the colonies moved further away from good relations with Britain, Moultrie along with others began to emerge as leaders of the Patriots

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and opponents of the king’s policies. During 1775 on 11 January the states’ First Provincial Congress convened at the Old Exchange in Charleston. Those attending included William Moultrie, Henry Laurens, Francis Marion, and Thomas Sumter. On 21 April Moultrie was among the group of Patriots who confiscated the British supply of gunpowder stored in Charleston. On 17 June, Moultrie was appointed as colonel of the 2nd South Carolina Regiment. On 14 September 1775, Moultrie’s regiment seized Fort Johnson, and during November of that year, William H. Drayton, who had been elected president of South Carolina, directed Colonel Moultrie’s militia to commence fire against any British warships that encroached Fort Johnson. The British, quite incensed by the actions of the rebels, laid plans to quash the insurrection. As a show of power, the British maintained two warships in the harbor to intimidate the populace with the threat of bombardment. Colonel Moultrie was directed to eliminate the threat. He selected a nasty night when Charleston was undergoing a storm to deploy several cannon at Haddrell’s Point (Haddrell’s Point), which overlooked the harbor. The troops that established the battery succeeded in completing it without detection well before dawn. When the sun arose, the British were greeted with fire. The British in turn chose to retire and the threat was ended. Nevertheless, the Americans remained aware that the British were scheduling a timetable to conquer Charleston. During March 1776, Colonel Moultrie was directed to establish a fort on Sullivan’s Island, a strategic location from which to dominate the channel. At the time, Colonel Christopher Gadsden had been in Philadelphia for the Continental Congress, and Gadsden’s regiment was under Moultrie. The island contained mighty oak trees and palmetto trees. The latter were cut down and laid in layers and clamped by pegs to assemble the fort and the troops poured a combination of sand and dirt into the crevices between the logs. The improvised project produced a half-finished bomb shelter, much more sturdy than it appeared. The British made a serious threat against the city during June 1776 while the fort had only two walls completed. A powerful fleet that included transports carrying an assault force, commanded by Admiral Peter Parker and General Henry Clinton, arrived on the 7th, but only some of the vessels were small enough to cross the bar. Those that could overcome the bar held at Five Fathom Hole, a point that could not be struck by the guns on Sullivan’s Island. Two days later, on the 9th, the British intensified their efforts to get the remainder of the warships over the bar, an operation that was finally completed about the 25th of June. Meanwhile on 18 June, Congress resolved “that the battalion of artillery, and the two other batallions of foot, raised in South Carolina, and kept up in that colony for the defence of the same, be considered as continental forces.” General Charles Lee arrived in Charleston to assume command just prior to the attack. He ordered Moultrie to abandon the fort (later Fort Moultrie), but the governor, John Rutledge, failed to concur and Moultrie remained with his force. Meanwhile, Charleston ignored an ultimatum by General Henry Clinton to lay down its arms or face the reduction of the city. Lee planned to replace Moultrie with General Nash, but the British attacked before he made the change. On the 27th, the British guns pounded the stronghold with constant volleys, but the fort held and sustained only superficial damage. The combination of the palmetto logs and the sand and dirt absorbed the shock and prevented heavy damage to the great surprise of General Lee and the British, the latter wondering why the obstacle had not been pulverized. During the horrific bombardment, the winds changed, forcing General Clinton to suspend the attack. On the following day, the assault was reinitiated. Three of the warships hung up on the shoal (known as Middle Ground), but two were able to break free. During the incessant bombardment of Moultrie’s fort, the colors were shot from the staff, but Sergeant William Jasper and

William Moultrie (Pictorial Field Book of the Revolution, Benson J. Lossing, 1860)

some others quickly made repairs and re-hoisted the flag. Despite the pounding, Moultrie with the 2nd South Carolina Regiment and a contingent of the 4th Regiment’s artillery (31 guns) returned effective fire. The HMS Bristol was twice set ablaze from the artillery, and its commander, Captain John Morris, received a mortal wound. The former royal governor, Lord Campbell, was also mortally wounded. The HMS Experiment sustained heavy casualties, with Captain Scott being among the wounded. The HMS Acteon was unable to get free from the shoal and it too was plastered with artillery rounds. Meanwhile, the British infantry (2,000) were unable to bolt from Long Island (later Isle of Palms) to the objective, due to deep water and the American troops under Colonel William Thompson, who held invincible positions and raised a wall of impenetrable fire that caught the British boats in a shallow channel. Moultrie’s gunners neutralized the British cannon. At the end of the day, the Americans under Moultrie had prevailed. The two ships that broke from the shoal headed for the open sea, while a contingent set the Acteon ablaze. A party of Americans boarded the burning vessel, turned several guns on the retiring vessels and impetuously loaded some supplies on a boat before pulling the flying British colors down. Just after the contingent exited the vessel, it blew up. During the battle, British Admiral Peter Parker literally had his pants catch fire from a shot from one of Moultrie’s guns that exploded near him as his flagship was retiring. Moultrie’s men saved Charleston, and the fort on Sullivan’s Island was named Fort Moultrie in honor of the commanding colonel. The British fleet departed the area on the 29th. On 16 September 1776, Colonel Moultrie was commissioned a brigadier general. In early summer 1777, Lafayette arrived in South Carolina en route to Philadelphia. He was taken to Charleston by Major Huger, who introduced him to General Moultrie and other officers. On 3 February 1779, General Moultrie and a force of several hundred militia defended Port Royal Island (Beaufort, South Carolina) and turned back a British landing force commanded by Major

307 Gardener. The British moved back to Georgia. Thomas Heyward and Edward Rutledge, both signers of the Declaration of Independence, served under Moultrie in the battle. Two months later, on 17 April 1779, due to the poor health of General Benjamin Lincoln from a wound sustained at Saratoga, Congress replaced him with General Moultrie. It resolved “that Major General Lincoln have liberty to join the Army under the Commander in Chief, and that the thanks of Congress be given to Major General Lincoln, for his Agd Services to the public during his Command of the Southern Army,” and “that Brigadier Moultrie be promoted to the Rank of Major General in the Armies of the United States.” Congress modified its resolution on 13 May by holding up the promotion, yet making him commander: “Brigadier General Moultrie be [made] commander, in the absence of Major General Lincoln, of the southern army, during its continuance to the southward of North Carolina, with the allowance of major general on a separate command, until the further order of Congress.” Moultrie did not receive his promotion until 1782. During May of 1779, while General Lincoln was leading a force to regain Augusta, Georgia, the British moved to seize lightly defended Charleston; however, Lincoln’s army returned in time to forestall the attack. The British and the Americans remained in position while the British awaited the arrival of the Royal Navy. During the advance, the British were able to compel General Moultrie to withdraw from Black Swamp and redeploy nearer to Charleston. For a while, the British under Prevost caused some panic in Charleston. A British demand for surrender had some faltering, but Moultrie insisted that the “privy council be ignored” and that they would “fight it out.” In the meantime, General Lincoln returned, boosting the American force from about 1,000 troops to more than 3,000. British Colonel Prevost’s force (regulars, Tories and Indians) chose to depart rather than face the combined force. Prevost retired to James Island. On the 20th of June, the Americans attacked the positions at Stono Ferry, but the strategy was poor. Moultrie led a force against the British rear and began to make progress by bolting to James Island, but inexplicably, Lincoln ordered a retreat. The battle ended in stalemate, with both sides sustaining high casualties. Nonetheless, the Americans compelled the British to abandon their lines at the Stono River, and they evacuated their positions on St. James Island. The fighting at the river terminated clashes for the remainder of the summer (1779) as the extreme heat became too unbearable, but Moultrie used his tactics to harass the British and send his trusted sergeant for missions behind enemy lines. Moultrie had complete confidence in Sergeant William Jasper and authorized him to select his own men for the missions. On one occasion, Jasper crept into Savannah claiming to be a disgruntled deserter. At the time the British were well aware of the exploits of Jasper and welcomed the warrior who proclaimed he was mistreated. The ruse worked perfectly. He was able to remain for eight days, gathering intelligence while a guest of the British. Jasper apparently moved through the shadows and was frequently bringing prisoners back to Moultrie’s headquarters. On one reconnaissance mission he actually captured a British party that had been in pursuit of him. Later, on the 4th of September, the French fleet under Comte D’Estaing dispatched a messenger to General Moultrie at Sheldon and informed him that the French were prepared to support the effort to reduce Savannah, which at the time was under siege. The massive attack was launched on 9 October with a combined force of 4,000 Americans and 2,500 French troops; however, the British repelled the assault and retained Savannah. At the attack on Savannah, Moultrie lost one of his most trusted men, Sergeant Jasper. He had picked up the colors and was re-hoisting the flag when more British fire cut him down. General Moultrie later reported that a man from South Carolina deserted to the British and gave them the entire plan of attack, including an assault by General Huger that was only a feint, which gave the defenders a great advantage. Although the British handily repulsed General Lincoln at

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Savannah, the next major battle for Charleston did not erupt until the following spring. In the meantime, the British continued to inch their way toward domination of South Carolina. General Moultrie, a widower since his wife, Elizabeth, died during the early days of the war, remarried during 1779. Hannah Motte Lynch became his second wife. She was the daughter of Jacob Motte and the widow of Thomas Lynch. Later, during February 1780, the British arrived to seize Charleston. The British initiated their siege on 8 April. By the latter part of April 1780, the British had dug their way to within striking distance of the city. During one of the skirmishes (24 April) the fighting was close quartered and both sides favored the bayonet. At day’s end, it was discovered that Captain Thomas Moultrie, the brother of General Moultrie, had been the one soldier killed. His other brother, John, was not present; he was in East Florida serving as the royal lieutenant governor. The defenders faced other problems besides the Redcoats. Recruits were hard to enlist and the militia was timid and fearful of entering Charleston due to an epidemic of smallpox, which had begun to spread through the city the previous November. To further hinder Lincoln and Moultrie, they had been promised 6,000 troops, yet only about 3,000 were there and the only reinforcements that came arrived from Virginia on 9 April. The British as reported by General Moultrie were at the American lines by the early April and the artillery began to bombard them on the 2nd. Immediately after the Virginians arrived, General Clinton ordered the warships to block the river to prevent any additional reinforcements from bolstering the city. The Americans rejected ultimatums and maintained resistance as much as possible. By 4 May the meat rations were cut to six ounces per man. Two days later, General Moultrie reported a British flag flying over Fort Moultrie. It was confirmed; the fort fell without firing a shot. By that time, the supply of rice, coffee and sugar had been expended and the ammunition was nearly exhausted. Proposals of surrender by General Lincoln were rejected by General Clinton and Admiral Arbuthnot. On the 12th, following a tenacious fight to repel the invaders, the exhausted defenders surrendered the city on 12 May 1780. Surrender terms were extremely harsh and the British humiliated the troops by denying military honors and compelling them to march from the fort with their colors encased. General Lord Cornwallis did not appear at the surrender. He remained across the river with his command. General Moultrie mentioned in his memoirs that the British were “astonished” when questioning where the other division was when only about 1,500–1,600 Continental troops marched out to lay down their arms, while another 500–600 were in the hospital, only to find that there was no second division. In addition, General Moultrie reported that when the militia marched out, it was he and other officers who were astonished when they saw the large numbers. Troops captured totaled 5,466, and the units included 10 Continental regiments and three artillery battalions. Captain Abraham Whipple’s naval squadron had been trapped when the British arrived in the area during February and did not engage the British in the harbor. After the British took control of the city, they collected the arms but handled them poorly when attempting to store them, causing an explosion. Powder “blew up the whole guard [about fifty men] and many others that were standing by; their carcasses, legs, and arms were seen in the air, and scattered over several parts of the town.” After the explosion of the magazine, a Hessian guard grabbed Moultrie and others, called Moultrie by name and confined him while accusing Moultrie of purposely blowing up the magazine. General Moultrie was able to get word to General Leslie and was soon released. Others captured included Colonel John Laurens, General William Woodford (died while imprisoned in a ship off New York in 1780), and General Louis DuPortail. Captain Abraham Whipple and the other captains in his

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squadron (Hoysteed Hacker, John Peck Rathburn, Samuel Tucker and Thomas Simpson) were captured. Fort Moultrie was renamed Fort Arbuthnot during the British occupation. The British retained the city well beyond the surrender of Cornwallis (October 1781), occupying it until December 1782, despite a pledge during August to abandon the city. General Moultrie was not exchanged until 9 February 1782. He received his release while he was in Philadelphia. The following April he left for South Carolina. He stopped first at Waccamaw and afterward at Winyaw, remaining at the latter until September. At that time he moved to meet with General Nathanael Greene. En route he stopped at General Marion’s camp, where he received an escort to secure his safety for the rest of the trip. His plantation was along the route between Marion’s camp and Greene’s headquarters. The party paused there for a night and the general was greeted by about 200 of his slaves, none of whom left to join with the British. They celebrated his arrival. Subsequently, on 13 December 1782, British commander General Alexander Leslie informed the Americans by messenger of the imminent abandonment of the city on the following day. The message stated that the British would begin to pull back from their forward positions in synchronization with the firing of the morning gun. He advised General Wayne that the Americans should occupy the defenses and then trail the British as they exit the city. At the time, Wayne’s force was posted across the Ashley River with a contingent of Colonel Henry “Lighthorse Harry” Lee’s cavalry, about eighty men and several hundred light-infantry troops. The force was bolstered by a contingent of artillery. The British commander suggested that the Americans trail the Redcoats from a distance of a couple of hundred yards to ensure the safety of the citizens. The maneuver went well except when the British on a few occasions complained that Wayne’s troops were getting too close. Nonetheless, at about 11 A.M. the Redcoats passed through the gates of the city and pivoted toward Gadsden’s Wharf, while the Americans moved into the city and established positions at the state house. The return of the Americans signaled the end of two years, seven months and two days of the occupation of Charleston. That day at about 3 P.M., General Greene, General Moultrie and General Mordecai Gist entered Charleston. General Moultrie, in his memoirs, published during 1802, stated: “The fourteenth day of December 1782, ought never be forgotten by the Carolinians; it ought to be a day of festivity with them as it was their real day of deliverance and independence.” Also according to his memoirs, in exchange for General Burgoyne, nearly a complete brigade of American officers was exchanged. But of those, only two officers were among those seized at Charleston: General Moultrie and Colonel Charles C. Pinckney. Moultrie, who was promoted to major general in April of 1779, only to have the official rank recalled the following month, was again promoted to major general by Congress on 15 October 1782. Colonel Charles Coatesworth Pinckney was promoted to the rank of brevet brigadier. Following his exchange, General Moultrie did not return to the field. He retired to private life. Earlier in his career (1752–1762) he served in the provincial assembly and during the war, he declined to serve in the Continental Congress due to his desire to focus on his military responsibilities within his home state. After the cessation of hostilities, he was elected to the state house (1783) and during the following year, he became South Carolina’s lieutenant governor. His political career did not end there. General Moultrie was elected governor by secret ballot in 1785 and 1792. Prior to his second term as governor, during 1787, he served in the state Senate. General Moultrie retired from public life during 1794 and lived until September 25, 1805. He was initially interred at the family cemetery on the Windsor Hill Plantation outside of Charleston, but later he was re-interred at Fort Moultrie. A grave stone that was placed by the U.S. Army in 1955 was moved to the St. James Parish, Goose Creek Church

Cemetery, where a monument to the general was erected. It is also where his second wife, Hannah Motte Moultrie, and his son, Captain William, were re-interred. General Moultrie designed the state flag and in his memoirs, he explained how it came about: “A little time after we were in possession of Fort Johnson it was thought necessary to have a flag for the purpose of signals. I was desired by the Council of Safety to have one made; upon which, as the State Troops were clothed in blue, and the fort was garrisoned by the First and Second Regiments, who wore a silver crescent on the front of their caps, I had a large blue flag made with a crescent on the upper corner, to be in uniform with the troops. This was the first American flag, which was displayed in South Carolina.”

Muhlenberg, Brigadier General John Peter Gabriel Peter Muhlenberg, the son of the Rev. Melchoir and Anna Weiser Muhlenberg, was born in Trappe, Pennsylvania, on 1 October 1746. The Lutheran Church in the United States was founded by Peter’s father, who was a chaplain to Count Reuss XXIV and who immigrated to America from Germany during 1742. After his arrival in Charleston, during September he departed for Pennsylvania (Montgomery County). He arrived in Pennsylvania in November 1742, and it was there that he was introduced to his future wife, Anna, the daughter of Colonel Conrad Weiser, a soldier and an Indian agent. The Muhlenbergs remained in Philadelphia until 1745, then lived in Trappe until 1761, before again returning to Philadelphia. The expectations of Peter’s family included their belief that Peter would follow in his father’s footsteps as a minister. Peter’s education began in the colonies; however, he also studied in Europe prior to being ordained a minister during In 1763, Peter, along with his two brothers, Frederick and Henry, were sent to Halle. They embarked upon a packet ship, the Captain Budden, in April and arrived in London during September. Once in England they departed for Rotterdam and from there to their final destination. The following year, an incident occurred at the university that prompted Peter, after receiving some type of insult from his teacher, to punch the instructor. Peter did not wait for the university to expel him; he abandoned it on his own and enlisted in a German regiment in Halle. By sheer chance, a British officer and friend of Peter’s father, while in Hanover, came upon Peter and recognized him. Soon after, he explained the circumstances of Peter and gained his release from the dragoon regiment, then accompanied Peter back to America in 1766 to the jubilation of his family. Peter’s father had suspected that his son might not be suited for the discipline of the university or a life of the cloth. In a letter to his friend, Doctor Ziegenhagen, he stated that if necessary, Peter would be sent “to a well disciplined garrison town, under the name of Peter Weiser, before he causes much trouble or complaint. There he may obey the drum if he will not follow the spirit of God. My prayers will follow him, and if his soul only is saved, be he in what condition he May I shall be content. I well know what Satan wishes for me and mine.” Nonetheless, Peter continued his studies at home under the tutelage of his father. On 12 May Peter Muhlenberg (Pictorial Field 1768, Peter became assistant pas- Book of the Revolution, Benson J. tor of Zion’s Church in New Lossing, 1860)

309 Germantown (Hunterdon County) and at the same time was assistant pastor at St. Paul’s church (Somerset County); however he did not initiate officiating until early the following year. While in New Jersey, Peter also devoted much of his free time to fishing and hunting without knowing that later, his familiarity with the wilderness would become a huge asset when the same area would harbor British troops. New Jersey is also where Peter met and married Ann Barbara Meyer on 6 November 1770. Later, he was called upon to become pastor of a German Lutheran settlement in Virginia, a group that had been organized as part of the Swedish Lutheran Church, but in order to initiate his ministry, it was compulsory in Virginia that a minister be ordained by an English bishop. In compliance with the law, Peter Muhlenberg sailed for London during March of 1772 and arrived there the following month. During his short visit to London, he was ordained with two others, including a Mr. Braidfoot and Mr. White, the latter becoming the Anglican bishop of Pennsylvania. The ordination took place on 2 April 1772 in the King’s Chapel of St. James. After Muhlenberg returned home in July, he began his ministry in the town of Woodstock. Nevertheless, his calling to the religious life did not interfere with his calling to the Patriots’ cause. In his region of the colony, it became clear that he was emerging as one of the conspicuous leaders. While adjusting to life as a Virginian, he became friendly with a number of prominent gentlemen in that colony, including George Washington and Patrick Henry. The relationship with Washington evolved into a close friendship. During 1774, Muhlenberg was appointed to the Committee of Safety as chairman of the county, and he and Jonathan Clarke were elected to the House of Burgesses. Muhlenberg’s actions drew the ire of many of the clergy; most were staunch supporters of the king, but their dissatisfaction did not deter him. He became an outspoken critic of Britain’s treatment of the colonists. Other members of the committee included Francis Slaughter, Abraham Bird, T. Beale, John Tipton and Abraham Bowman. By December 1775, his calling to the military took precedence over his preaching and he accepted the appointment as colonel of the 8th Virginia Regiment. Afterward, Colonel Muhlenberg gave his final sermon and went about raising his regiment. Later he was at Suffolk and then his regiment accompanied General Charles Lee when he departed Williamsburg for the Carolinas. Muhlenberg’s regiment first arrived at Cape Fear and from there went to Charleston, where it participated in the successful defense of the city. A British fleet under Commodore Parker arrived during June 1776 and was compelled to retire and sail back to New York. The regiment became known as the German Regiment. During July, Muhlenberg’s regiment moved to Savannah to participate in the invasion of Florida, but by September General Lee was ordered north and the invasion never occurred. Nevertheless, the excursion cost the regiment casualties from the extreme weather, of which the mountain people were unfamiliar. Meanwhile, on 13 August Congress passed a resolution “that the eighth Virginia battalion be taken into pay [of Continental Army] from the 27th day of May last.” The regiment, drained by sickness and death after about two months in Savannah, returned to Virginia, arriving in December 1776. Colonel Muhlenberg was among the sick and he never completely recovered. After arriving at his home town, he received orders to advance with his regiment to Philadelphia. Muhlenberg was promoted in February 1777 — along with George Weedon, Anthony Wayne, and William Woodford — to the rank of brigadier general. Muhlenberg landed seniority just under Wayne and at top seniority in Virginia. During April 1777, the 1st, 5th and 9th Virginia Regiments became the components of his brigade. Afterward, he joined with the army under General George Washington at Middlebrook during May 1777 and assumed command of the brigade there on the 27th. His brigade and that of General Weedon, also composed of Virginians, was attached to Major General Nathanael Greene’s division. Meanwhile, in June 1777, Muhlenberg’s former regiment (Ger-

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man Regiment) had been brought up to full strength and under its new commander, Colonel (Baron) de Arendt, arrived from Virginia during June and was attached to Muhlenberg’s brigade. The Virginians spent much time in the operations intended to block the British under General William Howe from driving into Philadelphia. It did its part, although not heralded, while it conducted rear guard activity to protect Greene’s forces. Howe was unable to penetrate. By July the British had relented and made a decision to take another route, to storm Philadelphia by landing in the Chesapeake area and driving north. Washington remained convinced that Howe, after embarking, still had Philadelphia as his objective. Washington’s force of about 4,000 men marched toward Philadelphia. General Greene was temporarily absent, which placed Muhlenberg in command of the division. On 24 August the entire force, with drums and fifes playing, marched through the city en route to Brandywine and on the following day, the British landed at the head of the Elk (Elkton, Maryland). Washington established headquarters at Wilmington, Delaware. The British prevailed at the Battle of Brandywine (9–11 September) and pushed the Americans back. The Virginia brigades again played a key part in rear actions and their tenacious resistance was greatly responsible for the army’s low casualties during the retreat. Subsequent skirmishes erupted including the “Paoli Massacre.” That British occupied Philadelphia and then the Battle of Germantown exploded on 4 October. At Germantown, the Americans were on the path to victory when confusion followed a friendly fire incident that struck General Greene’s column. That led to a retreat, but at the time Muhlenburg’s troops had been extended the furthest and were within the enemy’s camp. Nevertheless, the Virginians performed heroically and thrashed their way out of encirclement to reach the main body; however, one unit, the 9th Regiment, led by Colonel Matthews, was totally surrounded, forcing it to surrender. The British captured no other prisoners. Another Virginian at the battle was Major General Adam Stephen. His actions, supposedly caused in part because he was inebriated, brought his military career to a halt. He was dismissed from the army. During the melee, General Muhlenberg rode a white horse. The stress of several days wore it down and its rider had been nearly sleepless for a couple of days. Muhlenberg’s horse was unable to conquer a fence and while some soldiers were tearing a hole, the general was nearly killed. A British soldier shouted, “Pick off that officer on the white horse.” A shot passed close to Muhlenberg’s head and the general unholstered his pistol. The British officer who fired dropped dead from a shot to his head. Muhlenberg made it through the obstacles and continued the retreat. Meanwhile, the British gave chase, but halted at Whitemarsh and afterward, returned to the city. The Americans moved to Perkiomen Creek. Once reinforcements from New York (Peekskill) arrived, Washington returned to Shippack and later the Americans established winter quarters across the Schuylkill River at Valley Forge. General Muhlenberg’s brigade spent the winter of 1777–1778 at Valley Forge. His Virginians, like the other regiments, had hardships to suffer; however, they also became the recipients of Baron von Steuben’s instructions in drill and use of the bayonet, a skill that would serve them well for the duration. While encamped at Valley Forge, General Muhlenberg sometimes rode to Trappe to spend evenings with his father and return to camp on the following morning. During spring of 1778, the problem of rank within the Virginia Line was finally settled. General Woodford gained top seniority, to the chagrin of Muhlenberg, but he did not resign his commission. General Weedon, who had resigned his commission, rejoined the army during 1780 (See also, Woodford, Brigadier General William, regarding Congressional action on rank for the Virginia Line). During the latter part of May 1778, General Greene was appointed quartermaster-general and command of his division, which included Muhlenberg’s and General Scott’s brigades, was assumed by General

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Charles Lee. General Greene accepted the post with the stipulation that when necessary in combat, he retain his command. The 2nd Virginia (state regiment) had by that time joined with General Muhlenberg to make up for the loss of the 9th Regiment at Germantown the previous October. Muhlenberg’s brigade participated at the Battle of Monmouth (28 June). By the following October Muhlenberg was deployed at the North (Hudson) River, attached to Major General Israel Putnam’s division. He requested a leave of absence to return to Virginia, but due to the approved absences of Generals Woodford and Scott, General Washington informed Muhlenberg that it was impossible for the moment because his absence would leave the brigade without a leader. In addition, Major General Horatio Gates was ordered to depart Hartford, Connecticut, for Boston, leaving a void there which was filled by General Putnam, who was directed to repair to Hartford and assume command. Consequently, command of Putnam’s division for the winter was filled by Muhlenberg at the direction of General Washington. On 28 November during the operation to establish winter quarters, General Muhlenberg led Putnam’s division from West Point to Middlebrook, New Jersey. The march was unexpectedly interrupted when a British force was discovered moving. Muhlenberg was intercepted and directed to speed back to the Hudson. Nonetheless, the British activity ceased and they returned to New York. Muhlenberg reinitiated the march to New Jersey, where the brigade spent an uneventful winter and spring until it broke camp on 2 June 1779. General Muhlenberg’s brigade afterward participated in the attack against Stony Point. General Anthony Wayne led a spectacular raid against the post, launching the assault with total surprise. Muhlenberg’s brigade was posted in position to reinforce if necessary and to provide cover if the attacking force was driven into retreat; however, Wayne’s hand-picked contingent, with fixed bayonets, stormed Stony Point on 15–16 July, overwhelming the defenders at a post the British considered invulnerable. The Redcoats had held the fort since October 1777. The attack had been so flawless, Muhlenberg’s assistance was not needed. Toward the latter part of the year, when the British threat had lessened in the North and expanded in the South, General Muhlenberg was ordered during early December to lead the Virginia troops to the Department of the South; however, his orders were soon changed and instead, he was directed to assume command of the troops in Virginia. The slight twist in orders had inadvertently saved Muhlenberg from a nasty fate. The brigades moved south, but soon after their arrival in Charleston, the city fell to the British and the entire defending force was captured except for a few units outside the city. General Muhlenberg, after a spell in Philadelphia, departed on 10 March 1780, but the weather remained horrendous and the roads often impassible. He and his party did not arrive in Richmond until the first part of April and while en route, he lost several horses. Upon his return, he faced a monumental task with command in Virginia, but no troops were available. The Virginia Line was at Charleston except for one regiment, which was deployed on the frontier at Fort Pitt, leaving only the 1st and 2nd Virginia Regiments (state units) and a contingent of artillery under Colonel Charles Harrison. After the fall of Charleston, General Muhlenberg was directed to reform the lost regiments and in addition, General Horatio Gates requested that reinforcements be expeditiously sent to him in the Carolinas. Two contingents, one under Colonel Buford and another under Lt. Colonel Webb, were separately sent to Gates’ headquarters, but prior to their arrival, Gates advanced against the British at Camden on 16 August 1780 and sustained a devastating defeat that ended his military career. On 1 December, General Baron von Steuben arrived in Virginia and assumed command, and on the 3rd, he placed Muhlenberg under him. Meanwhile, General Greene succeeded General Gates. During the winter of 1781, General Muhlenberg opposed the British raiding parties and kept Benedict Arnold corralled in Portsmouth; however, his

resources and scarcity of weapons prevented him from barreling into the city to seize the British stronghold. Later, upon the arrival of Lafayette, General Muhlenberg took command of about 1,000 regulars who arrived with the marquis, and the militia he had commanded were placed under von Steuben. General Muhlenberg afterward remained with Lafayette. It was during the Virginia campaign that General Isaac Gregory (North Carolina militia) was arrested on the order of Muhlenberg after a letter bearing his name was captured. The letter purported that Gregory was a traitor willing to surrender his troops to British Colonel Simcoe. The British admitted the letter was forged to taunt Gregory. With a great sense of relief, General Gregory was released to resume his duties. In the meantime, the condition of the troops in Virginia remained desperate, but they did the best they could with what they had. By June, General Anthony Wayne arrived and he was followed by the French fleet transporting French and American troops as well as General Washington. In the meantime, Cornwallis had arrived in Virginia, but the added muscle of General Wayne caused him to be cautious. Cornwallis moved to Yorktown, from where he could be reinforced. General Muhlenberg was ordered to deploy on the opposite bank of the James River to cut off any attempt of Cornwallis to move south. The governor of North Carolina worked in cooperation with Muhlenberg, posting men at crossings and destroying boats. Nevertheless, the French and Americans isolated the town and the French fleet prevented reinforcements from arriving from New York. General Henry Clinton was unable to extricate Cornwallis. The siege continued until 19 October 1781, when General Lord Charles Cornwallis surrendered his army. In 1783 the Treaty of Paris officially terminated the war. General Muhlenberg was promoted to the rank of brevet major general. Following the close of the war, General Muhlenberg returned to Woodstock, Virginia, but he never resumed his life as a clergyman. He remained there until November 1783 and then returned to Trappe, Pennsylvania, where his father and family still resided. Later he moved his family to Philadelphia and entered the mercantile business. General Muhlenberg received a huge tract for his military service, most of which was in the territory of Ohio not far from Fort Pitt. During spring of 1784, Muhlenberg traveled to the Falls of the Ohio (Louisville, Kentucky), but after arriving on 11 April 1784 and being involved with overseeing the lottery for the tracts of other officers, he returned to Pennsylvania and arrived in Philadelphia on 8 June and gave a report to Thomas Mifflin, president of Congress. The report included the situation with the Indians in the Ohio territory. By that time, Muhlenberg’s health had deteriorated. Nevertheless, after attending to some private business regarding the purchase of a 200,000 acre tract, he intended to return to the west to locate his tract. In autumn of 1785, Benjamin Franklin was elected president of Pennsylvania and his vice president, also elected, was General Muhlenberg. At the time, Pennsylvania operated under the state constitution of 1776. Later, these offices would be given the titles governor and lieutenant governor. General Muhlenberg retained the position by annual re-election until l788. During that period, President Franklin was frequently away on national business, and during those absences, Muhlenberg became temporary president. After the ratification of the federal constitution, which Muhlenberg supported, he was elected to the first United States Congress and served from 4 March 1789 until 4 March 1791. He was elected again and served in the Third Congress from December 1793 until 1795. During that same period, his brother Frederick held the post of speaker of the house. Muhlenberg was elected yet again and served from March 1799 until 1801. Also in 1801, on 2 February, Muhlenberg was elected to the United States Senate. He resigned on 30 June to assume the position of revenue supervisor for Philadelphia upon appointment by President Thomas Jefferson. Muhlenberg was a strong supporter of Jefferson during his quest for the

311 presidency. During 1802, he was given the post of collector at the port of Philadelphia. General Peter Muhlenberg succumbed on 1 October 1807. He was interred in the town in which he was born, Trappe, Pennsylvania. General Muhlenberg was survived by two sons, Peter and Francis. His wife, Anna, died during the previous year on 28 October.

Mullan, Robert (U.S. Marine Corps) The date of birth of Robert Mullan is not known and his parents’ names are uncertain. It is known however, that Robert was from Philadelphia and that he married Ann Bowles at Christ Church on 21 October 1758. Although it is undocumented, it is possible that Robert was the son of Thomas and “Peg” Mullan (Mullen), and different sources claim that Thomas owned the Tun Tavern, while other sources list Peg Mullan as the owner. If Thomas and Peg were married and the parents of Robert, it is very possible that the United States Marine Corps held its first recruitment drive at Tun Tavern, but that too is uncertain. Robert Mullan was commissioned a captain of Marines on 25 June 1776, when the Marines were reorganized. After receiving his commission, Mullan worked to raise his company and acquire barracks for his Marines in a section on the outskirts of the city known as Campington. Later that year, Captain Mullen’s company formed with the forces under Major Samuel Nicholas, and the latter led them to Burlington, New Jersey, where they joined with Pennsylvania militia under General John Cadwalader. Mullan’s company participated in the Battle of Princeton on 3 January 1777. During the following month, Captain Mullan’s company was pulled from its duty as artillerymen in place of the Continental Army unit that departed Morristown after the contest at Princeton. Mullan’s new orders directed him to escort Hessian prisoners to Philadelphia. During early 1777, Captain Mullan’s company of Marines sailed aboard the Delaware from Philadelphia, but only as far as Billingsport, New Jersey, slightly south of Philadelphia, and remained there for more than four months. In September 1777, the British occupied Philadelphia. On the 27th, the Delaware moved back toward Philadelphia; however, the British artillery posted along the river commenced fire on the 27th. The Delaware got snagged in the middle of the channel and was forced to lower the colors, but some of the crew managed to escape by making it to the New Jersey bank of the river. Mullan, however, was among the captured. The British detained the crew in the city jail initially, but afterward, they were taken to the state house. In June 1778, subsequent to the evacuation of Philadelphia by the British, Captain Mullan was directed to raise a new company, composed of fifty Marines, but during that period recruiting was an exasperating task. Nonetheless, Mullan’s company was formed by early January. Deserters were a major problem, so much so that Captain Mullan advertised that deserters were “to be delivered at my Quarters, the Corner of Pine-Street in Front-Street.” Later, at an undetermined time, Captain Mullan was again captured by the British and was transported to a prison ship in New York. He was exchanged at an undetermined time. Subsequent to the close of hostilities, Mullan opened a “beef-stake and oyster house” on Walnut Street, between Front and Second Streets. The date of Captain Robert Mullan’s death also remains unknown, but it is thought that it was prior to 1794.

Nash, Brigadier General Francis Francis Nash, the youngest son of Colonel John and Ann Owen Nash, was born during 1742 at Templeton Manor in Amelia in Prince Edward County, Virginia. Later, Francis’ family relocated to New Bern, North Carolina. Francis later became clerk of the Superior Court for Orange County. He established his law practice in Hillsborough, and about 1763, his older brother Abner (later governor) also arrived in Hillsborough to practice law. Abner married the young widow of Governor Arthur Dobbs, Justina Davis Dobbs.

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During 1768, a group known as the Regulators created a huge disturbance in the region while protesting taxes and the government. On 8 April, a contingent of Regulators began to terrorize Hillsborough. They seized a horse that the sheriff had taken and began to intimidate the townspeople before riding off with the horse. Francis Nash, the adjutant and others, including Lt. Colonel Thomas Lloyd, attempted to mobilize the militia; however, most of the militia either sided with the Regulators or chose to remain neutral. In August–September there were additional problems, but Governor William Tryon gathered the militia from Orange and Mecklenberg counties and prepared to attack an encampment of about 800 Regulators. On 23 September a confrontation was avoided when negotiations brought about a fragile and temporary truce. In September 1770, on the 24th, the Regulators again instigated trouble during a court hearing. The jammed into the courtroom and began to use clubs, stones and other weapons to beat the lawyers and judges, who were essentially trapped. Some — including Lieutenant Colonel John Gray, Lt. Colonel Thomas Lloyd and Francis Nash — avoided the beating by escaping from the courthouse. Following the action of the Regulators, Nash was instrumental in forming an organization to provide mutual aid, but the members, which included Edmund Fanning and Thomas Henderson, did not live close enough to each other to mobilize quickly, making the association less than potent. Nonetheless, it did not become necessary except for one occasion to sound the alarm. In February 1771, the Regulators rode through Hillsborough firing their weapons wildly as they rode; however, they quickly vanished and the citizens were able to go back out on the streets. Nash participated in the battle that quelled the Regulators, the Battle of Alamance. On 16 May the Regulators were defeated and sustained about 20 killed and 200 wounded, against about nine of Governor Tryon’s force killed and 61 wounded. Nash, who received a commission as captain in the British army, did not consider loyalty to the king when the colonies began to take the path toward independence. He adamantly held to the Patriots’ cause. That year, following the expulsion of Herman Husbands and the death of John Prior, Francis Nash and Ralph McNair were elected to the assembly as representatives of their county. Both men were seated on 10 December 1771. On 8 December 1773, the assembly of North Carolina established a committee of correspondence. At that initial assembly, Ralph McNair represented the county and Francis Nash represented the town of Hillsborough. On 25 August 1774, the initial Provincial Convention convened. At that time the members elected delegates to the First Continental Congress. The final colonial assembly met at New Bern on 4 April 1775, but soon after, on 8 April, the governor dissolved it. Meanwhile, the Second Provincial Congress convened at New Bern on 3 April and adjourned four days later. During the meeting, it was determined to hold a third convention in August at Hillsborough. Francis Nash was elected a member of the first North Carolina Provincial Congress (third convention), which convened during August 1775. He was commissioned a lieutenant colonel of the 1st North Carolina Regiment, then appointed by Congress as brigadier general on 5 February 1777. As activity accelerated North Carolina, the British engaged the Patriots in Massachusetts at Lexington and Concord on 17 April 1775. Word of that action reached North Carolina on 3 May when the dispatch passed through Chowan County. The news galvanized the Patriots. By the latter part of May 1775, Royal Governor Josiah Martin abandoned New Bern and sought refuge at Fort Johnson, but here too, his stay was temporary. He was compelled to flee to the HMS Cruzier. Governor Martin attempted to hold power, but his power had been whisked away by the unfolding events. Nonetheless, many of the Regulators and the Highlanders remained loyal to the Crown. Plans were underway for the Highlanders to advance to the Cape Fear River to join

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with a British fleet, but patriots under Colonel (later general) James Moore defeated the Highlanders at the Battle of Moore’s (Widow Moore’s) Creek Bridge, shattering any hope of a return of royal government. Colonel Nash was in Charleston during June of 1776 when the British unsuccessfully attempted to land. General Charles Lee ordered Nash to report to him on 28 June to receive a written order placing him in command for relief of Colonel Moultrie, if the latter did not totally carry out Lee’s orders. Moultrie ignored Lee’s order to abandon Sullivan’s Island, however, Moultrie did turn back the British fleet. Consequently, Nash did not replace Moultrie, despite Lee’s original intent. Colonel Moore, subsequent to his victory at Moore’s Creek Bridge, had gone to Charleston, but the torrid weather there affected his health. Upon the death of General James Moore ( January 1777, from fever), Colonel Francis Nash assumed command of Moore’s brigade. While passing through Richmond en route to Pennsylvania, a shoemaker began to shout, “Hurrah for King George,” and he repeatedly exclaimed the cheer as a taunt. The regiment continued its March with the shoemaker following, determined to annoy the column. General Nash detailed a group of men to tie the shoemaker up and dunk him in a river to cool his tongue, but after being dunked, the shoemaker emerged from the water, defiantly yelling “Hurrah for King George,” despite the pleading of his family to cease. Nash then had the man tarred and feathered, yet even that punishment would not silence his enthusiasm for the king. Finally, General Nash had him drummed from the city, with a warning that if he continued his praise of King George, he would be shot. That threat ended the king’s one-man cheering section in Richmond. Afterward, the column advanced to join with Washington and joined the fighting in defense of Philadelphia during 1777, including the Battle of Brandywine. While participating at the Battle of Germantown in October 1777, Nash was hit by a cannon ball that shattered his hip and killed his horse. While General Nash lay prone on the ground, unaware of the seriousness of his wound, he encouraged his troops and rallied them to continue: “Never mind me, I have had a devil of a tumble; rush on, my boys, rush on the enemy, I’ll be after you presently.” He exclaimed that they should advance and he would soon join them. General Francis Nash died on 7 October 1777. He was interred at the Towamencin Mennonite Meeting House in the vicinity of Kulpsville, Pennsylvania. The same shot that mortally wounded General Nash also killed his aide, Major James Witherspoon, the son of the Rev. John Witherspoon (signer of the Declaration of Independence). During the final days of General Nash’s life, General Washington’s physician, Doctor Craik, attended to Nash. The wounded general was placed upon feather beds, yet the pain remained unbearable. General Nash was also concerned about the British defiling his remains and he pleaded with the doctor to remain with him to protect him from harm. Doctor Craik assured the general that no harm would come to him. In honor of Francis Nash, General George Washington paraded the entire army at his funeral. Congress the next month resolved to have a monument erected in his honor and allocated $500; however, as was often the case with Congress, the resolution was apparently bluster only. General Nash’s congressional monument never materialized. General Nash, who married about 1770, was survived by his wife, Sarah (Sally) Moore Nash, the daughter of Judge Maurice Moore and the niece of General James Moore. After her husband’s death Sarah married Colonel Thomas Clark. Francis and Sarah had two daughters (not one as is often reported), Sarah (also called Nancy, married John Waddell, a planter) and Ann Owen Nash (died at about age thirteen). According to the Dictionary of North Carolina Biography (1905) by Francis Nash, General Nash also had an illegitimate son, Francis Jr., who was during 1784 apprenticed by the Orange Court to Roswell Huntington, a silversmith. However, Francis Jr. is thought to have fled the area and relocated in Tennessee.

Sarah’s father, Judge Maurice Moore, had two sons who served in the Continental Army (North Carolina Battalions of the Line). Maurice was killed during the war and Alfred became a judge. (See also, Moore, Brigadier General James.) General Nash had a home constructed in Hillsborough, North Carolina, during 1772. The house was later the residence of William Hooper, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, who lived there until his demise during 1790. The house, known as the Hooper-Nash House has been preserved and at present is under private ownership and not open to the public. William Hooper was initially interred in the garden (a section later turned into part of the town cemetery), but in 1894 his remains were re-interred at Guilford Court House National Military Park.

Neilson, Brigadier General John John Neilson, the only son of Doctor John and Joanna Cojeman Neilson, was born at Raritan Landing in the vicinity of New Brunswick, New Jersey, on 11 March 1745. John’s father died after suffering a fatal accident on 19 March that year. John’s Uncle James, who had no children of his own, raised John. Joanna Neilson was the daughter of Andrew Cojeman, who emigrated from Holland with his widowed mother. James and the elder John Neilson immigrated to America from Ireland and were of Scots-Irish origin. James became a prosperous merchant and was an alderman in New Brunswick and a judge of the Court of Common Pleas. John completed his education in Philadelphia and afterward pursued a career as a merchant operating out of New Brunswick. The younger John married Catherine Schuyler Voorhees, the daughter of John and Christina Schuyler Voorhees, during December 1768. John and Catherine had nine children: James (b. about 1770, died young); Joanna (b. July 1771, died young); John (later doctor, born April 1775); Joanna (2) (born January 1777, died young); Gertrude (b. April 1780); Catherine Schuyler (b. March 1783); James (2) December 1784); Johanna (3) (b. June 1786); Samuel Staats (b. September 1790); Abraham Schuyler (b. September 1792); and Cornelia Lott (b. November 1794, died young). At the beginning of hostilities with Britain in 1775, John Neilson formed a militia unit of Minute Men (later 2nd Regiment) at his personal expense and commanded it with a rank of captain. During early February 1776, Colonel Nathaniel Heard was appointed brigadier general of militia (Middlesex County) and Captain Neilson’s unit was attached to his command. By summer of the following year, at about age thirty-one, Captain John Neilson was appointed colonel of the 2nd Regiment (Middlesex militia). It was the Middlesex militia that detained and arrested Royal Governor William Franklin during June 1776. In August 1776, the British were preparing to seize Long Island and New York City to crack the spirit of the rebels and terminate the insurrection, which they failed to do at Boston. When a copy of the Declaration of Independence reached New Brunswick, it was Colonel Neilson who was chosen to read it to the crowd that gathered. After the ceremony, the militia marched off to the tune of “Yankee Doodle Dandy.” Neilson’s militia focused on striking at British positions after they occupied New Brunswick during the early part of December 1776. The 2nd Regiment participated in the battles of Trenton on 26 December 1776 and Princeton on 3 January 1777. Neilson’s command also participated in various missions that struck British positions on Staten Island and other places in New Jersey and New York, including one assault against Bennett’s Island, just a few miles outside of New Brunswick during mid–February 1777, in which Colonel Neilson was the first to breach the defenses. Neilson’s troops seized more than fifty prisoners without firing a shot, and the Loyalist commander, Major Richard Stockton, was among those seized. The prisoners were taken to Princeton. Colonel Neilson was promoted to the rank of brigadier general (New Jersey militia) on 21 February 1777. At that time, the British had

313 control of Brunswick and General Neilson was especially familiar with one of the places General William Howe used as headquarters, the Neilson home on Burnett Street. During the various campaigns, General Neilson became a friend of General George Washington. Later that year, Neilson’s force was deployed in the vicinity of Elizabeth, New Jersey (September, October and November). When the British abandoned Philadelphia in June 1778, the 2nd Regiment participated in the Battle of Monmouth. In November, General Neilson was elected by the provincial assembly and the council as a delegate to the Continental Congress; however, he never attended any sessions due to his military responsibilities. By spring of 1779, General Neilson was responsible for the region that included Elizabeth and Newark, and his regiment remained in the area through the summer. Toward the latter part of October a contingent of Queens Rangers led by Colonel John Graves Simcoe set out from Staten Island aboard a ferry on a mission to seize Governor William Livingston. The raiders landed at Perth Amboy and from there rode toward Middlebrook. The force was not detected until it reached the vicinity of Quibbletown, but at that point a dispatch rode to inform General Neilson, who immediately ordered the militia to intercept the Loyalists. Meanwhile, the raiders arrived at Middlebrook, but they failed to find the governor, who was expected to have been at the residence of Colonel Van Horne, but was instead in New Brunswick. Undaunted, Colonel Simcoe moved to the Raritan River at Van Vechten’s bridge. At that place, the British destroyed the flat bottom boats at the ferry. From there the mounted column arrived at the Somerset Court House and set it afire, destroying nearly every record held there. In the meantime, General Neilson’s militia began to set up blocking positions to intercept Simcoe’s cavalry when it moved to return to Perth Amboy. Nevertheless, the British made it to New Brunswick and set a Presbyterian church afire. During the skirmishing that developed during the raid, Simcoe’s horse had been hit multiple times, and when it fell, the horse landed on Simcoe. Consequently, he was captured. On 20 September 1780, General Neilson relinquished his field command to assume the position of deputy quartermaster-general for New Jersey. The post brought many additional hardships to General Neilson due to the lack of proper funding by the provincial government. Nevertheless, he remained in the post for the duration. On 28 June 1782, General Neilson was appointed as a commissioner charged with finding a solution to the problem of currency devaluation with regard to payments still due the troops for their time in service. Also that year, General Neilson became a trustee of Rutgers University. General Neilson’s uncle James, who raised him, succumbed during 1783. General Neilson was beneficiary to the estate and inherited the business and his uncle’s property. During 1787, General Neilson was a delegate to the state convention that ratified the U.S. Constitution on 18 December 1787 in Trenton, making New Jersey the 3rd state in the Union. General Neilson also served as a commissioner involved with bridge construction on the Passaic and Raritan rivers. In the early 1790s, General Neilson invested in a manufacturing plant established by Alexander Hamilton in Patterson, New Jersey. In addition, General Neilson was elected to the state assembly during 1800. In his private life, General Neilson was an elder in the Presbyterian Church at New Brunswick. Old acquaintances often stopped to visit him when they were passing through his area. Among those guests were George Washington and another friend, Lafayette, who made it a point to visit when he was back in the United States during 1824. Before departing, Lafayette gave General Neilson a sword. General John Neilson succumbed on 3 March 1833. His wife predeceased him. Catherine, born on Christmas Day 1753, died on 2 August 1816.

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Nelson, Thomas, Jr. (Signer of the Declaration of Independence) Thomas Nelson was born to William and Elizabeth Burwell Nelson at Yorktown on 26 December 1738. Although his father’s name was William, Thomas was known as Thomas Jr., something not uncommon at the time. The father of Declaration of Independence signer Thomas Heyward, Jr., was also named William, yet his child was named Jr. to distinguish him from another Heyward child also named Thomas. William and Elizabeth had five other children, Nathaniel, Hugh, Robert, William and Elizabeth. Thomas Nelson, having been born into an aristocratic family, had the luxury of an excellent education. He was sent to Britain to attended school at Hackney under the tutorship of Mr. Newcomb, and then Trinity College and later Cambridge. Following the completion of his studies, Thomas returned to America during 1761 and in August of the following year, he married Lucy Grymes, the daughter of Philip and Mary Randolph Grymes of Williamsburg. Thomas and Lucy received from Thomas’ parents a considerable fortune as a wedding gift, which enabled them to effortlessly set up their residence in Yorktown following the wedding ceremony on 29 August 1762. The Nelson family had deep roots in the town known at the time as York, which was founded by Thomas’ grandfather, also named Thomas (Scotch Tom), during the early 1700s. Thomas the founder entered business as a merchant and prospered. The younger Thomas and Lucy raised a large family beginning with William, and followed by Thomas Nelson, Jr., Philip, Francis, Hugh, Elizabeth, Mary, Lucy, Robert, Susannah, and Judith. Of the eleven children, five of them married five children of Governor John Page and two others married children of another John Page, the latter of Gloucester County (later Matthews County). During 1764, Thomas Nelson became a justice of the peace and was elected to the House of Burgesses, where he served until 1774, when it was dissolved. Meanwhile, his father, William, died during 1772 while president of the council, leaving the responsibility of operating the family enterprises to Thomas and his brother Hugh. The Nelson brothers raised one of their employees, Augustine Moore, to partner to assist with the responsibilities of the business. During 1774, while the body was in session, word about the British action that would seal Boston’s port (Boston Port Act) arrived from Richard Henry Lee’s brother, Arthur, who was in Britain when the bill was passed. The news ignited great anger and prompted Richard Henry Lee, Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson to push for a day of fasting and prayer in protest. The royal governor, after learning of the reaction to the Boston Port Act, dissolved the House. The Patriots ignored Governor Dunmore’s order and on the following day, eightynine men met at the Raleigh Tavern in Williamsburg. Nelson attended the general convention in Williamsburg that convened in August and there, he was elected one of six Virginia delegates to attend the First Continental Congress, scheduled to begin in Philadelphia on 8 September. Nelson Nelson Thomas, Jr. (Biographical resigned his appointment as Sketches of the Signers of the Declacolonel of the Virginia militia ration of Independence, Benson J. upon entering the federal con- Lossing, 1854)

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gress. The next year, Nelson was a member of the second Virginia provincial convention, which convened during July and boldly proposed the establishment of the Virginia militia. Initially, his proposal startled some of his colleagues, but the suggestion was acted upon. Two regiments were to be raised, with Patrick Henry and Thomas Nelson named as commanders. Nelson was afterward selected as the militia’s initial commander. That August, he was elected as one of six Virginians who would represent the colony at the Second Continental Congress. Thomas also attended a convention in Virginia during May of 1776. At that time he urged independence from Britain and introduced a resolution, drawn up by Edmund Pendleton, to that effect. Nelson carried the resolution back to Philadelphia and handed it to Richard Henry Lee, also of Virginia. Lee used the resolution with his modifications as part of his famous resolution of 7 June 1776, less than one month before the Declaration of Independence was adopted. Nelson continued to support the Patriots’ cause and voted in favor of independence on 2 July. He was among the 56 men who pledged their lives, fortunes and sacred honor as signers of the Declaration of Independence. Nelson, while defending the cause of liberty, frequently committed his personal funds to the survival of the army and the nation, and much of his personal property and possessions were committed to the cause. His horses at times were used to transport ammunition and supplies and food from his land was distributed to the troops. At one point, he used his personal funds when the credit of Virginia was so poor that it could not raise money. During his term in Congress, Nelson served on various committees, but suddenly, during 1777, he was struck with a severe illness that impaired his mental health, particularly his memory, a sharp contrast to the man who was known for keen intelligence and solid judgment. The illness compelled Nelson to retire from Congress and return to Virginia. His good health gradually returned and he resumed his service in the Virginia militia with a rank of brigadier general. Subsequent to an appeal on 2 March 1778 from Congress for more cavalry, raised at private expense, a group of about seventy men from Virginia responded and formed a company of light cavalry. With Thomas Nelson as their commander, the contingent rode to Baltimore to volunteer to serve with Count Pulaski’s Legion. From there the column moved north to Philadelphia, arriving on 8 August while en route to join General Washington. However, by the time of their arrival, the British had abandoned Pennsylvania and they were no longer needed. Congress extended thanks and resolved that the corps under Nelson return to Virginia. The cavalry then returned to their homes. Later, during 1779, Nelson, having been restored to good health, was again elected to Congress. He returned and took his seat, but within a short while, the illness struck yet again, causing him to retire from Congress after having served only a few months. Nonetheless, after his return to Virginia, his great distance from the pressures and isolation of being in Congress seemingly brought about a quick recovery and a return of his mental faculties. Nelson again resumed his military duty with the militia and with the legislature. His reappearance was timely. He was in command when the British moved against the southern colonies during 1780–1781. At the time, Nelson commanded the Lower Virginia militia. Also that year, Thomas Jefferson, the governor, having served three years, declined re-election. At the time, the British were creating massive problems within Virginia and the governing body was at times forced to relocate to escape capture. In his place, General Thomas Nelson succeeded him as governor, and he also acted as commander-in-chief of Virginia’s armed forces. Soon after Nelson succeeded Jefferson, the British forced the government to abandon Charlotte and relocate at Staunton. Nelson performed admirably as both governor and as military commander; during that period, he was not visibly impaired by his previous illness. The Virginians proved formidable in the field and both the Continen-

tal Army and the French forces retained confidence in their ability to fight. Once Lafayette arrived in Virginia to check the British who were plundering the region, Governor Nelson placed his Virginians under the command of the marquis. The Virginians who served under Thomas Nelson received a large part of their food expenses from Nelson’s personal accounts. Cornwallis was headquartered at Yorktown and Governor Nelson’s family property was under British control. The scars of artillery are still visible at the mansion at this writing. Some stories allege that Nelson ordered the American artillery to fire upon his home, but there is no documentation to verify that. Despite being in the field alongside General Washington, Lafayette and others, Nelson had, all the while, been continually battling the great stress placed upon him, but it did not alter his performance in the field. He was admired and greatly respected by his troops. The British under Lord Charles Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown during October 1781. On 20 October 1781, General Washington gave thanks to Thomas Nelson in his general orders of that day: “The general [Washington] would be guilty of the highest ingratitude, a crime of which he hopes he shall never be accused, if he forgot to return his sincere acknowledgments to his excellency Governor Nelson, which he received from him and the militia under his command whose activity, emulation and bravery, the highest praises are due.” Governor Nelson remained on the field during the entire siege and was there when the British capitulated, but within one month after the British surrender, he was again compelled to retire from public life, and in that instance for the final time, on 21 November 1781. Subsequent to his retirement, political enemies accused Nelson of acting illegally while governor by not consulting with the state’s council, something that at the time was nearly impossible. Two of the members were captured and two others resigned, unable to handle the stress. The remainder, numbering four, could not easily gather. An investigation followed and Governor Nelson was absolutely cleared of all charges. Governor Nelson lived the remainder of his life in retirement at the estate, known as Offley Hoo, which he received at the time of his father’s demise during 1772. By the end of the war most of his fortune was gone and he was unable to take on the major renovations that would have been necessary to resume life at Yorktown. He succumbed at Offley Hoo in Hanover County on 4 January 1789, about one week beyond his fiftieth birthday and two years after the adoption of the U.S. Constitution. Thomas Nelson was not physically able to participate in the Constitutional Convention; however, he was opposed to it, and his reasons for dissent are not known. It is thought that he opposed the Constitution due to either its encumbrance on states’ rights or due to its lack of a bill of rights. Thomas’ wife, Lucy, survived him for many years. With the family fortune gone, Lucy spent her remaining years in poverty and in poor health, but in addition, she had gone blind. She died at age 80 and left for her minister the sum of $20.00 and to her only servant, she gave him his freedom. Both Thomas and Lucy were interred at Grace Episcopal Church in Yorktown. The house remained in possession of the Nelson family until 1914. Beginning in 1921, the new owners renovated it and renamed it York Hall. During 1968, the National Park Service acquired it. The Nelson house, located at the intersection of Main and Pearly Streets in Yorktown, is now part of the Colonial National Park and it is open to the public. The surviving children were: William (1763, married Sally Burwell, daughter of Governor John Page), Thomas (1764, married Frances, daughter of Governor John Page), Philip (1766, married Sarah Burwell), Francis (1767, married Lucy, daughter of John Page of Glouster County, later Matthews County), Hugh (1768, married Eliza, daughter of Francis Kinlock), Elizabeth (1770, married Mann Page, son of Governor John Page), Mary (1774, married Robert Carter of Shirley), Lucy (1777, married Carter Page of Cumberland County, later Matthews County,

315 to become his second wife), Robert (1778, married Judith Carter, youngest daughter of Governor John Page), Susannah (1780, married Francis Page, a son of Governor John Page), and Judith (1783, married Captain Thomas Nelson of Hanover). Of the eleven children, five of them married five children of Governor John Page and two others married children of another John Page, the latter of Gloucester County (later Matthews County).

Neuville, Chevalier de la Chevalier de la Neuville, a native of France, was born about 1740. Prior to departing for the United States during 1777 to volunteer his services to the American cause, he had served meritoriously in the French army for about two decades and his military skills had been known by Lafayette. He and his younger brother Noirmont de la Neuville arrived in America during fall of 1777 carrying multiple recommendations to present to Congress. On 14 May 1778, after considering a committee report that included recommendations from Baron de Wurmser (lieutenant general, French army), the Marquis de Bouilley (governor of Martinico) and generals George Washington, Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Conway, resolved “that it is the interest of the United States to employ Mons. de la Neuville as inspector of the army under the command of Major General Gates: and that the faith of Congress be engaged to promote the said Mons. de la Neuville to the rank of Brigadier General (Colonel) by brevet, after two (three) months service, provided he shall obtain at the end thereof, from General Gates, or the commanding officer in the northern department, sufficient testimonials of his having discharged the duties of an inspector with honor to himself and advantage to the public.” Chevalier de la Neuville served under General Horatio Gates and during his short service for the nation, he and Gates became close friends. On 14 October 1778, Congress granted a commission as brigadier general in the Continental Army to Monsieur de la Neuville, effective 14 August 1778. Nevertheless, after failing to gain further promotion, de La Neuville requested permission to resign his commission and return to France. On 4 December 1778, Congress directed that de la Neuville be given a certification of his “fidelity,” and it awarded him the brevet rank of brigadier general. At the same time, he received authorization to return to France. De la Neuville afterward intended to return to the United States as a citizen. He was speaking of establishing residence in Virginia near his old friend, the reclusive General Gates; however, he never returned. With regard to his later life in France, no information exists. De la Neuville’s brother, Major Noirmont de la Neuville, remained in the army as a major and participated in two campaigns. During February 1779, Noirmont requested that Congress promote him to the rank of lieutenant colonel. Congress rejected the request. Shortly thereafter, on 10 February, Noirmont requested permission to resign his commission and return to France. Congress granted his request.

Neville, Brigadier General John John Neville, the son of Richard and Ann Burroughs Neville, was born in Virginia on 26 July 1731 at the family estate nestled along a branch of the Occoquan River in Virginia, near the mouth of Ball Run. John’s mother was a cousin of Lord Fairfax (Thomas Lord Fairfax), who owned the northern neck of Virginia. During 1754, on 24 August, John married Winifred Oldham, the daughter of John and Ann Conway Oldham. John and Winifred had two children, Amelia (b. 1763, married Major Isaac Craig, Continental Marines), and Presley (b. 1755, married Nancy Morgan, the daughter of General Daniel Morgan). A connection existed between the Washington and Neville families and from that, John Neville became acquainted with George Washington. During the initial days of the French and Indian war, Neville

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served with Washington, and he participated in the campaign (1755) to take Fort Duquesne in western Pennsylvania on territory claimed by the French and English, the former intending to use the area as the stepping stone to the Ohio and Mississippi rivers to link the north with Louisiana. The expeditionary force under General Edward Braddock sustained a devastating defeat and Braddock was killed during an advance upon the fort. Later, Neville acquired land in the vicinity of Winchester, Virginia, and became sheriff. Subsequently, Neville acquired land in Pennsylvania (Washington County), but at the time, the region was coveted by Virginia and Pennsylvania and Virginia placed claims on it. John moved from Virginia and after spending some time at Woodville, he settled on his estate, Bower’s Hill, along Chartier’s Creek less than ten miles from Pittsburgh and along the highway that ran from Pittsburgh to present-day Washington, D.C. After moving to Pennsylvania, Neville at his own expense had an Episcopal church built at Woodville. He again served in the militia in 1774 and participated in the expedition against the Indians known as Dunmore’s War. The turbulence was essentially ended at the Battle of Point Pleasant (October 1774), but Dunmore was not on the field. That same year, Neville was elected as a delegate to the Virginia convention, but he fell ill and was unable to attend. That convention designated Peyton Randolph and George Washington as delegates to the First Continental Congress. During August 1775, Neville, having been given the rank of colonel, was directed by the Virginia Provincial Congress to move to Fort Pitt (at the time of John’s orders, it was called Fort Dunmore, in honor of the royal governor) after it was taken by Virginians under John Connolly during January 1774. Colonel Neville moved out with a contingent of about 100 men and upon his arrival, he relieved John Connolly. Meanwhile, Lord Dunmore ( John Murray, 4th Earl) fled Virginia during June 1775. Later that year, his forces sustained a devastating defeat at Great Bridge (December 1775). The victory sealed the road from Virginia to the Carolinas. Colonel (Virginia militia) John Neville, still posted at Fort Pitt, was appointed lieutenant colonel of the Continental Army (12th Virginia Regiment) on 12 November 1776. In conjunction, he was made commandant of the fort. Meanwhile, Virginia officials, during December 1776, appointed Neville a justice of the “Yohoganie” County court. The appointment complicated his position, primarily because the court covered the territory which remained in dispute between Pennsylvania and Virginia, but equally importantly, he was in the Continental Army in command of the fort. Colonel Neville declined the appointment as justice. Eventually, during 1777, the dispute was settled and the land remained part of Pennsylvania. Subsequent to the termination of the dispute, Colonel Neville departed Fort Pitt ( June 1777) and joined with the forces under General Washington. On 1 June 1777, Brigadier General Edward Hand arrived at the fort and assumed command of the Western Department. Some sources state that General Neville participated in the Battles of Trenton and Princeton; however, Neville was stationed at Fort Pitt from 1775 until June 1777. Although General Neville had been in Pittsburgh during the heavy fighting at Trenton (December 1776) and Princeton (3 January 1777), after linking with Washington, he did participate in the defense of Philadelphia at the Battles of Brandywine (September 1777) and Germantown (October 1777). On 11 December 1777, Lt. Colonel Neville was promoted to the rank of colonel of the 8th Virginia Regiment. Following the Battle of Monmouth ( June 1778) in New Jersey, Colonel Neville was transferred to the 4th Virginia Regiment on 14 September and remained its commander for the duration. During November 1779, in regard to General Daniel Morgan leaving the army, Colonel Neville, who was part of Morgan’s brigade, said in a letter: “Then, say they, for old Morgan a brigadier, and we would kick the world before us. I am not fond of flattery; but I assure you, on my word, that no man’s ever leaving the

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army was more regretted than yours, nor no man was ever wished for more to return.” Colonel Neville’s regiment participated in campaigns in Virginia and South Carolina, and at the latter, he was among the captives when General Benjamin Lincoln was compelled to surrender his army and naval units on 12 May 1780. Neville’s son, Presley, who was an officer in Neville’s regiment, was also captured. Both received paroles and returned to Virginia, but they were not exchanged until 1782, well after Lord Cornwallis had surrendered (October 1781) at Yorktown. Presley Neville, subsequent to his exchange, married Nancy Morgan and together they had fourteen children. After the war, on 30 September 1783, Colonel Neville received from Congress the brevet rank of brigadier general. As a representative of Washington County in November 1783, Neville was elected to the Pennsylvania Supreme Council. Later, during 1785, he was appointed to the State Board of Property. In addition, General Neville was a delegate at the state convention that ratified the U.S. Constitution on 12 December 1787 to make Pennsylvania the second state in the Union. Following that service, he was a member of the convention (1789–1790) that adopted the state constitution. Later, by presidential appointment, General Neville was made the U.S. revenue inspector of the Fourth District of Pennsylvania. His headquarters were at Pittsburgh. Nevertheless, when he accepted the position offered to him by President Washington, he wasn’t quite anticipating the turmoil that would erupt following legislation during 1791— an excise law that brought about the Whiskey Rebellion. Absolute insurrection ignited during 1794 after the passage of what was known as the Whiskey Act. The citizens revolted and during the crisis, General Neville’s home was attacked, but the mob was repelled; however, on a subsequent rant, while General Neville was away from his estate, the mob set his home and other structures afire. General John Neville succumbed on 29 July 1803. Some nineteenth century records state that he was interred in the burial ground of the First Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh and others say he was interred at an Episcopal Church graveyard. Also, some nineteenth century sources list a second daughter of General Neville and state that she married Major Abraham Kilpatrick; however, Major Kilpatrick married the sister of General Neville’s wife, not his daughter. In addition, some nineteenth century works list General Neville’s son Presley as having married the daughter of Colonel George Morgan, the latter having been posted at Fort Pitt with General Neville, but Presley Neville married the daughter of General Daniel Morgan and that is validated in The Life of General Daniel Morgan (1856) by Joseph Graham and other sources. General Neville’s brothers Joseph and George each served in the military during the revolution and both attained the rank of brigadier general.

Newberry, Brigadier General Roger Roger Newberry, the son of Captain Roger and Elizabeth Wolcott Newberry, was born at the family estate in Windsor, Connecticut, on 30 June 1735. Roger’s mother was a daughter of Governor Roger and Sarah Drake Wolcott. The elder Roger and Elizabeth had four other children, two sons and two daughters. After completing his education, Roger entered the king’s service as a lieutenant. In June 1774, he attained the rank of captain. Nevertheless, Roger, who had become a lawyer and a prosperous merchant, abandoned his sentiments for the king’s service and became one of Connecticut’s prominent Patriots when war became imminent. The colony’s governor, Jonathan Trumbull, was the sole royal governor to side with the American cause. Roger married Hannah Allyn, the daughter of Alex and Hannah Allyn, but Hannah died prematurely during February 1760. Subsequent to Hannah’s death, General Newberry again married, taking Eunice Ely as his second wife during 1762. Eunice was the daughter of Ensign John and Eunice Colton Ely of Windsor. During November 1775, Governor Jonathan Trumbull appointed Roger as major of the 1st Reg-

iment of Horse and Foot. That same year, on 16 July, Roger’s mother died. His father died while on a military operation when he became ill aboard ship en route to Jamaica during 1741. In late May 1777, Major Newberry was promoted to the rank of colonel of the regiment. General Newberry participated in the campaigns in and around New York during 1776, and he remained in active service for the duration of the war. On 14 March 1781, Newberry was commissioned as brigadier general of the 1st Brigade (militia). In addition to his military service, General Newberry served as a member of the Governor’s Council. He was also in the Connecticut legislature’s upper house (1790–1809), was a judge (County Court), and was appointed as probate judge (Newbury-Hartford District) during May 1783. In 1785 General Newberry was appointed by Governor Samuel Huntington to a commission charged with settling some boundary disputes with representatives of Massachusetts. Also, General Newberry received an honorary Master’s Degree from Yale during 1793. About two years later, during 1795, General Newberry became one of the proprietors (Connecticut Land Company) who acquired tracts in northern Ohio. The lands became known as the Western Reserve. General Roger Newberry succumbed on 13 February 1814. His wife, Eunice, had predeceased him on 23 August 1813. Subsequently, during 1824, his son Henry traveled to Ohio on behalf of the interests of his late father. The tract was located along the Cuyahoga River and it was there that Henry Newberry founded the town of Cuyahoga Falls, about thirty miles outside of Cleveland.

Newcomb, Brigadier General Silas Silas Newcomb, the son of Joseph and Joyce Butler Newcomb, was born in Massachusetts at Edgartown on 17 April 1723; however, he was not baptized until 1759. Later Silas relocated to Fairfield, New Jersey. He first entered the military as a lieutenant during the French and Indian War. He participated as a lieutenant in the campaign that included the British victory at Quebec on 8 September 1759. During 1760, he was appointed as sheriff of Cumberland County. At Fairfield, during 1745, Silas had married Bathsheba Dayton. They had the following children: Mary, Dayton, Webster, Silas, and Ephraim (later a doctor). In June 1776, Silas Newcomb was appointed colonel of the New Jersey 1st Battalion (Cumberland County militia). Shortly thereafter, Colonel Newcomb participated in the New York campaign as part of General Nathaniel Heard’s brigade. The other regiments in the brigade were under Colonels David Forman, Ephraim Martin, Philip Johnston and Philip Van Courtland. Following the Battle of Long Island in late August 1776, Congress appointed Colonel Newcomb as colonel of the 1st New Jersey Regiment (Continental Army) on 28 November. Newcomb’s regiment participated in the battles of Trenton and Princeton on 26 December 1776 and 3 January 1777, respectively. Colonel Newcomb, having no superior accomplishments on the field, continued to be promoted. On 15 March 1777, he was made brigadier general of militia; however, his peers were less than impressed with his actions or lack thereof during the defense of Philadelphia. During the summer of 1777, General George Washington requested troops for the defense of Red Bank, New Jersey. At that time, the British threat against the city was becoming increasingly more imminent. At that time, Newcomb informed General Washington that he was organizing the militia under him. Nonetheless, on 11 August, General Newcomb, at Woodbury, slightly south of Philadelphia on the opposite bank of the Delaware River, requested permission to lead the militia to their homes. During early September 1777, while Burgoyne was pressing toward Albany, a major British force engaged Washington’s army at Brandywine before seizing control of Philadelphia. Meanwhile, Newcomb received multiple requests to reinforce Red Bank and Fort Mifflin (just south of Philadelphia) in the vicinity of Essington, Pennsylvania. New-

317 comb had requests from Alexander Hamilton and orders from General Washington, but no one at the time seemed to be able to assess what Newcomb was getting accomplished. General David Forman sent dispatches to General Washington about his inability to get support from Newcomb. On 26 October at Red Bank in his letter to Washington, General Forman noted: “The Lower Militia under Gen Newcomb have not as yet produced a single Man — As being Elder in command Then Newcomb I have taken the Liberty this Day to Issue orders for Their Immediate Assembling, and will from Time to Time do every thing in my power to assemble Them.” In a letter to General Washington dated 5 November 1777, Governor William Livingston stated, “General Newcomb’s conduct is such as might naturally be expected from a Gentleman who was made a General, because your Excellency did not think him fit for a Collonel.... If he makes any more Difficulties of that kind, I doubt not, by his present down-hill character with the present house, he will run a great risque of being superceded, which I may venture to say would prove no loss to his Country.” During the early part of the following month, General Newcomb resigned his commission. General Forman had resigned the previous month. General Silas Newcomb died in 1779.

Nicholas, Samuel (First Commandant of the Marine Corps) Samuel Nicholas, the only son of Anthony and Mary Shute Nicholas, was born in Philadelphia, possibly in 1744. Samuel’s father, a blacksmith, died while he was about seven years old, but his mother ensured that he received an excellent education. Samuel first entered the Academy of Philadelphia (later University of Pennsylvania) during 1752 and completed his studies there in 1759. On 1 May 1760, Samuel was well received by the society in the city; he was made member number 102 of the State in Schuylkill (Schuylkill Fishing Company of the State in Schuylkill). In 1766, he was admitted as a member of the Gloucester Fox Hunting Club. Details of his private life during the pre-war period are unclear, but he may have spent some time at sea on a vessel or vessels owned by the financier Robert Morris, later a signer of the Declaration of Independence. During 1775, Congress established the Continental Army. It established the Naval Board in October, essentially creating the U.S. Navy. On 10 November 1775, the Continental Congress established the Marine Corps with a resolution: “Resolved, That two Battalions of Marines be raised, consisting of one Colonel, two Lieutenant Colonels, two Majors, and other officers as usual in other regiments; and that they consist of an equal number of privates with other battalions; that particular care be taken, that no persons be appointed to office, or insisted into said battalions, but such as are good seamen, or so acquainted with maritime affairs as to be able to serve to advantage by sea when required: that they be insisted and commissioned to serve for and during the present war between Great Britain and the colonies, unless dismissed by order of Congress: that they be distinguished by the names of the first and second battalions of American Marines, and that they be considered as part of the number which the continental Army before Boston is ordered to consist of.” On 28 November Congress commissioned Samuel Nicholas as the first officer (captain of Marines) in the Marine Corps. Captain Nicholas immediately began to raise his company of Marines, and by mid–January 1776 the command was composed of 62 men. The first mission, an invasion of New Providence in the Bahamas in March 1776, was a huge success. The Marines, bolstered by seamen, landed unopposed, seized Forts Montagu and Nassau, and during the entire occupation, no resistance was raised. The Marine raised the American flag after lowering the British ensign; it was the first time the American flag was raised on foreign soil and it occurred during the first invasion by American Marines. The Marines, since that first amphibious invasion, have kept their record intact. No U.S. Marine Corps amphibious invasion force has ever been pushed back to the

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sea. After securing the island’s powder and munitions, the fleet returned to the United States. The operation, which unfolded on 3 March was completed on the 17th. Commodore Esek Hopkins sent Captain Nicholas to Philadelphia to deliver dispatches regarding the mission in the Bahamas. While in the city Captain Nicholas was separated from the Alfred and given a promotion. Congress, on 25 June 1776, appointed him major of the Marines. Major Nicholas was directed to raise a new force composed of four companies of Marines for duty aboard the frigates that were nearing completion. During the recruiting period, the Pennsylvania authorities requested that Congress permit the Marines to guard the frigates instead of the Pennsylvania Associators. Earlier, a contingent of Marines guarded the frigates from 2 December 1775 until they were relieved on 3 January 1776. Meanwhile, Major Nicholas led the Marines toward Burlington, New Jersey, where they joined the command of General John Cadwalader and his Pennsylvania Artillery Regiment (later 4th U.S. Artillery Regiment). Afterward, Major Nicholas’ Marines participated against the British on 2 January at the Second Battle of Trenton. While General Lord Charles Cornwallis was preparing to attack Washington’s encampment on the 3rd, the Americans abandoned the camp but left the fires burning, leading the British to believe they held surprise, only to be surprised themselves when they discovered an empty camp. Meanwhile, the Continental Army and the Marines had repositioned themselves and struck the British at the Battle of Princeton inflicting a defeat to follow the decisive victory at Trenton on 26 December. During February 1777, Major Nicholas was still with Washington and the Continental Army, but during early March he returned to Philadelphia. When the British moved against Philadelphia again in the summer, Major Nicholas was not in the city; rather, he was in Connecticut on special assignment to acquire lead and weapons for the army. From July 1777 to 1780, Major Nicholas was engaged with business of the Marine Committee and the Board of Admiralty in his capacity as major of Marines and as muster master. In the meantime, during 1778, he married Mary Jenkins, a resident of Jenkintown, a suburb of Philadelphia. Samuel and Mary had two daughters and three sons: Sarah, Mary, Samuel, Charles Jenkins, and William. The British evacuated Philadelphia in June 1778. Afterward, Major Nicholas resumed his recruiting efforts. The next month the Board of Treasury recommended that Major Nicholas be authorized to sign Continental currency, and Congress concurred. Afterward, Major Nicholas was sent to Massachusetts to obtain a delivery of spices from France and see it to Philadelphia. Major Nicholas was apparently handed the mission to ensure the shipment wasn’t intercepted by the British, who controlled New York, and the main routes that led from Boston to Philadelphia. The mission succeeded, and by September Major Nicholas was again directed to repair to Massachusetts to escort a shipment of clothing from Boston to Philadelphia. Following a prolonged period of tasks out of the ordinary range of a Marine, during May 1779, Major Nicholas received instructions from Navy Board to raise yet another company of Marines and with great speed, but it was never determined what emergency prompted the rush. After the company was raised (mission completed during 1780), command of the contingent was given to Captain Robert Mullan. Meanwhile, Major Nicholas remained inactive with regard to service on the high seas. On 10 August 1781, Major Nicholas attempted to get assigned to the America, which Congress had earlier promised to Captain John Paul Jones; however Congress reneged on its promise and gave the new frigate to the French to replace one of their vessels that was accidentally lost in the States. Consequently, there was no possibility of Major Nicholas serving at sea on the America. Congress instead decided to retire him. It resolved that his accounts up to 25 August 1781 should be settled and at that time he would be considered retired. Congress’

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actions were not out of the ordinary. It failed to keep promises frequently, and often would resolve to build monuments in honor of deceased heroes but never provide the funds. Subsequent to his service in the Marines during the Revolutionary War, Major Nicholas ran for sheriff of Philadelphia, but the results of the election remain unknown. He also operated a tavern, as he did prior to the war. The tavern, known by the “Sign of the Conestogoe Waggon” and owned by his mother-in-law, was at No. 78 Market (or High) Street, between Fourth and Fifth Streets, near Independence Hall. In 1798, the tavern was purchased by General Harmar, the brother-in-law of Major Nicholas. General Josiah Harmar married Sarah Jenkins, the sister of Major Nicholas’ wife, Mary. General Harmar, as a lieutenant colonel, assumed command of the new army that was authorized by Congress to be raised (one regiment and two artillery companies). Congress had disbanded the Army, Navy and Marine Corps at the conclusion of the Revolutionary War. Major Samuel Nicholas died in Philadelphia on 27 August 1790 at age forty-six. He was interred in Philadelphia at the Friends Burial Ground at Fifth and Arch Streets. It is certain that Major Nicholas was interred there because the burial was recorded; however, according to the tradition of the Quakers (Society of Friends), he was interred in an unmarked grave. Major Nicholas’ wife survived him and later died on 28 September 1818.

Nicola, Brigadier General Lewis Lewis Nicola, the son of Charles and Charlotte des Vignolles, was born during 1717. Some sources claim Dublin, Ireland, and others claim France as his place of birth. Several nineteenth century sources placed his birth in Rochelle, France, and from there Lewis received his education in Ireland. Lewis, like his father and grandfather, served in the British army. While in Ireland, Lewis married Christiana Doyle about 1740; however, Christiana died during 1760. He later remarried, taking Jane Bishop as his wife. Meanwhile, Lewis Nicola entered the army as an ensign and rose to the rank of major (1766) with command of Fort Charles, near to Kinsale, Ireland. He later resigned from the service and immigrated with his family to America, where he established a residence and engaged in civil engineering in Philadelphia. He also became a merchant and established a circular library. Nicola changed the location of his store at least a couple of times. One store was on Second Street. A publication known as “Goddard’s paper” on 14 March 1768 noted: “Lewis Nicola has removed his shop and circulating library from Second Street, to next door to the Indian Queen tavern, Market Street.” In 1769, Nicola founded a publishing company that produced The American Magazine, each issue composed of forty-eight pages. At the time, Nicola was a member of the American Philosophical Society and his magazine was produced in conjunction with the society. None of his endeavors proved especially profitable and the latest, his magazine, lasted less than one year. Nicola moved out of the city and settled in Allentown and for a while in the vicinity of Easton prior to returning to Philadelphia. The city at the time was the seat of the Continental Congress, and Nicola again moved to establish a business. In addition, he had become aligned with the Patriots’ cause. During 1776, he was also becoming involved with the defenses of the city and was made barrack-master. Initially, Joseph Fox was first appointed barrack-master on 1 November 1775, but at the time, it was not known that he was a Loyalist. The barracks was to be used by the field officers of the Pennsylvania battalion being formed. Nevertheless, Fox’s treachery was discovered and the post passed about mid–March to Major Lewis Nicola. Major Nicola became commander of the city guard that year and was appointed town major, a post he retained until 1782. Major Nicola utilized his literary talents. He wrote “A Treatise of Military Exercise Calculated for the Use of Americans, in which

everything that is supposed can be of Use to Them is retained and such Maneuvres as are only for Show and Parade Omitted.” In addition to authoring other manuals, Major Nicola, a cartographer, drew maps to detail the damages inflicted by the British while they occupied Philadelphia. On 20 June 1777, after considering a report from the Board of War regarding a plan submitted by Major Nicola, Congress resolved “that a corps of invalids be formed, consisting of eight companies, each company to have one captain, two lieutenants, two ensigns, five serjeants, six corporals, two drummers, two fifers, and one hundred men. This corps to be employed in garrisons, and for guards in cities and other places, where magazines or arsenals, or hospitals are placed.” Nicola was appointed colonel. On 7 July Congress resolved “that, for carrying into execution the resolve respecting Colonel Nicola’s Corps of Invalids, the following plan, for raising one company, be adopted for raising the whole of the said corps....” The resolution ordered the director general of the continental hospital to instruct the doctors and surgeons in the various departments to examine troops prior to discharge to see if they were eligible to serve in the corps. Colonel Nicola was in command of Philadelphia when the British closed against it during September 1777. On the 23rd, he ordered all vessels moored at Philadelphia to depart, either north toward Bristol or south toward Delaware. The Invalid Corps helped defend Philadelphia, guarding prisoners and other various duties, but when the city was occupied by the British, the corps evacuated and established positions north of the city at Trenton, New Jersey. The corps spent time in the vicinity of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and before the war ended, in New Britain at Boston and West Point. Nicola is usually remembered for a letter to General Washington of May 1783 regarding the state of the nation. Nicola’s solution was for General Washington to agree to accept the title of king. The suggestion was not well received by Washington and Nicola received a stern response. Colonel Lewis Nicola was awarded the rank of brevet brigadier general by Congress during November 1783. He left the service during 1784, but later, during the Whiskey Rebellion, he again returned to service. General Nicola and his first wife, Christiana, had several children, but only one survived infancy. General Nicola and his second wife, Jane, had the following children: Charlotte (b. February 1761 in Ireland); Margaret (b. March 1764 in Ireland); Jane (b. February 1765 in Ireland); Mary (b. April 1766 in Ireland) Ann (b. about 1770 in Pennsylvania); Lewis (b. August 1778 in Pennsylvania) and Sarah (b. November 1779 in Pennsylvania). General Lewis Nicola moved to Alexandria, Virginia, after Jane’s death to be close to one of his daughters. He died in Alexandria, Virginia during, 1807 and was interred there in the cemetery of a Presbyterian Church.

Nightingale, Joseph Joseph, the son of Samuel and Abigail Belcher Nightingale, was born in Pomfret, Connecticut, on 16 September 1748. Joseph was a descendant of William and Bethiah Deering Nightingale of Braintree, both of whom arrived in America about 1660. Joseph’s father lived in Massachusetts, then in Pomfret, Connecticut, prior to moving to Providence during 1751. In addition to Joseph, Samuel and Abigail’s children were: Samuel, Jr., William, Sarah, Abigail, Mary (also Polly), and Lydia. Some nineteenth century sources recorded that Joseph married Elizabeth Corliss prior to the outbreak of war, but it appears he did not marry Elizabeth until December 1780. Joseph, Jr., was born during 1785 and three minor children were mentioned in his will. Joseph Nightingale entered the business of trading and became a partner with John Innes Clark to form the Clark Nightingale Company. As the nation broke away from Britain, Nightingale was solidly in line with the Patriots’ cause. On 8 December 1776, a town meeting was held

319 in Providence to deal with the threat created by the presence of a British fleet in Narragansett Bay. Nightingale was one of the leaders appointed to a committee to decide where to construct defenses and batteries to withstand an enemy attack. When Congress authorized the construction of naval vessels for the Continental Navy, Nightingale, who with his partner owned ships, was appointed to the committee charged with the completion of the Providence and the Warren. Clark and Nightingale were members of the council of war when they were appointed to the committee, which first met in Providence on 8 January 1776. Colonel Nightingale’s tasks were varied and included acquiring rigging, pig-iron and arms for the vessels. During the war, he served with the rank of colonel and retained that rank during the Rhode Island Campaign. Some nineteenth century sources refer to Colonel Joseph Nightingale as having been appointed major general of militia, but no records were available to confirm it. Colonel Nightingale’s various actions during the war included serving as a colonel under General John Sullivan during the failed campaign to regain Newport (1778). While the French were in Rhode Island after Newport was abandoned during October 1779, Nightingale also held the rank of colonel. In August 1781, Nightingale and 64 others received a grant for land in Vermont (western sector of Essex County). At the time of the transaction, his rank was still colonel. The land for a town was initially named Random by Joseph Brown because it was a “random purchase,” but it was renamed Brighton on 3 November 1832. Colonel Nightingale died on 3 November 1797. His widow, in a petition to the court as guardian of three minor children, tried to straighten out various items pertaining to those children, William, Joseph and George Corliss. Elizabeth lived until 1837.

Nixon, Brigadier General John John Nixon, the son of Christopher and Mary Sever Nixon, was born in Framingham, Massachusetts, about 1725. He was the oldest of six children born to Christopher and Mary. His siblings were: Elizabeth, Mehepzebath (married Samuel Fairbanks), Mary (married Isaac Gleason and then a Mr. Sawtwell), Thomas, and Abigail (married David Andrews). After Mary died, Christopher remarried during 1748, taking Mary Collar as his second wife. He entered the military when he was about 20 years old and served under Sir William Pepperell during the expedition against Cape Breton and Louisbourg. At the time, there were differing opinions in the colonies regarding the merits of such an offensive, but Governor William Shirley of Massachusetts took it upon himself to attack the French stronghold. John Nixon was at the capture of Louisbourg. He served in the army and navy until 1752, when he returned to civilian life for a short period. In 1754, John married Thankful Berry, the daughter of Joseph and Thankful Shears Berry. John and Thankful had a large family, with various sources naming nine to eleven children. The History of Framingham by William Barry (1847) says they were: John (b. August 1757, married a Miss Moore); Sarah (b. November 1758, married Abel Cutler); Hepzebah (b. August 1760, married Timothy Moore); Mary (b. September 1761, married Captain Peter Clayes); Joseph (b. July 1763); Keziah (birth date unknown, married Ebenezer Brown); Anne (b. May 1766, married Thomas Richardson); Artemus (b. September 1767); Benjamin (b. May 1770), and Betsey (b. October 1775, married John Warren). When the French and Indian War erupted, Nixon received a commission as captain. He served under General James Abercrombie during the assault against French-held Ticonderoga and participated during the Battle of Lake George during 1755. Nixon remained firmly in the realm of the Patriots after the war with France, as the Crown enacted policies the colonists saw as harsh. During December 1774, the town of Sudbury established a committee to “to observe the conduct of all persons touching the associa-

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tion agreement entered into by the Continental Congress, whose business it shall be to see the articles contained therein are strictly adhered to by the inhabitants of this town.” Captain Nixon was elected chairman. By the outbreak of war, he was a commanding officer of a unit of Minutemen in Sudbury. Captain Nixon participated in the clashes at Lexington and Concord on 19 April 1775. At the recommendation of the Massachusetts committee of safety, Captain Nixon was appointed colonel in the Continental Army. At Breed’s Hill (Battle of Bunker Hill) on 17 June 1775, the Patriots fared well despite being compelled to withdraw when their ammunition was almost depleted; however, Colonel Nixon became one of the casualties. He had a serious wound but survived. On 17 July, Colonel Nixon was promoted to the rank of brigadier general along with five others; James Reed, Arthur St. Clair, Alexander McDougal, Samuel H. Parsons and Adam Stephen. Initially, General Nixon received command of Governor’s Island. Later Nixon’s command participated at the Battle of Long Island and was with the Continental Army at the Delaware River when Trenton was seized during December 1776. Subsequently, Nixon’s command was ordered to Albany, once the brigades of Generals Varnum and Samuel Parsons arrived near Peekskill. General Nixon participated in the campaign that brought about the defeat and capitulation of British General John Burgoyne at Saratoga in September–October 1777. During that fighting, while commanding the 1st Massachusetts Regiment, General Nixon again was injured when a cannon shot flew past his head so close that he lost nearly all of his vision in one eye and his hearing in one ear. General Nixon’s service following the victory at Saratoga was confined primarily to the defense of West Point until he retired from the army. He requested permission to resign and on 12 September 1780 and Congress accepted “on account of his ill state of health.” After his wife, Thankful, died, General Nixon remarried. On 5 February 1778, while residing in Sudbury, he married Hannah Drury Gleason, the daughter of Josiah and Hannah Barron Drury and the widow of Captain Micajah Gleason. Hannah continued to operate the tavern owned by her husband, Captain Gleason, while he had been in the army. In 1803 General Nixon moved to Middlebury, Vermont, where he succumbed 24 March 1815. General John Nixon of Massachusetts has been confused with a Colonel John Nixon of the Pennsylvania militia. It was Colonel John Nixon of Pennsylvania who first read the Declaration of Independence at the State House (Independence Hall) on July 8, 1776. Most sources gave the date of birth of General John Nixon as either March 1725 or 4 March 1775; however, William Barry’s The History of Framingham supplies 1 March 1727 as the correct date. The various spellings of Nixon included Nichson, Nickerson and Nickson.

Ogden, Brigadier General Matthias Matthias Ogden was born to Robert and Phoebe Hatfield Ogden on 22 October 1754 in New Jersey at Elizabethtown, a settlement founded by his great-grandfather, John Ogden, one of the initial patentees of the town. Matthias’ mother was the daughter of Matthias and Hannah Miller Hatfield. John’s parents had fourteen other children, excluding a large number of children who were still-born: Phoebe (b. January 1737, married Colonel [Doctor] Thomas Mosely); Anna (b. December 1740, married Colonel Oliver Spencer); Rhoda (b. September 1742, married Timothy Edwards); Robert (b. March 1746, married Sarah Platt and afterward, her sister Hannah Platt); Jonathan (b. January 1748, died same year); Jonathan (2) (b. September 1750, died by drowning June 1760); Mary (b. September 1752, married Colonel Francis Barber); Aaron (b. December 1756, married Elizabeth Chetwood; he was later colonel and governor of New Jersey); daughter (name unknown, born and died December 1758); Oliver (b. January 1760, date of death unknown; not mentioned in his father’s will); Hannah (b.

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March 1761, died unmarried 1789); Elias (b. November 1763, married Mary Anderson); and Jonathan (3) (b. October 1765, died the following year). Matthias received a good education, thought to have included some attendance at Princeton, but he pursued a career as a currier and tanner. Matthias’ brother Robert was a graduate of Princeton. Although Matthias was only a baby when the French and Indian War erupted, his father served beginning in 1757 as commissary and barrack master, a post he retained until 1773. Matthias’s father served in various public capacities, including justice of the quorum, justice and judge, and clerk of the court of Essex County. He became a close friend of Governor Jonathan Belcher. Matthias’ father became deputy secretary of the council and was speaker of the assembly until a furious eruption occurred in 1765. At the Provincial Congress of October 1765 (known as the Stamp Act Congress), Robert Ogden and Timothy Ruggles (president of the convention) dissented on how petitions to the king should be distributed. Citizen reaction back in New Jersey was nasty and Robert Ogden was burned in effigy. He resigned as speaker, but he did not resign his military post. Nevertheless, after the battles of Lexington and Concord in April 1775, Robert remained with the Patriots (see also, McKean, Thomas). During 1776, Robert became chairman of the Committee of Safety in Elizabethtown. Just after the clashes at Lexington and Concord, Mathias Ogden, who had reached the age where he could enter the military, set out immediately for Cambridge, Massachusetts, and joined the army there. He was accompanied by his close friend, Aaron Burr. The two accompanied the expeditionary force on the Canadian Campaign. Matthias Ogden served with the rank of brigade major. During the assault against Quebec City on 31 December 1775, Major Ogden was gravely wounded, but he was not among those captured. He was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel attached to the 1st New Jersey Regiment on 7 January 1776. While Ogden was in Canada, his father was involved in New Jersey and participated in the seizure of the Blue Mountain Valley, a British supply ship, in January 1776. Matthias’ brother Aaron also served for the duration and was wounded in the siege of Yorktown (1781). Matthias’ brother Robert was unable to serve due to an accident that caused debilitating damage to his arm. In April 1776, Matthias married Hannah Dayton, the daughter of Colonel (later brigadier general) Elias Dayton and the sister of Jonathan Dayton, a signer of the U.S. Constitution. Matthias and Hannah had four children: Francis Barber, George M.; Peter V., and Jane (died young). During August 1776, Colonel Ogden was deployed at Ticonderoga. In a letter from there to Aaron Burr he noted: “I shall have the honor to command the redoubt which I am now building with the regiment alone. It is situated on the right of the whole, by the waters edge. It is to mount two 18 pounders, two 12, and four 9 pounders. In it I expect to do honor to New Jersey.” On 1 January, Ogden was promoted to the rank of colonel with command of the 1st New Jersey Regiment. During August, Colonel Ogden participated in the retaliatory raid against British positions on Staten Island. Afterward, he participated in the defense of Philadelphia. Following the Battle of Germantown on 4 October 1777, General George Washington established winter quarters at Valley Forge. The state of New Jersey later erected a monument to memorialize the New Jersey troops who spent the frigid winter there. The statue was unveiled by Eleanor Wilson, the daughter of President Woodrow Wilson. The inscription read: “Erected by the State of New Jersey upon the site occupied by the New Jersey Brigade Infantry Line, Continental Army. Brigadier-General William Maxwell, First Regiment. Colonel Mathias Ogden, Second Regiment, Colonel Israel Shrieve, Third Regiment, Colonel Elias Dayton’s Fourth Regiment, Colonel Ephraim Martin. December 19, 1777–June 18, 1778.”

After the British abandoned Philadelphia in June 1778, Colonel Ogden participated in the Battle of Monmouth, which became the final major battle in the northern states. During the heated contest, the British mounted a strong counterattack and it was Ogden’s command that moved expeditiously to hold the line and cover the retreat as the Americans moved into the woods. The Americans prepared to do battle on the following day to complete a victory, but the British abandoned their positions after dark. Colonel Ogden remained in command of his forces in New Jersey and continued to contend with British raiding parties; however, during 1779, he also participated in John Sullivan’s campaign against the Indians and Loyalists that had been settlements in Pennsylvania and New York. The campaign terminated with the Battle of Chemung (Battle of Newton) on 29 August 1779 when Generals Sullivan, James Clinton and Enoch Poor inflicted a devastating defeat on the Loyalists and Indians. The British captured Colonel Ogden at his home in Elizabethtown on 5 November 1780. Some nineteenth century and contemporary sources list Ogden’s capture during October; however, a portion of the General Orders of 6 November specifies his capture on 5 November: “The General has just received information that Colonel Ogden and Capt. Dayton, who were in Elizabeth Town, were taken last night in their Bed. by the Enemy a Convincing proof that they have the most minute Intelligence of every thing that passed in that Place, and that it is Dangerous for an Officer (except with a Guard or Under sanction of a flag) to remain there during the Night.” Colonel Ogden and Captain Dayton were carried to New York; they were paroled during April 1781. After his exchange, Colonel Ogden participated in the Yorktown Campaign, which terminated with the surrender of General Lord Charles Cornwallis during October 1781. Colonel Ogden’s 1st New Jersey Regiment was attached to General James Clinton’s 3rd Division (Left Division). Matthias’ brother Aaron served with him at Yorktown and was wounded. After the victory at Yorktown, Colonel Ogden returned to New Jersey. During March of the following year, while General Washington was passing through the state, Colonel Ogden, at Morristown, presented Washington with a daring scheme to capture the son of King George III, Prince William Henry. The prince was in the colonies serving as a midshipman in Admiral Robert Digby’s fleet at New York. General Washington was impressed with the plan and concurred. With authorization to proceed, Colonel Ogden set his plan in motion to raid the admiral’s headquarters and snatch the prince and Digby. Ogden selected a contingent composed of one captain, one subaltern, several sergeants and thirty-six troops. The British had somehow become aware of the plot. A Loyalist newspaper noted on 23 April that flat-boats had been discovered and that the British anticipated an attack to seize General Clinton, Prince William Henry and others. The attack was aborted, but the reason remains unknown, possibly because of the loss of surprise. After the close of hostilities, Congress on 30 September 1783 awarded Colonel Ogden the brevet rank of brigadier general. In April that year, Congress granted Ogden a leave of absence, which he used to visit Europe; however, his military service ended. While General Ogden was in France, King Louis XVI presented him with the “honor of le droit du tabouret.” During January 1787, Matthias lost his father. Robert Ogden was interred at the Sparta churchyard and his epitaph in part read: “He was temperate and humane. A friend to the poor, hospitable and generous. A most faithful, tender and indulgent husband and parent, and above all, his life and conversation from his youth was becoming a professor of religion and a follower of the blessed Jesus.” General Matthias Ogden died on 31 March 1791. He was interred in Elizabethtown in the cemetery of the First Presbyterian Church. The inscription on his tombstone included: “Sacred to the memory / of General Matthias Ogden / who died on the 31st day of March 1791 / Aged XXXVI years / In him were united those

321 various virtues / of the Soldier the Patriot and the Friend / which endear men to society. / Distress failed not to find relief in his bounty.” General Ogden’s mother, Phoebe, and his widow, Hannah, survived him. Matthias’ mother died during December 1796, three days before Christmas, and was buried alongside of her husband. Hannah died during 1802.

O’Hara, Brigadier General James James O’Hara was born in County Tyrone, Ireland, during 1752 and after receiving his education in France and serving in the Cold Stream Guards (British army), he immigrated to America during 1772. After arriving in Philadelphia, James traveled to Martinsburg, Virginia, and found employment with a merchant named McCue who sent him to the western frontier in Pennsylvania to initiate trading with Indians. By the latter part of 1773, he began working for two businessmen in Pittsburgh, Devereux Smith and Ephraim Douglas. James O’Hara was appointed in 1774 as an Indian agent, which added to his knowledge of the various tribes in the region providing, him with an invaluable understanding of the way the Indians lived and operated, and gained him friends among the tribes. Nonetheless, O’Hara had more than a few daring escapes from hostile Indians who preferred taking his scalp rather than befriending him. O’Hara, however, had the temperament to deal with the various situations, having great empathy for the friendly tribes, and yet the tenacity and boldness to stand against a foe. Once word arrived in western Pennsylvania during 1775 that hostilities had begun, O’Hara immediately joined a Virginia regiment and had no second thought about rejoining the Cold Stream Guards. James O’Hara, the bilingual Irishman, had proclaimed his allegiance to his new home and suddenly became Private James O’Hara. The officers quickly discovered that O’Hara was officer material, so his life as a private was short-lived. After he was appointed captain, he raised a company at his personal expense. Afterward, O’Hara led his command to a post constructed by Virginians in West Virginia in the vicinity of Kanawha County. O’Hara’s task was to block the Indians from cooperating with the British. The post is sometimes referred to as the fort at Canhawa or the fort at Kanawha, but there is no evidence regarding the exact name of the fort or when it was built. Later Captain O’Hara became acquainted with Colonel George Rogers Clark, the latter having been authorized by the state of Virginia to move against the British strong points at Detroit and Vincennes (present-day Indiana). Captain O’Hara’s command participated in the grueling march that led to the seizure of Fort Sackville at Vincennes on 25 February 1778. At the conclusion of the mission, O’Hara returned to Kanawha to resume tedious garrison life, but soon, due to the drained strength of his company, then composed of fewer than 30 troops, O’Hara’s contingent was incorporated into the 9th Virginia Regiment. Captain O’Hara was ordered to Fort Pitt to deliver intelligence to Colonel (later brigadier general) Daniel Brodhead. The following year, Captain O’Hara’s duty station and his position again changed on two fronts: the state of Pennsylvania commissioned O’Hara as a brigadier general and he became assistant quartermastergeneral (1780) of the Southern Department, attached to General Nathanael Greene. General O’Hara’s diary (maintained during the campaign in the Carolinas) verifies that he participated at Cowpens (27 January 1781), Guilford Court House (15 March 1781) and Eutaw Springs (8 September 1781). No particulars are given except that he was attached to General Anthony Wayne’s force while in the South. Subsequently, General O’Hara returned to Philadelphia, where he had earlier met Mary Carson, the daughter of William and Mary (maiden name unknown) Carson. O’Hara and Colonel (later brigadier general) Christian Febiger had been passing through Philadelphia together and were guests at the Harp and Crown when they were introduced to the Carson sisters. Christian married Elizabeth Carson, and

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upon O’Hara’s return to the city about 1785, he married Mary. Afterward, General O’Hara and his wife departed Philadelphia to reside in Pittsburgh. The trip from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh by wagon at the time took about 24 to 27 days. General O’Hara and Mary had the following children: William Carson (married Mary Carson, a cousin); James (married Elizabeth Neville); Charles (died young); Richard Butler (married Mary Fitzsimmons); Elizabeth Febiger O’Hara (married Harmar James O’Hara (Frontier Defenses 1812 Denny); and Mary Carson Ohio) O’Hara (married William Croghan). Mary O’Hara left the comfort of Philadelphia to start her new life on the frontier, and her first days in the west began in General O’Hara’s frontier estate, a log cabin. However, the interior was lavishly furnished and the floors had carpets, an item peculiar to most of the nation, let alone the frontier. General O’Hara resumed his personal life and the accumulation of wealth. Much of the income he derived over the years had been invested in real estate and his interests continued to grow. In 1789, General O’Hara, a presidential elector, supported George Washington as the first president of the United States. He won a contract to supply General Harmar’s army during the failed campaign against the Indians in the Northwest Territory during 1791. During that same period, he was appointed as Harmar’s quartermaster and paymaster. In 1792 General O’Hara was commissioned as the first quartermaster-general of the United States Army. He retained the post until 1796. O’Hara also accompanied General Anthony Wayne on the campaign in 1794 that followed the devastating defeats sustained by General Harmar and Governor (General) Arthur St. Clair. General Wayne fought and won a decisive victory at the Battle of Fallen Timbers (August 1794), which essentially terminated the organized hostilities in the Northwest Territory. During his term as quartermaster-general, it was as if O’Hara was thrown back into his earlier career. He again had to travel through the wilderness to inspect various posts that stretched from Pennsylvania to Virginia and Ohio, but in addition, he traveled to Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan and Tennessee, with each journey more dangerous than the last, with familiar enemies, the wild beasts and roaming hostile bands. Despite more harrowing experiences, he escaped unscathed to once again return to his personal life. General O’Hara remained a friend of many Indians through the years, but once back in Pittsburgh, he built an empire that placed him among the most affluent men in the region. However, General O’Hara never lost his roots; his sterling character and philanthropic nature only increased his popularity. His residence remained a place of welcome for all, including the poor. During 1795, General O’Hara, in partnership with Captain Isaac Craig, Continental Marines, established a plant that manufactured glass, not an effortless task due to the scarcity of materials that were required to succeed. The pots were made in Pittsburgh, but the clay had to be brought over the mountains from Philadelphia by mules and packhorses. Some of the clay was first shipped to Philadelphia from Germany. The estimated cost of producing the first green glass (created in 1800) was $35,000. General O’Hara, having a natural ability as a military leader, surpassed that in his business skills. While in the military and distributing supplies to the army in the Northwest, he

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concluded that he could provide salt from Onondaga, New York, much easier than dragging it from Philadelphia over the mountains, but first he had to acquire transportation. General O’Hara purchased vessels that carried the product across Lake Erie, and he purchased boats and wagons to carry the cargo after it was unloaded at Erie, Pennsylvania. From Pittsburgh, O’Hara shipped flour and other provisions in barrels that were also designed to safely carry salt, but the general covered his investment by including his control and the return of the barrels. Another of General O’Hara’s prosperous ventures was building his own ships at Pittsburgh and having them carry on trade in Britain, South America and the West Indies. In 1803, General O’Hara and a man with whom he formed a partnership, Mr. Coppinger, purchased the Point Brewery and greatly increased the production of beer. Also in 1803, General O’Hara and Colonel Neville received the same number of votes for chief burgess. The tie was broken by the governor, with O’Hara gaining the advantage; however, “under the law, Colonel Neville became burgess.” And yet another of the general’s endeavors involved the Branch Bank of Pennsylvania, the first bank that opened west of the Allegheny Mountains. General O’Hara was a director of the bank. He took the position to replace General John Wilkins. General James O’Hara died on 21 December 1819 at his residence on Water Street in Pittsburgh. His death caused a commotion throughout the town; many were in disbelief as word of his death spread like a wild fire. It was reported that nearly everyone in Pittsburgh mourned, and while throngs of people paid their respects by passing his coffin, “the tears of the rich and poor were commingled for he bad been the firm friend of both, treating all with justice.” General O’Hara’s widow, Mary Carson O’Hara, survived him and lived until 8 April 1834. A story that demonstrates his character involves a young man, John Hopkins, who was struggling with an iron manufacturing company in or near Harmony, Pennsylvania. General O’Hara suggested a partnership to revitalize the business with O’Hara’s capital on his own on property in the vicinity of Ligonier. The general also made it clear that Hopkins would run the show. The offer was accepted and a vigorous effort got underway to turn the business into a success. Nevertheless, during 1817, it was clear that the effort failed and that the business was about $20,000 in debt. John Hopkins had no money. General O’Hara, without hesitation, informed Hopkins that he would cover the losses in their entirety. Afterward, John Hopkins and his wife moved to Vermont and he changed his profession to become the Right Rev. John Hopkins, the first Episcopal bishop in the state.

Orne, Major General Azor Azor Orne, the son of Joshua and Sarah Gale Orne, was born on 22 July 1731 in Marblehead, Massachusetts. Azor’s father (known as deacon Joshua) was a descendant of John Orne (also Horn) who immigrated to America from Britain about 1630 and settled in Salem, Massachusetts. Azor’s father married three times, and during the Revolution, Azor’s half-brother, Joshua, served as an officer in the militia. Azor, without the benefit of a formal education, became one of the prominent leaders from Marblehead. According to the Marblehead Vital Statistics, Azor married Mary Coleman on 27 January 1754. After her death he married Sarah Gerry (niece of Elbridge Gerry) on 29 December 1785. General Orne married yet again the following year, taking Mary Lee Orne (his half brother Joshua’s widow) as his third wife on 23 April 1786. All three marriages took place in Marblehead. During the French and Indian war, Azor Orne commanded a company of foot. For a while, John Glover (later brigadier general) served under his command as a captain lieutenant. During the period when the colonies were preparing to break from the mother country, he had become an affluent merchant with sufficient wealth to assist the cause. In the early 1770s, Orne became a member of the General Court (1773) and a delegate to the Essex Convention (1774) and the Committee of Safety (1774).

Orne and others, including John Glover and Elbridge Gerry, became greatly concerned during 1773 when an epidemic of smallpox struck New Britain. The group established a hospital on an island (described by several names, including Cat Island, Lowell’s Island and Essex Island) of Salem to isolate those people infected. The hospital remained operational for more than one year, but it was controversial from the start. People on the mainland were fearful of the disease spreading to Marblehead. Nevertheless, many were aided during the crisis and the period, sometimes referred to as the “Smallpox War,” occurred with hot tempers but not violence. The year 1774 was for Orne an especially busy time. He also became a member of the committee of military affairs. He was involved with organizing the defenses as well as being part of the committee charged with gathering arms and ammunition for what the men from Massachusetts believed was the approach of open rebellion. Also that year, the First Continental Congress convened in Philadelphia and Azor had been elected as a delegate, but pressing matters in Massachusetts prompted him to decline the seat. Nevertheless, he did participate in the Essex Convention of September 1774, and he attended the Provincial Congress in October. In addition, Orne was a delegate to the provincial congresses held during February and May of 1775. In 1775, Orne was elected as a judge to the General Court (1775), but it is not certain whether he sat on the court. He already held the rank of colonel, but the date of his appointment remains unknown. In addition, he served on many committees. At the time of a joint meeting of the committees of safety and supply on 18 April, the British were in the process of moving to seize a magazine. The inn (Black Horse Tavern) in which the committees were meeting was along the route to Lexington. Another section of the British plan was to seize members of the Provincial Congress, especially Samuel Adams and John Hancock. Word spread about the British movements. Most of the men, including Samuel Adams, Benjamin Lincoln, John Glover and John Hancock had departed prior to the raid. Azor Orne, Elbridge Gerry and Colonel Jeremiah Lee (Massachusetts militia) were staying overnight at the inn. The encounter was quite harrowing when the British approached to surround the inn, but with barely minutes to spare, the three rebels evaded capture. After being roused from their sleep from the noise of the approaching cavalry during the night (18th–19th), they sped to the back of the tavern and fled through the rear door to conceal themselves in a cornfield. None were properly dressed when they fled in their night clothes. Colonel Lee became sick due to the chill while in the field and died several months after the encounter. While some of the others had gone to their nearby homes, John Hancock made his way to Lexington. On the 19th, the clashes at Lexington and Concord severed all possibility of reconciliation. The British retired to Boston and were interrupted during the march by Minute Men who lined the route to retaliate. The British faced such opposition that they were basically confined to the limits of Boston. Meanwhile, the Patriots continued to build their confidence for what was expected to be a prolonged war, with raw troops against the well trained British regulars and the powerful Royal Navy. A new battle erupted at Boston during June at Breed’s Hill (Bunker Hill). The British prevailed, but when they assessed their casualties late on 19 June, they determined that their foes would not be easily suppressed. On 19 July at Watertown, 206 elected members of the house assembly gathered. Colonel Orne was elected as one of the counselors. Others included Benjamin Lincoln, John Hancock, Samuel Adams, James Otis, and Thomas Treat Paine. The counselors were to act as an arm of the legislature and as the executive of the provincial government. During early January 1776, the Provincial Congress commissioned Orne, John Hancock and James Warren with the rank of major general (Massachusetts militia). There is no evidence that General Orne commanded in the field, and no trail of his military activity exists. In

323 mid–June 1777, General Orne attended the convention at which seventeen members were chosen for the committee charged with drawing up the state constitution. He also was a delegate to the Hartford Convention (1780). After the war, General Orne continued to serve in various public offices, including the state Senate. On 20 May 1796, General Orne penned a letter to Governor John Adams that gave his “advanced age and infirm heath” as reasons for his resignation from the Senate. During his lifetime, General Orne accumulated much wealth; however, he also committed large amounts of money to the government while it struggled during the war. On one occasion, he loaned the federal government a full barrel of silver dollars. The government never repaid him even one dollar.

Otis, James James Otis, the son of Colonel James and Mercy (Marcia) Allyne Otis, was born on 5 February 1724 or 1725 in Barnstable County (Cape Cod) at the family estate at Great Marshes, Massachusetts. His father served in the Provincial Legislature during 1758 and was speaker during 1760. The elder Otis also served as a judge of probate in Barnstable County and as chief justice of the Court of Common Pleas. He was on His Majesty’s Council; however, like his son, James was a strong opponent of the policies of the Crown and was prohibited from sitting on the council board until 1770. He was also a representative in the legislature from 1760 through 1775. In addition to their son James, James, Sr., and Mercy had the following children: Joseph (b. March 1725 or 1726, married Rebecca Sturgis and later Maria Walter; also became a brigadier general of militia); Mercy (b. 14 September 1728); Mary (b. 9 September 1730, married John Gray); Hannah (b. 31 July 1732); Nathaniel (b. 9 July 1734, died January 1735); Martha (b. 9 October 1736, died November 1736); Abigail (b. 30 June 1738); Elizabeth (b. September 1739); Samuel Allyne (b. November 1740, married Elizabeth Gray, the daughter of Harrison Gray, and later Mary Gray, the widow of Edward Gray and daughter of Isaac Smith); Sarah (b. April 1742, died May 1742); Nathaniel (2) (b. April 1743, d. April 1763) and a daughter, their thirteenth child, who died in infancy. The elder James was a descendant of John Otis, one of the first in the family to arrive in American from Britain. James received an excellent education locally under the Rev. Jonathan Russell. He entered Harvard at Cambridge during 1739. After receiving a bachelor’s degree in 1743, he continued his studies under Jeremy Gridley, an esteemed lawyer. James established his practice in Plymouth after admission to the bar. About 1747, James relocated in Boston. He married Ruth Cunningham in 1755, and according to various sources, Ruth had a substantial dowry. James and Ruth had three children, James (died during the war while serving as an ensign); Elizabeth (married British Captain Brown), and Mary (married Benjamin Lincoln, the son of General Benjamin Lincoln). During 1761, in response to the “Writs of Assistance,” which permitted the government to search for smuggled goods, the “writs” were opposed as being illegal. At the time, James was the advocate-general, but he resigned his position when directed to defend them. In the meantime, Thomas Hutchinson had replaced James’ father as chief justice of the state Supreme Court by order of royal governor, Francis Bernard. Hutchinson was to oversee the enforcement of the Sugar Act. James Otis appeared in Superior Court on February 1761 as opposing counsel. The government’s attorney defending the writs was his former law teacher, Jeremy Gridley, the attorney general. Otis’ oratory lasted about five hours and in the course of his marathon speech, he proclaimed the writs to be against British common law. The governor prevailed, but James Otis became a prominent Patriot leader in the process. One of the young men in the court, John Adams, later remarked about Otis’ oratory: “Then and there, the child Independence was born.” Otis, undaunted by the pressure of the royal government,

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continued to be a thorn in its side of the royal government and the Crown. He became one of the chief instigators of the growing unrest among colonists. During 1761, Otis was elected to the General Assembly. He took his seat on 21 May. Later, he published another explosive piece, “The Rights of the British Colonies Asserted.” The British government became more incensed when the piece was published in Britain. Following the enactment of the Stamp Act of 1765, Otis was a delegate to the congress held in New York known as James Otis (Our Countrymen, or Brief the Stamp Act Congress Memoirs of Eminent Americans, Ben(1766). Otis penned a piece son J. Lossing, 1855) that proclaimed the rights of the colonists and after the published work reached London, it caused a furor. Otis was later threatened with a charge of sedition. Also in 1766, James was elected speaker of the General Court (legislature); however, Governor Thomas Hutchinson voided his election. During 1767, Otis had exhausted his allegiance to the royal government, prompting him to resign from the post of advocate-general. With both his pen and his oratory, he waged a continuous campaign on behalf of the colonists against the tactics of the Crown and Parliament. One of his political opponents, John Robinson, had a confrontation with Otis in a coffee shop during 1769. During the heated encounter, Otis sustained a hit to the head that inflicted permanent brain damage; however, initially, he was able to continue with his life, though hindered by his inability to function normally. Although Otis was severely injured, his earlier writings fueled the flames of resistance in the colonies and left indelible marks. One of his pamphlets was “A Vindication of the British Colonies and Considerations on Behalf of the British Colonies.” It was another of his writings, the chastisement of custom commissioners in the Boston Gazette, that ignited John Robinson’s revenge. Otis was compelled to relinquish his seat in the House of Representatives in 1769. He was succeeded by another radical, John Adams. Otis won a large monetary suit in court against Robinson; however, he refused to accept the money and instead accepted Robinson’s apology. Otis continued his bouts with periodic insanity for the remainder of his life, but thanks to the attentive care of his devoted sister, Mercy, or Marcia as she referred to herself, the wife of General James Warren, he received personal care. During 1780, Otis began to stay with Isaac Osgood, and later during 1782, having apparently recovered from his illness, Otis returned to Boston. He resumed his life and made some appearances, but while attending a celebration at the residence of Governor John Hancock, Otis suffered a relapse, brought on by the presence of a large group of the Patriots, which seemed to overwhelm him. He returned to the Osgood residence in Andover on 8 April 1783. One day he was trimming some trees near Isaac’s house and told Isaac that if he died at the home, he wanted to be buried under the trees, which would allow him to keep his eyes on Isaac’s boys while they worked to make sure they attended to their duties. During periods when Otis was coherent, he would frequently speak of his death and his wish to die from a strike of a lightning bolt. After losing full use of his faculties, Otis mentioned to his sister, Mercy: “My dear sister, I hope when God Almighty in his righteous providence

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shall take me out of time into eternity that it will be by a flash of lightning.” On 23 May 1783, about three months after the United States and Britain officially declared an end to the war (14 February 1783), Otis was leaning on a cane on Mr. Osgood’s porch, watching a storm overhead. Suddenly, a lightning bolt struck him and he was instantly killed. James Otis was taken to Boston, where the funeral service was held and where he was interred. John Adams, who was in France at the time of Otis’ death, penned a letter of condolence: “It was with very afflicting sentiments I learned the death of Mr. Otis, my worthy master, Extraordinary in death as in life, he has left a character that will never die, while the memory of the American Revolution remains; whose foundation he laid with an energy, and with those masterly abilities which no other man possessed.” Otis, prior to his unfortunate injury, was known to be brilliant, but to the Loyalists, also irascible. He was described as follows: In life, he was a man of powerful genius and ardent temper, with wit and humor that never failed. As an orator, he was bold, argumentative, impetuous, and commanding, with an eloquence that made his own excitement irresistibly contagious. As a lawyer, his knowledge and ability placed him at the head of his profession. As a scholar, he was rich in acquisition, and governed by a classic taste. As a statesman and civilian, he was sound and just in his views. As a patriot, he resisted all allorements that might weaken the cause of that country to which he devoted his life, and for which he sacrificed it. The future historians of the United States, in considering the foundation of American Independence, will find that one of the cornerstones must be inscribed with the name of James Otis.

Otis, Brigadier General Joseph Joseph, the son of Colonel James and Mercy (Marcia) Allyne Otis, was born on 6 March 1725–1726. Joseph was the brother of statesman James Otis (see Otis, James). His parents had twelve children in addition to Joseph, who served in the legislature like his father and brother James. Joseph married Rebecca Sturgis and they had the following children: Rebecca (b. August 1754); James (b. September 1755, died at sea about 1790); Elizabeth (b. January 1760); Joseph (b. 1762, died in infancy) and an unnamed child (probably died at birth). After Rebecca’s death, Joseph married Maria Walter and they had the following children: Joseph (2) (b. 1771, married Ann Stoll, afterward married twice more); Nathaniel Walter (b. January 1773, married Nancy Bourne, afterward, married a second time in Havana, Cuba); John (b. April 1774); Thomas (b. November 1775); Charles (b. July 1777); a son (name unknown, born February 1779, died at birth); William (b. February 1783); Arthur (b. December 1784); Maria (b. 1788, married the Rev. Philip Colby); and Mary (birth date unknown, married Ebenezer Gay of Hickam). During the American Revolution, Otis was appointed as a brigadier general of militia. His primary duties appeared to be protecting and defending the harbor at Barnstable, where vessels arrived to avoid being seized by privateers. Subsequent to the adoption of the U.S. Constitution during 1787, and ratification by nine states, General Otis received an appointment from President George Washington as customs inspector for the district of Barnstable. General Joseph Otis succumbed during 1810.

Paca, William (Signer of the Declaration of Independence) William Paca was born during October 1740 at Chilbury Hall in the vicinity of Abingdon (Harford County), Maryland. His parents were John and Elizabeth Smith Paca (daughter of William and Elizabeth Martin Smith). William’s family origin is uncertain, but it is thought that his family name was either Portuguese or Italian. William’s father was an affluent land owner and planter. The Pacas had six other children, Aquila, Mary, Elizabeth, Martha, Susanna and Frances. William was educated initially at home, where he studied the classics, but similarly to children in other well to do families, he received an ex-

cellent education. He attended Philadelphia College (later University of Pennsylvania), where he graduated with a master’s degree. Afterward he began to study law in Maryland at Annapolis under Stephen Bordley, a close family friend. William then traveled to England to deepen his study of the law by attending the Inner Temple in London. He received his license to practice law in 1761, and three years later, he was admitted William Paca (Biographical Sketches of to the Maryland bar. Mean- the Signers of the Declaration of Indewhile, after his return to pendence, Benson J. Lossing, 1854) America, William courted and married Mary Chew, the daughter of Samuel and Henrietta Lloyd Chew, a family with American roots that dated back to Jamestown, when John Chew arrived there aboard the Seaflower in 1622. William and Mary had five children, but only one, John, survived. After their marriage in 1763 the couple started building a home, which was completed in about two years. It was (and still is) near the U.S. Naval Academy on Prince George Street south of Maryland Avenue. The rear garden, designed and laid out by Mary, has been described as splendid and is known as My Ladye’s Bower. It contained a summer house and a tiny lake, with a small stream that came into the grounds from the harbor, which stood about 100 yards distant. During that period, a most popular mode of transportation in Arlington was by water. William Paca maintained a bateau at the wharf and always had six Negroes available to row the bateau on the Severn River or the nearby streams when he made state visits to his neighbors. Paca owned the Wye Plantation in Queen Annes County, which he acquired about 1760. After Paca’s return to America he became involved in the Patriots’ cause. By 1765, he had outwardly displayed his frustration with the Crown when he participated in and led a group of Patriots who held a mock hanging and burial of the proclamation of Governor Robert Eden regarding enforcement of the Stamp Act. In 1768, Paca was elected to the Maryland legislature and began to align himself with the Whigs, particularly Samuel Chase, a staunch proponent of independence. The colonists were becoming more dissatisfied with the Crown and Parliament with each passing month. During 1774, the Marylanders became infuriated when the “poll tax” to subsidize the Church of England was implemented. All Marylanders were compelled to pay the tax, regardless of their religion or lack thereof. That incident also brought another Patriot, Charles Carroll of Carrollton, into the public eye. During 1774, Carroll, a Catholic, vehemently but cleverly opposed the views of Attorney General Daniel Dulaney, a proponent of the tax. Dulaney published his articles in the Maryland Gazette during 1773 under the name “Antillon.” The articles were answered by Carroll and signed by “First Citizen.” Carroll’s responses were essentially invulnerable and the royal governor was compelled to repeal his proclamation, terminating the tax. Paca was appointed in 1773 to the Maryland Committee of Correspondence, which coordinated communications with the other colonies. He was elected to be a delegate to the First Continental Congress, which met in Philadelphia during September 1774. Around that time, William’s wife, Mary, died. Paca was re-elected as delegate to the Second Continental Congress and stayed in office each succeeding year until he resigned during 1779, after being appointed chief justice of the Maryland Supreme Court. Paca supported independence, but Maryland had instructed its delegates to oppose such a resolution. The

325 delegates, however, all favored voting yes. Aligned with Chase and Carroll, the group was able to persuade the Maryland convention to reverse its course and authorize the “Yea” vote. The Marylanders’ change of heart became evident on 28 May 1776, when the assembly chaplain conspicuously and most unusually said no prayers for the king, by the direction of the assembly. In Philadelphia on 2 July 1776, Paca voted “yea” along with the other Maryland delegates and in August signed the parchment document. In addition to serving in the Continental Congress, Paca continued to devote time to his home state. He participated in creating the Maryland constitution during 1776, and the following year he was involved with the state militia. He began a two year term in the state Senate in 1777 and was a member of the state’s Council of Safety. His activity during 1777 was not confined to the cause of independence. That year, he remarried, taking Anne Harrison as his second wife, but she too died young. William and Anne had one child during their marriage, which lasted only until 1780. Their child died shortly after Anne succumbed. After Anne’s death, William sold his residence in Annapolis to Arthur Schaaf and moved to the Wye Plantation on Wye Island. It is uncertain whether Paca married again. He was appointed chief justice of the Maryland Supreme Court during 1778, a position he retained until he was elected governor during 1782. He remained in Congress through the following year. In autumn of 1779, troops from the South were moving to support General George Washington, but the threat had diminished. On 4 October 1779, in congressional reaction to a letter dated 30 September from George Washington, James Forbes made a motion, seconded by William Paca, to halt the reinforcements. The motion, which passed, resolved “that Colonel Clarke be directed to halt the North Carolina troops at Trenton, till farther orders.” Paca remained in the judiciary after his departure from Congress in 1779 until 1782, initially as the chief justice of the State Superior Court and afterward as chief judge of the Circuit Court of Appeals, which handled cases that dealt with admiralty and prizes. He left the judiciary during 1782 upon being elected governor of Maryland, and he served in that position until 1785. Beginning in his first year as governor, Paca, aside from his normal duties, spent time raising money for Washington College, the first institution of learning to be established in Maryland. The governor had also contributed much of his private fortune to the American cause. After the adoption and ratification of the United States Constitution, he was appointed to the federal bench as a district judge during 1789, a position he held until his death in 1799. Paca’s appointment to the bench by President George Washington was opposed by some, but Washington steadfastly supported his appointment and underscored his trust in William Paca by stipulating that if it had not been for men like him, the United States would not exist. Paca attended the Maryland state convention as a delegate and pressed for the adoption and ratification of the Constitution, but with amendments. William Paca succumbed on 23 October 1799 and was interred at Wye Hall on Wye Island, the residence of William’s son, John, the only known surviving child of William Paca’s marriages. Wye Hall was on the opposite side of the narrows from William’s residence, the Wye Plantation. Paca’s remains were re-interred later in the family cemetery near his plantation. After ownership of the Paca House passed to Arthur Schaaf, it was later sold to Louis Neth, a prosperous merchant who also owned another prominent estate known as Primrose. In 1827 the Paca House was occupied by chancellor Theodoric Bland and afterward, it again changed hands several more times before it was transformed into a hotel (Carvel Hall) in the late nineteenth century. The historic link to the past came close to oblivion when it was scheduled for destruction during the 1960s, but some in the state of Maryland with foresight blocked its razing by purchasing the Paca House section of the tract. During 1965, the state acquired the entire tract, and within a few years, the hotel additions were demolished, leaving the Paca House

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and gardens. The house has been restored and is now a national landmark open to the public. Paca’s mother, who was known to have been especially attractive, also left behind a legacy. During her voyage from England to America, she had a large number of suitors, but didn’t choose any of them. A prominent nursery rhyme of the period, “Pretty Betty,” was written based on William’s mother’s voyage: “Pretty Betty Martin / Tip toe, tip toe / Pretty Betty Martin, tip toe fine / Pretty Betty Martin, tip toe, tip toe / Couldn’t find a husband to suit her mind.” In some earlier works, it has been mentioned that one of William Paca’s daughters married Consul Roubelle, but there is no evidence to support the story. The only child of William from his marriages that is known to have survived to adulthood was John. However, according to the Annapolis Historical Foundation, Henrietta Maria Dorsey, a niece of William’s wife, Mary, came to live with the Paca family during 1765. She died the next year at age ten and it is possible that Henrietta is sometimes thought of as a daughter, rather than a niece. According to the foundation, William Paca had no children out of wedlock. However, although there is no evidence handed down, William and Anne, his second wife, are thought to have had a daughter that lived to age sixteen.

Paine, Robert Treat (Signer of the Declaration of Independence) Robert Treat Paine was born in Boston on 11 March 1731. His parents were the Rev. Thomas and Eunice Treat Paine. His mother was the daughter of the Rev. Samuel and Abigail Willard Treat. His maternal grandfather was Governor Robert Treat of Connecticut. As a youth Robert seemed to be following the family tradition; his studies included preparation for becoming a minister, like his father. He attended Boston Latin School, where he was tutored by Mr. Lovell, a prominent teacher who also instructed John Adams and John Hancock. Afterward, Robert, at age fourteen, attended Harvard, graduating in 1749. He then studied theology and taught school, but soon after, he closed the school. Robert’s father had left the ministry and attempted to pursue a career as a merchant, but the endeavor was unsuccessful. Consequently, Robert used part of his earnings to support his parents and his unmarried sister Abigail, who suffered from poor health. During 1755, in the early part of the French and Indian War, Robert Treat Paine served as a chaplain to the troops during an expedition to Crown Point. Later, his health had begun to fail and he chose to go to sea. Paine traveled to the Carolinas, and from there to England and Spain. Prior to returning home, he also stopped at Greenland. At some point, he decided to abandon life as a clergyman and decided instead to become an attorney. The seed was probably planted while he was studying theology, which prompted him to also become interested in the law. Paine worked in the law office of Benjamin Pratt in Suffolk County, Massachusetts, and in 1757 was admitted to the Massachusetts bar. At the time, Maine was still part of Massachusetts and he chose to begin his practice in Portland; however, afterward, he relocated to Taunton. In 1770, the same year that he got married, Paine was appointed as one of the prosecutors against British Captain Thomas Preston and the troops involved with the Boston Massacre. During that time, the state’s attorney general had become ill and was unable to attend the trial, leaving Paine as the primary attorney. John Adams and Josiah Quincy defended the British troops and prevailed. Of the eight troops charged, two were convicted of manslaughter but received only minor sentences. The other six were acquitted. Paine, however, became more widely known in Massachusetts and the other colonies from his participation in the case. As his reputation grew, he continued as a supporter of American rights, while the British Crown maintained policies considered tyrannical by the Patriots.

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In 1770, Paine was elected to the provincial assembly. His marriage to Sarah “Sally” Cobb, the daughter of Captain Thomas and Lydia Leonard Cobb and the sister of General David Cobb, brought with it additional responsibilities, those of a father. Robert and Sally had eight children. Robert Treat, Jr., the oldest, was born during 1770 and died from yellow fever in 1798. Their other children were Sally, Thomas, Charles, Mary, Maria Antoinette, Lucretia, and Henry. Thomas, after the oldest child died, had his name legally changed through the legislature to Robert Treat, Jr. The elder Paine was elected in 1773 to the Massachusetts legislature as a representative of Taunton. That year Paine’s involvement with the Patriots’ cause intensified when he was appointed to Taunton’s Committee of Vigilance. He served until 1778, with the exception of 1776, and he was speaker of the lower house during his term in the legislature. In 1777 he was speaker of the lower house. He was elected as one of four delegates to the First Continental Congress in 1774. The others were John Adams, Samuel Adams and Thomas Cushing. Paine was elected as a delegate to the Second Continental Congress, in which he authored the final appeal to the king, referred to as the “Olive Branch Petition” during July 1775. Meanwhile, during 1774, Paine was returned to the provincial assembly of Massachusetts and there he warned of the dangers approaching with the appointment of British General Thomas Gage to succeed Governor Thomas Hutchinson. The Provincial Congress in Boston favored a general congress in Philadelphia and the idea was adamantly opposed by Gage, who demanded that the congress adjourn. His ultimatum was ignored; the messenger he dispatched to the congress was barred from entrance. The process continued and the members elected five delegates, including Robert Treat Paine, to the First Continental Congress. Paine gained a peculiar reputation in Congress, noted by Benjamin Rush, as a man who introduced little but objected to nearly everything proposed by others. The objections raised by Paine became so commonplace that his interruptions were not taken seriously. Rush described him as the “objection maker.” He served on various committees, including one selected during June 1775 to design a resolution for 20 July setting a day of “humiliation, fasting and prayer.” In June, Paine was appointed to a committee charged with overseeing the manufacture of salt peter and a committee delegated to improve the condition of the militia. During the following July he was appointed to the committee charged with establishing a hospital in Philadelphia. Paine continued his service in Congress with his sentiments on the side of independence. During 1776, he supported and voted for independence, placing himself among that extraordinary group of 56 men who pledged their lives, their fortunes and sacred honor to bring about independence. Paine was known to have often repeated the words: “I fear we shall become slaves because we are not industrious enough to be free.” Paine signed the parchment Declaration of Independence in August 1776. During October, Paine was appointed to the committee charged with designing an oath to be taken by officers of the Army and Navy. He was delegated in February 1777 to contact Colonel Samuel Gridley to acquire forty 8-inch howitzers Robert Treat Paine (Biographical Sketches of the Signers of the Decla- and get them to Ticonderoga. ration of Independence, Benson J. While serving as the speaker of the lower house in MassachuLossing, 1854)

setts that year, Paine was elected attorney general of Massachusetts. At the time, he still resided in Taunton, but during 1780, he moved back to Boston. Paine was attorney general until 1790. While engaged in Massachusetts government, he devoted much time between 1778 and 1780 to drafting the state’s constitution. Subsequent to his departure from Congress, in 1779, he was appointed to the Massachusetts Executive Council. In 1783, John Hancock, then governor of Massachusetts, suggested Paine as a judge on the state Superior Court, but Paine declined. Meanwhile, his family had become large and he had lost the greater part of his fortune during the war with Britain, contributing much of his wealth to the cause and privately helping citizens who were in desperate circumstances. His personal circumstances compelled him to search for more advantageous ways through private business to support his family. When he was again offered a judgeship on the state Superior Court during 1790, he accepted and remained in that capacity until poor health, including his hearing, compelled him to retire during 1804. In his later years, Paine disassociated himself from the Calvinists and became a member of the Unitarian Church. He succumbed in Boston at age 83 on 11 May 1814 and was interred at the Old Granary Burying Ground. Robert’s wife, Sarah, survived him and later succumbed on 6 June 1816. Paine was awarded an honorary degree from Cambridge during his life. He was a founder of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1780). Robert’s son Thomas (later changed his name to Robert Treat Paine, Jr.) became estranged from his father after the latter married the daughter of an actor, but later in life, when his son was near death from consumption, Paine brought him and his family to his residence and cared for him during his final days. After his son’s death, Paine took his son’s widow and their three children into his home and continued to care for them.

Palmer, Brigadier General Joseph Joseph Palmer, the son of John and Joan Mead Palmer, was born in Shaugh (County of Devonshire) on 31 March 1716. Joseph’s mother was Joan Pearse Mead, the daughter of William Pearse Mead of Fardell Mill (Parish of Cornwood). Joseph married Mary Cranch, and they immigrated to America during 1746. They and others in the family, including Mary’s brother, John (later Judge Cranch), arrived in Boston aboard the vessel Wilmington during November 1746. Although little information regarding Joseph’s early life is available, it is known that he was affluent prior to arriving in America. After establishing himself at Boston, Joseph and his brother-in-law John, only about twenty years old, established themselves in business in Boston. Initially, they began a “wool-card making business” on School Street, and the goals expanded when the pair leased a tract in Braintree from a company that operated in a section the company referred to as Germantown. Joseph and John began making glass in 1751, but during 1760, Joseph became sole owner when his brother-in-law sold his interests. Joseph Palmer also built a home, but a boy whom he had disciplined for stealing and lying set the new house on fire one night and it couldn’t be saved. Despite the high financial loss, Palmer was able to rebuild on the same site, and this home became known as Friendship Hall. The estate included a huge multiple acre orchard with fruit trees and a magnificent garden with an array of beautiful flowers. At first sight, a traveler or a guest upon approaching the estate was immediately impressed; however, despite the display of great wealth, Palmer was also known for his philanthropic nature. He and his wife, Mary, had four children: Mary (Polly, b. 1746); Elizabeth (b. 1748); Joseph Pearse (b. 1750) and William (b. 1760, died young). Back in England for a visit, Palmer had his portrait done and shipped it home prior to his departure. The crayon portrait (a weak photograph with details added) caused quite a stir at the house due to its precise likeness, but although his family and those who worked on the

327 estate were stunned, they were outdone by Palmer’s favorite cat. The pet was permitted to perch on the general’s shoulder, and when the cat entered the room in which the portrait had been unpacked, it was completely fooled. The general’s image was reflected by the glass of a window and the cat tried unsuccessfully to sit on the shoulder of the glass reflection. Another incident in the life of General Palmer was tragic. During 1765, he and a friend and neighbor, Colonel Josiah Quincy, after finishing a day’s hunting, returned to the Palmer home without being noticed by Palmer’s daughter, Mary (Polly). The general and the colonel were discussing Mary, who was in the rear garden within sight of the window. General Palmer professed his confidence in Mary’s abilities and in her fearlessness. He proclaimed that Mary could not be frightened, but Colonel Quincy declared that he could frighten her. General Palmer agreed to prove his point by allowing Quincy to fire a shot from the window to prove she would be unmoved. The utter silence of the garden was shattered with the fired shot, but neither man could have foreseen the consequences. Mary, at the sound of the blast, had convulsions that lasted for a dangerously long time. She never fully recovered and remained fearful for the rest of her life, living as an invalid from acute anxiety. Even a thunderstorm terrified her. While living at West Point in 1790–1791, Mary’s days were consumed with fear that the fort’s magazine would explode. She died at age forty-four in 1791, ending more than 25 years of suffering. In 1765, Parliament passed the Stamp Act, which imposed a tax on the colonies to help pay for Britain’s recent war with France. Joseph, although an Englishman by birth, was solidly on the side of the colonists who believed the act was unfair. It was repealed, but other action was taken against the colonies and resentment continued to build. During 1773, Governor Thomas Hutchinson decreed that ships could not leave Boston Harbor until a tax was paid on the tea. On 16 December the Sons of Liberty took action. The Patriots, including Joseph Palmer, Jr., disguised themselves as Mohawk braves, boarded two ships, then dumped the cargo (nearly 350 chests of tea) into the harbor in the incident known as the Boston Tea Party. During 1774, Palmer became a delegate to the First Provincial Congress and served on multiple committees. On 16 June, the Committee of Safety became concerned about British activity in the vicinity of Bunker Hill and unanimously resolved “that is be recommended to the Council of War that the above mentioned Bunker’s Hill be maintained by sufficient forces being posted there.” The committee then ordered “that Captain Benjamin White and Colonel Joseph Palmer be a committee to proceed to Roxbury camp, there to consult with the General officers on matters of importance.” The Battle of Bunker Hill was fought the next day. Colonel Palmer participated in various actions following the fighting on the 17th. Later, on 9 May 1776, he was commissioned as brigadier general of the militia. During 1778, General Palmer participated in the Rhode Island Campaign to regain Newport. He was reluctant to undertake the task due to his apparent belief that the force lacked the strength to overcome the British. The expeditionary force anticipated a French fleet in support of the mission, but it never arrived. The expeditions failed, but General John Sullivan was able to extricate his force and get it back to the mainland just prior to the arrival of a British fleet. Palmer’s stance on the campaign was interpreted by some adversaries as a reason for court-martial. Palmer received a court-martial and was acquitted of any improper action. During the course of the war, General Palmer, as he had done since he arrived in America, helped the government as he had helped the poor. He committed no less than 5000 pounds sterling to the cause, but the war brought him financial ruin and the government repaid none of its debt. He was compelled to obtain a loan from John Hancock, but by then other matters complicated his situation, and he found himself in default and forced to file for personal bankruptcy.

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His property had a lien against it due to the loan from Hancock. Consequently, his estate was sold. General Palmer and his family were without sufficient funds to begin anew. John Adams, his old friend and neighbor, and Adams’ wife, Abigail, rescued the Palmers from further humiliation by giving them use of a building on their property. General Palmer later moved with his family into a house owned by his brother-in-law, Judge Richard Cranch. Nevertheless, General Palmer had not lost hope, nor confidence in his ability. He attempted to establish a salt works on land he petitioned from the city of Boston. During 1788, while working at the site to get it ready for operations, he took ill from the chill in the air. He returned home to find relief and while sitting near the fireplace, he was struck by a stroke that caused him to lose his speech and suffer paralysis. General Palmer did not recover. He died on Christmas Day, 1788. His wife, Mary, survived him until her death on 6 February 1790. In 1789, Peter Bicknell acquired about 100 acres where General Palmer had resided. It encompassed nearly all of the section known as Germantown. About 26 acres in the north sector of the town were not included because it was owned by the town of Braintree, but later, Bicknell also acquired that parcel. The home was later owned by Sailors Snug Harbor and eventually demolished. General Palmer’s son, Joseph Pearse Palmer, served during the Revolution as a brigade major and quartermaster general. He died by falling over a bridge being built across the Connecticut River. His daughter, Mary, married Royal Tyler of Vermont and their son was General John Steele Tyler (b. 1796).

Parsons, Major General Samuel Holden Samuel, the son of Jonathan and Phebe Griswold Parsons, was born on 14 May 1737 in Lynne, Connecticut. Samuel’s great-grandfather, Benjamin Parsons, arrived in America from England about 1650. He initially settled in Massachusetts and his son, Deacon Ebenezer Parsons, the grandfather of Samuel, was born in Springfield, Massachusetts. Jonathan, the father of Samuel, became the pastor of the Congregational Church in Lyme, Connecticut. It was there that Jonathan became acquainted with Judge John Griswold, a member of the church and a prominent man of the region; however, Jonathan soon became more interested in Phebe, the daughter of the judge, and in December 1731, married her. When Samuel was about nine years old, his family moved to Newburyport, Massachusetts. At age nineteen he graduated from Harvard with bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Two of Samuel’s classmates at Harvard were John Adams and John Hancock. He received an honorary degree from Yale, where his father attended, at the same time Yale presented General George Washington with an honorary degree. Following graduation, Samuel began to study law at Lyme under the supervision of Governor Matthew Griswold, his uncle. He was admitted to the bar (New London County) in 1759, when he was twenty-two years old. Having established himself in the practice of law in Lyme, in 1761 he married Mehetable Mather, the daughter of Richard and Deborah Ely Mather. The celebration was enormous. The family invited everyone in the town and the ingredients for the wedding cake included a full barrel of flour. The year following his wedding, Samuel Parsons was elected to the Connecticut general assembly and held that position for twelve years, relinquishing it only when he relocated to New London during 1774. He was appointed auditor of the colony in May 1768. Later, during 1773, he was named to a committee charged with claiming land west of the Delaware River (Wyoming Valley in Pennsylvania), which was also claimed by Pennsylvania. The dispute involved some violence between Pennsylvanians and the settlers from Connecticut. It was eventually settled by a court in Trenton, New Jersey, on 12 November 1782 in favor of Pennsylvania. Parsons was appointed in May 1782 as the king’s attorney (prosecutor) of New London County, and during the following year, he was appointed by the general assembly as agent of

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the colony with authorization to “sue and collect all claims due to the colony.” In 1774, Parsons became a major in the militia, and during the following year, upon the resignation of Jabez Huntington, he was appointed lieutenant colonel. He was soon appointed colonel of the Sixth Connecticut Regiment, one of three regiments formed. In July two additional regiments were created, bringing what was known as the Connecticut Line up to a strength of eight. The date Parsons’ regiment was created is unknown, but during spring of 1775, he was in Massachusetts just after the clashes at Lexington and Concord, and it is thought that while in the field there, the regiment was formed. One company of the regiment was at Bunker Hill, and on the day following the battle, the main body in Connecticut moved to join with Colonel Samuel Parsons. He was also was with General Israel Putnam when an experimental craft, a primitive submarine known as the Turtle, attempted to blow up a British ship in the New York Harbor during September 1775. According to some accounts, General Parsons’ brother-in-law, Sergeant Ezra Lee, captained the vessel after the original captain became ill. Other accounts, including The Life of General Putnam, name Abijah Shipman as the captain. Based on both accounts, it appears that Sergeant Shipman was the captain (See also, Putnam, Major General Israel). When the army was reorganized in autumn of 1775, Colonel Parsons’ regiment became the 10th Regiment of Foot. Parsons’ command remained deployed near the British lines during the siege of Boston, but by November, many troops from Connecticut were nearing the end of their enlistments and were pressing to return home, which caused problems for General Washington. Nevertheless, pressure was applied with some persuasion and most remained. In the meantime, militia was called up to bolster the forces at Boston. Several war councils were held to determine the feasibility of a frontal attack against the British lines, but the action was deemed too difficult. By early March it became apparent to the British that Boston could not be held and they left on 17 March 1776. On 3 April 1776, Colonel Parsons led several regiments (General Spencer’s command) from Roxbury to Norwich, Connecticut. Later, on the 26th of June, Colonel Parsons sat as a member of the court-martial of Thomas Hickey at general headquarters in New York. Hickey and others, including two members of Washington’s Life Guards, attempted acts of sabotage and planned to assassinate General Washington and other general officers. Hickey was convicted and sentenced to be hanged on the 28th. On 9 August, Congress appointed Colonel Parsons as a brigadier general, along with several others, including Arthur St. Clair and James Clinton. Parsons succeeded General Joseph Spencer, who had been promoted to major general the same day. General Parsons’ commission was included in a letter from John Hancock, who informed him of his promotion. General Parsons participated in fighting at New York, including the Battle of Harlem Heights and the evacuation of New York (August 1776). On the 5th of September, British troops landed at Kip’s Bay several miles above New York (present day 34th Street). The Connecticut militia there was stunned by the arrival of the Redcoats. The militia panicked and was routed, but General Parsons’ brigade and one other brigade sped to the scene to bolster the garrison. In the meantime, other reinforcements arrived, but General Washington also arrived and observed the militia in flight, which infuriated him. Following the retreat from Long Island, Washington ordered Parsons to move to Kingsbridge to join with Washington’s main body. Parsons’ command participated at the Battle of White Plains on 28 October 1776. It remained at Rye Pond until about 1 November, and at that time repaired to Saw Pits (later Port Chester). Afterward, General Parsons was deployed in New Jersey, but he did not accompany General Washington during the retreat into Pennsylvania. He was ordered on 19 December to return to Peekskill.

On the 16th of December, five of General Parsons’ regiments were to be paid, due to their enlistments expiring at the end of December. On 1 January 1777, following yet another reorganization, the Connecticut troops were split into two separate brigades, each containing four regiments, with the 3rd, 4th, 6th and 8th comprising General Parsons’ brigade. The 1st, 2nd, 5th and 7th (2nd Brigade) was under the command of Brigadier General Jedidiah Huntington. On 22 January, General Parsons, with authorization of General Washington, departed camp at Kingsbridge and returned to Connecticut for the purpose of recruiting. Due to the expiration of enlistments, the entire army was composed primarily of militia. On the 31st, General Parsons rejoined the army at White Plains, then with permission from General Heath, he repaired to Fairfield, Connecticut. At that time, smallpox was ravaging the army. General Washington directed Parsons to have all troops in Connecticut, not yet infected, inoculated against the disease. General Parsons, in an effort to streamline the efforts to halt the epidemic, ordered that a state hospital for recruits be established. Meanwhile, he focused on increasing the number of new recruits, a difficult task but a successful one nevertheless. He was also involved with the defense of Connecticut. In addition, he led several raids against Loyalist positions on Long Island. Toward the latter part of 1777, General Parsons considered leaving the army; however, communication between him and General Washington apparently changed his mind. On 16 January 1778, Washington conveyed in a letter to General Parsons his sadness regarding the possible loss of his services, but on 5 March 1778, Washington in another letter expressed joy that Parsons had decided to remain in the army. By early 1778, Parsons was at West Point, and when General Putnam departed for Connecticut on 14 February 1778, he was left in command there with the added responsibility of overseeing the completion of the defenses along the Hudson River. The projects were hindered because General Parsons had no authority to assign contracts that would be guaranteed by the government. Nonetheless, he continued to work around the obstacles. He remained at West Point for nearly all of 1778 and 1779, but on occasion, he repaired to Connecticut to defend various places along the seacoast. In late May 1779, Major General Israel Putnam was preparing to assume command of a wing of the Grand Army. Consequently, General Parsons, holding seniority, became commander of the Connecticut Division, succeeding Putnam. With the exception of some periods when he was away from camp on other duty, he retained command of the division until August 1782, when he left the service. Meanwhile, General Parsons continued to split his time between West Point and Connecticut. He was at the latter when General Anthony Wayne launched the successful attack to regain Stony Point on 15 June 1779. By December, British General Henry Clinton embarked from New York for South Carolina. The fleet, transporting Clinton’s main body, departed on Christmas Day and the force left behind was placed under the command of General Wilhelm von Knyphausen, a Hessian officer. The move suspended major operations in the north, leaving the main task as guarding against any enemy moves. Parsons finally received his promotion to major general on 23 October 1780. At the time, the situation regarding general officers from Connecticut was dismal. General David Wooster had been killed, General Spencer had resigned, General Israel Putnam had suffered a stroke and Benedict Arnold had deserted. General Parsons was also ill and was recuperating from (fever) at Redding when he wrote to General Washington on November 14 to thank him for the promotion. General Parsons, prior to his promotion, had been one of the presiding officers at the trial (September 1780) of British Captain John Andre, who had been captured and charged with the conspiracy in collusion with Benedict Arnold. Andre was convicted and afterward, hanged. During January 1781, General Parsons commanded a four battalion assault force that raided Loyalist (Delancey’s Refugee Corps) positions

329 at Morrisania and at Throg’s Neck. The raid, launched on the night of 21–22 January, succeeded in destroying barracks and forage stores. During March 1781, General Parsons had become severely ill and at times, the fever caused him to become incoherent. On the 30th, Parsons’ aide-de-camp, Captain Joseph Walker, at Danbury, Connecticut, wrote to General Washington explaining the condition of General Parsons. He told Washington that he (Walker) had been directed by Parsons to carry out orders. By 20 April, General Parsons, although extremely weak, seemed to be bouncing back to good health. On that day, he wrote to General Washington that he was anxious to get back to command, but to no avail. Finally, by early July, Parsons was able to take to the field. He was to participate with General Benjamin Lincoln in an attack on 3 July against British positions at King’s Bridge, but the British discovered the Americans. Due to the loss of surprise, General Lincoln aborted the assault. General Parsons remained in Connecticut when General Washington departed for Virginia. In October 1781, following the victory over Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown, Virginia, the Connecticut forces established winter quarters at Connecticut Village. General Parsons again became seriously ill and was confined to his bed. On 27 December he wrote to General Washington stating that he was finally able to get to Middleton after yet another illness that kept him bed-ridden. General Parsons explained that he remained very weak. By March of 1782 he was well enough to travel to Newburgh, New York, and he was present on 1 April when General Washington arrived following his great victory at Yorktown. General Parsons made it clear to Washington that poor health would compel him to retire. Parsons’ request for a leave of absence (special furlough) was not acted upon by Congress. He resignation was officially accepted by Congress on 22 July 1782. General Parsons, by the time of his retirement from the army, had already moved his family to Middleton and he was prepared to reinitiate his law practice, but his health was so poor that he did not quickly recover. The lack of a thriving livelihood increased the pressure and pushed the family closer to financial ruin. The citizens of Middleton did not ignore his contributions during the war and showed their appreciation by electing General Parsons to the state legislature for a few years. In addition, he became a member of the Connecticut branch of the Society of Cincinnati, and for a while he was president of the organization. On 20 June 1785, Congress appointed General Parsons as one of three commissioners charged with negotiating a treaty with the Shawanese and some other western Indian tribes. Parsons’ associate commissioners were Generals George Rogers Clarke and Richard Butler. During the following year (1786), in conjunction with the establishment of the Ohio Company, a meeting was convened at Brackett’s Tavern in Boston, Massachusetts, on 8 March. General Parsons, along with General Rufus Putnam and a minister, Manasseh Cutler, were elected unanimously as directors of the company. On 9 May General Parsons appeared before Congress to request that the Ohio Company be permitted to purchase land within the Western Territory at a fair price. The company acquired about one million acres of land in July, and huge tracts were added later. Another meeting of the Ohio Company was held on 29 August at Bunch of Grapes Tavern in Boston and the details were explained. Subsequently, on 5 October 1787, Congress initiated the organization of the Northwest Territory (present-day Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin). General Arthur St. Clair was appointed governor of the territory and General Parsons was one of three men appointed as judges. The other two were former generals John Armstrong and James Varnum; however, General Armstrong declined the appointment and in his place, John Cleves Symmes was named. In June of 1788, General Parsons and General Varnum arrived in Marietta, Ohio, to join with General Rufus Putnam, giving the Ohio Company a quorum. A meeting was held on 2 July. Two days later

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there was a grand celebration that included the guns of Fort Harmar being fired in honor of Independence Day. Also, during October 1787, on the 30th, the Connecticut General Assembly appointed General Parsons as surveyor of the lands east of the Cuyahoga River and west of Pennsylvania, which belonged to Connecticut for the purpose of future sale. In addition, General Parsons had organized a syndicate to purchase land at three shillings per acre. On 10 February 1788, he received a personal patent for 4,000 acres. General Parsons began to survey the land shortly after his arrival in Marietta, but due to problems with the Indians that might have jeopardized treaty negotiations, he halted the process. In January 1789, General Parsons set out by boat for Philadelphia on Ohio Company business. En route to Wheeling, Virginia (later West Virginia), the Ohio River became too dangerous to continue due to huge ice patches. He and an accompanying lawyer, Paul Fearing, abandoned the boat and completed the journey by traveling overland. The journey took seven weeks. The party arrived in Philadelphia on 15 March 1789. Meanwhile, on 1 January 1789, the Connecticut General Assembly appointed General Parsons and two others (Governor Wolcott and James Daven) as commissioners representing Connecticut for the acquisition of the “Indian title” by purchase from the Wyandott Indians and other tribes in the region (Connecticut land in Ohio). On 7 August 1789, Congress amended the Ordinance of 1787 to conform with the Constitution by resolving that all territorial officers be nominated by the president with the advice and consent of the Senate. On the following day, General Parsons was re-nominated by President George Washington as chief justice of the Northwest Territory. On November 17, 1789, General Parsons sent a horse and rider ahead to a blockhouse along the Beaver River at present-day New Brighton, the site of Fort McIntosh, which had been demolished in 1788. General Parsons also sent word to the blockhouse commander, Lt. McDowell, but the inclement weather delayed the arrival of the message until later that night. At about 1200, sections of a wrecked canoe were spotted as they floated past the blockhouse. It was afterward determined that it was General Parsons’ canoe and that he and a disabled passenger suffering from a broken leg had drowned after the canoe had been ravaged as it attempted to shoot the rapids. Lt. McDowell mounted a search for the bodies, but to no avail. General Parsons’ son Enoch remained at Marietta throughout the winter in hopes that his father’s body would be recovered. With no results forthcoming, Enoch returned to Connecticut. On 14 May 1790, a trader, William Wilson, came across the general’s body on the north shore of the Beaver River. On 16 May, by direction of Lt. McDowell, General Parsons was buried near the banks of Beaver Creek with the intent to have his remains later transferred to Pittsburgh for interment. Nonetheless, due to a string of circumstances General Parsons’ remains were never sent to Pittsburgh. It is thought that his body was transferred to a grave site near the blockhouse. The tradition of his re-interment there is supported by the inscription on a monument in General Parsons’ honor in a cemetery in Middleton, Connecticut. The inscription states that General Parsons “was drowned in the Great Beaver Creek in the State of Ohio,” and that he was interred “on the south bank of Beaver Creek near its confluence with the Ohio River.” Another side of the monument states that General Parsons was interred in New Brighton, Pennsylvania, which was where the blockhouse was. The monument should have stated Pennsylvania rather than Ohio. General Parsons, a Puritan, was survived by his wife, Phebe, who died during 1802. His surviving children were William Walter (married Ester Phillips of Middleton); Lucia (married Stephen Titus Hosmer of Middleton); Enoch; Mehetable (teenager at time of her father’s death, later married Doctor William Brenton of Middleton); Phebe (teenager at time of her father’s death, later married Samuel Tiffin); Samuel (twelve years old at time of his father’s death, later married Ester Sage of Middleton) and Margaret (four years old at the time,

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later married Stephen Hubbard and then Alfred Lathrop). One of General Parsons’ grandchildren, George Parsons Lathrop, the son of Margaret, married Rose Hawthorne, the daughter of Nathaniel Hawthorne.

Paterson, Brigadier General John John Paterson, the son of John and Ruth Bird Paterson, was born in a section of Farmington, later known as New Britain (Hartford County), Connecticut, during 1744. His mother was the daughter of Joseph and Mary Steele Bird of Farmington. The Patersons had three other children, Sarah (b. June 1734), Anne (b. December 1736), and Ruth (b. June 1739). John received his early education in Farmington, but later he entered Yale and graduated during 1762. John’s studies at Yale were followed by studying law and opening a law practice. On 2 June 1766, John married Elizabeth Lee. He did not serve in the French and Indian War due to his age and attendance at Yale; however, his father entered the service during 1738 as a private (5th Company of the train band) and rose to the rank of major, with some indication that he received a colonel’s commission. Records refer to him at times as a colonel; however, there is no official documentation to validate the claim. During 1741, John, Sr., was appointed lieutenant and was attached to the 2nd Company of Kensington. He was raised in 1746 to 2nd lieutenant of the 4th Company, which participated in the Canadian expedition (his time in service of the king stretched from 1746 until 1762). John served with the 13th Company, 6th Regiment of Foot, as captain in 1752, and he retained that rank during 1755 and 1756, until he was appointed (March 1756) major of the 1st Regiment, one of the units dispatched against French-held Crown Point. However, he simultaneously held the rank of captain of the 3rd Company, 3rd Regiment, of Kensington (disbanded following the expedition). Nonetheless, from 1759 through 1762 he again served as captain in the 1st Regiment. During his service, John, Sr., participated at the conflagration on the Plains of Abraham (Quebec City), in which opposing commanders Wolfe and Montcalm sustained fatal wounds. During that period, his captain’s commission was in the king’s service. In addition to raising his family and serving in the military, the elder Paterson also held public positions. During 1756 he became justice of the peace and quorum, a post he retained until 1762. That year, a British expeditionary force sailed for Cuba and Captain Paterson accompanied the army as paymaster. The British arrived on 6 June and won a military victory, but the climate caused catastrophic illnesses that rapidly spread and devastated the British army, which compelled the force to abandon its prize. Captain Paterson was among the high number of fatalities. He succumbed from yellow fever on 5 September. That year, John, Jr., graduated from college. He would follow in his father’s footsteps to carve out a similar distinguished military career. John had only been of out a college a short time when word of his father’s death reached the family; the tragic loss weighed heavily on John, the only son. He immediately chose to remain at the family residence with his mother and his youngest sister, Ruth, and assume responsibility for the family. Nevertheless, he continued to study law, while also teaching school part time, to supplement the income for the family. Shortly after initiating his law practice, he, like his father, was appointed justice of the peace. On 2 June 1766, he married Elizabeth Lee of Farmington, the daughter of Josiah and Hannah Warren Lee. The marriage ceremony was officiated by Doctor Smalley. The couple had seven children: Josiah Lee (b. in Farmington, October 1766); Hannah (b. in Farmington, August 1769); Polly (b. in Farmington, 1773); Ruth (b. in Lenox, August 1774); Betsy (b. in Lenox, 1764, and died while still an infant); John Peirce (b. in Lenox, May 1787) and Maria (b. in Lenox, February 1790). John and Elizabeth resided at John’s family home until 1774, when they relocated to Lenox, Massachusetts, which became part of Berk-

shire County when it was carved from Hampshire County during 1761. Lenox was originally a sector of Richmont and designated only as a district of the town, but it later became a town. John, after arriving in Lenox, built his home on Main Street on the summit of Court House Hill. He was elected as a delegate from Lenox to the Berkshire Convention, which met at Stockbridge on the 6 July 1774. Similar conventions were meeting in other towns and colonies as the Patriots’ rage was intensifying due to the policies of the British Crown. John Paterson, like his father and countless others, had remained loyal to the Crown despite their grievances, but without receiving any genuine consideration from the king or Parliament. By the time the convention was held, the loyalty of many had begun to shatter. Indifference was being transformed into outright rebellion. Many of the men who participated in Britain’s conquest of the French were turned against the Crown by the Crown. By 1774, those same warriors, bolstered by their sons, were preparing to bear arms regardless of the consequences, choosing liberty at the risk of death or submission. Across the land, the colonies began to select delegates to the First Continental Congress, and of the thirteen, only Georgia failed to send representation; however, Georgia was not the only colony that contained large numbers of Loyalists. Many others had great trepidation and were unwilling to make a decision on which side to stand. John Paterson was not among the latter group. He bolted to the forefront of the Patriots’ cause. At the convention in Berkshire, attended by sixty delegates, the body adopted the “Solemn League and Covenant.” It also instituted a series of resolutions on 14 July dealing with the crisis and together, they and the covenant became a blueprint for the revolution. Meanwhile, the Patriots were rapidly moving toward the break with Britain, with some faint hope that reconciliation was possible. Royal governors were attempting to quell the dissension by dissolving the legislatures, without success. The Sons of Liberty had sprung up from the shadows and provincial congresses were emerging. On 7 October 1774, Paterson attended the general court, which declared itself a provincial congress. During the session, a committee of safety was organized and it appointed John Paterson as colonel of the regiment that was being formed. On 30 January 1775, Colonel Paterson was elected as a delegate to the Massachusetts Provincial Congress, and afterward he was named to a series of committees. In the meantime, Governor (General) Thomas Gage struggled to keep the congress from becoming authentic, but to no avail. The royal government in Massachusetts had been stripped of its power by the sheer courage of the Patriots and Gage could do nothing to stem the tide. The congress met on 1 February at Cambridge, totally oblivious to Gage’s failure to recognize it; rather, it projected the collective strength of its members to create a government that was totally independent of the Crown. Colonel Paterson was appointed on 9 February to a committee charged with tallying the names of men who refused to resign as councilors of the king. The committee published the names of fifteen men, designated by the congress as “implacable enemies of their country.” On the following day, Paterson was appointed to a committee charged with examining the commission of the Committee of Safety and the Committee of Supplies to determine if modifications were needed. Colonel Paterson’s responsibilities seemed to increase rapidly. He was named to yet another committee on the 13th that was delegated to investigate the condition of the militia, including its ability to be resupplied with ammunition and the availability of livestock. The next day, the congress directed him to draw up a resolution to authorize an American agent to travel to Quebec, Canada, to seek intelligence on the French Canadians with regard to their attitude toward the American cause. There was general encouragement among the Patriots in Massachusetts that the French Canadians, the majority of whom were Catholic, would be anxious to align themselves with the Americans.

331 Prior to the opening days of the Revolution, many Americans maintained a low regard for Catholics, but with the overwhelming threat of the Royal Navy and the formidable British Army, Catholics were being accepted due to the dire need for manpower. The Continental Congress sent emissaries, including a Catholic priest, to Canada to persuade the Canadians to break from Britain. That April, Colonel Paterson was chosen to meet with the Stockbridge Indians to convince them to align with the Americans; the mission was a huge success. The Indians agreed to fight alongside the Americans and the chiefs were able to secure all of their warriors, a sufficient number to form a full company of Minute Men. One of the chiefs, however, stipulated that his braves would not undergo the training of the soldiers. He stated: “I am not used to fight English fashion, and you must not expect me to train like your men; only point out to me where your enemies keep, and that is all I shall want to know.” Colonel Paterson was selected on 24 April as the representative from Berkshire to attend meetings of both the Committee of Safety and the Committee of Supplies. He would serve as military advisor on their selection of officers to be drawn from the Minute Men. The Provincial Congress adjourned on 29 May 1775; prior to its termination, the British and the Patriots clashed at Lexington and Concord on 19 April 1775, ending any chance of reconciliation. The Patriots reacted vigorously and pushed the British back to Boston. Riders were dispatched to all points to inform the other colonies of the British action, and volunteers seemed to mobilize at the instant riders arrived in their towns. Patriots from the South and North began to speed to Cambridge. By the time the first shot of the conflict was fired, Colonel Paterson had not yet received the recognition of General Gage, but the latter did emphasize the contributions of John Hancock and Samuel Adams. Both Patriots became wanted men: all royal offers of amnesty for those Patriots who would pledge allegiance to the king excluded Adams and Hancock. Nevertheless, Paterson’s efforts during the early days of the conflict merited equal exposure by Governor Gage. On the final day (29 May) of sessions of the Second Provincial Congress, Colonel Paterson joined his regiment and remained in the army for the duration. Several days earlier, on 26 May, the Committee of Safety urged the Provincial Congress to authorize it for service in the Continental Army. On the 31st of May the provincial government was reactivated after a short pause, at Watertown, Massachusetts, where it convened until 19 July. After arriving in the vicinity of Boston, Paterson’s regiment served as Minute Men, but only for nine days. Afterward, on 15 June, the army was reorganized and Paterson’s regiment was expanded and incorporated into the Continental Army (15th Regiment). The move was not particular to Paterson’s regiment. The Second Continental Congress’ desperate need for troops essentially guaranteed that units and individuals participating in the siege of British-held Boston were accepted if they chose to serve under General George Washington. Paterson’s command deployed west of Bunker Hill, slightly beyond Cambridge in the Charleston Heights. The regiment established defenses, upon orders from General Artemus Ward, that dominated the road to prevent the British from passing. The fortification which the troops constructed was known as Fort Washington (sometimes referred to as Fort No. 3), one of three temporary fortifications constructed at that time. The other two posts were Forts No. 1 and 2. Colonel Patterson’s force held that ground during the Battle of Bunker Hill (17 June 1775) to seal the path that led to the rear of the American lines. It remained there until after the British abandoned Boston on 17 March 1776. The regiment participated in the engagement at Lechmere’s Point (later West Cambridge) in which the British were repulsed on 9 November 1775. Shortly after the abandonment of Boston by the British, Colonel Paterson moved to New York and for a while, was deployed on Staten Island.

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General Washington arrived in New York on 13 April. Paterson’s regiment was one of those selected to repair to Albany to support General Horatio Gates. By that time, the Canadian expeditionary force had sustained a terrible defeat (31 December 1775) at Quebec, and by the time the regiment arrived in Canada during the early part of May it was too late to participate; however, the troops did encounter a vicious enemy, a smallpox epidemic that swept through the ranks of the remnant army. Paterson’s force was ordered about 6 May to get vaccinated and nearly the entire force became ill from the vaccination. The regiment did participate in the Battle of the Cedars on 15 May, one in which the British prevailed and where great atrocities were committed by the Indians. The regiment sustained high casualties, including more than 60 men captured. The army retreated to Crown Point. Paterson’s regiment, attached to the 3rd Brigade, deployed at Mt. Independence across from Ticonderoga, but during August the regiment was transferred to the 2nd brigade. In September 1776, Paterson was directed to move to Fort George. The British, who pursued the retreating expeditionary force as it retired to Crown Point, after seizing Crown Point, abandoned it and returned to Canada. The pressure having been removed, General Philip Schuyler dispatched reinforcements to bolster General Washington, whose army was being pushed through New Jersey. Paterson’s regiment was one of the units released from the Department of the North and sent to join with Washington. The regiment, which had stood at about 600 troops prior to departing for Canada, had been reduced to about 220 ablebodied troops, others having been lost to disease and the enemy. Paterson reached Morristown, New Jersey, on 20 December and crossed the Delaware River to reach Easton and hook up with Washington, who had safely evacuated New Jersey. The regiment participated in the victories at Trenton on 26 December 1776 and at Princeton on 3 January 1777. On 21 February, Paterson was promoted to the rank of brigadier general and ordered to join the Northern Department. He departed immediately and joined General Arthur St. Clair’s division at Ticonderoga. When it was abandoned, Paterson was with the retreating force when it moved toward Fort Edward. It was a time of great confusion, having lost Ticonderoga, thought to be invulnerable, and General John Burgoyne’s army closing fast against Fort Edward. Inquiries were ordered to determine blame at Ticonderoga; the participating officers were directed to report to headquarters. General Gates had been selected by Congress to assume command of Schuyler’s Northern Department. Meanwhile, Paterson was cleared of any wrongdoing at Ticonderoga and resumed command of his regiment at Stillwater. General Patterson’s brigade, composed of four Massachusetts regiments, participated in the First and Second Battles of Saratoga on September 19 and October 7. The victories caused Burgoyne to surrender his entire army. General Paterson was at the head of his troops during a bayonet attack that dislodged British light infantry and forced them to get caught in a crossfire. Burgoyne surrendered on 17 October 1777. The defeat was costly, as General Clinton was unable to receive Burgoyne’s reinforcements, and another part of Burgoyne’s army had been repulsed at the Battle of Bennington and compelled to return to Canada. The British scheme to finally gain all of New York was foiled. Toward the latter part of October, General Paterson moved out with his brigade and joined with General Washington, who established winter quarters (1777–1778) at Valley Forge. When a war council was called on 24 November 1777, General Paterson was among the officers who opposed a general attack against British-held Philadelphia, and it was the opposition that prevailed. Paterson’s brigade, composed of four Massachusetts regiments (10, 11th, 12th and 14th), participated in the Battle of Monmouth at the head of four Massachusetts regiments. Afterward, General Washington moved to White Plains and established winter quarters. General Paterson’s brigade, attached to General Gates’ division, repaired to Danbury,

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Connecticut, and afterward, Patterson departed for West Point to assume temporary command there. In addition, he spent time in and around Fishkill. On 28 July, Paterson’s brigade moved from West Point to Peekskill to join the main army. In the meantime, General Benedict Arnold’s conspiracy to betray the United States was exposed when a co-conspirator, British Major John Andre, was halted at a check point in New York, and when he encountered the guards, his story and fraudulent papers did not fool the Patriots. Although Arnold escaped capture, Andre was tried, convicted, and sentenced be hanged. Andre’s request to die by firing squad was rejected. General Paterson was one of the generals assigned to the courtmartial, which occurred on 29 September 1780. In late November Paterson’s brigade and the other three Massachusetts brigades were directed by General Washington to establish winter quarters at West Point. General Paterson again assumed command while General Heath commanded at the Highlands. On 1 January 1781, while at New Windsor, New York, about twenty miles outside West Point, General Paterson’s regiment was re-designated as the 2nd Massachusetts Brigade as part of the army’s reorganization and included the 2nd, 5th and 8th Massachusetts Regiments. Later that year, when General Washington departed for Virginia to engage General Lord Charles Cornwallis, Paterson’s brigade was one of the units directed to remain in New York to defend against any possible move by British General Henry Clinton. Cornwallis capitulated during October 1781. General Paterson left the service on 3 November 1783, subsequent to the official termination of hostilities on 18 April 1783. General Paterson owned a slave named Agrippa Hull (sometimes referred to erroneously as Agrippa Hunt) who was the general’s personal servant. Agrippa, known as “Grippy,” accompanied General Paterson on every campaign throughout the war. During that time, Grippy, who professed to be an African prince, became friendly with many other officers and men. One in particular was General Tadeusz Kosciuszko, a close friend of Paterson. General Paterson gave Grippy to Kosciuszko as a personal servant because the two had also become friends. (See also, Kosciuszko, Brigadier General Thaddeus.) On one occasion, when the general had to leave West Point, Grippy was left in charge of his quarters. Soon after the general departed, Grippy’s friends arrived to party, with Grippy wearing the general’s uniform and being addressed as General Kosciuszko by his guests. Unfortunately for Grippy, the general had a slight problem and returned while the party was just beginning. After observing without being detected, the general walked into the room and as if some one was striking it with an artillery barrage, the guests fled, many flying through the windows. Grippy, still wearing the uniform, fell prone on the floor and begged to be whipped or even killed. General Kosciuszko, with a stern look, took Grippy’s arm, raised him up and informed him that an African prince should not lie prone for anyone. Then he and Grippy went down to General Paterson’s quarters, with Paterson introducing Grippy to other officers as an African prince and by some, the story was believed. General Paterson was one of the founders of the Massachusetts branch of the Society of the Cincinnati, which was initiated on 19 June 1783. In 1785 he was appointed to several local posts, including selectman and assessor, and was delegated to select a place to store the town’s (Lenox) ammunition. On 9 May 1785, the general was selected to be the Lenox representative at the Great and General Court. The governor of Massachusetts, James Bowdoin, appointed General Paterson on 1 December as major general of the state’s 9th Division of militia: “You being appointed a major General of the militia within this Commonwealth, but more especially within the County of Berkshire which forms the ninth of the nine divisions of the said militia....” General Paterson was again appointed selectman and assessor on 2 May 1786; however, he declined the position of selectman.

Also during 1786, General Paterson and seven others acquired 19,382 acres of land, in Maine; however, when he later relocated, his new residence was in New York. In yet other activity during 1786, General Paterson participated in quelling Shay’s Rebellion, which caused severe turbulence in Massachusetts during 1786–1787. General Paterson retired from the service during 1789 and was succeeded by Major General John Ashley. Subsequently, during 1790, General Paterson became one of the proprietors of what was known as the “Boston Purchase,” 230,400 acres west of the Chenango River and Oswego Creek in Broome and Tioga Counties, New York. In 1791, General Paterson and his family, including his wife’s parents, left Massachusetts and relocated in Broome County, New York. There General Paterson served four years in the state legislature and was a delegate to the Constitutional Convention. In addition, he was elected to the U.S. Congress (during 1803–1805) as well as serving as the presiding judge of Broome County court from 1798 until his death. General John Paterson succumbed suddenly on 19 July 1808 at his home in Lisle (later Whitney’s Point). He was survived by his wife, Elizabeth, who succumbed on 8 July 1841 at daughter Maria Paterson Kilborn’s home, at age 92. The remains of General Paterson at Whitney’s Point and those of Elizabeth at Spencerport were extricated on 24 and 25 May 1892, respectively, and re-interred in Lenox, Massachusetts, on Memorial Day, 30 May 1892, next to their two deceased daughters, Betsy and Polly. The citizens at Lenox also erected a monument in honor of their fallen son in the town square. With regard to General Paterson’s surviving children, Josiah married Clarissa Hyde, the daughter of General Caleb and Elizabeth Sackett Hyde. Hannah married Azaria Egleston, the son of Seth and Rachel Church Egleston. Ruth married Ira Seymour, the son of David and Lucy Alvord Seymour. John married Sally Osborne, the daughter of William and Dorcas Osborne. Maria married Samuel Kilborn, the son of David and Deidama Kilborn. General Paterson’s other two children predeceased him. Betsy died as an infant and Polly succumbed in 1790 at age seventeen.

Paterson, William (Signer of the U.S. Constitution) William Paterson, the son of Richard Paterson, is thought by some to have been born aboard ship during the voyage that brought his parents to America from northern Ireland during 1747; however, that is not certain, and other nineteenth century sources state that William was born in Ireland on 24 December 1745, about two years prior to the family’s immigration to America. The latter seems to be the most accurate date. Initially the family arrived in either Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, or New Castle, Delaware, and eventually settled permanently in New Jersey. Some time was spent in Connecticut. During that period, Richard Paterson sold tinware traveling from place to place. The family for a while lived in Trenton, New Jersey, and from there, the Patersons relocated to Princeton, north of Trenton, about 1750. Richard Paterson established himself in mercantile and manufacturing businesses until 1779. At that time, the family moved to Raritan estate in the vicinity of New Brunswick. William, after his basic education, entered Princeton and graduated from that college during September 1763. He then studied law in the office of Richard Stockton (signer of Declaration of Independence), and within a short period there, he was admitted to the bar (1764). His law practice did not rapidly expand; however, by 1769, William was permitted to practice in front of the state Supreme Court during its February session in Burlington. William relocated in the town known as New Bromley (later Stilwell’s Mills), which was near Whitehaven (Hunterdon County). William by that time had become solidly on the side of the Patriots, who were advocating independence from Britain. During 1775, the year hostilities erupted at Lexington and Concord, William Paterson entered the political phase of his life when he was elected to the state’s Provincial Congress. That year, he served as

333 Secretary of the Congress when he succeeded Jonathan D. Sergeant, the latter having been appointed treasurer of the state. The state adopted a new constitution on 2 July 1776; however, Paterson was convinced the document contained too many flaws and he voted against its adoption. Nevertheless, when the government of New Jersey was reorganized under the constitution of 1776, Paterson was appointed attorney general of the state. By that time he had already become also a member of the militia, and later he received a commission as colonel, but he never served actively. As attorney general, Paterson was required to travel quite frequently, moving from courthouse to courthouse in every county in the state. He did not particularly enjoy spending so much time in the saddle. He was appointed to the Committee of Safety during 1777. During 1779, William married Cornelia Bell. They had two children, Cornelia (married General Stephen van Rensselaer), and William Bell (sometimes erroneously listed as having married Euphemia White, the daughter of Colonel Anthony White). William acquired a tract of about 400 acres that year in the northern sector of Raritan, an estate that had been confiscated and put up for sale. In 1783, subsequent to the treaty that ended the war, William resigned his post as attorney general. Tragedy struck the family when William’s wife, Cornelia, died prematurely on 15 November 1783. There is no record that indicates that William’s law practice, which he re-established after leaving government service, prospered at any rapid pace; however he did resume his practice. Apparently, during that same year, 1783, Paterson moved to New Brunswick, New Jersey. Two years following the death of his wife, Paterson remarried, taking Euphemia White, the daughter of Colonel Anthony White of New Brunswick, as his second wife. He selected as a New Jersey delegate to the Constitutional Convention scheduled to convene in Philadelphia during May of 1787 to establish a new government, stronger and more effective than that which had been operating under the Articles of Confederation. Other New Jersey delegates were William Livingston, Jonathan Dayton and David Brearly. Another, designated as a co-delegate, William Houston, became ill during the initial sessions and was compelled to return home. Houston, suffering with tuberculosis, died the following year. Despite being among the least known of the signers, Paterson played a key part in breaking the stalemate between the smaller states, which feared being overwhelmed by the larger states, and those more populated and affluent. His actions led to the “Great Compromise,” assuring the smaller states equal power of the vote in the Senate, while the House of Representatives would be represented according to population. Some of the proposals attempted to make property ownership the basis for representation. After the victory over Britain, the states were essentially operating as thirteen separate nations. Following discussions, at times heated and debate at times consumed with passion, the delegates eventually came to realize the importance of sovereign states as a solid foundation for the new republic. The U.S. Constitution was adopted on 17 September1787, effective upon ratification by nine states. Each of the New Jersey delegates supported adoption, making its vote unanimous. New Jersey ratified the Constitution on 18 December that year to become the third state to join the union. New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify the Constitution on 21 June 1788. Paterson ended his attendance at the convention in late July; however, he returned to affix his name to the final document. The new Congress convened on 3 March 1789 and upon its birth, the old Congress was terminated. Shortly thereafter, George Washington, having been elected unanimously as the nation’s first president, was inaugurated on 30 April 1789. William Paterson and Jonathan Elmer were elected to represent New Jersey in the first Senate under the new Constitution. He took his seat on 19 March 1789 and served only until the following year. He was appointed to various committees, one of which was the Judiciary Com-

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mittee, charged with overseeing the federal courts. Paterson served as chairman and during that time, he was involved with the passage of the Judiciary Act of 1789. Paterson’s time in the Senate was cut short due to the death of William Livingston, a veteran of the Revolutionary War, a signer of the Constitution and governor from 1776 to 25 July 1790. Paterson was selected by the New Jersey legislature to succeed Governor Livingston. In 1792, Governor Paterson was delegated by the legislature to compile all of the old English statutes that had been the law of New Jersey prior to the Revolution and gather all of the public acts that had been passed during that period and beyond the Revolution to determine which of those remained law. The task was exceedingly tedious; however, it was eventually completed, then published in 1800 by authority of the legislature with the title Laws of the State of New Jersey. In 1793, Governor Paterson received a presidential appointment as a judge on the U.S. Supreme Court, which he accepted. He left the bench during April 1806 due to illness and later, while en route to Ballston Spa in search of a cure, he died on 9 September at the residence of his daughter, Cornelia Paterson van Rensselaer in Albany, New York. Paterson’s health had deteriorated quickly and on the last day of his life, he expressed sadness that he “had not, during his life placed himself decidedly on the side of Christianity, in which he bad been uniformly a sincere believer.” Paterson was interred in the family vault in Albany and later re-interred at the Albany Rural Cemetery in Menands, New York. A monument was erected in his memory in the cemetery of the Presbyterian Church in New Brunswick, where his first and second wives, Cornelia and Euphemia, were buried during 1783 and 1822 respectively. The city of Paterson, New Jersey, was named in honor of William Paterson.

Patterson, Brigadier General Samuel Samuel Patterson was born during 1734 in Newcastle County, Delaware. He later became a miller in the vicinity of Christiana Bridge and his business prospered. At the outbreak of the American Revolution, Patterson was a colonel in the Delaware militia. During June 1776, pursuant to orders from Congress regarding establishment of a flying camp, Colonel Paterson was appointed colonel of the state’s contingent. The flying camp as a whole was commanded by General Hugh Mercer. The Delaware contingent’s term of enlistment was five months. Patterson’s command was composed of just under 500 troops. Colonel Patterson had what could be called reluctant warriors. Once the unit got into Philadelphia, they revolted by refusing to depart without receiving a bonus similar to what the Pennsylvanians received. Colonel Patterson wrote to George Read on 19 September: “I at last got them down to the wharf, fixed bayonets at the head of it, and sent them off. Captain Woodgate’s arms not being done, I kept his Company to go with me, but this morning I learned, to my astonishment, that his whole Company, save eleven men, had deserted during the night.” Colonel Patterson fired off several more similar letters implying his intent in a new campaign: “If ever I come campaigning again, I should never be for bringing up the men from below. They are not fit for fatigue, have no constitutions and are always dissatisfied. Almost fifty or sixty of them every day sick and unfit for duty, and fond of desertion, as you have seen at Philadelphia.” The unit participated in the raid against Loyalist positions on Staten Island during October 1776, then moved to Brunswick until their enlistments expired. Following the raid, Patterson again wrote to Reed: “I have some noble officers in my Battalion, whom I could recommend if a door opens.” The British moved against Philadelphia during 1777 after landing in Maryland. They seized the city and searched for American leaders. In Delaware, following the Battle of Brandywine (September), the British captured Governor John McKinly. Thomas McKean, at that time acting as governor, wrote on 27 September to George Read (pres-

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ident of the Delaware convention) and informed him of McKinly’s capture and of the crisis occurring in Read’s absence. Read was told that the legislature appointed Caesar Rodney as major general and that John Dagworthy, John Dickinson, and Samuel Patterson had been made brigadier generals. Meanwhile, McKean and Patterson were compelled to leave the area to evade capture after being informed the British were after them. Afterward, Read returned to Delaware to succeed McKean as governor. The British inflicted punishment upon Delaware while they controlled Philadelphia. During December 1777, General Patterson was ordered to lead his command to hook up with General William Smallwood of Maryland at Wilmington, but many of his 3,100 militia force ignored the call to arms. General Patterson in 1778 became the first treasurer of Delaware. During 1780, a move began to reopen an academy that had been closed for several years. In 1781, Matthew Wilson, the trustee of Newark Academy, was informed that “his proposal might have been accepted, but that Samuel Patterson, a legislator [since 1777] who was also a trustee, said that Wilson’s idea was not authorized by the board.” Nevertheless, without any authorization from the state, William Thomson restarted the institution, which became Newark College in the 1800s. General Patterson, having never married, left no heirs. He died during 1785 and was interred in Christiana at the Presbyterian cemetery, known at the time of his death as the burying ground. The epitaph on his tomb states: “In memory of Samuel Patterson, Esquire, Colonel of the Regiment of the flying camp of Delaware, in the army of the United States of America, Brigadier-General of the Militia of the Delaware State, Continental Loan Officer and Treasurer of the same; departed this life 27th May 1785, aged 51 years; was a zealous friend of the American Revolution, a firm patriot, a hospitable and an honest man.”

Penn, John (Signer of the Declaration of Independence) John Penn was born on 17 May 1741 in the vicinity of Port Royal, Virginia. His parents were Moses and Katherine Taylor Penn. John’s mother was the sister of Lt. Colonel Richard Taylor, the latter being the father of President Zachary Taylor. John was educated in a local school but did not receive the advantage of being sent to England to further his education. However, his natural propensity for absorbing knowledge permitted him to take advantage of his cousin Edmund Pendleton’s library, which was expansive and included much information on the subject of law. Through self-education, John was able to begin practicing law in Virginia during the early 1760s. In the meantime, his father had died during 1759, leaving him a moderate estate. In 1774, John and his wife, Susan Lyme Penn, whom he married during 1763, established residence in North Carolina in the vicinity of Stovall. John set up a law practice and his reputation began to rise in the eyes of the people in Granville County. The following year, John Penn was elected to the North Carolina Provincial Congress and was chosen as a delegate to the Continental Congress to succeed Richard Caswell, who became the state’s governor. During 1777, subsequent to the departure of two of his colleagues, Joseph Hewes and William Hooper, John Penn assumed the position of leader of the North Carolina delegation in Congress. Penn had supported the break from Britain, voted to adopt the Declaration of Independence, and signed the document in its parchment form. During his term in Congress, Penn also supported the Articles of Confederation, which were adopted on 15 November 1777 and forwarded to each state for ratification. Subsequent to ratification, the Articles became effective on 1 November 1781 and on that day, the Journals of the Continental Congress listed Penn as one of the signers. While in Congress, Penn became engaged in a disagreement with Henry Laurens. The argument turned serious and Laurens challenged Penn. The challenge was accepted, but prior to the actual duel, Laurens and Penn came to the conclusion that it was not worth one of

them being killed. They reconciled their differences. Later, during 1780, North Carolina was placed in great jeopardy because of British offensive action in the South, particularly the British victory at Camden, South Carolina, that August. In 1780, Governor Abner Nash, who succeeded Governor Richard Caswell, recalled Penn to place him on the Board of War, a three man committee hurriedly created by the legislature in September. The committee was John Penn (National Park Service) charged with overseeing the military operations in North Carolina. Penn became the foremost member, and his control over the military caused many feathers of the governor and the military officers to be ruffled. Pressure upon the legislature resulted in abolition of the board in January of the following year, permitting the governor and the military to regain their power. While Penn remained in charge, the North Carolinians, supported by the Continental Army under General Nathanael Greene, blocked the British from scoring success and regaining the state. Cornwallis and his force moved northward to Virginia and there met his demise at Yorktown during October 1781. Meanwhile, John’s health had begun to deteriorate. He retired from public life in July 1781, after declining an appointment to the governor’s council, but later, for a short while in 1784, he acted as tax receiver for the state. Penn lived only until September 1788. He died at his residence at age forty-seven. His wife, Susan, survived him for many years, but the date of her death was unavailable. Penn, who finalized his last will and testament in Granville County during 1784, named his son William as executor and he left his estate to William and his daughter, Lucy, who was married to John Taylor, a cavalry officer in the Virginia line during the American Revolution. In conjunction, some earlier sources have noted that John and Susan had only one child, Lucy; however John’s will explains the existence of his son, William, who never married. Other sources also mention that the Penns had three children, with only one reaching maturity. Others, including the National Parks System, mention the Penn family having reared “three children.” The author was unable to identify the name of the third child.

Person, Brigadier General Thomas Thomas Person was born in North Carolina on 19 January 1733. Although he was raised in Granville County, nineteenth century historians asserted that his birth place was Brunswick County. Thomas had two brothers, William (b. November 1734) and Benjamin (b. 1737), and he had two sisters, Martha (birth date unavailable) and Mary Ann (b. 1736). Thomas later emerged as an extremely prosperous North Carolinian who in later life owned more than 80,000 acres spread across twelve counties, nine in North Carolina (Anson, Caswell, Franklin, Guilford, Halifax, Orange, Rockingham, Wake and Warren) and three (Davidson, Greene and Sumner) in Tennessee. Thomas Person began his career as a surveyor employed by Lord Granville, lord proprietor of North Carolina. During 1756, Person was appointed as a justice of the peace, and during 1762, he became the sheriff of Granville County. Subsequently, he became a member of the assembly during 1764 (one term). During the following year, Parliament enacted the Stamp Act, a new tax from Britain, and Person was among the first of the prominent leaders in North Carolina to oppose it. Person again became a member of the assembly during 1768, and he served

335 in 1769. Between about 1759 and 1771, many citizens in North Carolina became incensed by corruption in the government and at times, including 1759, riots occurred. The people rose up in disgust at Enfield (1759), but afterward an organization known as the Regulators emerged. More violence erupted during 1765, and it spread through various counties, including Granville. The Regulators’ original idea of peaceful pursuit of grievances in protest of corrupt officials and tyrannical taxes turned quite violent during Governor William Tryon’s term of office. At one point, the Regulators decided to liquidate government officers. In the meantime, during 1764, Person served in the assembly (House of Commons) and remained there except for a short period until 1785. He was defeated the next year; however, he was returned to the body during 1787. He served again in 1788, 1790, 1793 and 1794. In 1769, Personas accused of perjury, and as a Regulator, he was an opponent of Governor Tryon. The governor had Person arrested and imprisoned, an encounter that inflicted harm to Person. Nonetheless, the government ignored the uprising and the corruption continued. Riots broke out in Hillsborough during September 1770. On 16 May 1771 Tryon defeated the Regulators at Alamance Creek, but the odds were stacked, with disciplined troops against the Regulators, with many of the latter unarmed. Some leaders were hanged, but Person escaped trial. Circumstances surrounding his avoidance of trial and how he gained his release remain uncertain. Person continued to oppose the royal government, and as the gap between Britain and the colonies widened to the point of no return, he became more engulfed in the cause. He was a member of the assembly during November 1771 and January and December 1773. He participated in each of the congresses between 1774 and 1776 (New Bern, August 1774; New Bern, April 1775; Hillsborough, August–September 1775; Halifax, April–May 1776; and Halifax, November–December 1776). In addition, he served in the assembly of March 1774 and April 1775. Person was appointed as a member of the provincial council on 9 September 1775. And during the following year, on 22 April 1776, he was commissioned as a brigadier general (Hillsborough district). On 3 August the Council of Safety resolved “that General Person and Mr. Joseph John Williams do each of them agree with a proper person for the purpose of instructing the inhabitants of Anson County and other the western parts of this colony in their duty to Almighty God, and for explaining to them the justice and necessity of the measures pursued by the United States of America.” Thomas re-entered the legislature during 1777 and remained for the duration of the war and beyond, retaining his seat until his death. In 1776, Person also entered military service when he was appointed brigadier general of militia. Although he had become a general, Thomas’ greater service was in the government sector; no evidence exists of any field command. During 1777, General Person was succeeded by John Butler, a Virginia native who settled in North Carolina and became a planter. After the war, General Person was a delegate to the state constitutional convention of 1788. He opposed ratifying the U.S. Constitution due to the taxation power the federal government would gain. The anti-constitutionalists prevailed and the Constitution was not ratified at that time. Later, on 21 November 1789 at Raleigh, North Carolina ratified the Constitution to become the 12th state in the union. General Person practiced philanthropy and was instrumental in the establishment of the University of North Carolina during 1789. He became one of its initial trustees, serving from 1789 through 1795. Person Hall at UNC-Chapel Hill was named in his honor. In addition, Person County was named in his honor. During 1800, Person died in Franklin County at the home of his sister, Martha, the wife of Major Taylor, on 16 November 1800 (sometimes his death is erroneously listed as November 1799). The Raleigh

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Register, on 25 November 1800, published an obituary: “Died. At the house of Major Taylor, in Franklin County, on Sunday, the 16th....” Person had no children. He had married a cousin, Johanna Philpot (by tradition), but she became insane and died without having had any children. Person adopted a nephew, William Person, the son of his sister, Mary Ann, and her husband, Major George Little.

Pickens, Brigadier General Andrew Andrew Pickens was born in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, a present-day suburb of Philadelphia, on 13 September 1739. While Andrew was still young, his parents moved to Augusta County, Virginia, and later headed farther south, relocating in South Carolina in the region known as Waxhaws. The French and Indian War erupted during the mid–1750s and that was when Andrew received his first taste of military life. In 1761, he was a volunteer with Colonels William Moultrie and Francis Marion during the Cherokee campaign, led by British Lt. Colonel (later general) James Grant, who was dispatched to the region by General Jeffrey Amherst with orders to suppress the Indians. During the ravaging raids, the colonists at the Calhoun settlement (Long Cane Branch of the Broad River) came under attack and some were killed, but others, including Ezekiel Calhoun and his family, reached safety at Waxhaws. The military paused at Waxhaws and at that time, Andrew met Ezekiel’s daughter, Rebecca, who left an indelible impression on the young officer. Rebecca was known as the “prettiest girl for miles around.” Rebecca also had been well educated, but that didn’t prevent her from becoming a sharpshooter and a skilled rider. The troops departed and continued on the campaign, but Andrew kept Rebecca in the forefront of his mind. Two years later, he traveled to the Calhoun settlement and was reunited with Rebecca, who had turned eighteen. A grand wedding was attended by throngs of people from all points. There were no limits and no invitations were ever required along the frontier. The gala affair was reported to have lasted several days. Andrew and Rebecca settled at Long Cane. According to a family Bible, they had the following children: Ezekiel (b. March 1763); Mary (b. February 1766); Ann (b. April 1770); a son (unnamed, born February 1772, died in infancy); Jane (b. March 1773, d. October 1773); Jane (b. November 1774); Margaret (b. July 1776); Andrew (b. November 1779, d. December 1779); another son (unnamed, b. November 1782, died in infancy); Rebecca (b. January 1784); Katherine (b. June 1786) and Joseph (b. March 1791). Rebecca was also the sister of Senator John Ewing Calhoun. Rebecca’s sister, Catherine, married Major Alexander Noble (her cousin), who served in the militia under General Pickens. When war became imminent with Britain, Andrew again joined the militia with the rank of captain. On 19 November 1775, Loyalists commanded by Joseph Robinson moved against the Patriot fort (known as Fort Ninety Six and Fort Middleton) at Ninety Six. The Americans resisted until the 22nd, when even more British troops arrived. Captain Pickens was among the captured. However, the surrender document that was concocted by the Loyalist commander was later rejected by the Patriots. Pickens and the others were paroled, but a British party raided his estate and stole property, including some of his horses. Pickens, incensed by the raid, proclaimed that the British broke the terms of his parole. He immediately returned to active service. On 10 February 1779, Colonel Pickens of South Carolina and Colonel John Dooley (Dooly) moved from North Carolina into Georgia at Cowen’s Ferry to strike Lt. John Hamilton’s encampment, but upon their arrival, Hamilton had jumped to Carr’s Fort. Dooley and Pickens pursued the force and established a siege, but runners arrived with news that reinforcements were en route. The Patriots terminated the siege. Although the siege was lifted, the contest was not canceled. On the 14th, contingents under Pickens, Dooley and Elijah Clark struck the Loyalists under Colonel James Boyd at Kettle Creek in Wilkes

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County. The Loyalists fired from concealed positions and created some havoc among the columns of Dooley and Clark. Meanwhile, Boyd, believing the assault had been repelled, was unaware that Pickens’ command was unscathed and on the move against the main camp. Boyd, having been wounded, was moving to rejoin the main body, but he died before reaching the camp. Pickens was closing and the other two columns were again on the advance. The loyalists by that time had become totally disorganized, and then they were hit by fire from all three columns. The Loyalists sped toward the creek as Pickens’ troops were flying from the swamp, giving the Patriots lucrative targets. The Loyalists lost 70 killed, and 75 others wounded or captured. The Patriots lost 9 killed and 23 wounded. On Christmas Day, 1780, General Daniel Morgan, in command of a large part of General Nathanael Greene’s army, was deployed in the vicinity of Grindal’s Shoals, South Carolina, and engaged in a hideand-seek campaign against General Charles Cornwallis’ forces. Late in the day Morgan received an additional Christmas present when Colonel Pickens arrived with his militia force to bolster the command. The days began to pass quickly. On 17 January 1781, Colonel Pickens played a pivotal part in the stunning victory that Morgan scored over the forces of Banastre Tarleton at Cowpens, South Carolina. Congress, once notified of Pickens’ leadership on the field on 9 March, resolved “that a sword be presented to Colonel Pickens, of the Militia, in testimony of his spirited conduct at the battle of Cowpens, S. C.” South Carolina, equally appreciative of Pickens’ heroism, promoted him to the rank of brigadier general. In April 1781, General Greene dispatched Lt. Colonel Henry (Light Horse Harry) Lee with orders to link with Pickens, who had already been harassing Cornwallis. At the time, Pickens’ command was rather small and composed of troops from Georgia and South Carolina. The forces linked on the 19th and each command mistook the other as the enemy, but calamity was avoided. After the two forces linked up and the mission ended, Colonel Pickens’ militia left the region and did not participate at the Battle of Guilford Court House. However, there was no reprieve. On 1 May 1781, troops under Colonel Henry Lee and Andrew Pickens seized Fort Galphin (Fort Dreadnaught) at Silver Bluff on the South Carolina side of the Savannah River. From there they moved against Fort Cornwallis at Augusta, Georgia. On 15 May, General Greene directed Colonel Pickens to repair to Ninety Six. The next day Colonel Lee was ordered to move out to bolster Pickens’ militia. Subsequently, on 31 May 1781, Pickens and Lee demanded the capitulation of Fort Cornwallis, but the garrison ignored them. Towers were erected and sharpshooters were placed atop them, giving the marksmen clear and unobstructed views of the fort’s interior. The British, after sustaining casualties, remained concealed to avoid certain death. Finally, on 4 June, the British requested negotiations, and on the following day, just as a major assault was getting underway, a white flag was raised. The British ensign had seen its last days at Augusta and the Stars and Stripes was quickly hoisted. On 22 August, Pickens’ force at Ninety Six moved to hook up with General Greene, who was advancing toward Charleston. Others under Colonel Francis Marion (the Swamp Fox) also were in motion. The separate commands converged after Greene’s army forded the Congaree River. At Eutaw Springs, the British were severely punished, but Greene was unable to evict them from their positions around a stone house. Nevertheless, on the following day, the Redcoats retired toward Charleston. General Pickens was wounded on the 8th. He returned home, but not for long. Trouble with the Cherokee Indians erupted and General Pickens once again joined with Henry Lee. During the campaign of several weeks, Pickens’ command was responsible for killing about 40 of the enemy and capturing many others. In addition, thirteen Cherokee villages were burned. General Pickens’ force sustained no casualties.

During September 1782, General Pickens and Colonel Elijah Clark joined forces at Long Creek and initiated a mission to search for Loyalists who had found refuge in the Cherokee territory of Georgia. By October, Pickens delivered an ultimatum to the Cherokee to turn over the Loyalists they were hiding and if they did, no retaliation would occur. The Cherokee, already quite familiar with Pickens’ fighting ability, agreed. Nonetheless, a later treaty (Long Swamp Treaty) compelled the Cherokee to cede large parts of their lands in northeastern Georgia. Following the close of hostilities, Pickens served in the South Carolina legislature, and he also served at the convention that created the state constitution. He retained his seat until 1794. That year he was elected to the U.S. Congress, but he declined serving a second term. However, he did return to the state legislature and remained there until about 1811. In the meantime, General Pickens’ credentials had become known by George Washington, who as president contacted Pickens to seek his opinion on what methods would work best to “civilize” the Indians in the southern states. The president also proposed that Pickens should command a brigade of the U.S. Army under General Anthony Wayne in the campaign against the Indians in the Northwest Territory. Pickens, however, he declined the offer. Also during 1794, when the militia was established by an act of Congress, Pickens was appointed major general, but he retained the commission only a few years. Another of his accomplishments being named a U.S. commissioner in conjunction with the various treaties consummated with the southern Indian tribes. After retiring from public life, General Andrew Pickens remained on his farm at Tomussee. During his lifetime, General Pickens remained a devout Presbyterian. He succumbed on 11 August 1817 at his residence in the Pendleton District (South Carolina). His wife, Rebecca, predeceased Andrew on 9 December 1814. General Pickens was interred alongside his wife in the cemetery of the Old Stone Meeting House of the Presbyterian Church at Pendleton.

Pickering, Colonel Timothy Timothy Pickering, the son of John (Deacon) and Mary Wingate Pickering, was born on 6 July 1745 in Salem, Massachusetts. John and Mary had eight other children: John, Elizabeth, Eunice, Lois, Lydia, Mary, Sarah, and Lucia. Timothy was a descendant of John Pickering, who emigrated from England during 1642 and settled in Salem. The Pickerings were well established and became a prominent family in Massachusetts. Timothy received an excellent education that included a degree from Harvard (class of 1763). Timothy’s father also graduated from Harvard (1719). After graduation, Timothy pursued a career in law and was admitted to the bar during 1768; however, he apparently had no inclination to establish a reputation as a lawyer, because only infrequently did he engage in the profession. Nevertheless, Timothy did have a special affection for the military and a talent for playing musical instruments (Spinet and violin). Timothy Pickering’s military service began during 1769 Timothy Pickering (Pictorial Field when he was commissioned Book of the Revolution, Benson J. as a lieutenant by Governor Lossing, 1860)

337 Francis Bernard. Later that year he was promoted to the rank of captain. In addition, he served for about two years as a clerk under John Higginson, the register of deeds of Essex County. He again filled the position at various times until he succeeded Higginson in October 1774. He retained the position until May 1777. Pickering entered politics during 1772, when he was elected as a selectman of Salem and retained the seat for five additional years. He was town clerk from 1774 through 1776 and served on the Committee of Safety for two years beginning in 1774. Pickering’s schedule during the early days of the war was equally heavy. He was deeply engaged in opposition to Britain’s policies; however, during February 1775, he received a commission as colonel from King George III. On the 13th, he was elected colonel of the First Essex Regiment. Nonetheless, Pickering worked within a committee on the distribution cannon and deployment of Minute Men during March of 1775, just prior to the explosive encounter at Lexington. He was appointed that year as a colonel of militia. He led his force toward Lexington and Concord in April, but the British were already on the retreat and when he advanced to Winter Hill at Somerville. The tardy arrival caused Pickering some later grief from political rivals who blamed him for the failure to seize the retreating Redcoats as they headed for the safety of Boston. Colonel Pickering afterward participated in defending the seacoast, but he was destined for service other than field command. In September 1775, Colonel Pickering was appointed as justice of the peace and shortly thereafter, he was named a judge of inferior court (Essex County). In addition, during December 1775, on the 12th, he was appointed as a judge of the maritime court (Essex, Middlesex and Suffolk counties). Colonel Pickering, having long been interested in the military and the study of tactics and strategy, published a piece, “An Easy Plan for Discipline for a Militia.” In May of 1776, the council and the House of Representatives voted to approve its use within the state’s military. Colonel Pickering was appointed as chairman of the Committee of Correspondence, Inspection and Safety in March that year. Despite the harrowing circumstances in Massachusetts due to the British threat and the incessant military responsibilities, Colonel Pickering did not let it deter him from getting married. On 8 April 1776, Timothy married Rebecca White. Rebecca was born in Bristol, England, during July 1754 and arrived in America about 1765, but by the time she reached age seventeen, she had become an orphan. Timothy and Rebecca remained married for more than fifty years before her death separated them. They had the following children: John (b. February 1777, married Sarah White); Timothy (b. October 1779, married Lurena Cole); Henry (October 1781); Charles (May 1784); William (b. February 1786); Edward (b. September 1787, died October 1793); George (b. August 1789); Octavius (b. 1791, married Jane Pratt, authored first volume of the life of his father and the work was later finished by Charles Wentworth Upham); Mary, a twin (b. 21 November 1793, married Benjamin Ropes Nichols); Elizabeth, twin sister of Mary (b. 21 November 1793, married Hammond Dorsey). Beginning in early December 1776, Pickering’s regiment participated in the campaigns around New York and New Jersey under General George Washington and remained in action until April 1777. During his military service, Colonel Pickering’s abilities were noticed by General Washington, who in March 1777 offered Pickering the position of adjutant general of the Continental Army. After having first declined, Pickering held the post from 17 June 1777 until 13 January 1778. Washington had paid high praise to Pickering: “This conduct in preference of Colonel Pickering I was induced to adopt from the high character I had of him both as a great military genius cultivated by an industrious attention to the study of war and as a gentleman of liberal education, distinguished zeal and great method and activity in business.” Prior to resigning from the post, Colonel Pickering, on 7 No-

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vember 1777, was appointed to the new Board of War, along with General Thomas Mifflin and Colonel Robert H. Harrison. Colonel Pickering, just prior to the appointment, had been present at the battles of Brandywine (September 1777) and Germantown (October 1777). Meanwhile, on 5 August 1780, after a motion by John Armstrong seconded by Nathaniel Folsom, Congress unanimously resolved “that Congress proceed to the election of a quarter master general.” It appointed Timothy Pickering. He succeeded General Nathanael Greene. The post gave him the pay of a brigadier general but did not change his rank. Colonel Pickering maintained his post on the Board of War, while he also held responsibility as quartermaster general in place of Greene, who departed for the Southern Department to succeed General Horatio Gates following his defeat at Guilford Court House. Colonel Pickering was present at the siege of Yorktown and he remained as quartermaster beyond the close of hostilities, holding the post until 25 July 1785. After the war, Colonel Pickering and Major Samuel Hodgdon formed a partnership (Pickering and Hodgson) during 1783, but Pickering after a while decided to return to his farm rather than continue in business. Although Colonel Pickering preferred to work his farm in Massachusetts, he also took time to acquire land in the state of Pennsylvania (Luzerne County). Afterward, he moved to Philadelphia. During October 1786, having established himself in Pennsylvania, Colonel Pickering was elected as judge and clerk of the Court of Common Pleas and at the same time, he became clerk of the Court of Sessions and clerk of the Orphans Court. During July 1787, Colonel Pickering and his family departed Philadelphia for the frontier, but after arriving there, he was caught in a land dispute between Connecticut and Pennsylvania, both of which claimed territory in the Wyoming Valley. Pennsylvania eventually prevailed through the courts. Pickering was selected as a delegate of Luzerne County to the state convention called to ratify the U.S. Constitution in November 1787. Ratification occurred on 12 December to bring Pennsylvania into the union as the second state. Following the close of the session, Pickering returned to Luzerne County and afterward, settlers from Connecticut literally seized Pickering and held him hostage, but their threat of harm was not carried out, despite Pickering’s refusal to cooperate. He was released unharmed and the band that seized him was apprehended and tried. Pickering’s intervention on their behalf prompted the court to go easy on their sentencing. Later, Pickering and Hodgson invested in land, about 2,500 acres just outside the Wyoming valley. Pickering, by himself, bought another large tract that exceeded ten thousand acres in western Pennsylvania. In addition, Pickering acquired about 5,000 acres west of the Ohio River in Kentucky. Colonel Pickering was thinking about the future and intended the property for use by his sons, but his sons did not share his love of farming and showed no interest in the idea of operating farms. Consequently, the venture did not succeed. General Washington again requested the services of Colonel Pickering in September 1790 by enlisting him to take on a special task. He was to travel to western Pennsylvania to speak with the leaders of the Seneca Indians for the purpose of peace. It was known by Washington that Pickering was respected by the Senecas, who referred to him as Conni-Sauti, which after translation meant “sunny side of a hill.” During the following year, Colonel Pickering was called upon to negotiate a treaty with the Six Nations. He and General Henry Knox successfully consummated a treaty during spring of 1792. In the meantime, during 1791, Colonel Pickering became postmaster general of the United States on 14 August. He succeeded Samuel Osgood. Subsequently, during 1792, Colonel Pickering moved to Philadelphia, which at the time was the capital of the nation. In March 1793, Colonel Pickering was yet again sent on a mission to negotiate with Indians, and on this occasion it was the tribes in the Northwest Territory; however, the mission failed. Hostilities were

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ignited and the United States Army sustained a devastating defeat. The failed campaigns of General Josiah Harmar and General (governor of the territory) Arthur St. Clair were later avenged by General Anthony Wayne, whose army was trained and disciplined. The Indians were overwhelmed at the Battle of Fallen Timbers in 1794 and the victory brought an end to the hostilities on the frontier. Colonel Pickering, never having been promoted to brigadier general, succeeded General Henry Knox and became secretary of war on 28 December 1794. Although he remained in that post, on 19 August 1795 he became secretary of state. In December 1795 he left the war post to permanently become secretary of state. Later, friction developed between Pickering and President John Adams. Consequently on 12 May 1800, Pickering was discharged. Colonel Pickering, who received exceptional treatment by General Washington, did not always reciprocate and during the war, often made nasty remarks about Washington’s ability as commander-in-chief and his methods of dealing with the enemy. It was especially surprising considering that Pickering never commanded a single battle during the war and had hardly any service in the field. After being dismissed by Adams, Colonel Pickering spent some time in the Susquehanna at Great Bend prior to returning to Easton, where his family resided during December 1780. Later, Colonel Pickering traveled back to Massachusetts to visit old friends and family. While there, his friends spent time trying to convince Pickering to abandon Pennsylvania and come back to his home. Their effort succeeded. By November of 1801, the Pickerings were again residents of Salem. With the chains of government service having been severed, at least for a while, Colonel Pickering leased a farm in nearby Danvers, then several years later, during 1804, he acquired a farm in Wenham. On 28 September 1802, he assumed the post of chief justice of the Court of Common Pleas. That year he was defeated in a run for Congress by Jacob Crowninshield; however, during the following year, Pickering succeeded in winning a seat in the U.S. Senate to fill a vacancy created by the resignation of Senator Dwight Foster. He remained in the Senate for six years. He was a Federalist and often defended positions with his eloquent oratory and razor sharp debating skills. Pickering’s talents were not well received by his DemocraticRepublican (present-day Democrats) colleagues, but the Federalists were elated by his contributions. While in the Senate, Pickering did not favor the Louisiana Purchase and later when an embargo was favored, he opposed it. Consequently, he created many new enemies, many of which were neither prominent leaders nor affluent citizens. In Philadelphia, Pickering had become a target of growing animosity. During 1809, a large crowd gathered to hang Pickens in effigy. Other political enemies during 1810 attempted to harm him by accusing Pickering of embezzlement, but the outrageousness of the charges promptly derailed the plot. Nonetheless, political adversaries never vanish. During 1811, more charges were lodged against Pickering regarding disclosure of classified documents “before the injunction of safety,” which caused censure, but again, the charges were seen as political chicanery. Essentially, Pickering opposed President Adams’ policies and often relayed information that had been discussed in cabinet meetings to other Federalists, including Alexander Hamilton. In 1812, Pickering lost his bid to return to the Senate, prompting him to again retire to the tranquility of his farm in Wenham. However, unexpectedly, during November 1812, General Pickering was swept to victory by a huge margin to gain a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. During that period Pickering was a tenacious opponent of the War of 1812. During 1814 he was re-elected to Congress with a guarantee of yet another re-election, but he declined serving another term. Nonetheless, he did not terminate his government service. During 1817, General Pickering was appointed to the Executive Council of Massachusetts, his final public service. Meanwhile, he spent time at his estate in Salem, where he had again taken residence during 1820, and at his farm in Wenham.

On 4 January 1829, while attending church services in a building that was poorly heated, the chilled room caused him to become ill and from that pernicious cold, he died in the church on that same day. Originally Colonel Pickering was a Trinitarian, but later in life he became a member of the Unitarian Church. Colonel Pickering’s wife, Rebecca, predeceased him on 14 August 1828. Colonel Pickering was interred next to his wife. The inscription on the tomb read: “Beneath this monument are deposited the remains of Timothy and Rebecca Pickering. He was an asserter of the rights of the North American colonies, a soldier in the war for their independence, a statesman in the cabinet of Washington. Integrity, disinterestedness, energy, ability, fearlessness in the cause of truth and justice marked his public conduct. Pure in morals, simple in manners, sincere, benevolent, pious in private life, he was revered and honored.” At the time of his death in Salem, General Pickering was engaged in writing a biography on Alexander Hamilton and the Revolution. General Pickering had also been a chairman of the Essex County Agricultural Society.

Pierce, William Leigh (Framer of the U.S. Constitution) William Pierce is thought to have been born in Georgia about 1740 and raised in Virginia, but the history of his family and early life has been lost in obscurity and no records exist prior to his service during the Revolutionary War. Pierce first entered the military as a captain of the 1st Continental Artillery and later, he became an aide-de-camp to General Nathanael Greene. He participated with Greene in various actions and at the Battle of Eutaw Springs on 8 September 1781. His performance on the field of battle gained him the thanks of the Continental Congress, which also awarded him a sword for his gallantry on 29 October 1781. By the time Congress rang praise of William, General Lord Charles Cornwallis had been vanquished at Yorktown, Virginia, and compelled to surrender his entire army on 19 October 1781, ending the major combat of the war. After the war, William married Charlotte Fenwick of South Carolina. They established their residence in Savannah, Georgia, and had two children, both sons, but one (William) died during childhood. The other son, William Leigh, was born in June 1790 after his father’s death. Pierce’s attempts to establish himself as a merchant found little success. Initially, he started a company (Pierce, White, and Call) that dealt in importing and exporting, but the venture failed shortly after it began. Consequently, William, using his wife’s dowry for capital, started another company, William Pierce & Company. William was able to keep it operating for a while, but by 1788, it too failed. In the meantime, he had been elected to the Georgia legislature as a representative of Chatham County in 1786, and that year he was also elected to the Continental Congress. During 1787, his second year in Congress, Pierce was selected as one of the Georgia delegates to the Continental Congress on 10 February along with Abraham Baldwin, William Few, William Houstoun, Nathaniel Pendleton and George Walton. However, Pendleton and Walton did not participate at the convention, which convened in Philadelphia during May 1787. Pierce was a supporter of a strong central government, but not at the expense of states’ rights. He participated in some of the debates to emphasize his positions and he was in agreement with the “Great Compromise,” proposed by New Jersey, which protected the smaller states by ensuring each state regardless of size would be represented by two Senators, and all would have a voice in the House of Representatives according to population. During the proceedings, Pierce sustained a major setback in his business due to the European rice market, which dried up, causing major complications that compelled him to abandon the convention and return to Savannah. William Pierce on 28 September 1787 penned a letter to St. George Tucker, Esq., in which he noted that he didn’t think the U.S. Constitution was a perfect document, but a copy was included in the letter with additional comments, including: “You will

339 probably be surprised at not finding my name affixed to it; and will no doubt be desirous of having a reason for it. Know then, Sir, that I was absent in New York on a piece of business so necessary that it became unavoidable. I approve of its principles and would have signed it with all my heart had I been present.” Nevertheless, the crisis was overwhelming and for Pierce, catastrophic. Pierce’s business venture had little capital from the beginning and he lacked the wealth of the families of the former Rice Kings. Consequently, due to his inexperience and absence of an emergency capital fund, he was compelled to file for bankruptcy. The losses ruined him financially and he never recovered. Pierce died two years later at about age forty-nine on 10 December 1789, ten months after the beginning of the new Congress that operated under the authority of the Constitution, which was adopted on 17 September 1787. Georgia ratified the U.S. Constitution on 2 January 1788, to become the fourth state to join the union.

Pinckney, Charles (Signer of the U.S. Constitution) Charles Pinckney, the son of Colonel Charles Pinckney, was born in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1757. Charles’ father was one of the affluent planters known as the Rice Kings and was a lawyer. Charles’ great-grandfather was Thomas Pinckney, who emigrated from Lincolnshire, England, about 1767; he was the father of Charles Pinckney (chief justice, royal government) and the grandfather of Charles Coatesworth Pinckney (signer of the Declaration of Independence), the latter a second cousin of Charles’ father. Although Charles was born into a prominent and well-to-do family, he was not sent to England, a prevalent custom of the time, to be educated. He received his education in South Carolina and afterward pursued a career in the law. Following his father’s death in 1782, Charles inherited his father’s country estate (Snee Farm) just outside Charleston. The elder Charles father had not been supportive of the Patriots’ cause. The younger Charles Pinckney served in the Continental Congress during 1777 and 778. The next year, he was elected to the South Carolina legislature, where he served into 1780. Pinckney established his law practice in Charleston during 1779, but he also joined the military with the rank of lieutenant. Afterward, he participated in the ill-fated attempt to regain Savannah, which had been seized by the British on 28 December 1778. A siege was initiated during early September 1779; however anxiousness by the French to attack, combined with the British having advance notice of the attack given to them by a traitor, the British were prepared. They inflicted heavy casualties upon the forces of General Benjamin Lincoln on 9 October. Afterward, the siege was abandoned. The British, during February 1780, established a blockade of Charleston harbor and trapped a continental squadron. The defenses of the city had been ongoing in anticipation of an attack, but by May the British were poised to take the city. On 12 May 1780, General Benjamin Lincoln capitulated and his entire army, except a few units that were out of the city, was captured. Charles Pinckney was among the captives. Pinckney was not released until June of the following year. After Charleston fell, scattered militia under Colonel Francis Marion (Continental Army), Thomas Sumter and a few others were the only forces in the state. General Horatio Gates was sped to the south to replace General Lincoln, but he too was thrashed after refusing to take the advice of the South Carolina militia leaders. Subsequently, General Nathanael Greene arrived and with the militia pushed General Charles Cornwallis from the state, and then dealt with the troops he left behind. The British finally departed Charleston during December 1782, but the major battles in the South actually ended with the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown during October 1781. After the war, Pinckney, like the other Patriots, began to pick up the pieces of their lives. He was returned to the Continental Congress from 1784 to 1787. He served in the legislature in 1786–1780, 1786–

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1789, and 1792–1796. He was a delegate from South Carolina at the Constitutional Convention, which convened during May 1787 for the purpose of either modifying the Articles of Confederation or designing a new government, with the latter option favored by the majority of the delegates. Pinckney attended the sessions, contributed to the debates frequently and was among those who worked to bring about compromise, but initially he favored legislators selecting Congressmen, not a vote of the people. Pinckney favored the final draft and participated in drawing it, then he also signed it, along with Butler Pierce, Charles Coatesworth Pinckney (Charles’ cousin) and John Rutledge, giving the South Carolina delegation a unanimous vote for adoption. Later, a controversy developed over Pinckney’s supposed handing his “Plan of a Federal Constitution” to the convention on 29 May 1787, and whether his plan was the basis from which the Constitution was derived; however, that is in stark contrast to the “Madison Papers,” which details the debates over the federal convention. The plan of Pinckney that survived was not the one submitted on 29 May. In addition, it contained articles and clauses that he opposed on the floor. It is thought that the plan of Pinckney that was published was taken from the report turned in by the drafting committee and later modified. Pinckney, however, personally claimed to have been the man who was most influential in bringing about the Constitution, and he claimed to have submitted the draft that became the final document. James Madison made several remarks regarding the plan of Pinckney, including: “There is in the paper a similarity in some cases, and an identity in others, with details, expressions and definitions, the results of critical discussions and modifications in the convention that could not have been anticipated.” On 29 May 1787, Edmund Randolph submitted the Virginia Resolution, composed of fifteen articles, as a blueprint for the organization of the new government. The Constitution was adopted on 17 September 1787, effective upon ratification by nine states. Pinckney also supported ratification and worked to achieve that goal. South Carolina ratified the Constitution on 23 May 1788 to become the 8th state, followed by New Hampshire, the ninth state, on 21 June. Other states followed, except Rhode Island, which did not send any delegates to the Constitutional Convention. A new Congress convened on 3 March 1789 and simultaneously, the old congress that operated under the Articles of Confederation ceased to exist. In addition to celebrating ratification, Charles had another big celebration that year. He married Mary Eleanor Laurens, the daughter of Henry (president of South Carolina Provincial Congress and later, president of Continental Congress) and Eleanor Ball Laurens of Charleston. Together, they had three children: Frances Henrietta (married Governor Robert Y. Hayne); Mary Eleanor (married David Ramsay) and Henry Laurens. Pinckney was also elected governor during 1789, and during the following year, he was re-elected without opposition. Pinckney served as governor until 1792 and chaired the state constitutional convention, which convened during 1790. Pinckney became affiliated with the Federalists, but the relationship was not lasting. Later, his political leanings moved toward the Democratic-Republicans (present-day Democrats) and that became more obvious during 1795, when the details of the Jay Treaty (with England) regarding the British finally agreeing to relinquish their posts in the U.S. Northwest Territory and other items, but one particular problem was not a part of the treaty, the imprisonment of American sailors and the impressment of American sailors into the Royal Navy. The treaty, backed by the Federalists, was opposed by the Democratic-Republicans. Nonetheless, it was finally ratified by the Senate on 24 June 1795. The Jay Treaty became the springboard for Pinckney to switch allegiance to the anti–Federalists. Afterward, in South Carolina, his new political leanings led to his election as governor during 1796, when he defeated General Andrew Pickens. As a Democratic-Republican favorite,

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Charles Pinckney was later elected to the U.S. Senate and at that time, his opponent was again Andrew Pickens. Once in the Senate, Pinckney unleashed tenacious opposition to the Federalists. He threw his wholehearted support to Thomas Jefferson and acted as his campaign manager in South Carolina. During that contentious election (1800), the Federalists lost their hold on Congress, but it was Congress (House of Representatives) that had to choose the president. The Democratic-Republicans had a scheme to elect a president and vice president from their party, and the vote ended up in a tie between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr. The Federalist candidates were John Adams’ and Pinckney’s cousin, Charles Coatesworth Pinckney. The election had to be settled by the House of Representatives. Alexander Hamilton, fond of neither, urged the Federalists to support Jefferson. Consequently, Jefferson won. Pinckney’s support of Jefferson stretched further when he published several pro–Jefferson speeches as “The Republican.” In addition, using another pseudonym, “The Planter,” Pinckney published pieces against the recently passed Alien and Sedition Acts (during John Adams’ presidency). President Jefferson repaid Pinckney for his efforts by appointing him minister to Spain, a post he held until 1805. While in that diplomatic capacity, the administration had him focus upon acquiring the Florida possessions, but he was not able to accomplish the mission. However, he was involved in negotiations with Spain that led to the Louisiana Purchase. Meanwhile, in one of his letters to James Madison during 1800, Pinckney informed Madison that he had acquired a portrait: “I have had Your Portrait sent me for my Drawing room. It is a Most exact likeness in the face. But makes you about the Body much fatter than when I saw you. If it is so I suppose You have thriven upon Matrimony and find it a good thing.” Later, Pinckney was instrumental in getting Spain to acquiesce with regard to France transferring the Louisiana Territory to the United States. Florida came under jurisdiction of France and at that time, France was at war with Britain. Napoleon, fearful that Britain would gain Florida and aware that he was in no position to establish an anchor in America, sold the Louisiana Territory to the United States during 1803. At the conclusion of his mission, Pinckney returned to South Carolina and rose to become the leader of the Democratic-Republican party. After his return to South Carolina, Pinckney was elected to the state legislature as a representative of Christ Church Parish, the same parish where he initiated his political career during 1779. He served in that capacity from 1805 until 1806. Afterward he was again returned to the governor’s chair, where he served during 1806–1808. He was again sent back to the legislature for 1810–1814. Nevertheless, his retirement from politics at the end of his latest legislative term lasted only until 1818, when as a representative of the Charleston District, he was elected to the United States Senate over Judge Daniel Huger, a Federalist. Pinckney opposed the Missouri Compromise, which dealt with slavery in the western territory, prohibiting it in Louisiana and approving of it in Missouri. Subsequently, during 1823, Missouri entered the union as the 24th state, a slave state, during 1823. Pinckney had retired from the Senate during 1821. The Missouri Compromise was later repealed by the Kansas Nebraska Act of 1854. Charles Pinckney died during 1824. He was interred in Charleston at the cemetery of St. Philip’s Episcopal Church. See also, Pinckney, Brigadier General Charles Coatesworth.)

Pinckney, Brigadier General Charles Coatesworth (Signer of the U.S. Constitution) Charles Coatesworth, the son of Charles and Eliza Lucas Pinckney, was born in Charleston on 25 February 1746. The history of the Pinckneys in South Carolina is interesting. The first of the Pinckneys to come ashore in South Carolina was Thomas during 1691. Thomas married Mary Coatesworth of Durham. Later, Thomas and his wife, while glancing out their window, noticed a well dressed stranger debarking

a vessel at Charleston, when Thomas quipped: “That handsome West Indian will marry some poor fellow’s widow, break her heart, and ruin her children.” Not long after the remark, Thomas died from yellow fever and the stranger, George Evans, did in fact marry his widow. Mary’s heart was not shattered, but George did manage to jeopardize the family finances. Nevertheless, Mary was able to provide the family with comfort and their children received fine educations. In addition, she outlived George Charles Coatesworth Pinckney (Naand married yet a third time. tional Archives) In the meantime, Thomas’ three sons (Thomas, Charles and William) survived him and the family continued to live on the Auchland Plantation along the Ashepoo River, which their father named after Bishop Auchland (of Durham, England). Charles, the father of Charles C., married Elizabeth Lamb, of Devonshire Square in London, while he was in England getting his education. Charles returned to South Carolina and became a skilled lawyer and a well connected citizen. He was speaker of the house of assembly (1736–1740) as well as being named one of the king’s councilors. Charles and Elizabeth had no children; however, Charles adopted the oldest son of his brother William with the intent of naming him heir, but things did not work out due to an incident with Charles regarding a “romance” while in England. During 1739, another turn of events occurred in the Pinckney family due to an unrelated incident in Antigua. Lt. Colonel George Lucas, the royal governor, chose to relocate his family in the vicinity of Charleston because of his wife’s deteriorating health. He moved his family to a plantation he acquired in the vicinity of Wappoo Creek and the Stono River across from Charleston. Nonetheless, trouble erupted with the Spanish, forcing Colonel Lucas to rush back to Antigua; however, his wife’s poor health mandated that his family remain in South Carolina. The Pinckneys befriended Lucas’ family and they became frequent quests. Eliza, the oldest daughter, ran the estate on the Stono River because her mother was an invalid. Eliza, only about eighteen years old when the family came to Charleston, was highly intelligent and especially talented. Eliza’s father sent her seeds from the indigo plant and her persistence after several failures in getting the crop to grow finally succeeded, giving her the honor of introducing the crop to the colonies. Following the death of Elizabeth Pinckney, Charles married Eliza on 25 May 1744. Mrs. Elizabeth Pinckney, well before her death, had suggested Eliza as a replacement for herself. It was from Charles’ second marriage that Charles Coatesworth and his younger brother, Thomas (b. 1750, later brigadier general) and their sister Harriott (Harriet) were born. In 1752, the elder Charles was appointed chief justice of South Carolina to replace Chief Justice Graeme, but due to political considerations in England, he was replaced by Peter Leigh after serving one year. He was afterward appointed as agent of the colony and moved his family to England. Eliza, while rearing her children, never lost her inquisitiveness or her propensity to expand her abilities. Eliza had earlier imported some eggs of silkworms to experiment and succeeded in obtaining enough of them to actually spin silk. During 1753, when the family journeyed to England, Eliza carried her prize silk with her and once there, tailors transformed the silk into three dresses. One was given to the Princess of Wales to impress her with a product from the colony and another was presented to Lord

341 Chesterfield, while the third was kept by Eliza and later handed down in the family as an heirloom. Pinckney remained in the position for about five years; but due to war with France, Charles returned to South Carolina with his wife and daughter. Charles C. and Thomas remained in England to complete their educations. Charles, Sr., died soon after returning home. He had made preparations for his son, Charles C., to assume the role as head of the family. Charles, Sr., had been a devout Christian and remained concerned that his children follow the identical path. In his last will and testament, he stated (regarding Charles C.): I hope, as he would have the blessing of Almighty God, and deserve the countenance and favor of all good men, and answer my expectations of him, that he will employ all his future abilities in the service of God and his country, in the cause of virtuous liberty, as well religious as civil, and in support of private right and justice between man and man; and that he do by no means debase the dignity of human nature; nor the honor of his profession, by giving countenance to, or ever appearing in favor of, irreligion, injustice or wrong, oppression or tyranny of any kind, public or private; but that he make the glory of God and the good of mankind, the relief of the poor and distressed, the widow and the fatherless, and such as have none else to help them, his principal aim and study.

Charles C. studied at Westminster and graduated at Christ Church at Oxford prior to further study at the Temple. Following his stay in England, Charles C. traveled to Caen, France, and entered the Royal Military Academy, where he remained for about nine months before returning to South Carolina during 1769. Charles C. practiced law in Charleston and later during 1773, he became attorney general, but only for a few towns, not the entire colony. That same year, he married Sarah Middleton, the daughter of Henry and Mary Williams Middleton and the sister of Arthur Middleton, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Sarah’s sister married Edward Rutledge, another South Carolinian who signed the Declaration. Charles C. and Sarah had three daughters, Harriott, Maria and Eliza Lucas. Sarah died during 1784 and Charles C., having three young children, sustained a period of deep grief; however, during the following year, he remarried, taking Mary Stead, the daughter of Benjamin Stead, as his second wife. Despite the prolonged period he spent abroad, when the break between the colonies and England became imminent, Charles C. Pinckney’s affinity for England quickly dissipated and he bolted to the forefront of those in opposition to the policies of the king and Parliament. Pinckney was a delegate to the First Provincial Congress that convened during January 1775 in Charleston on the 11th. The Congress affirmed the sentiments of the First Continental Congress and agreed upon support for Bostonians who at the time were under great pressure by the British. The Provincial Congress proclaimed a day of “fasting, humiliation and prayer” on 17 February. Pinckney described the event: “Every place of worship in Charleston was crowded with the inhabitants; and Congress went in a body to St. Phillip’s, from the State-House, agreeably to their resolve, and most of them in their military array. On their entering the church, the organ began a solemn piece of music, and continued playing until they were seated. It was an affecting scene; as everyone knew the occasion, and all joined in fervent prayer to the Lord to support and defend us in our great struggle in the cause of Liberty and our Country....” On 17 June 1776, Pinckney and his brother Thomas were both commissioned as captains in the 1st South Carolina Regiment. In addition, Pinckney was appointed to the Committee of Safety and was assigned to a committee that was charged with drawing a blueprint for an interim government for the state. On 14 September Captain Pinckney participated in the seizure of Fort Johnson on James Island. Three companies of the 2nd Regiment under Captains Pinckney, Elliott and Francis Marion seized the post with little effort as the British abandoned it and boarded nearby ships. By December 1775, Captain Charles C. Pinckney was promoted to the rank of major.

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On 19 December, Major Pinckney led a contingent to Haddrell’s Point to construct a battery from which two British vessels in the harbor would be prompted to withdraw. On the following morning, the British were greeted with a barrage from four 18-pounders, and the British reciprocated by pulling back. On 10 January, another battery was erected on Sullivan’s Island, and its presence along with the defenses earlier erected convinced the warships, the HMS Cherokee and the Tower, to withdraw, terminating their obstruction of the harbor. The following year, the British failed to unfold their plan to regain North Carolina and afterward, the fleet sailed to seize Charleston. But there too, during June of 1776, the British failed. Major Pinckney participated in the defense of the city when the fleet was repelled by the defenders under Colonel William Moultrie on Sullivan’s Island at the invulnerable fort, which became known as Fort Moultrie. Major Pinckney, later that year, received two additional promotions, to lieutenant colonel at an undetermined time and colonel (Continental Army) on 16 September 1776 in succession to Colonel Moultrie, who had been promoted to brigadier general. Afterward, he was sent north to join with General George Washington as an aide-de-camp. While serving with General Washington, Colonel Pinckney participated in the defense of Philadelphia during 1777, including the Battles of Brandywine (September) and Germantown (October). After spending the winter of 1777–1778 at Valley Forge, Colonel Pinckney returned to South Carolina. During spring of 1778, he participated in the ill-fated Florida expedition. Fortunately, neither Pinckney nor his brother Thomas fell to the sickness that struck many of the troops. In January 1779, when the state Senate convened, Colonel Charles C. Pinckney presided. Meanwhile, on 29 December 1778, the British seized Savannah. Colonel Pinckney participated in the defense of Charleston during May 1779. The city was saved when General Benjamin Lincoln reversed course and returned from Georgia to compel General Augustine Prevost to withdraw. Later that year, Colonel Pinckney participated in the unsuccessful campaign to regain Savannah when an American-French force initiated a siege from 3 September to 16 October 1779. The French, overanxious to attack, persuaded General Lincoln to launch the assault prematurely and the assault became folly. Afterward the French fleet retired and the Americans moved back to Charleston, aware that Savannah would remain under the British ensign. Colonel Pinckney participated in the defense of Charleston until its fall on 12 May 1780, when the British seized it and nearly all of General Lincoln’s army and supporting Continental Navy units. Colonel Pinckney was among the captured. The British placed enormous pressure upon him to switch allegiance, but he never faltered. One of his retorts to his captors stated: “My heart is altogether American, and neither severity, nor favor, nor poverty, nor affluence can ever induce me to swerve from it.” Colonel Pinckney was not exchanged until February 1782. However, after being detained in Christ Church Parish for the greater part of a year, he was granted parole and permission to travel to Philadelphia, where he remained until April 1781. Afterward, he returned to South Carolina. Once there he rode to Colonel Marion’s camp and received an escort to take him to the camp of General Greene. En route, the party passed Colonel Pinckney’s plantation (Belmont), and as they paused, his slaves, once they realized it was him, became jubilant. Pinckney described the homecoming: “They were running from every part to see me. I stood in the piazza to see them; they gazed at me with astonishment and everyone came and took me by the hand, saying: God bless you Maasa’. we glad for see you, Massa.” In addition, Pinckney said: “The tears stole from my eyes and ran down my cheeks. I then possessed about two hundred slaves, and not one of them left me during the war, although they had great offers.” At the time of his exchange, in a major operation that included British General John Burgoyne, the British surrender at Yorktown had occurred about four months earlier and the war in the field was essentially

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over. Colonel Pinckney saw no more field service. He returned to his family and resumed his personal life. On 3 November 1783, Congress awarded Colonel Charles C. Pinckney the rank of brevet brigadier general. At an undetermined time, Pinckney was appointed major general (South Carolina militia). At the time of the fall of Charleston, his brother, Major Thomas Pinckney, was not in the city. He had been dispatched by General Lincoln on a mission prior to the surrender. Nevertheless, Thomas participated with General Horatio Gates at the Battle of Camden on 16 August 1780, where he sustained a wound and was most probably spared death because a British officer (McKenzie) recognized him from when they attended school together in England and carried him from the field. Afterward, surprisingly, Colonel Banastre Tarleton permitted a British surgeon to provide medical aid. Even more surprisingly, Tarleton, not known for his benevolence, offered to return horses taken from Pinckney’s wife, Elizabeth Motte Pinckney, the daughter of Rebecca Motte. Thomas Pinckney was exchanged during December 1780. He returned to the field and served for the duration. Later, during 1787, Thomas Pinckney was elected governor of South Carolina to succeed Governor (General) William Moultrie. Pinckney, in a letter to his mother penned on 22 February, stated: “Yesterday the election of officers occurred in the Assembly. I have the pleasure to acquaint you that my brother was elected with the greatest eclat to the office of governor. There were 170 voters, out of which he had 163 votes; the others were votes of a whimsical nature....” Pinckney was a delegate to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia that year. In addition to supporting its adoption and signing the U.S. Constitution, Pinckney, a devout Christian, proposed clauses that were accepted to ensure that “no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the authority of the United States.” Afterward he was a delegate and supporter of ratification of the Constitution by South Carolina, which did so on 23 May 1788 in Columbia, to become the 8th state in the union. The following year, Pinckney was a delegate to the state constitutional convention. During 1791, President George Washington sent one letter addressed to both Charles C. Pinckney and Edward Rutledge offering a seat on the Supreme Court, explaining that they could decide between themselves who would take the appointment. The pair responded to the president with one letter, signed by Pinckney and Rutledge, in which both declined the appointment. Pinckney also turned down presidential appointments as secretary of war and secretary of state. Pinckney essentially retired from public life during 1790 and focused on his home state. General Pinckney was a firm believer in charitable works and was a philanthropist. He was involved in the establishment of a state university and, being one to read at every opportunity, General Pinckney was instrumental in expanding the Charleston library. Nonetheless, during 1796, General Pinckney was coaxed and accepted an appointment as U.S. minister to France. At that time, Pinckney resigned his military position as major general in the South Carolina militia. His arrival in France was received with a less than enthusiastic welcome. The Directory (ruling government) ignored Pinckney’s diplomatic credentials, received him with extraordinary arrogance and informed him that as a foreigner, he would have to apply for permission to remain in France more than thirty days. Nevertheless, Pinckney refused to be intimidated. He ignored the Directory’s dictate and refused to seek permission to stay. After his quick departure from France, Pinckney paused at Amsterdam before returning to America. In the meantime, France was signaling that hostilities were about to erupt. After Pinckney returned to the States, he was appointed a major general in the U.S. Army, second in rank only to Alexander Hamilton in what became a reversal of roles. During the Revolution, Hamilton had served under Pinckney. General Pinckney was afterward reminded by some of the reversal of rank, but Pinckney was unfazed, respond-

ing: “Let us first dispose of our enemies; we shall then have leisure to settle the question of rank.” Afterward, President John Adams dispatched General Pinckney, John Marshall and Elbridge Gerry as ministers to negotiate with France. They joined during October 1797 in Paris. During that period, political chicanery was rampant in France and the French attempted to obtain bribes (XYZ Affair). General Pinckney is credited for the famous response, “Millions for defence, but not one cent for tribute.” However, General Pinckney later made it clear that he did not make the statement and that he could not take credit for something he did not say. In the meantime, the Americans refused to acquiesce to French intrigue surrounding bribes for peace. Pinckney and Marshall (later, chief justice of United States) returned to the United States, but Gerry remained, the latter believing he could succeed on his own. He paid a high political price for not returning with the others after the debacle of the XYZ Affair. In conjunction, the hostilities (Quasi-War) with France did erupt, but the conflict was confined to the high seas and it was settled in summer of 1800 without full blown war. During 1800, General Pinckney was a Federalist candidate for vice president of the U.S. During 1808, as a Federalist, General Pinckney became a candidate for the presidency. None of his attempts to become vice president or president were successful. During 1800, Aaron Burr became vice president under President Thomas Jefferson, a Democratic-Republican (present-day Democrat). During 1804, Thomas Jefferson was re-elected and during 1808, James Madison, also a Democratic-Republican, became president. General Pinckney had no trouble readjusting to a private life in South Carolina. He became the president of the Charleston Bible Society and in 1801 was the initial president of the board of trustees of the college of South Carolina. General Pinckney died in Charleston on 16 August 1825. He was interred in the cemetery of St. Michael’s Church in Charleston. An epithet was placed inside the church stated, in part: “His learning was various and prof ’ound; his principles pure, his practice liberal. With all the accomplishments of the gentleman, he combined the virtues of the Patriot and the piety of the Christian. His name is recorded in the history of his country, inscribed on the charter of her liberties, and cherished in the affections of her citizens.”

Polk, Colonel Thomas Thomas Polk, the son of William and Priscilla Roberts Polk, was born in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, about 1730. Polk was a great-grandson of Robert and Magdalen Tasker Polk (Pollock). Magdalen, the daughter of Colonel Tasker (chancellor of Ireland), was the widow of Colonel Porter when she married Robert. Thomas’ father was the only son of John and Joanna Knox Polk. Thomas’ great-grandfather (son of John Pollock of Lanarkshire) immigrated to America during 1659. He sailed from Londonderry and established himself in Maryland, where he also modified his surname from Pollock to Polk. The family estate, in the vicinity of the mouths of the Nanticoke and Wicomico rivers south of Fauquier Sound, became known as “Polk’s Folly.” Thomas Polk, at about age twenty-three, and his brothers, Ezekiel and Charles, left Pennsylvania to resettle in North Carolina, where large numbers of other Scots-Irish had gone before them. A piece of tradition handed down regarding Thomas is that what drew him to North Carolina was a young lady named Susanna Spratt, whose family had left the Carlisle area during 1751 to relocate in South Carolina. Nevertheless, Polk established his estate at Sugar Creek, a branch of the Catawba River. Two years later, during 1755, he married Susanna. Once in Mecklenburg County, Polk prospered and increased his acreage while his family continued to grow. Thomas and Susanna had the following children: Ezekiel, Charles, William, Thomas James, Martha (married Doctor Ephaim Brevard), Mary, and Margaret (married Doctor Nathaniel Alexander). The colonial assembly authorized

343 a charter for the town of Charlotte on a tract of 360 acres on 15 January 1767 to a group that included Thomas Polk. He was appointed as town treasurer and as one of its commissioners. By 1769, Polk had become a prominent resident, and that year, he was elected to the provincial assembly; he served in 1766, 1767, 1768, 1769, 1770, 1771, 1774 and 1775. As an assembly member, Polk was able to successfully shepherd legislation that brought about the founding of Queen’s College in Charlotte (1770). In 1777, the school was reorganized as Liberty Hall Academy. By 1769, the colonies’ relations with Britain were rapidly deteriorating due to the Stamp Act of 1765 (repealed 1766) and other policies of the Crown and Parliament that the Americans saw as oppressive. During 1771, Polk once again became a member of the provincial assembly. That year, as a captain in the militia, attached to the command of Colonel Moses Alexander, Polk led his command from Charlotte to Salisbury during a period of turbulence created by the Regulators, a group violently opposed to the corruption in the royal government. That year, Thomas was appointed by Governor Josiah Martin as a surveyor with the task of drawing the border line between North Carolina and South Carolina. Thomas’ sense of duty to North Carolina and the nation as a whole only intensified as time passed, and he became even more vigorous in his opposition to the British policies. On 19 May 1775, just after word of the fighting at Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts had reached North Carolina, Polk called a convention of Patriots in Mecklenburg County. The group defiantly passed a declaration with five resolutions proclaiming independence from Britain, more than a year before independence was declared by the Continental Congress on 4 July 1776. The act became known as the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence (Mecklenburg Resolves). Polk was designated as the man to read the declaration aloud to the people who had gathered at the courthouse. Afterward, Polk was appointed to a committee charged with drawing up plans to ensure the safety of the province. Soon after the declaration, the Patriots at Charlotte established a provisional government, on 31 May. On 9 September, Polk was appointed as colonel in command of the 2nd Battalion (militia). Colonel Polk led his battalion of about 700–900 troops into South Carolina to support the Patriots there under General Andrew Williamson, who had been trapped at Ninety Six by a force of Loyalists. The combined forces of Polk and Colonel (later brigadier general) Griffith Rutherford succeeded in rescuing Williamson’s command. Colonel Polk was catapulted into the Continental Army on 22 April 1776 when the Provincial Congress, while meeting at Halifax, appointed him commander of the 4th Regiment (Continental service). In February Colonel Polk had supported Colonel Moore’s operation against the Highlanders at Moore’s Creek Bridge, and afterward, he was with Colonel Nash during the defense of Charleston in June 1776. The regiment accompanied General Francis Nash’s northward advance to join with General George Washington. Colonel Polk remained absent from North Carolina for about two years while opposing the British in various contests, including the defense of Philadelphia during 1777. Polk was active at Brandywine during September 1777; however, he was not present at Germantown when General Nash was mortally wounded at the Battle of Germantown (4 October). At the time the battle erupted, Colonel Polk was en route from Trenton, New Jersey, to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in command of about 200 troops that escorted the train carrying heavy baggage and other items, including the bell that later became known as the Liberty Bell, which was removed to a safer location to prevent the British from melting it down for ammunition. Although Polk missed the fighting at Germantown, he did manage to spend the frigid winter of 1777–1778 at Valley Forge. Colonel Polk’s son William remained with the army, and during the melee at Germantown, he sustained a severe wound to the cheek. During June 1778, Colonel Polk was informed that Congress on 29 May had reorganized the

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regiments in his brigade: the 3rd Regiment was joined with the 1st, and his regiment, the 4th, was incorporated into the 2nd, thereby leaving him without a command. His request to be promoted to brigadier in place of the late General Francis Nash was rejected by North Carolina. Polk resigned, but Governor Richard Caswell refused to accept his resignation. Undaunted, on 26 June, Colonel Polk went directly to General Washington, who after spending a winter at Valley Forge with Polk had become familiar with his character. Afterward, Polk returned to North Carolina. Following the fall of Charleston on 12 May 1780, General Benjamin Lincoln, commander at Charleston, was succeeded by General Horatio Gates. Gates offered Colonel Polk the positions of commissarygeneral of North Carolina and the army’s commissary of purchase. Colonel Polk accepted both; however, the relationship between Polk and Gates was less than amicable. Gates attempted to have Polk disciplined because of his “conduct.” Afterward, Polk offered his resignation. Meanwhile, General Gates sustained a devastating defeat at Camden on 16 August 1780, which terminated his military career. Later, on 15 September 1780 at Hillsborough, Colonel Polk was appointed commissary superintendent (Salisbury District). This appointment by the Board of War increased pressure of Polk, as he used his own credit to acquire supplies. The British seized control of Charlotte on the 26th and the commander, General Lord Charles Cornwallis, selected a choice, well-attended property to establish his headquarters, a finely painted home known as the White House, the only painted home in the town. It was the residence of Colonel Polk. In the case of Cornwallis, possession was 10 ⁄10ths of the law. The British gentleman stripped the house of anything of value for himself. Afterward, Patriots under Colonels Isaac Shelby and William Campbell pummeled the Loyalists under Patrick Ferguson at Kings Mountain on 7 October 1780. Polk, after learning of the victory, noted in a letter: “In a few days we will be in Charlotte, and I will take possession of my house and his lordship [Cornwallis] take the woods.” Cornwallis abandoned Charlotte on 14 October 1780 and moved to Wynnsborough (Winnsboro), South Carolina. On 1 February 1781, General William Davidson was killed at Cowan’s Ford, North Carolina. North Carolina field officers during early March requested of General Nathanael Greene (Gates’ successor) that Colonel Polk take his place. Polk was then commissioned as a brigadier general; however, the governor and the North Carolina assembly failed to affirm his appointment and instead, appointed Colonel Polk as colonel-commandant. Colonel Polk refused the rank, but he remained in his position until May of 1781, when Colonel Matthew Locke accepted the post. At that time, Polk retired from the service and returned to resume his private life. Colonel Polk was elected to the Continental Congress during 1786, but he did not take his seat. Colonel Thomas Polk died in during 1793. He was interred at Charlotte in the cemetery of the First Presbyterian Church. General Thomas Polk’s son Thomas was killed during the fighting at Eutaw Springs on 8 September 1781. His son William was the father of Bishop (General) Leonidas Polk of the Confederate States of America. His son Ezekiel died at sea. Colonel Ezekiel Polk of South Carolina, the brother of Colonel Thomas Polk, became the grandfather of U.S. President James Knox Polk (eleventh president, 1845–1849). President Polk was the son of Samuel and Jane Knox Polk.

Pomeroy, Major General Seth Seth Pomeroy, the son of Ebenezer and Sarah King Pomeroy, was born in the village of Northampton, Massachusetts, on 20 May 1706. At the time of his birth, Britain had been at war with France and Spain (War of Spanish Succession), but the conflict spread to America, where the French Catholics in Canada were engaged against the New England Protestants (Queen Ann’s War). The conflagration continued until 1713. Seth entered the world during a period of turbulence and

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as a New Englander, it became a way of life with frequent hostilities with either the French or the Indians. Seth’s mother was the daughter of Captain John King, one of the initial settlers of Northampton; one of the streets in Northampton was named in his honor. Seth’s father was a descendant of Eltweed, the initial member of the Pomeroy family to immigrate to America. He and his second wife, Margery Rockett, and their son, Eldad, an infant, arrived during 1730 and established their residence in Dorchester and later relocated in Windsor, Connecticut, where their son Medad (grandfather of Seth) was born. Other colonists that arrived with the Pomeroy family aboard the vessel Mary and John included several Puritan ministers, Roger Clapp, Lt. William Clark and John Strong. Seth’s great-grandfather, Eldad, spent his later years living with his son Medad, who had moved to Northampton. Medad’s son, Ebenezer, the father of Seth, served in the military and participated in King William’s War (1689–1697), and he served during Queen Ann’s War (1702–1713). Seth’s father was an expert gunsmith and through him, Seth continued the tradition, which began with the first ancestor that arrived in America. Seth became recognized as the finest gunsmith in the region. His abilities as a gunsmith were equaled by his skills as a marksman, the latter usually guaranteeing a successful hunting trip in the mountains where bear, deer and turkeys roamed in large numbers, along with wolves and other wild animals. As his reputation grew, Northampton became a place for even Canadians and Indians (Five Nations) to arrive with their furs to trade for Seth’s precision-made weapons. Equally important, Seth’s ability with a musket became a great asset during periods of hostilities, not an unusual occurrence. On 14 December 1732, Seth married Mary Hunt, the daughter of Jonathan and Mary Williams Hunt. They had the following children (in alphabetical order): Ashael; Lemuel; Martha (married the Rev. Bulkley Olcott of Charlestown, N.H.); Mary (married Levi Sheperd of Hartford); Medad (later became a physician); Quartos; Sarah (also Sally, married Abraham Burbank); and Seth (reverend, married a daughter of Governor Jonathan Law of Connecticut). In addition, Seth and Mary had a son who died while still an infant. Seth Pomeroy’s mechanical ability was not confined to weapons, and although he was a gun maker, a hunter and a soldier, he was also deeply religious and of Puritan stock. During 1740 at his church, he was paid 40 shillings to take care of a huge clock that stood conspicuously in the steeple. He clock was kept operating by hoisting up the weights manually, hand over hand, with the weights directly overhead. Seth escaped unscathed, but many years later, during 1812, a man in training hoisted the weights and the rope severed, causing one of the weights to descend directly on the trainee and kill him. Pomeroy had also joined the militia, and by 1744, he held the rank of captain. The following year, Seth received a commission as a major. In command of about twenty other “smiths” during the campaign against the French at Louisbourg, Nova Scotia, Pomeroy had the task of reworking the captured cannon which the French had spiked to put them back into operational condition; however, Major Pomeroy’s troops were not confined to repairing cannon. They were also heavily engaged with the enemy. At one point, Major Pomeroy received a letter from his wife, Mary, in which she informed him that the entire town was holding prayer session for their safety. After conveying the message of the prayers to his men, He underscored it, stating, “Fight my brave boys, for the whole town is moved with concern and our fathers and mothers are holding prayer-meetings every night. Fight, for the Lord is on our side! Who shall be against us? And to Him, more than to any other, is due the fall of that great fortress.” Although the letters exchanged between Seth Pomeroy and his wife are known to be few, unlike those of John and Abigail Adams, some have been preserved and they flow with a deep sense of emotion and faith. An example of their love for one another was expressed by Seth on 8 May 1745 while outside of Louisbourg:

My dear wife, if it be the will of God, I hope to see your pleasant face again, but if God in his sovereign Providence has ordered it otherwise, I hope to have a glorious meeting with you in the Kingdom of Heaven, where there are no wars, nor fatiguing marches, no roaring cannon, nor screeching Bomb shells, nor long campaigns but an eternity to spend in peace and perfect harmony. My duty to my Father and Mother. Love to Brothers and Sisters. Love unspeakable to my Dear Wife and Loving and Dutiful children. This is the prayer of him that is your loving husband. Seth Pomeroy.

In response, Mary wrote: My heart is with you; my soul distressed and much pained for you. May God be my support, in whose Hands is the breath of life and the soul of all living. May God enable me to trust His goodness and faithfulness and rely on his every mercy till the evil be passed and Divine gales blow a heavenly calm. My dear Husband, suffer no anxious thought to rest in your mind about me, your tender offspring or business at home. We are in a Christian Land, daily experiencing Divine favor, neighbors and friends ready on all occasion to afford assistance when needed or required. I am in health, and also the family at present. No evil at any time hath occurred since your departure.

The campaign succeeded and Louisbourg fell to the English-Colonial forces. On 12 July 1745, at Cape Breton, Major Pomeroy made the final entry in the journal he had maintained during the campaign. He noted what he had while dining with the general: “First, a good plum pudding, boiled pork, beef, herbs, two large fat roast pigs, and salmon and boiled butter plenty....” Following the conclusion of hostilities, Major Pomeroy returned to his family and resumed his private life. But later, yet again, he was called to duty with the outbreak of the French and Indian War. During 1755, Pomeroy, with the rank of lieutenant colonel, served in the regiment commanded by Colonel Ephraim Williams during the campaign led by Sir William Johnson against Crown Point. Colonel Williams was killed during the fighting at Lake George on 8 September 1755, and upon his death, Colonel Pomeroy assumed command of the regiment. The French commander, Baron Dieskau, was wounded during the contest and captured by the British. Seth’s brother, Lt. Daniel Pomeroy, was one of the fatalities of the battle. And it was Pomeroy’s regiment that played the key part in the victory as well as sustaining a high amount of casualties. While Seth Pomeroy was away, his father continued to operate the Old Red Tavern, and during 1759, he had charges lodged against him by Joseph Hawley, who said Ebenezer Pomeroy “was guilty of misrule and disorder, for suffering sundry couples of the two sexes to dance and revel in his house.” Nevertheless, the tavern continued in operation and upon the death of Ebenezer, Seth’s brother Daniel inherited the tavern. At the time of the complaints of Hawley, even at the meeting house women were forbidden to sit with their husbands. After the seizure of Louisbourg, Colonel Pomeroy once again returned to his home to resume his personal life; however, his sense of duty to the country continued to intensify despite his advancing years. Following the termination of the French and Indian War, the colonists continued to have conflicts with the hostile Indians until about 1763, but Colonel Pomeroy was not actively involved. The province, aware of his military experience and skills, used Pomeroy to supervise the building of defensive forts along the province’s frontier, but the task also involved building roads through the wilderness through Berkshire County leading toward Albany. The Pomeroy family operated the Pomeroy Tavern on Main Street, where the Draper Hotel later stood. The Catholic Church, St. Mary of the Assumption, was built during the 1840s either on or near the residence where Seth Pomeroy was born. The tavern was also the residence of General Pomeroy. After the death of General Pomeroy, his son Asahel operated the tavern as a public house. It burned down during 1792, but Asahel rebuilt it and expanded

345 it by adding a hall; later dancing schools operated there. Dancing was not well received during the colonial period and was permitted only at certain festivities, including weddings, but later the pub became the Warner House and had dance instructors. The business operated until 1807. Meanwhile, when the signals of open rebellion began to reverberate throughout New England in response to the policies of the Crown and Parliament, Colonel Pomeroy was solidly on the side of the Patriots. During 1774, Colonel Pomeroy became a member of the committee of safety and that same year, continuing into 1775, he was a member of the Provincial Congress. According to the Records of the Provincial Congress (Vol. 1, p. 24), In addition, on 27 October 1774, the body appointed Colonel Seth Pomeroy as the senior ranking officer in the Army of Massachusetts with the rank of major general. General Pomeroy was not one known for embellishing his own importance. He very rarely used the title. It is generally reported that General Pomeroy was commissioned as a brigadier general during February 1775. To further confuse the historical record, later the Continental Congress appointed Pomeroy as the first brigadier general in the Continental Army and afterward, in Northampton, he was still referred to as Colonel Pomeroy, even after his death. On a memorial plaque in his honor at the grave site of his wife, he is noted as Colonel Seth Pomeroy. During 1775, he was engaged in preparing the colony for war and spent much time working with General Artemus Ward in and about Cambridge. On 23 April 1775, the Provincial Congress ordered the establishment of a large army and resolved “that an army to serve throughout the year and numbering 13,600 men be organized at once.” The following month, the congress commissioned Artemus Ward as commander-in-chief, successor to Jedediah Preble, who retired. The congress also appointed John Thomas a surgeon as lieutenant general; however, Major General Pomeroy retained his rank as Massachusetts’ senior major general. On 16 June 1775, Congress authorized the military ranks of major generals and brigadier generals. Colonel Pomeroy was selected as one of eight brigadiers, and with the commission he received command of the 1st Continental Regiment. John Thomas, also of Massachusetts, was appointed brigadier general of the 6th Regiment. Some squabbles occurred regarding seniority and General Thomas, a surgeon, proclaimed that he should have ranked higher. Meanwhile, General Pomeroy chose to decline the appointment, claiming his age as the reason. Shortly thereafter the ominous war clouds had gathered over Bunker Hill and when hostilities became imminent, General Pomeroy, on 16 June after learning of British intent, disregarded his earlier claim of old age and immediately moved to join the fight. Pomeroy saddled a horse on the night of the 16th and rode throughout the night along the Bay Road stretching from Northampton to Charlestown. He was compelled to change horses twice before he reached General Ward’s positions at Framingham and once there, he borrowed one of Ward’s horses to finish the marathon journey. When Colonel Pomeroy approached Bunker Hill, he also saw and heard shells from British warship guns as they catapulted shots along his route of advance and upon American lines. The thought of losing General Ward’s horse to enemy fire caused him to abort the ride short of the American lines. General Pomeroy transferred the horse to one of the nearby troops with orders to return the horse to General Ward. He clasped his musket and took off on foot about noon on the 17th, oblivious to the dangers of the enemy fire. General Pomeroy got through the enfilade unscathed with no one surprised more than General Putnam, who bellowed: “You here Pomeroy? God! I believe a cannon would wake you if you slept in your grave.” General Pomeroy was offered command by Putnam, but he declined and joined the line with a contingent of troops from Connecticut that

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were deployed along a fence. Despite the exhausting ride and the ongoing battle, the spirits of General Pomeroy were at a pinnacle and his vision seemed impeccably perfect as he spotted Major John Pitcairn (according to tradition) among the sea of Redcoats. Shortly thereafter, sharpshooters found their target and Major Pitcairn, the British commander at Lexington during the previous April, was seen falling from his horse after having been struck by a fatal blow. Pomeroy was not just an aged Patriot willing to fight. Once on the line, his marksmanship of his earlier days became an asset. Many knew him, and others knew of him and his flawless reputation. Suddenly the name General Pomeroy was being passed along the line as of the men at the fence and his musket fire was equal to any there. British fire came close to liquidating General Pomeroy. A shot rang out that would have wounded him, if not slain him, but the ball struck his musket and knocked it out of action. Soon after the troops deployed with General Pomeroy, like most of the other defenders in and about Breed’s Hill, they had exhausted their ammunition and were in the process of withdrawing. Pomeroy, unwilling to quit, bolted from his position onto the ramparts and cried out: “Don’t run boys! Don’t run! Club them with your muskets as I do. No enemy shall ever say he saw the back of Seth Pomeroy.” The lack of ammunition; however, did compel everyone including Pomeroy to retire, but the British who took the field paid a tremendous price. It was the last time for the duration of the war that the British would mount a frontal attack against American defenses. General Pomeroy fought at Breed’s Hill (Bunker Hill) as a volunteer in the ranks and not as a general officer. He was the only soldier from Northampton to participate. For the general it was both a glorious and an exhausting day, with the cheers of his fellow defenders boosting his morale. Following the Battle of Bunker Hill, General Pomeroy returned to his home. The Provincial Congress had other thoughts about General Pomeroy’s retirement. Pomeroy’s retirement became semi-retirement as the Provincial Congress, while at Watertown, Massachusetts, informed General Pomeroy that “under his former commission as Major-General” he was to organize troops and instill discipline while teaching them to drill and supply reinforcements. His activity in regard to those duties was acknowledged by the Provincial Congress and the Continental Congress. After the British abandoned Boston on 17 March 1776, the Continental Army prepared to engage the British at New York, but British power proved too much for the American forces. Washington continued to rally the troops to forestall the ultimate defeat, and in the meantime, the British continued to pressure the Americans. Nonetheless, General George Washington evaded multiple disasters and managed to hold the army together without being drawn into a major battle as the army fled across the Delaware River from New Jersey into Pennsylvania during the latter part of 1776. On 26 December, the Americans stunned the British by re-crossing the river to seize Trenton. Washington followed that success by striking another severe blow against the British at Princeton on 3 January 1777. Meanwhile, he had made urgent calls for additional reinforcements. General Pomeroy received the word and immediately began to form a contingent. Pomeroy’s contingent on the march to General Washington by about mid–January. The column advanced to Peekskill, New York, which became the gallant general’s final duty station. While along the Hudson at Peekskill, General Seth Pomeroy fell ill from pleurisy, which quickly became fatal while he was in St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, which at the time was utilized as a hospital for sick and wounded soldiers. He died in the hospital on 19 February 1777. General Pomeroy’s wife, Mary, succumbed shortly after on 11 September 1777. General Pomeroy was given a military funeral and was interred in the church’s cemetery at Van Cortlandtville near Peekskill; however, no details of the interment were maintained and his exact grave site has never been discovered.

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About one week before his death, in one of his frequent letters to his wife, Mary, he wrote: “I go on cheerfully, for I am sure the cause we are engaged in is just, and the call I have to it is clear, and the call of God. With that assurance, who could not go cheerfully and confront every danger.” The words were later inscribed on his monument in Peekskill. General Seth Pomeroy, the initial brigadier of the Continental Army, who faithfully served his country over a stretch of nearly forty years passed into the shadows of history, with no grave marker. He was described as a “resolute, God-fearing man, and very daring. Honors and public trusts were showered upon him. He exemplified all the virtues of an honest man and a Christian soldier.” Mrs. Mary Pomeroy was interred at the old burying ground in Northampton and alongside of her grave, a memorial stands to honor her husband’s memory. The cemetery also holds the remains of about 130 soldiers who fought in the Revolution, and from the American Civil War (War of the Rebellion), about two hundred veterans were interred there. At West Point, in the chapel, General Pomeroy is named on the first memorial tablet, first in the line of brigadier generals. In 1898, although the exact location of his grave was unknown, descendants of the general in coordination with the Sons of the Revolution of New York erected a monument in his honor and memory.

Poor, Brigadier General Enoch Enoch Poor was born to Thomas and Mary Adams Poor in Andover, Massachusetts, on 21 June 1736. Enoch’s mother was the daughter of Abraham and Ann Longfellow Adams. His father, Thomas, was one of nineteen children born to Daniel and Mehitable Osgood Poor. Enoch’s parents, who were married during April 1734, had eleven children: Thomas (b. July 1732); Mary (b. April 1734); Stephen (b. August 1735); Enoch (b. 1736–1737); Ann (b. July 1738); Daniel (b. September 1740); Abraham (b. February 1742); Sarah (b. January 1744); Susee (b. November 1745); Joseph (died young) and Joseph (b. November 1748). Enoch spent his early life on the family farm and was basically selfeducated; however, he had a natural talent for woodworking. During the French and Indian War, Enoch’s father served during the siege of Louisbourg. Both Enoch, as a private, and his older brother Thomas, the latter as a captain, also entered the service during 1755. They participated in that conflict under General John Winslow and in the campaign to control Acadia in Nova Scotia. About 1760, Enoch relocated to Exeter, New Hampshire, where he entered the shipbuilding industry. Afterward, he returned to Andover and married Martha Osgood, the daughter of Colonel John Osgood. Enoch and Martha had three daughters, Martha (or Patty), Harriet and Mary. Enoch, although having entered the military as a private, was on his way up the promotional scale by the time the hostilities with Britain were erupting. During 1775, Enoch was elected to two of the provincial congresses. As word of the fighting spread quickly into New Hampshire, John Stark enlisted a large number of men and sped to aid the Patriots in Massachusetts. Two New Hampshire regiments were in motion, with Stark as colonel in command of one regiment composed of fourteen companies and James Reed commanding the other. Both were placed under the temporary authority of the Provincial Congress of Massachusetts. The New Hampshire convention opened on 17 May at Exeter and on the 20th it decided to form a brigade consisting of 2,000 men. Complications developed when the convention selected Captain Nathaniel Folsom as colonel of one of the regiments, while simultaneously appointing him brigadier general of the New Hampshire militia. The convention authorized the two regiments that were already active in Massachusetts, and in the process, appointed Captain James Reed and Enoch Poor as colonels of those two regiments. Colonel Stark was left out of the selection and he was responsible for enlisting a large amount of the volunteers who sped to Massachusetts. Stark, stung by discovering a captain had been placed in a superior

position, remained with his command at Medford, but when he was directed by Folsom to report to him, the directive was ignored. Stark claimed he was not under Folsom’s authority. Afterward, he did respond to the convention to appear in person, but their solution to switch Poor to lieutenant colonel under Folsom and give him command of the 2nd Regiment was not to his liking. He returned to his command at Cambridge, but he never acknowledged Folsom as brigade commander. The dilemma ended when Folsom was elected to the Continental Congress. Stark succeeded Folsom in command of the New Hampshire forces. Colonels John Stark, Enoch Poor and James Reed were appointed colonels of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd New Hampshire regiments, respectively, with Stark holding command of all forces. At that time, it was decided to construct two posts, Fort Washington and Fort Sullivan in the vicinity of the Narrows on the Piscataqua River. To augment the defenses, the Patriots were to string a boom across the Narrows; however, the boom project was unsuccessful, prompting the defenders to purposely sink a vessel to block passage of British warships. Poor’s appointment as colonel of the 2nd New Hampshire Regiment terminated his earlier career as an enlisted man. From that point, Poor remained in command of either a regiment or a brigade, which was a great accomplishment, considering his limited military experience. Following the clashes at Lexington and Concord on 19 April 1775, troops from New Hampshire remained in Massachusetts; however, only the contingents of Colonels John Stark and James Reed, the 1st and 3rd New Hampshire Regiments respectively, were at Bunker Hill during June 1775. Colonel Poor’s 2nd Regiment was directed to defend the coast and the area in the vicinity of Portsmouth and Exeter. Later, Colonel Poor’s regiment participated in the ill-fated Canadian expedition led by Major General Richard Montgomery, and following the devastating defeat at Quebec City on 31 December, Poor’s command was part of the retreating force that arrived back at Ticonderoga. At the Battle of Quebec City, General Montgomery was killed and Colonel Benedict Arnold sustained a severe wound. On 1 January 1776, Congress re-designated the New Hampshire regiments that had been raised the previous year. Stark’s 1st Regiment became the 5th, Reed’s 3rd Regiment became the 2nd and Enoch Poor’s 2nd became the 8th Continental Regiment. The remnant Canadian expeditionary force made it back to Crown Point, with the British in pursuit. On 7 July 1776, Generals Horatio Gates and Philip Schuyler, despite opposition from Colonels Stark, Poor and other line officers, concluded that Crown Point was to be evacuated and the forces were to redeploy at Ticonderoga. At the time of the decision, Gates had superseded General John Sullivan as commander of the army in Canada. The evacuation began that day following a contentious war council. On 21 February 1777, Colonel Poor was promoted to the rank of brigadier general and afterward ordered to join with General George Washington. But, soon after, Poor’s orders directed him to repair to Ticonderoga. While at Ticonderoga, General John Burgoyne was on the advance and General Arthur St. Clair, on 5–6 July, ordered the post abandoned. Inquiries were held by Congress and General Philip Schuyler was relieved of command, but later cleared of any wrongdoing. The British gave pursuit of the retreating army, but despite some success against the rear guard, the progress was halted after the British were repelled at the Battle of Hubbardton, Vermont, on 7 July. Colonel John Stark handily repulsed a contingent of Burgoyne’s army at the Battle of Bennington on 16 August 1777. Stark, upon learning of the promotion of general officers, including General Poor, over him caused Stark to resign from the army. He had returned to fight with the militia; however, later during October of 1777, he resumed service in the army with the stipulation that it would be only for the defense of Vermont. Meanwhile, with the failure to get supplies at Bennington, Burgoyne’s

347 force was having extra difficulties. During September 1777, the British were repulsed at the First Battle of Saratoga and Poor’s brigade participated. During October that year, Burgoyne’s campaign to plunge ahead from Ticonderoga through Saratoga to link up with British General William Howe came to an abrupt and disastrous end. General Poor’s brigade played a key role in the defeat of Burgoyne, which brought about the surrender of his entire army after the Second Battle of Saratoga (7 October). During that battle, General Horatio Gates had been the overall commander, but he never left his headquarters. General Benedict Arnold and the other field officers carried the stunning victory. Subsequent to the victory, General Poor’s command was ordered to depart and join with General Washington. Poor’s brigade wintered at Valley Forge (1777–1778). On 5 January 1778, Congress appointed the Rev. Israel Evans as chaplain to Poor’s brigade. In February 1778, British General Howe resigned and was replaced as commander in America by General Henry Clinton during May of 1778. The next month, the British evacuated Philadelphia, and Washington’s forces entered the city while some contingents gave pursuit. General Poor’s brigade, similarly to their service at Saratoga, played a key part in the Battle of Monmouth, the final major battle in the northern states, which occurred on the 28 June 1778. The next year General Poor’s brigade participated in General John Sullivan’s expedition against the Indians to retaliate for the atrocities executed in Cherry Valley, New York, and other places stretched along the frontier that were devastated by Loyalists under Major Walter Butler (son of John Butler) and his Indian allies led by Chief Joseph Brant. The combined forces of General Sullivan and James Clinton that vanquished the enemy at the Battle of Newton (Chemung) on 29 August 1779 included the brigades of Generals Hand, Maxwell and Poor. General Poor had been ordered to seize a strategic hill and after two hours of tenacious combat, the brigade succeeded while the enemy disengaged and retired. Subsequent to the campaign against the Six Nations, Poor’s service was centered in New Jersey under the command of General Marquis de Lafayette. During August 1780, the Continental Army formed a corps of light infantry, which was to be composed of two brigades, those of Generals Hand and Poor. Nevertheless, the following month, General Enoch Poor was stricken by a fatal fever, which took his life on 13 September 1780, while he was in Hackensack, New Jersey. General Poor’s funeral was a ceremony that included full military honors. It was described in a military journal as follows: “We are now lamenting the loss of Brigadier General Poor, who died last night of putrid fever. His funeral solemnities have been attended this afternoon. The corpse was brought this morning from Paramus, and left at a house about a mile from the burying yard at Hackensack, whence it was attended to the place of internment by the following procession: A regiment of light infantry in uniform with arms reversed; four field pieces; Major Lee’s regiment of light horse; General Hand and his brigade; the Major on horseback: two chaplains; the horse of the deceased, with his boots and spurs suspended from the saddle, led by a servant; the corpse borne by four sergeants” and the pall supported by six general officers. The coffin was of mahogany. A pair of pistols and two swords crossing each other, tied with black crape, was placed on the top. The corpse was followed by the officers of the brigade of light infantry which the deceased had lately commanded. Other officers fell in and were followed by General Washington and other general officers. “Having arrived at the burying yard, the troops opened to the right and left, resting on their arms reversed; and the procession passed to the grave (in the yard) of the First Reformed Dutch Church of Hackensack, where a short eulogy was given by Rev. Mr. Evans. A band of music with a number of drums and fifes played music with a number of drums played a funeral dirge, the drums were muffled with black crepe and the officers in the procession wore crepe around the left arm.”

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Congress on 14 September directed “that an extract of General Washington’s letter, mentioning the death of Brigadier General Poor, be referred to the Committee of Intelligence, and published as a testimony of the high sense Congress entertain of the merit and services of the said brigadier-general.” Various sources as far back as the nineteenth century attributed General Poor’s demise to a duel with a French officer and said the action was covered up to ensure that the French alliance was not severed. Nevertheless, there is no credible evidence to validate the story. During 1886, the Report of the Adjutant General of New Hampshire, Volume II, includes an entry on page 839 that states that General Poor died as a result from a duel with a French officer, and another prominent source, the Massachusetts Historical Society, published an article (Proceedings 19, pages 256–261) claiming that General Poor was killed in a duel with an officer from Massachusetts (Major John Porter). The article was submitted by the “Honorable Ellis Ames of Canton.” With the large number of officers and men present during his sickness and time of death, a cover-up of a duel would have been close to impossible. In addition, testimony was given by Captain Jeremiah Fogg, one of Poor’s assistants, and his statement was published in the New Hampshire Gazette on 15 January 1781. The testimony: “JEREMIAH FOGG, late Aid-du-Camp to Brigadier-Gen. POOR, deceased. testify that for some Months before his Death I lived with him, attended him constantly during his 1ast Sickness, until his Death, which I think was solely occasioned by a Bilious Fever, after thirteen Days Illness; that assisted in laying out his Corps, and did not perceive that he had ever been wounded, and never knew or suspected he had ever been engaged In any Duel; nor heard any such Report till some Weeks after his Death, it was mentioned to me In a Letter from New-Hampshire.” The oath was witnessed by William Parker, justice of the peace at Rockingham on 13 January 1781. Major Fogg was a 1768 graduate of Harvard. General Poor was survived by his wife and his three daughters. Martha (or Patty) married Bradbury Cilley, and Harriet married Jacob Cilley. Poor’s other daughter, Mary, married the Rev. John Cram of Exeter. The Cilley brothers were the sons of General Joseph and Sarah Longfellow Cilley. General Cilley was appointed major in Enoch Poor’s brigade during 1775. General Poor’s widow, Martha, remained in Exeter until her death during 1830, when she was about eighty-three years old.

Potter, Brigadier General James James Potter, the son of John and Martha (second wife) Potter, was born in Ireland during 1729. His parents resided in County Tyrone prior to immigrating to America aboard the vessel Donnegall in 1741. James’ parents came to America with his sister Isabella and her husband, John Hamilton. Tragedy struck after the ship landed in New Castle during September. Isabella died within a day of their arrival. Her husband and their only child, Catherine, settled with James’ family in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, about 1746. Catherine and James remained close through the years and for a while, after James’ father died, James along with his unmarried sisters and Catherine resided at James’ mother’s residence. Catherine married James Chambers, the son of Colonel Benjamin (founder of Chambersburg) and Sarah Patterson Chambers during 1768. In addition to James, John and Martha Potter had the following children: Samuel; Thomas; Margaret (married George Latimer); Anna (or Annas, married Alexander Young); Catherine (married James Carothers); Mary (married James Beard); Hannah (married John McMillan and afterward Thomas Robinson); and Isabella (Isabel). By 1750, Potter was appointed high sheriff of the county, serving into 1751. He was named to the post again in 1755. James’ father served in the militia during 1748 as a lieutenant in the company commanded by Captain George Brown (Colonel Benjamin Chambers’ regiment).

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During the French and Indian War, James, as a resident of Cumberland County, joined the militia in 1755 and received the rank of lieutenant. That year, General Edward Braddock sustained a terrible defeat outside of Fort Duquesne and during the fighting, he was slain. Afterward, Indians who were considered friendly to the British jumped to the side of the victorious French. By January 1756, John Armstrong had been appointed as a captain with command of a company in the 2nd Battalion (Provincial troops) and by the following May was promoted to lieutenant colonel. James Potter served under Armstrong as an ensign and James’ father also served with the rank of captain. James participated in the construction of blockhouses in the region that led from the Susquehanna River to the border with Maryland. Meanwhile, the Indians continued to launch raids that began to terrify many of the settlers. On 13 April 1758, the Bard family’s home was attacked and James’ brother, Thomas, was visiting at the time of the raid. The Bard family was seized and Thomas was murdered after the capture in the vicinity of Virginia Mills (Adams County, Pennsylvania). Two others rushed to aid, but they too were captured. Armstrong’s Kittanning Campaign began at Fort Shirley on 30 August 1756, and from there, the column composed of four companies under Captains Hance Hamilton, Mercer, Ward and Potter advanced to Kittanning. Armstrong’s strategy worked and the troops encroached the Indian stronghold without being detected. The victory brought about the Treaty of Eaton, which was consummated during 1757. Meanwhile, during 1756, Lieutenant James Potter was promoted to the rank of major and afterward he advanced to the rank of lieutenant colonel. When not in the military, Potter worked his farm and later became involved with those united against the policies of the Crown. Although Potter was not a permanent member of the militia, he was positioned to assemble troops when an emergency occurred, and one such incident was when Indians raided an undefended schoolhouse at Brown’s Mill on 26 July 1764 then murdered the teacher, Enoch Brown, and the children in the class. During the early part of the conflict, Potter relocated to Penn’s Valley (Northumberland, later Center County). By 1775, he attained the rank of full colonel in the militia, and by that time he was engaged in the opposition within the county (Northampton) to taxes and British over-involvement in the lives of the colonists. He became commander of the 2nd Battalion, Northumberland Associators, during January 1776. Colonel Potter attended the various meetings and became one of the prominent leaders of the Patriots in the county. During 1776, Colonel Potter was a delegate to the Provincial Congress that convened on 15 July 1776; however, his service to the cause leaned more heavily towards the military. He served with General George Washington’s forces that year when the British closed against Philadelphia, and his command fought at the Battle of Trenton on 26 December and at Princeton on 3 January 1777. Both were victories and the catalyst for the boost in morale of the Americans, who, prior to Trenton were reluctant to face Hessian troops. Following the engagement at Princeton, Washington, having great confidence in Potter, directed him to lead his command to Worth’s Mills to destroy the bridge there to impede any British advance; the task was completed. Shortly afterward, on 5 April 1777, Colonel Potter was one of four men appointed as Pennsylvania brigadier generals. The others were John Armstrong; John Cadwalader and Samuel Meredith, 1st, 2nd and 4th respectively. General Potter established what became known as Potter’s Fort southeast of Bellefonte (Penn’s Valley, Centre County near Logan’s Gap) after having been compelled to move from his original residence due to hostile Indian raids. Later, General Potter’s son operated a tavern (Old Fort Tavern) at the stockade protected fort. General Potter also participated in the defense of Philadelphia in 1777, including the hardfought contest at Brandywine during September and at Germantown

on 4 October, when victory had been gained until friendly fire struck General Greene’s column during an early morning fog and compelled the Americans to withdraw. Following the slug-fest at Germantown, the British moved back into Philadelphia while Washington prepared to establish quarters for the winter at Valley Forge. The British did attempt to intercept Washington and bushwhack his army at Matson’s Ford on the Schuylkill River, but intelligence gained by General Potter and given to Washington prevented disaster and yet again foiled a grand scheme of the British. The Continental Army then settled in at Valley Forge during what became wretched and frigid winter consumed with extreme hardships, while the British spent the winter in Philadelphia. However, the British had difficulty when foraging parties were sent out of the city, and they were unable to totally dominate the Delaware River, a must in order for them to remain permanently. On 16 June 1778, the British evacuated the city and headed for New York. At Monmouth, New Jersey, they were intercepted on 28 June. That night, while Washington prepared to reinitiate the battle on the following day, the British abandoned their positions. General Potter, however, was not a participant. Family matters, particularly the poor health of his wife, caused him to take a leave of absence while the army was at Valley Forge. During spring of 1778, Washington, while at Valley Forge, noted in a letter his sentiments concerning Potter: “If the state of General Potter’s affairs will admit of returning to the army, I shall be exceedingly glad to see him, as his activity and vigilance have been much wanted during the winter.” General Potter’s wife, Elizabeth Cathcart (sister of Doctor William Cathcart, surgeon of the 4th Dragoon Regiment), died after a prolonged illness. On the frontier, there was little help from the Continental Army or Congress to support the efforts against the Indians. During 1780, Indians attacked Buffalo valley, striking at Jacob Grozong’s mill. Four men were killed and one was scalped. The situation was one of desperation. Mathew Smith penned a letter at Northumberland on 18 May to the president of the Supreme Council of Pennsylvania, (governor) Joseph Reed, with an urgent appeal: “But, sir, unless some support can instantly be afforded, the State must shortly count one county less than formerly; which God forbid. I refer you, dear sir, to the bearer, General Potter, for further information, as he waits on horseback while I write these imperfect, distressing accounts. Provision, we have none; cash, none: nor can it be had in this place.” The call for help was not an isolated case along the frontier, and it was difficult for the Provincial Congress or the Continental Congress to spare troops. During 1781, General Potter became vice president of Pennsylvania, and during the following year, his rank was raised to major general. Subsequently, during 1784, he ran for the position of president, but he was defeated by General John Dickinson in a close race. Dickinson had not been a resident of Pennsylvania for about five years and was the governor of Delaware. During 1785, Potter was appointed deputy surveyor for Northumberland County. Later, he became an agent of a group of land speculators and was given responsibility of surveying and overseeing the settlement on land west of the Allegheny Mountains along the Sinhemahoning and West Branch. He also served as a justice of Northampton County, a post held until his death during 1789. At the time of his death, General James Potter owned a large amount of property. He was interred in the cemetery at Brown’s Mill, slightly south of Chambersburg, Franklin County. His grave site remains unknown; neither a monument nor stone marks the place where he was buried. General Potter and his first wife, Elizabeth Cathcart, had one child, a daughter named Elizabeth who married James Poe. Subsequent to the death of Elizabeth, General Potter married Mary Patterson, the daughter of Captain James and Mary Stewart Patterson and the widow of James Chambers (killed by Indians in the Juniata Valley). James and Mary had the following children: James (married Mary Brown); Mary (married George Riddles and afterward, William

349 McClellan); John Potter (died unmarried); Martha (married Senator Andrew Gregg); and Margaret (married Edward Crouch). Potter’s Old Fort, as it became known, later was McCoy’s Tavern and then the Old Fort Hotel. It is thought that General Potter’s father, John, married at least twice, with his first wife being Catherine Crozer of County Fennaugh, Ireland. James’ mother, Martha, was thought to have the maiden name Beard or Bard. Subsequent to the death of James’ father, his mother married Thomas Brown.

Preble, Brigadier General Jedediah Jedediah Preble, the son of Benjamin and Mary Baston Preble, was born in York, Maine, during 1707. Jedediah’s grandfather, Abraham Preble, was the first member of the Preble family to depart England for America. Jedediah’s mother was the daughter of Thomas Baston. His parents had five other children, and of the six, Jedediah was the youngest. Jedediah became a mariner during 1733. He married Martha Junkins, the daughter of Alexander Junkins, in March 1733 and they had five children: Jedidiah (married Avis Phillips); Samuel; John (married Sarah Frost); Lucy (married Jonathan Webb); and William (lost at sea). Jedediah’s career as a sailor apparently ended by 1746. On 5 June, Governor William Shirley commissioned him as a captain in a provincial regiment. About two years later, the family relocated in Falmouth (later Portsmouth). Jedediah’s wife, Martha, died prematurely in March 1753. Jedediah married again during May of 1754, taking Mehitable Bangs Roberts as his second wife. Mehitable was the daughter of Captain Joshua and Mehitable Clarke Bangs and the widow of John Roberts. From his marriage with Mehitable, seven children were born: Martha, Ebenezer, Edward, Enoch, Joshua, Martha and Statira. During the French and Indian War era, Jedediah Preble rose rapidly through the ranks, becoming a lieutenant colonel under General John Winslow in 1755 during the campaign to take Acadia (Nova Scotia). The next March, Preble was promoted to the rank of colonel, and then, on 12 March 1759, he was commissioned as a brigadier general by Governor Thomas Pownall. Later that year, the governor appointed General Preble commander of Fort Pownall (later Fort Point), recently built in the shape of a four-point star along the Penobscot at Wasaumkeag Point (present-day Stockton). Several years later, General Preble began to acquire land in the vicinity of the fort and other valuable land, including Androsse’s Island. In 1763, Preble was appointed as a justice of the peace and served in the legislature. That service was followed during 1773 by an appointment as councilor. Although Preble had been a brigadier general since 1759, he was commissioned a second time by the Provincial Congress on 27 October 1774. The provincial government offered him chief command as major general; however, giving his advanced age and poor health as his reason, he declined the promotion. The position of commander-in-chief of the Massachusetts forces passed to Artemus Ward. General Preble, however, did not retreat from the public scene. During August 1775, while at Cambridge, Preble conferred with General George Washington and General Israel Putnam, and he dined with Washington at his headquarters in the Vassal house (later Longfellow House). During 1776, General Preble was appointed to the committee of inspection and became a member of the Provincial Congress; he also served there during 1777. In 1778, he became a judge on the inferior court of common pleas (Cumberland County). Also, during June 1780, he was elected as councilor for the state of Maine and in September he was elected to the state Senate. Subsequent to the state having established a new constitution, he was again appointment as judge of inferior court. General Preble died in Falmouth (Portland) during 1784. During his lifetime, General Preble had become close friends with the Longfellow family and the relationship passed through the generations. Gen-

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eral Preble’s son, Edward, served during the Revolution; however, he later became the Commodore Preble, commander of the Constitution and prominent hero of the U.S. Navy during the Barbary Coast conflicts with the Muslim pirates from Tripoli and Algeria, the latter having demanded tribute from the U.S. when it was not in a position to refuse. “Preble’s Boys,” as they were known, proved too formidable for the pirates in 1804–1805. During the latter year, U.S. Marines seized Derne, Tripoli, to raise the Stars and Stripes for the first time over a captured fort in the Old World. Commodore Preble died during 1807. Another son, Captain Enoch Preble, became the father of Captain George Henry Preble, who won fame in the U.S. Navy during the Civil War.

Prescott, Brigadier General Oliver Oliver Prescott, the son of Benjamin and Abigail Oliver Prescott, was born in Groton, Massachusetts, on 27 April 1731. Benjamin and Abigail had five other children: William, Elizabeth, James, Lucy, and Katherine. Oliver received an excellent education, which included Harvard (class of 1750), where he studied medicine. After receiving his medical license, Oliver established a practice; however, in addition to becoming a doctor, he also had a deep concern for the colonies. In February 1756, Oliver married Lydia Baldwin, the daughter of David Baldwin. Oliver and Lydia had nine children. Oliver served in the military prior to the eruption of war with Britain and rose in rank from lieutenant to colonel. During 1776, Oliver Prescott was commissioned a brigadier general (Middlesex County) and was appointed to the board of war. In 1777, he was promoted to the rank of major general (third in seniority); then during 1781, General Prescott was elevated in seniority, becoming the second major general of Massachusetts. However, General Prescott held his commission only for a short period before he resigned from the service. General Prescott also served beginning in 1779 as judge of probate (Middlesex County), and he retained that post for the remainder of his life. After the war, General Prescott again became involved with the military when an insurrection that came to be called Shay’s Rebellion (1786–1787) broke out. General Oliver Prescott died on 17 November 1804 and was interred in Groton. (See also, Prescott, Colonel William.)

Prescott, Colonel William William Prescott, the son of Judge Benjamin and Abigail Oliver Prescott and brother of Brigadier General Oliver Prescott, was born in Groton, Massachusetts, on 20 February 1726. William was a greatgrandson of John and Mary Platts Prescott, natives of England who immigrated to America during the 1600s. John Prescott established the first grist mill in Lancaster, Massachusetts, and built a sawmill there, then later he established a grist mill at Groton. John Prescott’s family avoided extinction during 1676 after escaping the Indian raid and massacre that destroyed Lancaster, leaving it void of colonists for several years. The Prescotts returned to Lancaster during 1679 and John Prescott rebuilt what he had lost. Benjamin and Abigail had five children in addition to William, including Elizabeth, James, Oliver, Lucy, and Katherine. William Prescott first entered the military in 1755 during the French and Indian War; he served as a lieutenant and afterward a captain under General John Winslow. Prescott served with conspicuous heroism during the campaigns. Winslow noticed and made Prescott an offer to become an officer in the British army, but Prescott declined and instead chose to return to Massachusetts to resume his private life. There William married Abigail Hale and they had one son, William (later Judge William Prescott, married Catherine G. Hickling). Despite his service in the French and Indian War, Prescott sentiments were entirely on the side of the Patriots as the nation began to fall away from Britian because of the policies implemented by the king

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and Parliament against the colonies. He became a solid proponent of the Patriot cause. During 1774, following the repeated acts passed by Parliament that were deemed oppressive, Prescott was appointed a commander of a contingent of Minute Men, and during the following year, Colonel William Prescott led his command to Lexington to support the others that were prepared to intercept a British force en route to seize ammunition. However, like some other contingents, Prescott’s troops arrived too late and the British had already begun to retire to Boston. Following the skirmish at Lexington and Concord, Colonel Prescott marched to Cambridge and joined the provisional army, and most of the men in his contingent of Minute Men also agreed to join and serve under him. The Americans prepared for a British onslaught. Colonel Prescott, with a force of about 1,000 men, was directed to establish defensive positions at Bunker Hill at Charlestown. The troops advanced there on 16 June, and as it turned out, there was no time to spare. Upon arriving at Bunker Hill, the nearby terrain on Breed’s Hill was selected after it was concluded that the ground positions would be more tenable. Expeditiously, the men began digging and soon the breastworks and a redoubt were erected. All the while, the defenders maintained a watch on the British sentries to make sure that the operation had not been discovered. Late in the night of the 16th–17th, amid the British sentries repeatedly proclaiming, “All is well,” Colonel Prescott dispatched Major John Brooks (later governor of Massachusetts) to Cambridge to request that the idea of replacements for Prescott’s command be aborted, as his men had done the work and in his opinion deserved the honor to meet the enemy. Many of the reinforcements never arrived. However, Prescott’s command was up to the task. On the following day, 17 June 1775, the battle erupted with nearby British warships pounding the positions to support an all-out assault. After a cessation of the bombardment, the British executed a bold frontal attack. It was at the Battle of Bunker Hill that Colonel Prescott gave his famous order: “Don’t fire ’til you see the whites of their eyes.” The British, in their usual fashion, advanced expecting to effortlessly dislodge the rabble in the heights, but to their dismay, the fire from the American defenders punished the British greatly, with officers and enlisted men falling in rapid succession. The Patriots repelled an attack by General Howe and General Pigot, then they repulsed an attack by the forces of Generals Henry Clinton and William Howe on their left flank. By that time, the Americans had expended all of their ammunition and were forced to abandon the hill at 1730. The British finally took Breed’s Hill, but it was a Pyrrhic victory. The British sustained heavy losses with 1,050 casualties, including 476 killed. The British lost 90 officers, about 12 percent of the officer casualties of the entire war. After the battle, General Nathanael Greene stated: “I wish I could sell them another hill at the same price.” Colonel Prescott, one of the last to depart the positions, escaped unscathed, but General Joseph Warren was mortally wounded just as the battle was ending. The Americans sustained 140 killed, 270 wounded and 30 captured. The British never again launched a frontal attack against American fortifications. Prior to the attack, British General Thomas Gage spotted an American officer atop the defenses and inquired of Counselor Willard the man’s identity and whether he would fight. Gage got this response: “That is Colonel Prescott. He is an old soldier and will fight as long as a drop of blood remains in his veins.” Following the Battle of Breed’s Hill, Colonel Prescott remained in command of his regiment until December 1775. He participated in the siege of Boston. On 1 January 1776, upon reorganization of the Continental Army, Colonel Prescott became commander of the 7th Continental Infantry (Massachusetts Line) and retained command until 31 December of that year. Initially, Colonel Prescott joined for a period of eight months. After the fighting at Bunker Hill and the evacuation of Boston by

the British on 17 March 1776, Colonel Preston saw service in New York, and for a while he commanded the garrison on Governor’s Island until the evacuation of New York. On about 10 December, Colonel Prescott’s regiment moved into New Jersey, advanced as far as Hackensack Bridge, and by the 16th, the unit was back at Peekskill. During January of 1777, Prescott’s regiment under General Heath advanced to Kings Bridge, but the operation was aborted and Heath was directed to return to the Highlands. Colonel Prescott in the meantime resigned, and command of the regiment passed to Lt. Colonel Robinson. After relinquishing command, Colonel Prescott returned to his home. During the campaign against British General John Burgoyne, Colonel Prescott headed for New York and participated in the Saratoga campaign as a volunteer. Following the surrender of Burgoyne’s army during October 1777, Colonel Prescott again returned to his home (Pepperell) and saw no further service during the war. He did, however, get elected to the Massachusetts legislature and served a few terms there; he was also a selectman and a magistrate. When Shay’s Rebellion erupted during 1786–1787, Colonel Prescott again took up arms to participate in the protection of the courts at Concord. Colonel William Prescott died on 13 October 1795. His widow, Abigail, survived him for about eighteen years. A statue of Colonel Prescott was unveiled at Bunker Hill during 1881. At a ceremony on 17 June 1875 on the 100th year celebration of the Battle of Bunker Hill, one of the honored guests was General William Sherman. During his speech, General Sherman essentially closed all doubts as to who commanded at Bunker Hill. Sherman credited Generals Putnam and Warren for their participation; but he said Colonel Prescott was the commander, and that he “was the only one who exercised the functions of a commander throughout the day.” As with other colonial Patriot families, there was dissension on the issue of breaking from the mother country. Colonel Prescott’s sister, Elizabeth, married Colonel Abijah Willard, who sided with the Loyalists. Willard was compelled to flee to Nova Scotia when the British army abandoned Boston in March 1776. In 1778, he was banished from the colonies. (See also, Prescott, Brigadier General Oliver.)

Pulaski, Brigadier General (Count) Casimir Casimir Pulaski, the son of Josef Pulaski, an affluent lawyer and chief magistrate of Warech, was born in Poland in 1747. He attended school in Warsaw; however, at the time, Poland was ripe for domination by the Russians. During 1763, Augustine III, king of Poland, succumbed, and with no heir, Catherine the Great capitalized on the situation by collaborating with Austria and Prussia to dominate the Poles before they could choose a new king. While the electoral diet was in session and before a choice had been made, Catherine sent in troops and installed one of her past lovers, Stanilislaus Poniatowsky, as king. He reigned as King Stanislaus Augustus. However, Stanilaus was merely a puppet of the queen. Catherine’s ambassador was actually the person who ruled Poland from behind the scenes. Casimir’s father, one of the members of the diet, chose to form an army to oust the enemies of Poland who were oppressing the citizens. He along with a military expert named Krasinsky laid out a plan during 1768 to instigate the rebellion. The elder Count Pulaski was a member of the nobility and a staunch Polish patriot who also held enormous tracts of land. Pulaski and Krasinski departed Warsaw separately. Pulaski rendezvoused with Krasinski at one of his nearby estates with his three sons and one nephew, then presented the details of his plan to oust the intruders and gain freedom for his countrymen. While explaining the plan, Josef also emphasized the great task ahead and the many dangers attached to attempting to form an army against such a powerful force. Nevertheless, the combination of their love of country and the thought of adventure and glory seemed to override any negative aspects of waging a war for independence. Pulaski’s sons and nephew eagerly joined in the cause.

351 At the time, Casimir was about 21 years old. Josef dispatched his two older sons, Casimir and Francis, on separate missions. Francis was to gallop from estate to estate to inform the nobility of what was unfolding, while Casimir was sent to enlist several hundred Cossack volunteers. Once the cavalry was formed, Casimir was to lead the force to the southern part of Poland to join up with his father and Krasinsky. Josef departed separately with his youngest son after informing his wife of his mission and saying goodbye. Josef journeyed to Leopold and met Krasinski. Casimir had only a little military experience from when he served at the castle of Mittau at the time the Russians arrived in the city of Warsaw. On 29 February 1768, Count Pulaski and a small group of eight held a meeting in which Pulaski, his three sons, his nephew and others consummated the pact known as the Confederation of Barr. The pact was the first of many similar agreements that came about during the four years the Poles attempted to evict the Russians. A large number of men in that region also agreed to join with the cause. Krasinski was named marshal of the confederation and Count Josef Pulaski was named marshal of the troops. A monastery at Berdichef built like a fortress was sympathetic to the cause and one of the monks, Father Mark, actually moved from place to place carrying a banner and calling men to join the fight. Word was sent to the district instructing some nobles to suppress the insurrectionists, but those charged with the task joined the cause, and after a while the confederates’ numbers grew to about 8,000 men. Despite his lack of military credentials, Casmir Pulaski had become a skilled horseman and he had a natural ability, despite his youth, for leadership. Nevertheless, as is often the case under such circumstances, the nobles were not all serious about raising resistance. Consequently, those who did form the confederacy lacked total unity and those not in alliance hindered the cause for various reasons, including fear of such momentous action and by some jealousy. Without unanimity success could not be achieved. Count Pulaski fared well in several confrontations, but was forced to flee to Moldavia. Later, Pulaski, who also outwitted his foe frequently, was captured for a time and then released on parole, but he ignored the terms due to coercion and joined with his father. Later, his father moved back into Poland and was soon after betrayed. He agreed to meet with another noble to solve the problems between various confederates, but it was a trap and he was seized and imprisoned in a dungeon, where he remained until his death. His three sons, primarily Francis and Casimir, took over leadership of the rebellion with a strong dose of vengeance in their hearts, but the cause remained insurmountable. The confederates established fortifications along the Niester for the winter of 1768–1769, and Casimir anticipated deliveries of supplies that never arrived. Meanwhile, the Russian army mobilized during spring of 1769 and moved toward the Niester. Francis defended a point at Zwaniek that dominated the river at a crossing point that led to Choczim, Turkey, the latter having been an ally of the Poles, but one that did not intervene as expected. Francis appealed to the bashaw, but in vain. He was afCasimir Pulaski (Pictorial Field Book terward seized. Casimir continued to lead of the Revolution, Benson J. Lossing, the remaining opposition and 1860)

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carry the withering banner of freedom from his position at the fortress along the Niester, Okope, which had natural barriers including the river and a towering cliff. The Russians initiated an assault, but the trapped Poles in response to Casimir descended a nearly impassable path leading down to the river. En route Russian artillery commenced firing and at the foot of the path, Russians were posted, but Pulaski instructed his men to give a familiar Turkish yell as they neared the enemy. Meanwhile, the screams of the galloping horsemen were misinterpreted. The Russians believed they were coming under attack by the Turks and it confused them. The Poles galloped out of the reach of the Russians before they discovered the ruse. The Russians had been much less successful against Casimir Pulaski, who was able to best them frequently on the battlefield. Meanwhile Poland continued to be plundered by the Russians at a great cost of lives to Poland’s freedom fighters. The Russians at one point closed against the rear guard of Pulaski’s force, but he returned in time to hear a Russian officer demand of a captive, “Where is Pulaski?” The response came directly from the source: “Here I am!” Pulaski killed the Russian and continued the harrowing retreat. Later, Pulaski arrived at Sambor, and to his surprise, he discovered his brother Francis was there with his forces, ending speculation that he had been killed. After being rejoined, their jubilation was greatly diminished when they learned that their father died in prison. The combined force, which now included about 400 Turks gathered by Francis, moved to Lithuania and from there it was en route to Hungary when Russians attacked. Erroneous information about the death of Casimir was received by Francis, who was at the head of the column. He sped to the rear, but his story ended there. No contact with him was ever made after he was captured and taken to Russia. Casimir’s younger brother also remained as a prisoner of the Russians. Casimir and his small force made it to Hungary. In August 1770, with a rebuilt army, he moved from the mountains with intent to attack Warsaw. The Russians learned of his movement and advanced to intercept the Poles, but the wily commander marched instead against Cracow, dominated by King’s Guards and Russian troops. Pulaski advanced into the city and seized an entire regiment of the Guards, but to his surprise, the captives were anxious to oppose the fraudulent sovereign by joining Pulaski’s force. Meanwhile, the Russians formed and gave pursuit, but in vain as once again the elusive king of Polish cavalry outsmarted his foes and escaped harm. Pulaski advanced to the formidable monastery at Czenstokow, which contained yet another band of Catholic monks, but these were not favorable to either side and were fighting to protect their treasure. The Russians had the monks under siege as Pulaski was nearing the fortress, but upon word of his advance, the Russians abandoned their positions. Once the monks were confident that Pulaski was not after their treasure, most probably collected from pilgrims for ages, they were happy to accept him and especially the protection he would afford the monastery. Coincidentally, at the same time, the pope’s nuncio was in the monastery and when Casimir requested his benediction, both the monks and the troops were mesmerized. While at the monastery, Pulaski fortified the already near-invulnerable mountain fortress and dispatched his cavalry to other points. On 3 January 1771, the Russians had returned and opened fire with artillery secretly supplied to them by Frederick, the king of Prussia. Behind the guns stood about 4,000 Russians, each man intent on eliminating Pulaski and his renegades. The monks, meanwhile, also maintained their conviction that the monastery was impregnable “under the protection of heaven.” The bombardment continued incessantly in synchronization with a horrific blizzard that kept pace with the whirlwind of artillery barrages, but the walls remained unscathed, to the jubilation of the monks, whose faith was bolstered by the stinging rebuke of the shells which struck harmlessly, except for those that cleared the walls and ignited fires, all of which were quickly doused.

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In the meantime, Pulaski directed several forays which succeeded in plowing through the snow to destroy the Russian cannon. Finally, the Russians abandoned the siege, with their only accomplishment being that they helped build the legend of Divine intervention and were greatly responsible for the number of pilgrims visiting the monastery to increase tremendously. The Russians left without the demolished artillery, but they also abandoned about 200 dead soldiers who were still prone in the blood-soaked slopes of the mountain. Subsequently, while operating from the monastery, Pulaski again engaged against the Russians. On one occasion, he lost his artillery and then recaptured it. In the meantime, the French sent an agent, Dumouriez, and clandestinely, Pulaski was promised aid from France, but it never materialized. However, the agent attempted to take over leadership of the confederacy. On 3 November 1771, a party of confederates entered Warsaw and literally captured the king, but while he was being escorted to confederate positions, the king’s horse became lame from a broken leg; from there everything went awry. The contingent became separated and only one man was left guarding the king. He surrendered but later sent word to Warsaw. A relief force responded and he was rescued. Some of the perpetrators were caught, tried and executed. Pulaski was named as a conspirator, but he professed innocence in any attempt to take the king’s life. The actual intent of the capture was to separate the king from those who controlled him, as it was believed he was a loyal Pole in over his head. There was no intent to murder him and if there had been such, the captors had many opportunities before the kidnapping fell apart in the darkness. By January 1772, forces of Frederick of Prussia and others from Austria were en route to Poland supposedly to protect the government of the king, but actually, Poland was about to be further sliced apart. With no further chance of victory and most of his allies eliminated, Pulaski fled Poland, leaving little trace of his whereabouts for quite a while. It is known that he escaped to Turkey and from there traveled to France. Pulaski was introduced to Benjamin Franklin in France, and from there with an encouraging letter of introduction, Pulaski journeyed to America to join the Patriot cause. He arrived in the United States during the summer of 1777. On 25 August 1777, a Congressional committee, with regard to a request from Pulaski for rank, concluded “that his solicitation for such Rank and Command in the army of these united States as will leave him subordinate to the Commander in chief alone or to Him and the Marquis de La Fayette, report, as their Opinion that a Compliance with those Expectations would be as contrary to the prevailing Sentiments in the several States as to the Constitution of our Army, and therefore highly impolitic.” On 30 August, after considering a letter from General George Washington, the Board of War recommended to Congress that Count Du Pulaski be appointed as commander of the horse with the rank of brigadier general. By the following month, Pulaski was in the midst of the forces attempting to prevent the British from seizing Philadelphia. At Brandywine (September 9–11, 1777), due to his volunteer status, Count Pulaski held no command; however, while operating along with General Washington, Pulaski requested of Washington command of his bodyguard (Life Guards), a small unit of about thirty cavalry troops. After receiving it, Pulaski excelled in his mission during the retreat of the army as the Redcoats plowed forward toward the city. After General John Sullivan was compelled to retreat, General Pulaski led his cavalry into the British vanguard and succeeded in delaying their advance, allowing the Americans to make it to Chester. Washington, quite impressed by the skill of Pulaski, ordered him to regroup all of the scattered cavalry that he could find. Pulaski led his cavalry when the British and the Americans clashed at Paoli and again, under him, the cavalry performed meritoriously. On 15 September 1777, at the urging of Washington, Congress re-

solved “that a commander of the horse be appointed with the rank of brigadier.” The man appointed as commander was Pulaski. The action by Congress essentially made General Pulaski the first commander of the U.S. Cavalry. Command of the cavalry had been offered to General Joseph Reed of New Jersey, but he declined. The cavalry, unlike the later U.S. Cavalry, was not one cohesive force; rather, it acted in smaller units as separate commands. Subsequent to the Battle of Germantown, while Washington established winter quarters at Valley Forge, Pulaski’s cavalry was ordered to Trenton, New Jersey. While in Trenton, Pulaski’s command was frequently split into small groups for various foraging missions. He was assisted by a Prussian officer, Colonel Kowatch, who devoted enormous time in drilling the troops. Meanwhile, the American officers under Pulaski became disgruntled over having to serve under a foreign officer. In turn, Pulaski found his situation less than fulfilling. During the winter of 1777–17780, General Pulaski was called upon to join with General Anthony Wayne, who was tasked with a major foraging mission that took him to Delaware, where the force gathered cattle and drove them to the vicinity of Burlington-Mount Holly. From there, the cattle were ferried across the Delaware River and taken to Valley Forge. Pulaski, aware of his American officers’ feelings, resigned from his command and rejoined General Washington at Valley Forge. During March 1778, General Pulaski suggested to General Washington that an entire corps be established under Pulaski’s command. Washington approved of the idea and Pulaski was sent to York, Pennsylvania, to propose the formation of a cavalry corps to Congress. The suggestion was immediately accepted. On 28 March 1778, Congress resolved “that Count Pulaski retain his rank of brigadier in the army of the United States, and that he raise and have the command of an independent corps to consist of sixty-eight horse, and two hundred foot, the horse to be armed with lances, and the foot equipped in the manner of light infantry: the corps to be raised in such way and composed of such men as General Washington shall think expedient and proper; and if it shall be thought by General Washington that it will not be injurious to the service, that he have liberty to dispense, in this particular instance, with the resolve of Congress against inlisting deserters.” The cavalry corps became known as “Pulaski’s Legion” and established a precedent due to its success. Other similar contingents were later formed, including Colonel Henry “Lighthorse Harry” Lee’s Legion and Colonel Charles Armand’s Legion. The establishment of Pulaski’s Legion included the enlistment of some deserters and some prisoners; both types of troops at times caused the integrity of the unit to be handicapped due to the lack of honor on the part of a few. Nevertheless, overall the legion performed well above expectations. During September of 1778, complaints about Pulaski from Delaware were presented to Congress in a letter from Caesar Rodney (president of Delaware). After an inquiry, Congress on 17 September resolved: “That Brigadier Count Pulaski be ordered to march with his legion to Trenton, without delay, there to receive the further orders of the Commander in Chief.” On 25 September 1778, Pulaski was about to be dispatched to South Carolina, but Congress postponed action. On the 29th, Congress directed a military committee to repair to Germantown to inspect Count Pulaski’s Legion and determine “by Oath or otherwise, what non commissioned Officers or Privates are Prisoners or Deserters from the Enemy; that all of these Characters in the Horse, and all Prisoners in the Infantry Corps be selected, their Horses, Arms and Accoutrements respectively delivered up to the Quarter Masters and Commissary of Military Stores: That the non commissioned Officers and privates 30 selected be such Deserters so selected from the Horse be enlisted incorporated with the Foot and all such as have been Prisoners be immediately marched to Philadelphia, and delivered over to the Commissary of Prisoners for Exchange.” Although Pulaski was earlier ordered to Trenton, on that day, Congress resolved “that Count Pulaski, with his legion and all continental soldiers fit for service in

353 and near Philadelphia, be directed to repair immediately to Princeton, there to wait the orders of General Washington, or the commanding officer in New Jersey.” While Pulaski was moving to Princeton, Congress on 2 October 1778 resolved: “Whereas a complaint has been made to Congress that Brigadier Count Pulaski has resisted the civil authority of this State: Resolved, That the Board of War do require his personal attendance at the war office, at nine o’clock to morrow morning, and that he continue in Philadelphia until enquiry can be made therein, and until the further order of Congress; it being the fixed determination of Congress to discourage and suppress every opposition to civil authority by any officer in their service.” And to further complicate Pulaski’s mission, on 3 October Congress ordered “that the Board of War be directed to enquire into the claim made against Brigadier Count Pulaski on which he has been lately arrested, and if such claim has arisen for articles furnished to his legion, that the Board pay what shall appear to them reasonable, and if not accepted, that the Board procure bail to the suit, and that the Board be directed to inform Brigadier Pulaski that it is the duty of every military officer in the service of these states, to yield obedience to any process issuing from any court, judge or magistrate within any of the United States.” In the meantime, Pulaski, at Egg Harbor, New Jersey, engaged the British in a major clash during mid–October. The British used barbaric actions on some Americans, which caused more intense dislike of the enemy. On 26 October, Congress resolved “that Count Pulaski’s legion and all the cavalry at or near Trenton, be ordered, forthwith, to repair to Sussex court house, there to wait the order of General Washington.” During the latter part of 1778, Pulaski established winter headquarters at Minisink, New Jersey. Once again, General Pulaski became disillusioned with his command and contemplated resigning his commission and returning to Europe; however, General Washington, in one of his frequent interventions to save valuable officers, responded to Pulaski’s despondent letter by building him up and persuading him to remain with the Continental Army. Soon the Legion got the opportunity to participate in a major campaign. On 2 February 1779, Congress resolved: “That Count Pulaski be ordered to march with his legion to South Carolina, and put himself under the command of Major General Lincoln, or the commanding officer of the southern department.” The Legion arrived in Charleston on 11 May 1779. Three days later, while General Benjamin Lincoln was away, en route to Augusta to protect the Georgia legislature, a British force under General Augustine Prevost engaged General William Moultrie at Black Swamp and compelled him to retreat back into Charleston. The British invaded the city, but once aware that Lincoln’s main body was en route to lift the siege, the British retired. Pulaski’s Legion exchanged blows with the British, but superior forces of the British forced Pulaski to retire. Colonel Michael Kowatch was killed during the fighting and others were captured. When the British retired from Charleston, Pulaski’s Legion gave pursuit, but his attacks were confined to the rear guard. The British retired to James Island, which forced Pulaski to abort the chase due to a lack of boats. Afterward, General Pulaski became seriously ill. Meanwhile General Lincoln’s force arrived back at Charleston. During September 1779, excitement was growing at Charleston. News delivered by a French soldier arrived in the city informing Lincoln that a French fleet had arrived and the two forces were to converge at a point in Georgia from where an attack would be launched to regain Savannah. While Pulaski’s Legion was en route, it encountered another obstacle. When the column arrived at Fubly’s Ferry in anticipation of having boats that were to be sent there from Augusta, Pulaski discovered only a single canoe. British lines were on the opposite shore and he needed a contingent of at least thirty horsemen to scout the enemy positions. General Pulaski came up with a solution. He ordered a detachment

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of thirty men, led by Captain Betalou, to cross one at a time with each man’s horse swimming alongside the canoe. The time consuming enterprise succeeded and all reached the other shore safely, without being discovered, then to their surprise, the British outposts had been deserted. The sentries pulled back into Savannah. Pulaski arrived at Savannah four days prior to the arrival of the French, but he wasted no time. Patrols continued to reconnoiter the enemy’s positions until the French arrived on 16 September. The French-American force immediately initiated a siege, but the campaign became arduous and the French commander was impatient and insisted upon a premature attack. Meanwhile, an American deserted and handed the British the intelligence on the plan of attack, creating a disastrous situation for the American-French force. All elements of surprise were lost and the British fortified their positions, then waited, as if in ambush. On 9 October three columns advanced. While Count D’Estaing was attempting to cross a swamp, he was hit twice and had to be carried away. When Pulaski was informed of the chaos, he sped to the front to attempt to bring calm among the chaos. The Legion was in full gallop when Pulaski was struck while at the head of his troops. Once General Pulaski was cut down, the cavalry also became disoriented, increasing the chaos. Most of Pulaski’s troops retreated, leaving General Pulaski helpless on the field, seriously wounded from a shot from a swivel gun, but a party of cavalrymen returned to the field and ignored the heavy fire to retrieve their commander. General Pulaski was carried back to the Americans’ encampment and from there he was transferred to the Wasp, which was accompanying the French fleet. French physicians worked feverishly to save General Pulaski’s life, but in vain. He died from complication of his wounds and the condition of his body had deteriorated to the point where it was decided that his remains could not be transported back to Charleston. The crew of the Wasp buried him at sea. The British lines had held steadfastly and sustained fewer than 150 casualties. However, the French lost about 700 men killed or wounded out of their force of about 4,500. The Americans under General Lincoln sustained about 150 casualties from their force of about 1,500. Following the failure to retake Savannah, the Americans withdrew to South Carolina. The French sailed for home, but D’Estaing’s fleet encountered a terrific storm, which compelled him to seek a safe port. He ordered seven of the ships to make for the Chesapeake Bay to find shelter at Hampton, but only one vessel arrived there. Savannah, which fell to the British on 29 December 1778, remained under British control until 11 July 1782. The royal governor, James Wright, moved to Charleston, which was still held by the British. In honor of the contributions of General Pulaski, Congress ordered that a monument to his honor be erected in Savannah, but as usual, the sentiments of the moment of the resolution got lost in the bureaucracy and were never executed. However, the people of Georgia later erected a monument in honor of General Pulaski.

Putnam, Major General Israel Israel Putnam was born in Salem, Massachusetts, on 7 January 1718 and became the eleventh of twelve children born to Captain Joseph and Elizabeth Porter Putnam. Israel’s great-grandfather was John Putnam, who emigrated from England during 1634 and settled in a section of Salem that later became Danvers. When John Putnam and his wife, Priscilla, arrived in America, two of his brothers accompanied him, and he also brought his three sons, John (age 12), Nathaniel (age 20) and Thomas (age 24), the third being the grandfather of Israel. Israel was not given a formal education. While still a young man who had not reached his majority, he married Hannah Pope, the daughter of John Pope. In 1739, he and his wife moved to Pomfret, Connecticut, in Windham County about 35 miles east of Hartford. The tract which Israel had acquired from Governor Jonathan Belcher of Boston was nestled along the Quinebaugh (or Mohegan) River, a tributary of the Thames.

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The farm, composed of slightly more than 500 acres, was in a section known as Mortlake (later, Brooklyn). Israel devoted much time to farming, but he especially enjoyed planting fruit trees; in addition, he raised sheep and goats. There also was a killer thief in the neighborhood, a cunning fox that remained on the loose for a long time, and during each winter, she would return with her family for food, the farmers’ sheep. Finally, during 1743, a hunter discovered the elusive den and after smoke failed to bring her out of it, Israel entered her den, not once, but twice, all the while with a rope tied to his legs to permit the others with him to hurriedly extricate him, which they did on both occasions. On the second try, Israel prevailed and the fox no longer plagued the area. He entered the pitch black den yet a third time and carried out the dead fox by its ears. The news of the termination of the fox spread rapidly, making Israel a celebrity. In the meantime, Israel and Hannah had begun their family, with the first child, Israel, born on 28 January 1740. He was followed by David (b. 10 March 1742, died young), Hannah (b. 25 August 1744), Elizabeth (b. 20 March 1747, died young), Mehitable (b. 21 October 1749), Molly (b. 10 May 1753), Eunice (b. 10 January 1756), Daniel (b. 18 November 1759), David II (b. 14 October 1761, died young) and Peter Schuyler (b. 31 December 1764). When hostilities erupted with France (1755), Israel Putnam raised a company of militia. The unit was referred to as rangers, although it wasn’t officially. Putnam had received the rank of captain from the Connecticut legislature. Putnam’s contingent at times served with Roger’s Rangers. Israel’s command saw service at Crown Point, with Sir William Johnson when he defeated the French under Baron Dieskau (Battle of Lake George). Crown Point is close to the border between New York and Vermont on the southern section of Lake Champlain, with Lake George situated between Crown Point and Albany. During spring of 1756, the Connecticut assembly awarded Israel the sum of 50 Spanish milled dollars in thanks for his “extraordinary services and good conduct in ranging and scouting, the winter past for the annoyance of the enemy near Crown Point.” Captain Noah Grant received thirty dollars for his actions during the same period. In action in the vicinity of Ticonderoga during August, Putnam’s weapon misfired and he was taken captive by Indians who had accompanied the French. The Indians tied him and began a fire to burn him to death, but a rainstorm forestalled his demise. The Indians had also beaten him badly and he was struck by a Frenchman. They had stripped Israel of his clothes and they were not yet finished with bringing about his death; however, a French officer, Molang, arrived to save his life. However, Putnam was forced to lie down and afterward, one arm was tied to a tree and the other to another tree to ensure that he couldn’t escape. On the following day, after being seen by Marquis du Montcalm, Putnam was transported to Montreal where he encountered another prisIsrael Putnam (Pictorial Field Book of the Rev- oner, Colonel Peter Schuyler. olution, Benson J. Lossing, 1860)

Schuyler, after making contact with Putnam and becoming aware of the brutal treatment, assisted in getting the French to give Putnam medial attention and to care for him in accordance with his rank as a major. Later, General John Bradstreet captured Frontenac, which positioned the British to accomplish a prisoner exchange. The British officer, Peter Schuyler, referred to Putnam as an old man who should be freed, without any mention of his importance to the cause. The French agreed to let Putnam return home with Schuyler and the others that were agreed upon, believing him to be old and no future threat. Subsequent to the devastating defeat of General James Abercrombie at Ticonderoga, General William Amherst was chosen as commander. While Amherst’s forces were advancing toward Canada, they encountered a French warship, far superior to the British boats. Amherst was approached by Putnam, who stated the obvious to the commander: “General, that ship must be taken.” Amherst agreed, but had no solution to eliminate the vessel that could destroy every one of the British boats, until Putnam proposed that he would destroy the ship. General Amherst, astonished by the offer, asked how it could be done. Putnam explained, then received permission to undertake the daring task. Armed only with some wedges and a hammer and accompanied by a few men selected by Putnam, the party set out after dark. Without detection, they eased near the vessel and sabotaged the rudder. Putnam possessed a rare trait of fearlessness, regardless of circumstances, and almost impulsively, he was always ready for a fight. At dawn, while Amherst prepared to reinitiate the advance, the French warship was adrift on the lake and being swept ashore, giving the British an easy target for capture. Once the obstacle was eliminated, Amherst’s flotilla proceeded uninhibited by French naval guns. Putnam remained in the military, initially as a captain, and later during 1757, a major, but by the time Quebec had been seized, he was a lieutenant colonel. Putnam served for the duration and even participated in the seizure of Havana, Cuba, during 1762. While approaching land at Cuba during a tropical storm, the transport carrying Putnam and about 500 other troops got wrecked on the rocks. Nevertheless, he made it to shore. The expedition was successful, but disease nearly annihilated the entire British force. After he returned home, Putnam participated in a campaign against the western Indians on the frontier. By 1764, he had attained the rank of colonel. At some point he established an inn that supplemented the income from his farm. After passage of the Stamp Act of 1765, Putnam was a conspicuous dissenter to the tax levy on the colonists. He visited Governor Thomas Fitch and the conversation turned to the stamp paper. The governor, a personal opponent of the act, asked what to do if the stamp paper came to him from the king, and Israel responded: “Lock it up until we [Sons of Liberty] shall visit you again.” The papers never arrived in Connecticut. The Stamp Act was repealed; however, it was replaced with more ominous bills. Hannah Putnam died in 1765, leaving ten children; the youngest, Peter Schuyler Putnam, was only about one year old. That same year, Putnam made a public profession of his Christian faith and joined a church in Brooklyn that had the Rev. Josiah Whitney as its pastor. In 1767, Israel remarried, taking Deborah Gardiner as his second wife. She was the daughter of Samuel and Deborah Crow Lothrup and the widow of John Gardiner (Gardner) of Gardiner’s Island. No children were born during Israel’s second marriage, but Deborah had a family from her first marriage. She died during 1777 while at the headquarters of her husband in the Highlands. Deborah’s youngest son, Septimus Gardiner, was a soldier in the service of his step-father and was stationed at Peekskill in the Highlands. He died at about the same time as his mother. Deborah was interred in the Beverly Robinson family vault. While the British remained in Cuba in 1762, they sustained horrendous losses to sickness, but Putnam was one of those officers who

355 survived the ordeal. A group of the survivors, represented by General Phineas Lyman, had appealed to the king for a grant in present-day Natchez, Mississippi, and the petition was later granted to the group with the company name of “Military Adventurers.” During 1772, the party, including Putnam, traveled to the area, departing Connecticut about five days before Christmas, but they sailed only to New York, where they remained until 10 January 1773. From New York Harbor they journeyed first to Hispaniola and from there to Jamaica prior to reaching Pensacola, Florida, on 1 March 1773. Upon their arrival, Putnam encountered some British officers with whom he had served during the French and Indian War. He dined with British Major Small, a friend whom he would later face in battle at Bunker Hill. According to his diary, he spent the nights of 8 and 13 March at Small’s quarters. Following the pause at Pensacola, the party headed for the tract, and afterward returned home. No settlement was ever initiated. The outbreak of war canceled any such plans and later when the parties sought help from Congress, they received none. Prior to the outbreak of hostilities, Putnam was often involved with conversations about what-ifs. On one occasion, he was asked if he thought a British army could march through the colonies without serious molestation. He responded: “No doubt they could, if they behaved themselves civilly, and paid well for everything they wanted. But if they should attempt it in a hostile manner, the American women, if the men were out of the way, would meet them with their ladles and broomsticks, and put them to rout, before they had measured half of the breadth of the land.” When Israel Bissel brought news regarding the clashes at Lexington and Concord, Putnam was at his farm, but he spent no time deciding when to leave. He immediately left the field and headed to Massachusetts, arriving at Cambridge on 20 April, one day after the confrontations. A worker in the field explained to his wife why he was absent. After attending a war council, he went back to his home, then returned with several thousand volunteers and a commission as brigadier general from the Connecticut legislature. Putnam received a present while he was at Cambridge. During the British withdrawal from Concord, Major John Pitcairn’s horse was shot from under him. The major feigned death as the Minute Men passed by. They paused, relieved him of his two pistols, and believing him to be dead, continued the chase. After the Americans faded away, he arose and made it back to British lines. The two pistols were presented to Putnam, and they remained with him throughout the war and later became prized mementoes of the family. Since the clashes at Lexington and Concord, both sides had accumulated prisoners. An exchange was agreed upon for 6 June. At the appointed time, Generals Joseph Warren and Putnam arrived at the ferry. British officers, who were familiar with Putnam, met them and friendly greetings were exchanged. Afterward, the British boarded the Lively and the Americans returned to American lines. Prior to the battle at Bunker Hill on 17 June, the only Connecticut troops at Cambridge were those under General Putnam and some independent units. However, a regiment (Sargeant’s) posted at Inman’s House and Patterson’s (Massachusetts regiment) at Lechmere’s Point were placed, by General Ward, under the command of General Putnam. The troops under Putnam held advance positions at the center of the American lines at the closest point to the British forces. Afterward, intelligence was gathered about a British plan to seize some high ground to protect their positions. At a war council, the idea of Americans taking Bunker Hill before the British was discussed. Although Putnam was in the forefront of the action, some, including Ward and Warren, were reluctant, thinking the task too great for their untrained force, particularly due to the lack of powder. Nonetheless, the offensive action side prevailed. The Battle of Bunker Hill (Breed’s Hill) erupted on 17 June 1775. The British prevailed by the end of the day, but at a huge price, which included about twenty percent of the number of officers they would lose

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during the entire conflict. After the Battle of Bunker Hill, the British never again launched a frontal attack against the Americans lines. Putnam fought at Bunker Hill. Some accused him of refusing to take command when no commanding officer was in place, and others accused him of cowardice, but the reports were erroneous, as later testimony proved. Putnam was active in all phases of the fighting and in command even during the disciplined retreat, after the Patriots’ ammunition had been expended. Shortly after the Battle of Bunker Hill (Breed’s Hill), Putnam was appointed a major general in the Continental Army and was given his commission by General George Washington. At that time, two of the appointed brigadier generals, both from Connecticut, Joseph Spencer and David Wooster, were reluctant to accept their commissions because of not wanting to serve under Major General Putnam based on his seniority, but both were persuaded to accept. By mid–October 1775, General Washington, who had split the army into three divisions (Artemus Ward, Charles Lee and Israel Putnam) had a total strength of about 15,500 troops. While summer passed, David Bushnell, an officer in a Connecticut regiment, proposed an unheard of scheme: using a submarine to attack the British fleet. The peculiar idea was explored and Bushnell’s invention, a one-man submarine known as the Turtle, set off on 4 September with General Putnam and others in attendance. David’s brother was to steer the underwater vessel, but he became ill and a sergeant took on the task. After entering the vessel, he popped back up, and excitedly proclaimed: “Thunder and marlinspikes! Who’s got a cud of tobacco?” None of the officers had any with them. Putnam reacted: “Ah! My brave boy! You see how it is — we continental officers are too poor to raise even a tobacco plug. Push off my fine fellow, and tomorrow, when yonder Eagle had taken his last flight, some of the southern officers shall give you as order for a keg of old Virginia.” The sergeant exclaimed that if the mission failed it would be because he went to sea without tobacco. The Turtle attacked a blockade vessel in New York Harbor and although the test was not totally successful because of the timing of the explosion, it caused such a commotion that the British moved their armada farther out to sea. No British vessel passed up the bay from Staten Island until the Battle of Long Island. After the attack, Abijah Shipman, the sergeant who captained the Turtle, was retrieved near Governor’s Island. After returning to shore, Shipman informed Putnam: “Just as I said Gen’ral! It all failed for want of that cud of tobacco. You see I am nervous without tobacco.” On 29 March 1776, subsequent to the British evacuation of Boston, General Washington appointed Putnam commander of all Continental Army troops in New York. Contingents of the Continental Army arrived in New York on 13 April and Generals George Washington and Horatio Gates were with the initial forces to arrive. During July the British landed on Long Island and soon after, they defeated the combined forces of American Generals John Sullivan, Israel Putnam and William Alexander at the Battle of Long Island (August 27–29, 1776). General Washington ordered a withdrawal from Brooklyn Heights to Manhattan during the night of the 29th. General Sullivan was captured in the battle. On 1 September Washington reorganized the Continental Army and formed three divisions, under Israel Putnam, William Heath and Joseph Spencer. General Putnam held responsibility for central New York. By the 18th, the Americans were compelled to again pull back under British pressure. New York City was abandoned hurriedly and many supplies and artillery pieces were abandoned. The British paused at Murray’s Hill to refresh themselves, inadvertently aiding Washington’s retreat. An American officer, Colonel Grayson, later remarked with a tint of sarcasm that “Mrs. Murray saved the American Army.” During the latter part of October, General Washington directed Putnam to lead a 1,500-man reconnaissance force toward the British lines. The column arrived at about 0200 on the 28th without detection

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by the British. By about 0900, the force encroached White Plains, and two hours later, the Americans spotted an 800-man cavalry force posted in the high ground south of the River Bronx. Artillery under General Henry Knox commenced firing, distracting the cavalry when they were about one mile from Putnam’s supplies. A fight erupted and lasted throughout the day. Subsequent to dusk, the Americans vanished into the woods and from that point no contact was made with the enemy for about two weeks. Meanwhile, the British continued to apply pressure. By 15 November, Fort Washington in Manhattan was threatened. During the evening, Washington was preparing to cross the river from Hackensack when he met Generals Putnam and Nathanael Greene, who informed him that the fort was prepared to defend; however, it was by that time too late to dispatch reinforcements and too late to abandon the fort. The commander, Colonel Magaw, defied a surrender ultimatum. Fort Washington fell the next day. Its 2,500 defenders had fought well, but the British force of about 13,000 men eventually overwhelmed the garrison. The unsightly scene of Hessians bayoneting troops was witnessed by the generals and other troops who stood helplessly on the opposite bank of the Hudson River in New Jersey. By December 1776, Philadelphia was threatened. General Putnam was charged with bolstering the city’s defenses. On the 10th, Congress directed Putnam to form the recruits within the city and parade them. He was also ordered to assemble contingents of “active spirited men, with proper guides, to cross from this city into Jersey” and initiate harassing raids against British lines. Meanwhile, the situation in Philadelphia continued to deteriorate with each passing day. On 12 December Putnam was ordered to select an escort to transport a captive, John Connolly, to Baltimore, away from where he could be rescued by the British. That day Congress directed either General Putnam or the commanding officer in Philadelphia to prepare to burn all vessels, except the Randolph, to prevent their capture by the British. The Randolph, commanded by Captain Nicholas Biddle, was to maintain its defense of the Delaware River until no longer feasible. Nonetheless, the threat was ended when General Washington forestalled disaster by defeating the British at Trenton on 26 December 1776 and followed up with a victory at Princeton on 3 January 1777. Putnam was then ordered to Princeton, where he remained until spring. While posted at Princeton, Putnam’s command was composed only of about fifty troops, and they held some prisoners at the college. One captive who was sick requested that a British officer be permitted to visit to assist him in drawing his last will and testament. Putnam permitted the officer to enter the lines, but planned it so that it had to be done during the night to ensure the British command would remain unaware of the slim American forces. When the escort brought the officer to the sick captive, he was greeted with an illuminated college. Putnam had lights burning in all the buildings on the campus, and in the town, the buildings were also highly illuminated. The ruse worked. When the British officer returned to Brunswick, based on his observations, he reported that Princeton was held by at least four to five thousand troops. On 12 May 1777, General Putnam assumed command of the Highlands Department. He succeeded Brigadier General Alexander McDougal and retained he post until 16 March 1778. Putnam was transferred from Princeton to assume command in the Highlands. After acquiring his new command, a Tory officer was discovered in the camp and arrested as a spy. Governor William Tryon insisted that the man was a British officer and demanded his release. Putnam responded to Tryon with a succinct reply: “Sir,— Nathan Palmer, a lieutenant in your king’s service was taken in my camp as a spy; he was tried as a spy; he was condemned as a spy; and he shall be hanged as a spy.” Putnam signed the response and then added: “P.S. Afternoon. He is hanged.” On 2 September a letter from General Putnam included details sur-

rounding the courts-martial of Amos Rose and Lemuel Ackerly, both of whom had been sentenced to death. Putnam’s intervention prompted Congress to grant pardons to both defendants. On 8 September, Congress resolved “that General Putnam be directed to order immediately a detachment of one thousand five hundred continental troops, under the command of a brigadier, to hold themselves in readiness to cross the North river [Hudson] when ordered by General Washington.” Soon after, on 12 September 1777, following the progress of the British in their move to take Philadelphia, Congress directed that an express be sent to General Putnam with instructions to dispatch 1,500 troops to join Washington. That October, the British moved to seize Forts Clinton and Montgomery, both on the west bank of the Hudson River about fifty miles above New York City, which caused grave concern. The Americans also controlled Fort Independence, on the east bank about five miles down the river, as well as Fort Independence, which had been erected on an island in the river. At the time, General Putnam commanded a force of about 2,000 troops in Highlands below Albany, with responsibility to defend the routes from Kingston to Albany. General Putnam’s forces were within the sound of the guns but too far away to give timely support on 6 October when the forts were lost. On 5 November, Congress resolved “that General Washington be informed that it is the earnest wish of Congress to regain the possession of the forts and passes of the North or Hudson’s river, and to secure the communication thereof; and for that purpose, that General Gates should remain in command in that quarter; and that General Putnam be called upon to join the main army with such a detachment from the army under the command of General Gates, as General Washington may think can be spared, not exceeding the number of two thousand five hundred men, including Colonel Morgan’s corps.” General Washington, determined to replace the lost fortifications, directed Putnam to construct a new fort which would hold the line along the Hudson River. Initially, Benedict Arnold was to get the command, but at the time, he was entangled with personal problems and was trying to clear his name. Washington then chose Putnam and informed Congress of his action on 24 May 1777. The site chosen was West Point. Putnam remained in the army until 1779, with his primary effort surrounding the establishment of the defenses at West Point. The forces that were with Putnam during summer of 1777 included the brigades of Generals John Nixon, Alexander McDougall, John Glover and Jedediah Huntington. During the following year, on 16 March 1778, Brigadier General Alexander McDougal succeeded General Putnam as commander of the Highlands Department. McDougal held the position until May of that year. On 17 August 1778, Congress received a report of the court of inquiry along with a letter from General Washington regarding the posts along the Hudson. The report found no blame on the part of General Putnam and found that the loss was due to a lack of sufficient troops. Congress concurred with the report, releasing Putnam from any blame. Members of the court of inquiry were Major General McDougal, Brigadier General Jedidiah Huntington and Colonel Wigglesworth. Afterward, General Putnam was directed to return to Connecticut to tend to his personal affairs and prepare for the upcoming campaign. He returned to camp after the Battle of Monmouth and assumed command of the right wing of the army in place of General Charles Lee, who was removed due to his actions at Monmouth. After Putnam’s return, Washington dispatched him and his command back to West Point to defend the North River (Hudson). Meanwhile, General Gates moved to Danbury, Connecticut. After a while, General McDougal was sent from Connecticut to assume command at the Highlands. General Putnam and three brigades composed of New Hampshire and Connecticut troops, bolstered by Hazen’s infantry corps and Sheldon’s

357 cavalry corps, were dispatched to Danbury. During the winter of 1778–1779, General Putnam was faced with mutiny by Connecticut troops. He confronted them personally, reminded them of their great accomplishments and warned them of their shame if they abandoned their cause and endangered their families. His wisdom prevailed. About that time, Governor William Tryon launched a raid to seize General Putnam at West Greenwich. The Americans retaliated initially with artillery, their two pieces, but Putnam’s force amounted to only about 50 men, compared to the attacking contingent with hundreds of dragoons. Putnam ordered his men to head for the swamps, where the horses couldn’t safely follow, while he evaded capture by descending a dangerously steep grade known as Horse Neck (later Putnam Hill). The pursuers believed the slope was too steep to be traversed. They remained on the crest expecting to discover a dead horse and the demise of Putnam, but they were astonished to observe Putnam still in the saddle at the bottom of the slope and safely making his escape. Putnam galloped to Stamford, gathered a force and pursued Governor Tryon. The endeavor netted about fifty prisoners. During early December 1779, the Continental Army established winter quarters at Morristown. At that time, General Putnam returned to Connecticut to visit his family. Toward the latter part of the month, he was returning to camp, but at that time, he was struck by paralysis outside of Hartford. Putnam initially was in denial of the seriousness of the attack, but it did terminate his service in the military. He was compelled to return to his home. The sickness cost him use of his right arm, which remained limp, but with some assistance in mounting a horse, he was able to ride without difficulty as if he were in perfect health. General Israel Putnam succumbed on 29 May 1790, a short time after he suffered a fatal inflammation that resisted all medication. General Putnam was afforded a military escort, which assembled at his residence on the 21st and accompanied the general’s remains to the Brooklyn Cemetery (Connecticut). At the grave site, a tomb, built of brick about 3 feet high, was erected. Upon it, a marble slab with an epitaph by the Rev. Timothy Dwight was inscribed. At General Putnam’s funeral service, the Rev. Josiah Whitney’s sermon described General Putnam: “He was of a kind, benevolent disposition, pitiful to the distressed, charitable to the needy, and ready to assist all who wanted his help.” The minister also praised him as a father and for “not being ashamed of family religion. His house was a house of prayer.” General Putnam, known also as “Old Put,” was very familiar to the British due to his service in the French and Indian War. Putnam, during the great conflict, was offered financial gain and the rank of major general if he would abandon the rebels and join the British Army. The general refused under any circumstances to relinquish his loyalty to America. General Putnam was also known to be against duels, but during his career, he had been challenged. The incidents are taken from his life story written during 1858. On one occasion, he had inadvertently insulted another officer at a dinner table and the man demanded satisfaction. Putnam agreed to meet him on the following morning without anyone to stand in as seconds. When the officer arrived, he was preparing to take out his sword and pistols when Putnam, who was standing some distance away, fired. The officer suddenly ran toward Putnam, saying “What are you about to do?” Putnam retorted: “A pretty question to put to a man whom you are about to murder. I’m about to kill you; and if you don’t beat a retreat in less time than ’twould take old Heath to hang a Tory, you are a gone dog.” The officer hurriedly departed, thinking Putnam was again about to fire. On another occasion, a British prisoner took offense and demanded satisfaction. Putnam agreed to the challenge. When the British officer arrived at the appointed place, he found Putnam sitting on a powder barrel. Putnam invited the officer to join him by sitting on the opposite side. The man complied. As the man sat down, Putnam lit a match with his pipe and told the officer that they both had an equal chance.

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As the match burned down to the barrel, the British officer bolted from his seat, rather than risk being blown away. Putnam, watching the man bolt, stated: “You are just as brave a man as I took you to be. This is nothing but a barrel of onions, with a few grains of powder on the head, to try you by. But you don’t like the smell.” Many of the early biographies of Israel Putnam specify 19 May 1790 as the date of his death. Between the time the marble slab was laid and 1886, the tomb had been greatly disturbed by souvenir hunters, prompting the Connecticut legislature to commission a new monument, which was to depict the general on his war horse. It was erected in the vicinity of the Brooklyn public square. The statue, made of bronze, includes a wolf ’s head at either end and the original epitaph. The ancient marble slab was moved and preserved at the state house in Hartford. Both the original slab and the original pamphlet with the sermon of the Reverend Whitney list the date of Israel’s death as 29 May. The error apparently began due to a mistake that occurred during 1818. The initial biography of General Putnam by David Humphreys was published while he was alive. When the work was revised to include the circumstances of Putnam’s death, and the now unknown person who added the incidents of his death and interment apparently inadvertently wrote 19 May rather than 29 May. Other biographies that followed duplicated the error.

Putnam, Brigadier General Rufus Rufus Putnam, the son of Elisha and Susanna Fuller Putnam, was born on 8 April 1738 in Sutton, Massachusetts. Rufus, like his cousin Israel, was a descendant of John Putnam, who arrived in Salem during 1634. Rufus’ mother was the daughter of Jonathan Fuller of Danvers. Rufus’ father succumbed during June 1745 while Rufus was still a young boy who had only recently reached age seven. Rufus’ mother afterward remarried, becoming the wife of Captain John Sadler. After the death of his father, Rufus moved in with his maternal grandfather and remained there until September 1747. Afterward, he lived with his step-father, Captain John Sadler, who resided in Upton. Rufus remained with his step-father until the captain died fall of 1753. While Rufus was under the care of his grandfather, he received some fundamental education and was able to read the Bible; however, Captain Sadler had little or no education and was essentially illiterate, so Rufus received no support in learning and was never sent to any type of school. His lack of education frequently made Rufus the target of ridicule. Nevertheless, he persevered and attempted to educate himself. During 1754, Rufus became a “bound apprentice” and toiled as a millwright under Daniel Mathews of Brookfield. His education was still neglected; however, in his memoirs, Rufus said that from Mathews, at least he received “the use of a Light for Study in the winter evenings.” He added: “I turned my attention chiefly to Arethmatic, Geography, and history; had I ben as much engaged in Learning to write well, with Spelling, and Gramer, I might have ben much better qualified to fulfill the duties of the Succeeding Scenes of Life, which In providence I have ben called to pass through. I was zealous to obtain knowledge, but having no guide I knew not where to begin nor what course to pursue,— hence neglecting Spelling and gramer when young I have Suffered much through life on that account.” Rufus Putnam’s military career began when he joined the militia on Rufus Putnam (American 15 March 1757 with an enlistment Pioneers, William Mowry and term that ended the following February Blanche Mowry, 1905)

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2. Putnam was attached to Captain Ebenezer Learned’s company. On 30 April, Learned’s company advanced to New York and arrived at Kenderhook, slightly less than 20 miles below Albany, on 6 May. While in Learned’s company at Kenderhook, Putnam made up for some lost time with the Bible. Captain Learned prayed with his men twice a day, once in the evening and again at night. On Sundays, Captain Learned read a sermon intended to inspire his troops. The contingent departed its camp on 18 May and moved to Albany and from there to Fort Edward, arriving at the latter on 15 June. Putnam, as a ranger, moved out on a mission and while reconnoitering, his three-man contingent was left stranded. The main body, thinking Indians killed or captured them, moved on to Fort William Henry. On 11 July, Putnam’s party returned safely to Fort Edward, followed afterward by Lieutenant Collins’ main body, which abandoned Putnam’s contingent. On 13 July, a party outside the fort was attacked by Indians and 13 men were killed and one was missing. Captain Israel Putnam led a force of about 250 men in pursuit of the Indians. Israel sent Rufus, his cousin, in advance to spot for the enemy, but none were discovered. The French, supported by a large force of Indians, initiated a siege of Fort William Henry on 3 August. The post surrendered on the 9th. Meanwhile, General Webb at Fort Edward, despite urgent requests for reinforcements from his force of about 4,000, declined sending help. Rufus Putnam, one of the troops at Fort Edward, described Webb as a “coward.” Putnam remained at Fort Edward on the Hudson and for a while, until his enlistment expired, was attached to a company of carpenters completing construction of the fort. Afterward, the troops were dispersed to various posts for the winter. When the enlistments of the men in Putnam’s company expired, the troops, about 70 men, were ordered to remain; however, on 3 February they retired, led by Captain (later brigadier general) Learned. The journey was arduous. At one point, a group of about 15 men with Putnam were compelled to eat a dog to sustain themselves. Finally, on 15 February 1758, Putnam arrived back at Brookfield. He continued to lose his initial high opinion of Learned for retiring with the command without orders. He mentioned in his memoirs that Learned, due to that action, never became a brigadier during the French and Indian War. Putnam served again in 1758. During April of that year he joined Captain Joseph Whitcomb’s company, which was attached to Colonel Ruggles’ regiment during General Abercrombie’s campaign. Rufus, following the campaign, arrived back at Sutton on 9 November. In his memoirs, Putnam expressed joy that he had served in two campaigns and remained healthy, but he was saddened that his journals made no “acknowledgment to my Divine benefactor & preserver, nor do I recollect that I had any Serious reflection on the subject.” Putnam re-entered active service during 1759 and participated in a third campaign, commanded by General Jeffrey Amherst. Problems developed when Putnam insisted that he would move out with his regiment, but he was directed to proceed with his work as a carpenter or get sent to jail. Afterward, Putnam moved to Crown Point and after some carpentry duty, he expected to move out with the regiment, but yet again, he was ordered to remain. Putnam arrived back in Brookfield, Massachusetts, on 16 December. By that time, he had become extremely disgruntled with military life because at each opportunity, he was prevented from being a soldier on the battlefield and compelled to work as a carpenter. He concluded that he would end his military service. However, during early 1760, while living at his new location in New Brantree (Braintree), Putnam again answered the call. He joined the town’s militia, but soon after, he received a commission and was requested to assist Captain Page in raising a company. He was at first was reluctant, but finally accepted. Because he was a new resident in the town, there was some resentment over his appointment. Nevertheless, he succeeded in recruiting, but Captain Page retained the men and Putnam had outdone himself and

his own company lacked a proper number of recruits. Putnam, having been outfoxed by Captain Page, received a commission as ensign rather than as a lieutenant in Colonel Aaron Willard’s regiment. Putnam continued to recruit and joined his company at Ticonderoga during June. By September, the British had prevailed. The French surrendered at Montreal on 8 September 1760, terminating the conflict. Putnam arrived back at Braintree on 1 December. Subsequent to his return to civilian life, Putnam reinitiated his business as a millwright for about the next six years before changing to surveying and farming for a livelihood. He also began to study navigation. In the meantime, Rufus married Elizabeth Ayres, the daughter of William Ayers of Brookfield, on 6 April 1761. During the following month Rufus was stricken by fever and had a close encounter with death, but he survived. On 16 November his wife died and Rufus was compelled to raise their infant child, Ayres. However, young Ayres succumbed during September of the following year. Several years later, on 10 January 1765, Rufus again married, taking Persis Rice, the daughter of Zebulon Rice of Westborough, as his second wife. The couple, according to his memoirs and the family Bible, had nine children: Elizabeth (b. 1765); Persis (b. 1767); Susanna (b. 1768); Abigail (b. 1770); William Rufus (b. 1771); Franklin (b. 1774, d. 1776); Edwin (b. 1776); Martha (b. 1777); Catharine (b. 1780). During early 1773, Rufus accompanied Israel Putnam and other officers who had served in the French and Indian War on a voyage to West Florida. The party departed New York on 10 January aboard the sloop Mississippi and arrived off Pensacola on 1 March. The committee that traveled to inspect the land was financed by the association known as “Military Company of Adventurers.” After moving to shore and debarking, the party discovered that no authorization for grants had ever arrived from England. Putnam was appointed deputy surveyor for West Florida. Just after the opening of hostilities with Britain at Lexington and Concord, Putnam resumed his military career. He was appointed lieutenant colonel in Colonel David Brewer’s regiment. Putnam’s past came back to haunt him when it became known that he had knowledge of constructing forts from his service in the French and Indian War. Initially, he feigned ignorance regarding “knowledge of Laying works,” but once he discerned his regiment had no works to protect it at Roxbury, he undertook the challenge. He also oversaw the works that were erected at Dorchester and at Brookline. Putnam also was responsible for the fort that was built atop Cobble Hill in the vicinity of Charlestown Mill Pond. General Charles Lee also made use of Putnam’s experience. Putnam accompanied Lee to Providence and Newport, Rhode Island, and at the latter, Putnam managed the construction of a battery intended to dominate the harbor, and he constructed works at Howland’s Ferry from where contact could be maintained with the mainland. Toward the latter part of the year, when the Continental Army was being reorganized, Putnam was appointed lieutenant colonel the 22nd Continental Regiment, but he never transferred. He remained with the engineers and was heavily involved with the works that were expeditiously placed at Dorchester Heights, the defensive position that compelled the British to abandon Boston. Subsequently, Putnam was in New York acting as chief engineer during the construction of defenses at several locations, including Long Island, New York, Fort Washington, King’s Bridge and Fort Lee, the latter in New Jersey. On 11 August 1776, General George Washington corresponded with Rufus Putnam to inform him that Congress had appointed him as an engineer and promoted him to the rank of colonel. Washington’s letter urged Putnam to begin sinking as many British vessels as possible in the Hudson River near Fort Washington. Later, after the British compelled Washington to retreat, Colonel Putnam, traveling alone, eventually hooked up with General Anthony Wayne’s command and arrived at White Plains on 21 October.

359 During December 1776, Colonel Rufus Putnam finally edged toward the end of his carpentry duties to command in the field. Putnam wrote to General Washington on 8 December informing the commanderin-chief that he had accepted command of a regiment. Putnam soon after received a response, dated 17 December at Coryell’s Ferry, from Washington, who was pleased: “Your Letter of the 8th Instent from Peakskill came duely to hand. Your acceptence of a Regiment to be raised on continantal establishment by the State of Massachusetts bay, is quite agreable to me, and I Sincearly wish you success in recruiting & much honor in Commanding it.” Colonel Putnam repaired to Massachusetts during January 1777, recruited his regiment and marched to Fort Ann, a familiar site to Putnam, who was there during 1760. On his most recent arrival, he lacked his saws and found himself finally as a soldier in the field. On 7 October, Putnam led the 5th and 6th Massachusetts Regiments against a Hessian line, while units under Learned were striking from a separate direction during the Second Battle of Saratoga (Bemis Heights). General Learned, after rummaging through the enemy camp, departed without informing Putnam; however, during the night of the 7th–8th, Putnam was reinforced by three regiments under General Glover. About January 1778, Colonel Putnam was directed by General Horatio Gates and Governor George Clinton to repair to West Point to oversee the work on the defense there. Putnam insisted that his regiment accompany him to West Point and otherwise, he would refuse to leave his regiment behind without a direct order from General Washington. The stand-off and refusal of the general officers and Governor Clinton to acquiesce caused some delay in Putnam’s arrival. On 1 February, Colonel Putnam was appointed commander of the troops in the Northern Department in the absence of Colonel Greaton, who had taken leave to visit his family. At the time, another invasion of Canada was being planned. Putnam was opposed to the plan and was aware of the extremely poor condition of the troops, many of whom had insufficient clothing. He remarked: “I was Sensible it was totaly impossible, with naked men in a deep Snow to acomplish any part of the plan.” The quartermaster general, Colonel Hazen requested of Putnam authorization to take a contingent to advance to open a road. Putnam denied the request “on the ground of the depth of the Snow, the inclemency of the Season & the destitute Situation of the men with respect to Cloathing.” On 12 February, Lafayette arrived to command the expedition; however, General Washington, like Putnam, was adamantly opposed to the invasion. It was afterward abandoned by action of Congress. Finally, during March 1778, Colonel Putnam and his regiment arrived at West Point, about the same time General Alexander McDougall appeared to assume command. Colonel Putnam remained at West Point until June and from there he repaired to Peekskill. Fort Putnam at West Point was named in Colonel Putnam’s honor. Toward the latter part of July, Putnam led his regiment to White Plains and joined with the main army. On 16 September as part of General Gates’ division, Colonel Putnam advanced to Danbury, Connecticut. By February 1779, Colonel Putnam was at the Croton River (New York) with orders to construct a bridge. By the end of March the bridge was completed and for the first time since December 1777, Colonel Putnam headed home to visit his family. The British seized Verplanck’s Point on 1 June. After Putnam returned to camp later that month, he was also directed by General Heath to prepare a report on the enemy’s defenses at Verplanck’s Point. Later, Colonel Putnam received command of a regiment of light infantry (attached to General Anthony Wayne’s corps). When the army established winter quarters in January 1780, Putnam departed from his positions at Newark, New Jersey, and his regiment repaired to West Point. Toward the latter part of January, Putnam again returned home on leave. He rejoined his regiment that April. During January 1781, Colonel Putnam departed West Point and af-

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terward spent much time in Boston, where he remained until May. During February of the following year, Colonel Putnam was appointed as a commissioner by General George Clinton of New York to attempt to collect monies due for the forage the Continental Army consumed while encamped at Dobbs Ferry during the previous year. In September 1782, Colonel Putnam again took leave to visit his family. By September he was prepared to retire from the service, but he was informed that unless his reasons were urgent, it would not be possible. Colonel Putnam was promoted to the rank of brigadier general on 8 January 1783. During 1784, in the employ of Massachusetts, General Putnam traveled to Passamaquoddy Bay, between Maine and New Brunswick, Canada, at the mouth of the St. Croix River. Putnam departed for the region during early August and after completing his surveyor’s work, he arrived back at Boston that December. In 1785, the General Assembly of Massachusetts appointed General Putnam as a commissioner involved with the sale of its “Eastern Lands,” with the added responsibility of managing the surveying operation. During 1786, Putnam — along with General Benjamin Lincoln and Judge Rice, the latter from Wicasset — was appointed a commissioner to deal with the Penobscot Indians. During January of the following year (1787), General Putnam acted as an aide to General Benjamin Lincoln to deal with insurgents (Shay’s Rebellion). On April 17, Putnam was appointed by Governor James Bowdoin as a justice of the peace, and during the following month, he was elected by the citizens of Rutland as a member of the General Assembly. On November 23, following the spring and fall sessions of the assembly, General Putnam was appointed by the director of the Ohio Company as superintendent of the operation intended to initiate a settlement in the Northwest Territory, the region west of Ohio River. The appointment once again carried Putnam back to the days of when he was a civilian millwright. He was to employ surveyors, carpenters, men capable of building boats and others. From that venture, the town of Marietta, Ohio, was founded. Other settlements included Belleprie, Gallipolis (a French settlement) and Newbury. The area remained unsettled and turbulence with the Indians continued, with the American army sustaining severe defeats under Generals Harmar and St. Clair, but General Anthony Wayne finally subdued the Indians at the Battle of Fallen Timbers on 20 August 1794. In the meantime, on 31 March 1790, President George Washington appointed Rufus Putnam as judge of the general court in the Northwest Territory. Later, on 5 March 1792, Washington again awarded Putnam by appointing him a brigadier general of the United States Army. General Putnam, who had repeatedly resigned himself to not returning to the military, accepted the appointment and served under General Wayne. Putnam also served as a commissioner to negotiate with the Indians. Meetings were held at Vincennes during September 1792. General Putnam resigned from the army, due in great part to poor health, and received a letter dated 15 February 1793 from General Henry Knox. The letter explained that the president reluctantly accepted General Putnam’s resignation. Later, Putnam became ecstatic when he was informed by letter signed by Secretary of State Timothy Pickering that he had been commissioned by President Washington as surveyor general of the United States. The commission was dated 1 October 1796. A constitutional convention was held in Ohio during November 1802 and General Putnam was a delegate. The constitution was adopted; the legislature held its first session on 1 March 1803 at Chillicothe, the new state capital. During 1803, President Jefferson appointed Jared Mansfield as surveyor general in place of Putnam. Mansfield’s appointment was in a letter dated 21 September 1803. Putnam afterward questioned why Jefferson would appoint a “well-known Tory” to such a post. General Rufus Putnam, after his public career terminated, remained in Marietta until he succumbed on 4 May 1824.

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The fortifications built by Putnam in the settlements were responsible for saving the lives of the settlers during the Indian hostilities. Some sources, such as the New American Biographical Dictionary compiled by Thomas Rogers (1824), list General Putnam’s death as 4 May; however, others, including Washington and the Generals (1848), Biographical Sketches of the Generals (1889) and the Historical Register of the Officers of the Continental Army (Heitman 1914), each list the general’s death as 1 May 1824. The date of General Putnam’s death in this entry was drawn from his memoirs. Persis Putnam predeceased her husband on 6 September 1820. General Putnam was survived by some of his children from his second marriage. Those who predeceased him were: Franklin, died as a young boy; Abigail, who succumbed during 1805, Catherine (married Ebenezer Buckingham), who died during 1808; and Persis, who succumbed during 1812. He was survived by Susanna (married Christopher Burlingame), Elizabeth, William Rufus (married Jerusa Guitteau); Edwin (married Eliza Davis); and Martha (married Benjamin Tupper).

Quincy, Josiah, Jr. Josiah Quincy (2), the son of Colonel Josiah (1) and Hannah Sturgis Quincy, was born in Braintree (later Quincy), Massachusetts, on 23 February 1744. Josiah’s father was a prosperous merchant who operated his business from Boston. Josiah attended Harvard and graduated during 1763. Immediately thereafter, he pursued the study of law under Oxenbridge Thacher, whose law office was in Boston. After completing his studies and being admitted to the bar during 1765, Josiah began to practice law and shortly thereafter, his talents were noticed and his reputation began to grow. Subsequent to the death of Oxenbridge Thacher, Josiah remained at his office and settled his affairs, then continued the practice. However, his interest in the Patriots’ cause was not received well by the royal government, and his piercing pen began to sting like arrows as his essays regarding liberty were circulated. Josiah and another talented Patriot, James Otis, became frequent and effective critics of the British policies regarding the colonies. During 1767, Josiah Quincy published two articles in the Boston Gazette under the pseudonym “Hyperion.” Nevertheless, in addition to becoming known as one of the primary radicals in Massachusetts, Josiah considered himself fair. In 1759, Josiah married Abigail Phillips, the daughter of William and Abigail Bromfield Phillips of Boston. Josiah and Abigail had one child, Josiah (3). When the Boston Massacre occurred in March 1770, it was Josiah Quincy and John Adams who volunteered to defend the British troops who were indicted after firing in the crowd and causing casualties, including fatalities. The British troops, argued their defense attorneys, fired in self-defense due to being struck by snowballs that concealed rocks. The eight British soldiers were tried during October. Two were convicted of manslaughter, but their sentences were extremely light, and the other six were acquitted. During 1773, Quincy, one of the key spokesmen of the Patriots, became severely ill. He suspended his law practice and traveled to South Carolina, where he sought relief with his breathing problem. While in the South, Quincy visited Charleston and other places, encountering other Patriots. Upon his return to Massachusetts, having absorbed more information on the plight of the southerners, Quincy resumed penning essays that spelled out the oppressive actions undertaken by the British. His activity bolstered the Patriots’ confidence, and he again became a primary instigator that prompted the Sons of Liberty to toss cargoes of tea in Boston Harbor during December 1773. One of his most powerful articles was signed with the pseudonym “Marchmont Nedham.” During 1774, the British passed legislation that colonists saw as oppressive; one of those acts, the Boston Port Bill, closed the port of Boston and isolated the citizens. In reaction Quincy published and circulated new pamphlets, including “Thoughts on Civil Society and

a Standing Army.” That year, 1774, Quincy again fell into poor health. He took a voyage to England during September and while there recuperating, he was able to confer with and interview various British leaders. He was also able to meet with Benjamin Franklin, who was in the country as an American agent. They shared ideas and strategy. Quincy discerned that war was inevitable, and he was in a hurry to return home with all of his gathered notes and intelligence. He sailed for home during March 1775. Prior to his departure, Quincy spoke with Franklin and prophesied victory for America, stating: “New England alone can hold out for ages against Great Britain, and if they were firm and united, in seven years they would conquer them.” Quincy’s belief that the conflict was about to ignite was correct. He was still at sea when the clashes at Lexington and Concord occurred on 19 April 1775. He probably never heard of the action, unless a passing British ship delivered the news. Josiah Quincy died at sea on 26 April 1775, while the ship was close to arriving at Gloucester. Josiah’s son, Josiah (3), was cared for by his mother, but his grandfather, Josiah Quincy, Sr., took a great interest in Josiah and he eventually inherited a large estate. Later, Josiah also became the mayor of Boston and the president of Harvard. Josiah (3) lived to be ninety-three years old. He died on 1 July 1864. (See also Quincy, Josiah, Sr.)

Quincy, Josiah, Sr. Josiah Quincy, the son of Edmund Quincy, was born in Braintree, Massachusetts Bay, 1709, in the family estate originally acquired by Josiah’s great-grandfather, Edmund Quincy, who emigrated from England and bought the estate during 1685. Josiah’s father was a judge on the Supreme Court of Massachusetts Bay beginning in 1718. In 1737, Edmund was appointed as agent to the court of Great Britain. Josiah entered college at Harvard and graduated during 1728. He moved to Boston during 1735. After establishing himself at Boston, he entered into the shipbuilding industry and the mercantile business. The company formed was the Edmund and Josiah Quincy and Edward Jackson Company. Josiah accompanied his father on a voyage to England in December 1735. During 1738, Josiah’s father, Judge Edmund Quincy, died while in England. Upon his death, the government of the colony awarded his heirs 1,000 acres of land in Lenox, Massachusetts. That year, Josiah married Hannah Sturgis, the daughter of John Sturgis (member of Majesty’s Council) of Yarmouth and afterward, they relocated in Boston. Josiah and Hannah had four children: Edmund, Samuel, Josiah, and Hannah. On a trip to Europe several years later, Josiah Quincy traveled to Paris, France; Cadiz, Spain; Amsterdam; and London on business. He made several more trips to Europe (1740, 1742 and 1748) and while there he was engaged in expanding the business. During 1748 in Paris, Quincy engaged in getting a contract to supply items to the French at Louisbourg, which they had previously lost but were in the process of having restored. He also solicited a contract in London to supply the British at Cape Sable. In the meantime, Quincy had taken on an English partner, Slingsby Bethel. During 1748, Quincy came into a fortune in silver and gold, compliments of a Spanish privateer. A ship, named the Bethel after his English partner, sailed for the West Indies. Due to the threat of the Spanish privateers, the ship was rigged with fourteen cannon and a letter of marque to help ensure a safe voyage. Nevertheless, one day during the voyage, a Spanish ship approached the Bethel just after dusk. The captain, aware that he was outgunned, pulled a successful ruse. He had the crew apply coats and hats to poles to give the illusion of a large crew, and he posted lanterns above his dummies, then, using the darkness to his advantage, the British vessel closed and demanded surrender of the Spanish ship. The Spanish acquiesced. To the great surprise of the British crew, the privateer Jesu, Mary and Joseph was carrying 161 chests of silver and two chests full of gold. The privateer had also been armed with 26

361 guns and it had a crew of 117 men. Suddenly, Quincy and the other owners of the Bethel were about to come into a large sum of money. The privateer was taken to Boston and about $300,000 was divided among the owners. Shortly thereafter, Quincy ended the partnership and established another business. He retired to Braintree (later Quincy) and established the first glass manufacturing company in the nation. In 1755, during the initial days of the French and Indian War, Governor William Shirley of Massachusetts sent Quincy on a special mission to Pennsylvania to confer with the government in Philadelphia in an attempt to get Pennsylvania’s support for an expedition to construct a fort within striking distance of the French fortress at Crown Point (New York). After arriving in Philadelphia, Quincy sought out Benjamin Franklin, a member of the Pennsylvania Assembly and an old friend of his from when Franklin was a printer in Boston. After conferring with Franklin, Quincy was properly prepared on how to approach the assembly to gain its support. On 31 March 1755, following debate, the assembly agreed to the urgency of the expedition and resolved to raise £10,000 toward the cost of the mission. Governor Shirley was ecstatic with the success of the trip, but the celebration for Quincy was overshadowed during August 1755 when his wife, Hannah, died. He later married Elizabeth Waldron, the daughter of the Rev. William Waldron, also of Boston. Josiah and Elizabeth had one child, a daughter; however, during 1759, Elizabeth died, inflicting another grievous loss on Josiah. In 1761 he married yet again, taking Ann Marsh, the daughter of the Reverend Marsh of Braintree, as his third wife. In 1762, Quincy was commissioned as a colonel in Suffolk County militia. Colonel Quincy and General Joseph Palmer were close friends and often spent time together on hunting trips. During one of those outings, during 1765, the pair arrived back at the Palmer residence and were discussing the fear or fearlessness of one of Palmer’s daughters. Colonel Quincy bet Palmer that he could scare the former’s daughter and Palmer said it couldn’t be done. They decided to prove their respective points, but the one who sustained permanent damage from their folly was Palmer’s daughter, Mary. A shot fired to see if it would disturb her sent her into prolonged convulsions and left her a fearful invalid. (See also, Palmer, Brigadier General Joseph.) In 1768, Quincy lost his oldest son, Edmund, a graduate of Harvard (1752), who was lost at sea. Another son, Samuel, worked with the royal government and held the post of solicitor. When hostilities erupted at Lexington and Concord during April 1775, Samuel was not among the Minute Men who sped to the scene. He remained a Loyalist and kept himself inside Boston during the siege, but when the Loyalists fled with the British during March 1776, Samuel departed the country and sailed on a British ship to England. Afterward, the British rewarded him by appointing Samuel attorney general of Antigua. When hostilities began, Quincy had been living in a Boston mansion. Earlier during 1770, two houses owned by him in Braintree were destroyed by fire. Meanwhile, his son, Josiah, Jr., had been from the onset a key radical in opposition to legislation by the British that was viewed as oppressive. The younger Josiah had been in England and was en route back to Massachusetts when the fighting began. While in England he had become even more of a radical rebel and was anxious to get back to inform his fellow Patriots of the intelligence he had gathered. Josiah, Jr., was preparing to tell the Patriots that war was imminent. He never delivered his message. When his ship was within sight of Gloucester, Josiah, Jr., died on 26 April 1775. Colonel Josiah Quincy, Sr., died during 1784. The family mansion at 20 Muirhead Street in Quincy has been preserved and it is open to the public. (See also, Quincy, Josiah, Jr.)

Randolph, Edmund Jennings (Framer of the U.S. Constitution) Edmund Randolph, the son of John and Ariana Jennings Randolph,

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was born in Williamsburg, Virginia, at the family estate, Tazewell Hall, on 10 August 1753. In addition to Edmund, John and Ariana had Susan (married John Randolph Grymes) and Marianna (married James Wormeley, in Scotland at the estate of Lord Dunmore; Mariana became the mother of British Rear Admiral Ralph Randolph Wormeley). Edmund’s father was a younger brother of Peyton Randolph, and like his brother, a prominent citizen; however, John was close to the royal government. Edmund’s mother was the daughter of Edmund Jennings (king’s attorney in Maryland). Edmund was educated at William and Mary College in Williamsburg and in addition, he was able to study law under a personal tutor, his father. Edmund was only about twelve years old when Parliament enacted the Stamp Act of 1765, but as he continued to advance toward adulthood, events continued to unfold that began to cause a conflict of loyalties among the citizens of the colonies. In some of the more affluent families, animosity began to occur as sides were chosen, with some remaining loyal to the Crown against the majority who joined with the Patriots’ cause. Edmund’s family was not an exception. In Virginia the governor, Lord Dunmore, initiated a campaign (Dunmore’s War) against the hostile Indians during 1774; he received overwhelming support that brought about victory at the Battle of Point Pleasant during October. Afterward, events began to unfold that found the royal governor in a last-ditch effort to retain control of Virginia, following the battles in Massachusetts at Lexington and Concord on 19 April 1775. Shortly thereafter, Dunmore confiscated the gunpowder at Williamsburg, which lit the short fuse on the Virginians’ powder-keg. By the latter part of 1775, Dunmore’s Loyalists were mauled at the Battle of Great Bridge, near the border with North Carolina. Reinforcements from North Carolina had supported the Virginian Patriots. Dunmore’s defeat ended the royal rule of Virginia. Later, supported by British warships, Dunmore invested time in some raids, but by summer of 1776, he was in flight to Florida and from there to England. Edmund’s father, John Randolph, absconded with Lord Dunmore ( John Murray, 4th Earl). John, a Loyalist of the high degree, accompanied Dunmore to England; however, Edmund remained committed to the Patriots’ cause and bid goodbye to his parents. After the flight of his father and mother, Edmund’s welfare was overseen by his uncle, Peyton Randolph, another prominent Virginian. Peyton was a cousin of Thomas Jefferson and George Wythe, both signers of the Declaration of Independence. Peyton had served as speaker of the House of Burgesses, and during 1774, he was elected president of the First Continental Congress and retained the post until May 1775. Following the commencement of hostilities, Edmund became an aide-de-camp to General George Washington, but his service was cut short during November 1775. At that time, he returned to Virginia due to the unexpected death of his uncle, Peyton Randolph in Philadelphia. Edmund inherited his uncle’s estate. During 1776, Edmund, while continuing his military service, also became involved with politics. He was selected as a delegate to the Virginia convention that adopted the state’s initial constitution. That year (1776), Edmund married Elizabeth Nicholas, the daughter of Robert Carter Nicholas and Ann Cary Nicholas. Edmund and Elizabeth had the following children: Peyton (married Maria Ward, the daughter of Benjamin Ward, Jr.); Susan (married Bennet Taylor); Edmonia (married John L. Preston); and Lucy (married Judge Peter V. Daniel). In addition to his election to the Virginia Convention, Edmund received a congressional appointment as muster master of the Williamsburg district, but that post excluded by the rules of the convention anyone who held “a military post of profit.” Consequently, Edmond declined the military position. In addition, the local government of Williamsburg appointed Edmund as one of three judges charged with “determining questions relating to the property of Tories and other questions growing out of the revolution.”

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During 1779, Edmund Randolph was elected to the Continental Congress, but prior to his congressional service, he served as both the mayor of Williamsburg (1776) and as attorney general of the state of Virginia. And, his public service did not end there. During 1783, there was great concern about the lack of morality in Virginia and a movement led by Patrick Henry to restore it got underway. On 15 May 1783, Randolph, in a letter to James Madison, stated: “Religion, which has hitherto been treated with little respect by the Assembly, was yesterday incorporated into their proceedings.” During 1786, Randolph was elected governor of Virginia as successor to Patrick Henry. His opponents were Richard Henry Lee and Colonel Theodorick Bland. Having congressional service under authority of the Articles of Confederation and some service as a recently elected governor, Randolph had an interesting vantage point when he attended the Annapolis Convention during 1786 for the purpose of increasing interstate commerce. The Mount Vernon Compact of the previous year had brought to light that the Articles of Confederation had flaws that impeded the government. Virginia and Maryland concluded a pact regarding navigation along the Potomac only to discover that the agreement was not valid because of the Articles, which prohibited one state from consummating a treaty with another state without authorization from Congress. The Annapolis Convention only underscored the need for modification of the Articles of Confederation or the establishment of a new government. Delegates from every state were expected, but only a few states sent their representatives. It was concluded that a Constitutional Convention was needed. The convention was called and scheduled to convene in Philadelphia during May 1787. Governor Randolph was selected as a delegate. Randolph, on 29 May, presented the Virginia Plan (Virginia Resolutions) to the convention, which proposed a strong central government. Discussions continued, debates followed proposals and the deliberations dragged on without a majority consensus, with representatives from the respective states clinging to state and or regional concerns and the smaller states concerned about being overwhelmed by the power of the larger states. Eventually, a proposal from New Jersey, which gave each state two senators regardless of population and representation in the House of Representatives based on population, the convention overcame the major obstacles and the U.S. Constitution was adopted on 17 September 1787. During the convention, Randolph’s stances did not remain consistent. Although he eagerly presented the Virginia Plan, which was leaning heavily toward the Federalists’ position of a strong federal government, Randolph at times shifted to the anti–Federalist positions. Upon adoption of the Constitution, Randolph refused to affix his signature, based on his opposition to the presidency. He favored a council rather than a president, suggesting that a oneman executive was too distant from a republicanism and too close to a monarchy. He also favored a new Constitutional Convention to rid the original document of its flaws. Nevertheless, afterward, Randolph Edmund Randolph (Omitted Chapters in History, Life and Papers of Edmund swung back to fully supportRandolph, Moncure Daniel Conway, ing the Constitution, prior to the Virginia ratification con1899)

vention where he worked with his fellow supporters to get it adopted. Virginia adopted the Constitution on 25 June 1788, to enter the union as the 10th state. Randolph, following the adoption of the Constitution by South Carolina on 23 May 1788, explained his switch from opponent to supporter of ratification: “The accession of eight states reduced our deliberations to the single question of union or no union.” In the meantime, New Hampshire beat Virginia to ratification by its action of 21 June 1788, making it the ninth state to join. The new government convened on 3 March 1789 and during the following month, General George Washington, on 30 April, was inaugurated as the first president of the United States. Afterward, President Washington appointed Randolph as the U.S. attorney general. Later, upon Thomas Jefferson’s resignation as secretary of state (1794), Randolph was appointed as his successor to fill out the term. He held the post until 1795. During his time in service Randolph was caught in a controversy in which intercepted letters from the French minister to his government alluded to improprieties by Randolph. The letters were given to the British minister, Hammond, who in turn gave a copy to Oliver Wolcott, an adversary of Randolph. President Washington was informed and the relationship between the president and Edmund Randolph immediately cooled. Randolph denied the accusations and detailed a chronicle of events that bolstered his position as having been loyal to Washington. Nevertheless, Randolph, having refuted the allegations and accusing the Frenchman, Fauchett, who was installed by Robespierre, as an enemy of the United States, resigned as secretary of state. That period was a difficult one for the United States and diplomatic chicanery was gathering on all sides. Foreign countries, specifically Spain, France and England, were meddling in the nation’s business by working to break up the union. France was threatening war if America sided with Britain and Britain threatened war if America sided with France. Simultaneously, both Britain and France were interfering with American shipping. Meanwhile, the Jay Treaty (with Britain), opposed by Edmund Randolph, a French sympathizer for a while, caused the French to become infuriated. Jefferson’s followers also opposed the treaty and sympathized with France. The Jay Treaty, consummated during 1794, was ratified by the Senate during June 1795. France did instigate war, but the Quasi-War with France was confined to the sea and was terminated by the Treaty of Morfontaine (1800). Randolph retired from public life during 1796 and resumed his private life. In addition to operating his law practice, he also turned author. He penned “The History of Virginia,” but the manuscript, described as “extremely valuable,” was never published. One of Randolph’s more well known law clients was Aaron Burr, vice president (March 1801–March 1805) under President Thomas Jefferson. Burr, after being arrested on charges of treason, had the counsel of Edmund Randolph and another skilled lawyer, Luther Martin, during his trial (1807). Burr was acquitted but was later to stand trial for the murder of Alexander Hamilton in the state of New York (Burr and Hamilton engaged in a duel in which Hamilton was killed), but Burr absconded from the country and the case never went to trial. Burr returned to the United States in 1812 and later tended to Luther Martin (framer of the Constitution) during his final days after he had lost his fortune as well as his faculties. Edmund Randolph succumbed during 1813 on the 12th of September while visiting Nathaniel Burwell at Carter Hall in Frederick. Nathaniel was the son-in-law of Robert (King) Carter, who built Carter Hall. Edmund Randolph was interred in the cemetery of a chapel that was close to Carter Hall.

Randolph, Peyton Peyton Randolph was born to Sir John Randolph and his wife, Susanna Beverly Randolph, in Williamsburg, Virginia, at Tazewell Hall during 1727. Peyton’s mother was the daughter of Peter Beverly of

363 Gloucester County and the sister of Elizabeth Beverly Randolph, the wife of John’s brother, William. Peyton was a descendant (grandson) of Colonel William (1) and Mary Isham of Randolph. Peyton’s grandmother, Mary Isham Randolph, was the daughter of Henry Isham of Bermuda Hundred. In addition to Peyton, his parents had the following children: John (b. 1727, married Ariana Jennings); Beverly (married Miss Wormeley); and Mary (birth date unknown, married Philip Grymes of Middlesex County, Virginia). Peyton attended and graduated from William and Mary College. Afterward, he studied at the Inner Temple in London. During 1748, Peyton was appointed as king’s attorney and served that same year in the House of Burgesses. Peyton received Governor Robert Dinwiddie as a guest during 1751; however, the relationship was shortlived due to a decree from Britain enacting a “pistol fee” on land patents, which was adamantly opposed by Peyton Randolph. Afterward, the House of Burgesses delegated Randolph as the man to sail to England to proclaim to Parliament that the fee was unconstitutional. Dinwiddie became more estranged when he discovered that Randolph embarked on the mission without informing him. General Edward Braddock led a campaign during 1755 (French and Indian War) to seize Fort Duquesne in western Pennsylvania, but he refused to heed advice from the Americans who accompanied the expedition. Braddock’s forces were soundly defeated and he was killed during the fighting and buried in an unmarked grave along the route. Subsequently, the Indians initiated more problems and Randolph participated in a campaign against them. He commanded a company during the expedition. After the war, which left Britain the victor and the dominating power in North America, the Crown and Parliament began to devise methods of paying the cost of the war by increasing the taxes in the colonies. During 1765, Parliament enacted the Stamp Act, igniting consternation throughout the colonies. Randolph was among the first group of dissenters in Virginia, and he sided with the Patriots in opposition to the act. The reaction in the colonies was totally unexpected by the king and Parliament. Peyton, disregarding all the family ties to England, perceived the coming storm and chose the path he was about to take. He resigned from his position as king’s attorney during 1766, the year the Stamp Act was repealed, and on 6 November was elected speaker of the House of Burgesses. He defeated Richard Henry Lee and succeeded the late John Robinson. Meanwhile, Peyton’s brother John remained a staunch Loyalist. After the repeal of the Stamp Act, Britain continued to enact other legislation in its place and the relations between the colonies and Britain deteriorated further. By 1768, Britain decided to transfer troops from Halifax, Nova Scotia, to Boston. Afterward, Boston became a powder-keg, but the sparks were also flying in every colony. During May 1769, the royal governor, Lord Boutetort (Norborne Berkeley), dissolved the assembly. The representatives ignored the move and met on the following day at the Raleigh Tavern in Williamsburg. Peyton Randolph was elected as speaker, Peyton Randolph (Pictorial Field to act as moderator. At the Book of the Revolution, Benson J. Los- meeting, it was agreed not to import products from Britain. sing, 1860)

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During 1771, some shifts occurred within the colonies when Josiah Martin became the royal governor of North Carolina, replacing William Tryon, who was transferred to New York to become governor. In addition, Lord Dunmore ( John Murray, 4th Earl) arrived in Virginia to succeed Governor Robert Dinwiddie. In 1773 Randolph was appointed chairman of the Committee of Correspondence, one of many similar committees formed throughout the colonies to maintain communications from the north to the south to ensure all colonies were kept abreast of the British actions and the ongoing preparations of the Patriots. Events were unfolding rapidly. During December 1773, the Patriots in Boston disguised as Mohawk Indians boarded several vessels in Boston Harbor and dumped their cargoes of tea into the water. Britain passed new legislation during February 1774, referred to as the Intolerable Acts in the colonies. The Americans reacted by convening the First Continental Congress. The delegates from Virginia were Richard Bland, Benjamin Harrison, Patrick Henry, Colonel Richard Henry Lee, Edmund Pendleton, Peyton Randolph and George Washington. The Congress initially met on 5 September at Carpenter’s Hall and afterward at the state house (Independence Hall). Peyton Randolph was elected as the first president of the First Continental Congress. The Congress operated under complete secrecy and each colony was restricted to one vote. One of the decisions of the Congress was to support the oppressed population in Massachusetts. The delegates also created a “Declaration of Colonial Rights,” which declared the colonies’ right to self-government. In addition, the Congress condemned the eleven acts passed by Parliament since 1760 that were considered to be an infringement upon the rights of the colonists. The next year on 23 March during a session of the House of Burgesses, Peyton Randolph was speaker at St. John’s church in Richmond when Patrick Henry made is famous speech that included his declaration: “I know not what course others may take, but for me, give me liberty or give me death.” Henry was speaking in support of a resolution that would have placed Virginia “into a posture of defense.” For Randolph, it might have been a memorable moment. It was Peyton Randolph, while king’s attorney, who gave Patrick Henry his law license during 1760 and noted “that the applicant knew very little, but might learn later, being an able man.” In April 1775, the governor dispatched Marines to confiscate the powder at Williamsburg and the Patriots reacted quickly, but as they gathered, Peyton Randolph persuaded them not to use violence. On 20 May, Randolph due to poor health resigned as president of the Continental Congress. He was replaced by John Hancock. In the meantime, Peyton’s brother John had remained a Loyalist, aligned with Governor Dunmore. John Peyton left Virginia with Dunmore, leaving his son Edmund under the care of Peyton; however, Peyton lived only a short time after his brother fled. On 22 October 1776, while Peyton Randolph was dining with friends in Philadelphia, he began to choke and then slipped out of his chair and died from an apoplectic stroke. He was initially interred at Christ Church in Center City, Philadelphia. During the following year, his nephew, Edmund Randolph, had Peyton’s remains taken back to Virginia, where he was re-interred in the chapel at William and Mary College in the Randolph family crypt on 26 November. Peyton and his wife, Elizabeth Harrison Randolph, a sister of Governor Benjamin Harrison (signer Declaration of Independence), had no children. His nephew Edmund had been named as his heir.

Read, George (Signer of the Declaration of Independence and of the U.S. Constitution) George Read was born in Cecil County, Maryland, into the family of Colonel John and Mary Howell Read on 18 September 1733. Both of his parents had emigrated from Europe, his father from Dublin, Ireland, and his mother from Wales. George was the oldest; his siblings

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who followed were William, John, Thomas, James, Andrew and Mary (married Colonel Gunning Bedford, a cousin of Gunning Bedford, a signer of the U.S. Constitution). George’s early education, subsequent to being instructed at home, was received in Chester, Pennsylvania, on the outskirts of Philadelphia. During his attendance there, George studied the Greek and Latin classics and afterward, he attended the Philadelphia Academy under the tutorship of Doctor Allison. Following his graduation from the academy, he initiated the study of law in Philadelphia in the office of John Moland. As a quick study, George made rapid progress. He was admitted to the Philadelphia bar before he attained age twenty. By 1754, George had departed Philadelphia for nearby Delaware. He established residence in New Castle and began to build his reputation. Records from 1757 indicate that George Read served with the militia. He was listed on the roster in Richard McWilliams’ Company of Foot, commanded by Colonel William Armstrong. On 30 April 1763, Read succeeded John Ross as attorney general for the three lower counties of the colony: Kent, Sussex and New Castle. He retained the position until 1774, when he was elected to the Continental Congress. George became the first man to hold the position for those three counties. Prior to his appointment, the region was overseen by the attorney general of Pennsylvania. At that time, Delaware and Pennsylvania were not separate colonies, although each had a separate legislature. The two states became officially separated during 1776. In 1763, George married Gertrude Ross Till, widow of Thomas Till. George and Gertrude had four sons and one daughter: John (died young); George II (married first cousin Mary Thompson, daughter of General William Thompson); William (married Ann McCall); John (married Martha Meredith); and Mary (married Matthew Pearce). Gertrude’s father, the Rev. George Ross, was a prominent minister in New Castle, and her brother, George Ross, would later, like her husband, enter Congress and become a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Gertrude’s mother was Catherine Van Gezel, the second wife of the Reverend Ross. Read, although an employee of the Crown in his capacity as attorney general, apparently held no sentiments for Britain. By 1764, one year prior to the issuance of the Stamp Act, Read had become a member of Delaware’s Committee of Correspondence and he became a staunch supporter of the Patriots’ cause, but not one who radically pushed for independence. During 1765, Read was elected to the general assembly, where he continued to serve for twelve years, at times as the vice president of the state. He opposed the Stamp Act and during the following year, he wrote to King George to thank him for the repeal of the act. A response from Denis De Berdt, the Delaware agent, dated 23 September 1766, informed Read that the king had been pleased by the letter and read it twice. Nevertheless, the king declined a petition from Read for the position of tax agent in New Castle. Thomas McKean, who received the appointment, had also opposed the Stamp Act. Read’s instincts and perception provided him with a clear view of the pending difficulties with the Crown. During August 1769, he penned a potent message to the people of Delaware urging them to “reGeorge Read (Biographical Sketches of sist the encroachment of the Signers of the Declaration of Inde- tyranny.” His words spread throughout the colony and pendence, Benson J. Lossing, 1854)

were conspicuously posted for both the Patriots and Loyalists to ponder. During 1774, Read became chairman of the New Castle “committee of twelve,” which was created to acquire and forward support to the people of Boston who were suffering as a result of the Boston Port Act. Also that year, George was elected as a delegate to the First Continental Congress, which met in Philadelphia during September–October. He returned each year through 1777. On 14 December 1775, Read was appointed to the committee charged with arming the ships of the Continental Navy. During the following year, when the Declaration of Independence was debated, Read remained in opposition, causing a stalemate within the Delaware delegation, because Thomas McKean favored independence. McKean sent word to Caesar Rodney, who rushed to Philadelphia from Delaware and sided with McKean to tip Delaware into the “yea” column. Although Read was the only delegate to vote against the Declaration, he continued to remain aligned with the Patriots. Upon its appearance in parchment form, George Read did affix his name. That September in Delaware, Read acted as president of the Delaware convention that established the state’s first constitution. During the following year, 1777, British forces landed in Maryland and advanced to seize Philadelphia. En route, they captured Governor John McKinly. Thomas McKean replaced McKinly until George Read could assume the duties. It was during 1777 that Read departed Congress to tend to the critical matters in his home state. Fate dealt him a fortuitous encounter with the British fleet. While he was attempting to get his wife and children back to Delaware, a British warship spotted his boat and dispatched a party to investigate. There was no chase, as Read’s boat was grounded off Salem, New Jersey. When the British approached, he pulled off a successful ruse, posing as a farmer who was trying to reach his home. The British failed to notice that they had caught a rebel leader, primarily because he had his mother, wife and an infant in his party. The British happily responded to his request to assist in getting them to shore. The British lent their support even passing their baggage. The Read family paid their proper thanks, scampered ashore and moved to safety compliments of the British navy. Read assumed control of the government during October and remained governor until spring of 1778. During 1779, while in the Delaware assembly, Read penned the draft that directed the Delaware delegates to support and sign the Articles of Confederation. However, that year his health became poor and he was compelled to resign from public life. He declined re-election to Congress and resigned from the Delaware legislative council. Subsequently, he returned to the state legislature, serving there from 1782 through 1788. During that period he sat as a judge on the court of appeals that handled admiralty cases. In the interim, Read attended the Annapolis Convention, which convened for the purpose of modifying the Articles of Confederation. George Read, as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention, supported the federal Constitution, signed it and worked to have it ratified in Delaware. Subsequent to the adoption and ratification of the Constitution, Read served in the U.S. Senate from 1789 through 1793; however, his attendance was infrequent. When he did attend, he sided with the Federalists. He relinquished his Senate seat on 18 September 1793 to accept the position of chief justice of the state Supreme Court, a position he retained until his death at age 65, on 21 September 1798, three days after his birthday. George Read was interred at the Immanuel Episcopal churchyard in New Castle. He was survived by his wife and four children.

Reed, Brigadier General James James Reed, the son of Joseph and Sarah Rice Reed, was born about 1724 in Woburn, Massachusetts. James’ ancestors William and Mabel Reed arrived in America from London during 1686 and settled in Woburn. Few details of James’ early life and education have survived.

365 He married Abigail Hinds of New Salem, Massachusetts, and they initially settled in Brookfield and afterward in Lunenburg, later Fitchburg. At the latter place, his home site became the location of the town’s city hall. James and Abigail had nine children: James (b. 25 August 1746); Abigail (b. 20 January 1748, married Phineas Hutchins); Priscilla (b. 10 August 1749, married Thomas Carter and later James Hutchinson); Frederick (b. 16 August 1752); Sylvanus (b. 7 January 1755, married Caroline Taylor); Barzillai (b. 23 January 1756, d. 1776); Hinds (b. 20 November 1757, married Beulah Muzzy); Joseph (b. 17 February 1763, married Lucy Osgood); and Salome aka Shefomith (b. 23 May 1766, married Lockhart Willard). James Reed entered the military during the French and Indian War and commanded a company in Colonel Brown’s regiment. He served under General James Abercrombie at Ticonderoga in 1758 and with his successor, General Jeffrey Amherst, during 1759. During 1765, Reed moved to Monadnock (later Fitzwilliam) where he constructed a rather large home a short distance outside the village. Reed and a small group of others were awarded a grant (Fitzwilliam or Monadnock Number 4). The first school in the town was actually the home of the Reeds and its initial teacher was a young girl of about seventeen, Sarah Harris. During 1767, Reed was appointed to a committee to select a spot for a meeting house for the townspeople to attend worship services. At times, he acted as town clerk and presided over some of the town meetings. Subsequently, during 1770, he was commissioned a lieutenant colonel in the militia. Documentation on his military record during the campaigns is scant; however, due to the fact that he received a commission and command of a regiment at the outbreak of the Revolution, it is assumed that the leaders at that time were satisfied with his military record. By 1775, the situation in Massachusetts had reached a dangerous level. The colonists were completely disgruntled with the policies of the king, and rebellion was openly discussed. Reed was fully committed to the Patriots’ cause. Just after word of the clashes at Lexington and Concord reached Fitzwilliam, Reed led a contingent directly to Medford and from there, he moved to Exeter, where additional volunteers were solicited prior to marching to Massachusetts. On 1 June 1775, the New Hampshire assembly appointed James Reed colonel of one (2nd Regiment, later 3rd) of three regiments. John Stark (later commander of New Hampshire forces) and Enoch Poor were appointed commanders of the other two regiments. On the following day, Colonel Reed was directed by General Nathaniel Folsom to repair to the western sector of the colony to gather the volunteers that he had earlier secured there. Soon after, he advanced from Exeter to Cambridge, where he arrived, according to reports given to the Committee of Safety, on 12 June, about five days before the Battle of Breed’s Hill (Bunker Hill). Reed’s arrival was not exactly as he expected. General Artemus Ward ordered him to Medford, claiming there were too many troops at Cambridge, but upon his arrival at Medford, General Stark informed him that there were no suitable quarters for his command. Colonel Reed again contacted General Ward, who finally issued an order “that Col. Reed quarter his regiment in the houses near Charlestown Neck, and keep all necessary guards between the barracks and ferry and on Bunker Hill.” At the time, General Stark had more than ten companies and of those, he transferred the companies under Captains Whitcomb (from Swanzey) and Thomas of Rindge to Colonel Reed, who marched his contingent, numbering more than five hundred men present for duty, to Charlestown Neck on the 13th. By the 14th, Reed’s regiment was deployed just behind a rail fence in formidable positions that faced the Mystic River. On that same day, he dispatched a letter to the New Hampshire Committee of Safety, requesting a chaplain, a surgeon and an armorer for the regiment. On the 17th, his force was prepared for the imminent assault by the British. At about 1300–1400, he was joined by General Stark. From that position

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(left wing), Stark and Reed repulsed three assaults; the success was due in great part to the strategy of Reed, who designed his breastworks so well that the troops were not greatly affected by the British batteries. Subsequent to beating back the assaults, the lines of Reed and Stark made a disciplined retreat, but they had succeeded also in preventing British General William Howe from penetrating and taking up blocking positions that would have isolated the main body of the American force. Following the fighting at Breed’s Hill, Colonel Reed and his command were directed to deploy on Winter Hill, where they remained until after the British evacuated Boston on 17 March 1776. At that juncture, Reed’s regiment, during April 1776, accompanied the American Army when it moved into New York. On 24 April, Colonel Reed was given command of a brigade under General John Sullivan. Within a short while, he was ordered to move to the Hudson River to relive the forces there that were under Colonel Benedict Arnold. Colonel Reed was entrusted with a special mission. He was given several boxes by General George Washington with instructions to deliver them to General Schuyler at Albany. Each of the boxes contained $100,000. Afterward, upon General Sullivan receiving command of the Canadian expedition, Colonel Reed was involved with covering the retreat; however, for him, despite his meritorious conduct, which included a successful parley with some Indian chiefs, his military career was coming to an end. Smallpox and fever as well as dysentery struck the army and Colonel Reed became one of the victims. The illness also affected his eyesight and he became nearly totally blind after he was struck with the fever at Crown Point. Lacking proper medical aid, he never fully recovered. By early September, General Horatio Gates reported that Colonel Reed had become so ill that he would be unable to take the field. In the meantime, on 9 August, Congress had appointed Colonel Reed brigadier general in the Continental Army. The next day, the president of Congress wrote to Colonel Reed, congratulating him on his promotion: “Philadelphia, August 10, 1776. Sir: The Congress having yesterday been pleased to promote you to the rank of brigadier-general in the army of the American states I do myself the pleasure to enclose your commission and wish you happy. I am, Sir, Your most ob’t and very humble serv’t. John Hancock, President.” Reed’s eyesight never recovered, which compelled him to leave the service. His commission was deactivated during September 1776. Reed returned to Fitzwilliam, having received a half-pay pension for the duration of the war. Later, during 1783, General Reed moved to Keene, New Hampshire, and resided (through lease, not purchase) in the previous residence of Doctor Josiah Pomeroy, a Loyalist who had his estate confiscated. The house was near to a tavern owned by Colonel Wyman. James’ wife, Abigail, died there during 1791. A plaque at her grave site listed her death as August 27, 1791. Following the death of Abigail, General Reed moved back to Fitzwilliam and it was there that he remarried, taking Molly Farrar, the daughter of Major John and Martha Swift Farrar, as his second wife. Despite, the loss of his eyesight, General Reed apparently never lost his ability to remain mobile. About 1800, he relocated to Fitchburg, New Hampshire, where he succumbed on 13 February 1807. Sources list General James Reed’s date of birth during various years. This listing used three nineteenth century sources (History of Fitzwilliam, History of the Reed Family and History of Keene, New Hampshire, which state the year of his birth as 1724).

Reed, Brigadier General Joseph Joseph Reed, the son of Andrew and Theodosia Bowe Reed, was born in Trenton, New Jersey, on 27 August 1741; however, the Reeds moved to Philadelphia while Joseph was still in infancy. Joseph’s father operated a store in Trenton prior to relocating. Then later, while Joseph was about 12 years old, his parents returned to Trenton. While in Philadelphia, Andrew Reed was a trustee of the Third Presbyterian

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Church on Arch Street. Joseph’s father was apparently financially positioned to provide his son with an excellent education, including attendance at the Philadelphia Academy and then Princeton. Joseph graduated from the latter with a bachelor’s degree when he was not yet seventeen. After graduation, Joseph began to study law under Richard Stockton, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. During May 1763, Joseph was admitted to the bar, but he did not immediately practice law. He traveled to England to further his studies and hone his legal skills by attending the Middle Temple. While in England, Joseph met Esther DeBerdt, the daughter of the agent of Massachusetts, Denis DeBerdt. The encounter blossomed into a mutual love, but they did not get married because Esther’s father held back his permission. Nevertheless, when Joseph returned to America during 1765, he left his heart in England and remained determined to return to England to marry Esther. In the meantime, Joseph Reed established a law practice in Trenton. His endeavor as a lawyer was successful and he was able to build a reputation as the practice expanded. During 1770, Reed fulfilled his dream by returning to England. Although Esther’s father was in poor health and near death, he finally approved of the marriage. Joseph and Esther were married at St. Luke’s Church in London during May 1770. They returned to American in October and moved to Philadelphia. Their children included Joseph, Theodosia (b. October 1776; died an infant) and George Washington. Once in Philadelphia, Reed established his law practice. By that time, relations between the colonies and Britain had been on a downward course due to policies of the Crown and Parliament that raised ire in the colonies. It had been five years since the enactment of the Stamp Act (later repealed), and the rumblings of the colonists had quickly turned to defiant opposition. Following passage of the Stamp Act, exchanges between members of the House occurred, with some favoring the colonies. Word was passed to the colonies, and afterward in Massachusetts, the Sons of Liberty were born. Benjamin Franklin was one of the Americans in the audience during the debates. He penned a letter to Charles Thomson (later secretary of Congress), stating: “The sun of liberty is set. The Americans must light the lamps of industry and economy.” In response, Thomson wrote: “We Shall light torches of a very different sort.” In Boston, during December 1770, the Sons of Liberty boarded British ships in the harbor and dumped the cargoes of tea into the water. The incident became known as the Boston Tea Party. Later, during November 1774, Joseph was appointed to the Philadelphia committee of correspondence. He was in attendance at a congressional session at Carpenter’s Hall on 7 September 1774, when, pursuant to a resolution of 6 September, the session began with a prayer, spoken by the Reverend Duche, who mesmerized the entire Congress. Reed afterward called it “one of the most sublime, catholic, well adapted prayers I ever heard.” Reed had been in attendance of the first congressional prayer and from that day, the practice Joseph Reed (Life and Correspondence continued with succeeding chaplains. of Joseph Reed, Vol. 1, 1847)

In January 1775, Reed was elected president of the 2nd Provincial Congress. Although a legislator, he became a member of the Pennsylvania militia just after the battles of Lexington and Concord on 19 April 1775, the opening of hostilities between the colonists and Britain. Reed was appointed lieutenant colonel, 2nd Battalion (Associators), of which Daniel Roberdeau was appointed colonel. Shortly thereafter, Reed suspended his law practice in conjunction with George Washington’s selection as commander-in-chief of the American army on 15 June 1775. Lt. Colonel Reed accompanied Washington when he departed Philadelphia for Cambridge. Reed’s plan was to go only as far as New York, but en route, he was persuaded by General Washington to accompany him to Massachusetts. Reed made the trip and became Washington’s secretary (military affairs). Word was sent back to his wife, Esther, explaining what had happened. Although saddened by knowing there would be a long separation, she accepted the news without complaint. Esther sent a reply to her husband, declaring that she “would not have her dear Mr. Reed to act so cowardly as to fly when his country needed his assistance. The cause was glorious — every person should be ready to sacrifice his personal interest in this glorious contest.” Reed remained with Washington, with responsibility for managing the complex legal papers as well as organizing guidelines for etiquette and protocol at headquarters. During October 1775, Reed departed Massachusetts for Philadelphia, and by the following January he was elected to the Pennsylvania assembly, which ran simultaneously with his position of acting chairman on the committee of safety. On 5 June 1776, one month prior to the Declaration of Independence, Reed was promoted to the rank of colonel and appointed adjutant general of the Continental Army. Colonel Reed succeeded General Horatio Gates. At about that time, Esther Reed departed Philadelphia for New Jersey, taking her two children and her mother to a safer place. They initially moved to Burlington, but when the British and Hessian troops closed upon the area, Esther bolted to Evesham and spent a harrowing winter there. Esther Reed had her third child while at Evesham, under the protection of only one young boy of about age fourteen. Following the repulse of the British by Washington, the Reeds were able to return to Philadelphia. Meanwhile on 2 July 1776, British General William Howe directed a landing at Staten Island. About 10,000 British troops debarked in preparation for quashing the insurrection. On 14 July, Colonel Samuel Webb noted in his journal that Washington declined acceptance of a communication from Howe in an effort to seek reconciliation for all who would return their loyalty to the Crown. Washington also turned down a second similar communication, proclaiming he had no authority and that all communication from the British should be addressed to Congress. Colonel Reed represented General Washington during the negotiations with the British who arrived under a peace flag. During August 1776, on the 7th, General Washington traveled to the College of New York to make use of its telescope and from his vantage point, Washington was able to observe the British positions on Staten Island and their ongoing operations. Colonel Reed, with Washington, noted in his journal that the “whole world seems against us. Enemies on every side, and no new friends arise. But our cause is just, and there is a Providence which directs and governs all things.” Colonel Reed participated in the defense of Long Island before returning to Philadelphia during October 1776. He retained the position as adjutant general until 3 January 1777. Afterward the post remained vacant until Colonel Timothy Pickering accepted it on 17 June 1777. Colonel Reed, while adjutant, penned a letter to General Charles Lee stating his perception of Washington as being too cautious and his feelings about Lee as commander-in-chief. Lee responded to Reed’s letter, but he was not at headquarters and the letter was read by Washington. General Washington was aware of his over-cautiousness, but became upset because Colonel Reed did not bring his complaint directly to Washington. When Reed was confronted by Washington, the former

367 agreed he was wrong in not telling Washington his thoughts. The matter was settled. Washington became more daring and Reed again became a trusted friend. Meanwhile, on 20 March 1777, under authority of the state’s newly established constitution, Colonel Reed was appointed as the initial chief justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. And on 12 May 1777, Colonel Reed and Jedediah Huntington were appointed brigadier generals of the Continental Army, with Reed receiving command of the American cavalry. Nonetheless, Reed declined the judgeship and the rank of brigadier. Colonel Reed, however, was not shying away from responsibility or danger. He was totally energized and determined to remain with General Washington’s headquarters. Consequently, he served with Washington as a non-paid volunteer, and he held no rank in the army. Reed participated in the defense of Philadelphia when the British moved against the city during 1777. His service included the Battle of Brandywine (September) and Germantown (October). During that turbulent period, Reed was elected to the Continental Congress (September); however, he chose to remain with the army. Later, during December 1777, he was yet again chosen to be a member of the Continental Congress. He served during 1777 and 1778. The city of Philadelphia chose Reed as a member of the assembly during October 1777, and he was also made a member of the county council. Reed, however, declined the seat in the assembly. While Colonel Reed was with Washington, including at Valley Forge, his family again was uprooted when the British took Philadelphia. Esther and her family fled to Flemington, New Jersey, and while there, tragedy struck. One of the Reed’s children died after coming down with smallpox. During January 1778, Congress, concerned with the spiritual needs of the armed forces, resolved to “remove from office any chaplain for ignorance or negligence in the duties of his office or for immoral conduct.” The committee chosen to oversee the resolution included Francis Dana, Nathaniel Folsom and Joseph Reed. On 4 June 1778, Congress resolved “that the resolutions of Congress for the arrangement of the army be transmitted to the Commander in Chief, who, with the advice and assistance of the honble Joseph Reed and Francis Dana, Esqs. or either of them, is hereby directed and empowered to proceed in arranging the same according to the said resolutions.” During November 1778, Colonel Reed was appointed commissioner of Indian Affairs, declined that as well. Congress appointed George Clymer in his place. In December 1777, Reed was elected president (governor) of the Supreme Council of Pennsylvania, a position he did not decline. The British had earlier evacuated Philadelphia during June of 1778 and yet again, Reed was with Washington at the Battle of Monmouth on 28 June 1778. Subsequent to the evacuation of Philadelphia by the British, General Benedict Arnold (wounded at Saratoga) entered the city on 18 June 1778 and assumed command of the capital. Arnold, while in command, was involved in various schemes which caused him problems, and Governor Reed was equally engaged as an opponent. Reed placed charges against Arnold and demanded satisfaction. Arnold ignored the state’s claims, which intensified the situation. Eventually, he was reprimanded by Washington, but mildly. All the while, there was no hint that the hero of Saratoga had sold out to the British and during 1780 would plot to betray his command at West Point. In the meantime, during August 1778, Congress proclaimed that the body would not negotiate with a group of uninvited British peace commissioners. Afterward, the British moved to win by offering bribes to high political figures, including Joseph Reed. The effort to persuade Reed failed miserably. He defiantly shunned the effort and declared, “I am not worth purchasing, but such as I am, the king of Great Britain is not rich enough to do it.” A similar answer was given in a letter of response to his wife’s brother in England, stating: “My influence is but small; but were it as great as Governor Johnstone would insinuate, the King of Great Britain has nothing in his gift that would tempt me.”

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In Philadelphia on 4 August 1779, some of the citizens turned instigators had become angry because James Wilson and others had defended Tories in the courts after the British evacuated the city. The group had become a mob and was in the process of attacking Wilson’s Home, which at the time held friends including General Thomas Mifflin. The mob as it moved was dragging a cannon. Nevertheless, Wilson, Mifflin and the others were prepared to defend themselves; however, before the mob could attack, Governor Reed was on the scene and at the same time a small cavalry contingent of the City Troop rounded the corner in full gallop. The mob scattered in all directions. Reed afterward secured the area and everyone in Wilson’s Fort, as it was dubbed, was taken to a place of safety. During May of 1780, Esther Reed had a baby boy, who was named after General Washington. George Washington, apparently well pleased with the honor, penned a note to her: “I warmly thank you for calling the young Christian by my name.” Esther Reed, while at her country home along the Schuylkill River in August, was becoming anxious to return to the city to do more for the troops. She was engaged in raising money for the troops through the inspiration of Martha Washington while at Valley Forge. However, Esther’s life suddenly ended on 18 September 1780 she came down with a fatal illness. During her years in the country, despite the prolonged separations from her husband, Esther was a tremendous help to the cause through her Society of the Ladies. She raised huge sums of money in support of the government and the armed forces. In December 1780, troops of the Pennsylvania Line attempted mutiny, but through the efforts of Reed and the actions of General Anthony Wayne, the mutiny was terminated during early January 1781. Joseph Reed, the president (governor) of the Supreme Council, retired and returned to his law practice. Congress, however, reactivated Reed by appointing him one of the commissioners from Pennsylvania to settle the dispute with Connecticut regarding the settlements in the Wyoming Valley. Pennsylvania prevailed in the dispute, which was resolved in the courts. Subsequent to that service, Reed’s health took a downward turn. By 1784, his health became worse, prompting him to sail to England based on medical advice that suggested a sea voyage would be beneficial. Reed arrived in England and after the visit, he embarked for home. However, Governor Reed never regained his health. Before the year ended, he was yet again elected to the Continental Congress, but he never took his seat. Governor Joseph Reed succumbed on 5 March 1785. He was interred in the cemetery of the Presbyterian church on Arch Street. During the 1800s, he was re-interred in Laurel Hill Cemetery, which overlooks the Schuylkill River. Governor Reed’s son, George Washington Reed, never joined the army. He chose the United States Navy and served during the Barbary Wars. Later, when the War of 1812 erupted, Commander Reed, aboard the 12-gun Vixen, was overtaken and captured by the 32-gun Southampton in the West Indies. The weather was so terrible that both vessels nearly sank. The Vixen began to drop like a rock and the crew only narrowly escaped death in the wild sea. Reed and his crew were taken to Jamaica, but en route, the British crew indulged in excessive spirits, which jeopardized everyone aboard because of the mutiny. Reed and other prisoners supported the British commander, Sir James Lucas Yeo, in quashing the mutiny. After arriving in Jamaica, Commander Reed was immediately offered parole due to his actions after being captured. Reed, however, refused parole; he would not abandon his crew. George Washington Reed, born during May 1780, died on 4 January 1813 in Jamaica while a captive of the British.

Revere, Paul Paul Revere, the son of Apollos (known as Paul in America) and Deborah Hitchborn Revere, was born on 1 January 1735 in the North

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Square sector of Boston, Massachusetts. In addition to Paul, his parents had twelve other children, including (only nine names): Deborah (baptized February 1731–1732); Paul (baptized December 1734, died young); Frances (baptized July 1736); Thomas (baptized August 1738); Thomas (2) (baptized January 1739–1740); John (baptized October 1741); Mary (twin of Elizabeth, baptized July 1743); Elizabeth (twin of Mary, baptized July 1743) and Elizabeth (2) (baptized January 1744–1745). Paul’s ancestors were French Huguenots who fled France subsequent to the revocation of the Edict of Nantes during 1685 and resettled on the island of Gurnsey. Paul’s father immigrated to America when Paul was about thirteen. Paul was educated under the tutorship of Master Tileston, and he was also able to learn the trade of a goldsmith. Paul’s skills were enhanced, because like his father, he had a natural talent for engraving, and he was a talented artist as well. Many of Paul Revere’s original engravings have survived the ages. His engravings included the “Seventeen Rescinders,” “Repeal of the Stamp Act,” “North Battery and the Sconce and Fort Hill,” and “The Boston Massacre.” His portraits were of John Hancock, Samuel Adams, and others. Paul Revere first entered the military during the French and Indian War. He served as a second lieutenant in an artillery unit during the campaign against Crown Point during 1756, and he was stationed at Fort Edward on Lake George. During 1757, Paul married Sarah Orne. Paul and Sarah had the following children: Deborah (b. April 1758); Paul (b. January 1760); Sarah (b. January 1762); Mary (b. March 1764); Frances (b. February 1766); Mary (b. March 1768); Elizabeth (b. December 1770); and Hannah (b. 1772, d. 1773). Where the Reveres lived initially is unknown, but later, about 1762, the family resided in a home on Fish Street (later North Street) in the vicinity of Clark’s Wharf (later Hancock’s Wharf ). During 1770, Revere moved into a new residence in North Square. After the French and Indian War, Revere was quick to join with the Patriots when consternation erupted throughout the colonies in reaction to the Stamp Act of 1765. The furor caused by the act was totally unexpected by the Crown and Parliament, which repealed the act during the following year, but in its place, new legislation was passed that further infuriated the Patriots. When the British acted to suppress the turbulence, the colonists in Massachusetts received the brunt. British troops based at Halifax, Nova Scotia, landed in Boston in September 1768 to occupy the city. During 1769, the Patriots in Boston and the vicinity converged on Dorchester and celebrated under their Liberty Tree on 14 August an anniversary of the resignation of the stamp distributor. On 5 May 1773, Paul’s wife, Sarah, died about six months after the birth of their eighth child, Hannah. On 10 October of that year, Paul remarried, taking Rachel Walker as his second wife. They had 8 children: Joshua; John (1); Joseph Warren; Lucy; Harriet; John (2); Maria (married Joseph Balestier); John

Paul Revere (Pictorial Field Book of the Revolution, Benson J. Lossing, 1860)

(3) (married Lydia LeBaron Goodwin). Shortly thereafter, during November, merchant ships transporting tea arrived in Boston Harbor. The Sons of Liberty took action against the vessels Dartmouth, Eleanor and the Beaver while they were moored in the harbor. During December 1773, the Patriots, disguised as Mohawk Indians, boarded the vessels and dumped the tea into the harbor without interference by British troops. Revere participated in the raid, and prior to the action, he rode to New York and beyond to Philadelphia to provide details on the arrival of the ships and the plan of action by the Patriots. The British afterward enacted more legislation, referred to in the colonies as the Intolerable Acts, which added fuel to the fire. One of the acts was the Boston Port Bill (March 1774), which closed Boston’s port and isolated the citizens in Boston. Again, it was Paul Revere who saddled his horse and headed for Philadelphia, leaving word of the British action in each town he passed. That British action galvanized Patriots in every colony as the word spread. The other colonies began to devise methods of aiding the Bostonians. The First Continental Congress convened in Philadelphia during September 1774, and by then events began to rapidly unfold, leaving only small opportunities for reconciliation. In the meantime, the Patriots in the Massachusetts legislature passed the Suffolk Resolves and once again, Paul Revere was delegated to speed to Philadelphia to deliver the packet to the Massachusetts delegates in Congress. Revere arrived in Philadelphia on 6 October to deliver the letter dated 29 September 1774. The letter also contained intelligence regarding fortification of Boston by the British and their attempt to keep the citizens as hostages. In addition, the Committee of Safety was asking for instructions on what course of action the Patriots were to take. Revere logged miles that eventually reached the thousands while he acted as a messenger. Revere was one of the leading radicals in Massachusetts, along with John Hancock, John Adams and Sam Adams. In addition to his service in the saddle, in 1774, the Massachusetts Provincial Congress ordered the printing of paper currency and Revere was called upon to complete the task. By that time, Paul Revere was a prominent member of the Sons of Liberty and a conspicuous opponent of the policies of the Crown; however, his selection as printer was not favoritism. He was one of only four engravers in the colonies. Revere handled the entire operation. He engraved the plates for the currency, made the press and printed the money. Before the year ended, Revere made other journeys to deliver messages and bring back intelligence from the other colonies. One of those other rides occurred during December 1774, when he rode to Portsmouth to inform the Committee of Safety that Britain had prohibited any further importing of gunpowder. The revelation forewarned the Patriots at Portsmouth of a British fleet that was en route. Soon after the warning, on 14 December a force of Patriots moved against Fort William and Mary, defended by only six troops. The powder was seized and due to nasty weather, it was concealed in a church in Durham and afterward taken overland to Boston. In autumn 1774, Revere and other mechanics formed a committee of about thirty men to observe the British maneuvers and inconspicuously gather information on the Loyalists. The band held their meetings at the Green Dragon Tavern. Each was sworn to secrecy by taking an oath on the Bible at each meeting. The intelligence was shared only with several other leaders, including John Adams, John Hancock and Joseph Warren; however, one of the group, Benjamin Church, was a spy and he betrayed the Patriots by passing information to British General Thomas Gage. It was through the vigilance of that committee that the British movement (about 700 troops) toward Concord was observed. On 17 April 1775, Revere, in a message to Doctor Jeremy Belknap, gave instructions to signal the British movement: “If the British went out by water, we would show two lanterns in the North Church steeple; and if by land, one, as a signal.” On 18 April 1775, Paul Revere, William Dawes and Doctor Samuel Prescott set out to sound the alarm. Revere

369 was halted by the British, but they intercepted him after he warned Sam Adams and John Hancock. Dawes was compelled to turn back before he completed his mission, leaving Doctor Prescott the only man to reach Concord. On the following day, 19 April, the British were confronted by the Minute Men, and during a temporary stand-off, a shot was fired, but it was never determined which side fired first. Nevertheless, that initial round became known as “the shot heard round the world.” The British were forced to retire toward Boston, coming under fire along the route. Paul Revere, who was being detained by the British, was soon forgotten. He rode to again warn Hancock and Adams, telling them to remove to a new hiding place, which they did. Adams and Hancock repaired to Woburn. Sam Adams and John Hancock were primary objectives of the British, but neither was captured. Revere participated in the siege of Boston, and after the British abandoned the city on 17 March 1776, Revere’s mechanical ability was utilized. The British destroyed the trunnions of the cannon at Castle William (later Fort Independence) to prevent the Patriots from using the cannon, but Revere was able to undo the damage by constructing new carriages. Another less famous ride of Paul Revere occurred just prior to the skirmishes at Lexington and Concord when he was dispatched to Concord to forewarn of imminent action by the British. His unnoticed trip to Concord was responsible for moving the cannon from there to Groton to get it out of harm’s way. Christ Church (North Church), from where the signal was beamed to warn the Patriots that the British were on the move, became one of the primary monuments of the war. To the present-day, the church is a permanent reminder of the struggle of those men who came from more than sixty towns to defend the nation in its first engagement of the War for Independence. Subsequent to the Americans under General George Washington re-occupying Boston, Revere was commissioned as a major of artillery (state forces), and later, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel. Revere participated the ill-fated Penobscot Expedition (summer 1779), but his artillery unit was not engaged; rather it was held in reserve. Nonetheless, the expedition failed and the Americans lost the entire fleet. The force had to retreat through the wilderness to get back to friendly lines. Lt. Colonel Revere received a court-martial, but he was acquitted of all charges. Other Massachusetts officers were also acquitted; however, Captain Dudley Saltonstall was tried by a separate board. Saltonstall was convicted and found unfit for command in the Continental Navy. Revere continued in the service, but he also used experience he gained during one of his trips to Philadelphia during 1775 to establish a powder mill to supply the army with gunpowder. Subsequent to the close of hostilities, Revere acquired a new home, a mansion on Charter Street near Hanover, and lived there for the remainder of his life. Paul established a foundry in the northern sector of Boston and from that enterprise, he began to turn out cannon as well as bells and other brass and iron products. Later, Paul and his son, Joseph, re-established a business along the Neponset River at Canton. From that location, the Reveres continued to produce their original products, but the business expanded and the new line included “rolling copper plates, and making of copper bolts and spikes.” It was the Revere family that supplied the “bells and spikes” for Old Ironsides, the Constitution, an ancient war ship that is manned by active duty sailors and remains today on the active list of the United States Navy. Although it remains in the harbor at Boston and holds a U.S. Navy crew, it is used only for ceremonial purposes. Paul Revere remained active in the family business until his death on 10 May 1818. He was interred at the Granary Burying Ground. In addition to his service to the nation, Revere had been known as a philanthropist. In March 1871, the Massachusetts General Court changed the name of a sector known as North Chelsea, calling it Revere in honor of one of its favorite sons. Upon the death of his father, Joseph Revere established the Revere Copper Company and operated that

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until his death, at age ninety-two, during October 1868. The Revere Company produced about 700 cannon for use in the War of 1812 and the Civil War.

Richardson, Brigadier General Richard Richard Richardson, the son of Charles Richardson, was born Virginia during 1704 in the vicinity of Jamestown. As a young man of about twenty-one years old, having learned the profession of a surveyor, Richard left Virginia for South Carolina and settled in the Sumter District. During 1736, Richard married Elizabeth Cantey, the daughter of Joseph Cantey. Subsequent to Elizabeth’s death during 1767, Richard remarried, taking Dorothy Sinkler, the daughter of James and Mary Sinkler, as his second wife. In the meantime, Richard Richardson became a prominent planter in the region, but he was also a military man. With a commission as colonel, Richardson participated as a commander of militia in the campaigns against the Cherokee Indians during 1760 and 1761, serving under Colonel Montgomery and Colonel Grant respectively. On 25 September 1762, the South Carolina Gazette published an article describing a “handsome service of plate” presented to Colonel Richardson by the people in St. Mark’s Parish in appreciation of his “many services he rendered this Province during the late unhappy Cherokee war, and to that parish, in particular, on every occasion.” Later, as a staunch Patriot, Richardson was appointed as a commander of the militia in his district. During 1775, Richardson was appointed to the committee of safety. That November, Loyalists had the garrison at Ninety Six trapped and the garrison agreed to surrender, but the agreement was ruled invalid. Colonel Richardson was en route to lift the siege, but the garrison had already capitulated. Richardson sent word to the executive committee that he was initiating a mission to eliminate the Loyalists. During December 1775, an expeditionary force of about 4,000 to 5,000 troops led by Colonel Richardson swarmed across the Back Country to root out Loyalists who refused to drop their arms and surrender. On 21 December, Richardson sent a force of about 1,200 troops toward the Reedy River, where about 200 die-hard Loyalists under Patrick Cunningham were trying to conceal themselves in Cherokee country after having fled from Great Cane. On the following day, the contingent led by Colonel William Thompson struck. About 130 of the enemy were captured, but Cunningham and the others squeezed through a gap and escaped. The campaign became known as the Snow Campaign. After the expedition, the Loyalists were unable to organize major opposition until spring of 1780. The Provincial Congress afterward appointed Colonel Richardson as a brigadier general of militia. During March 1776, General Richardson was a member of the Provincial Congress that convened to establish South Carolina’s constitution. In June he participated in the defense of Charleston when the British were repulsed and the fleet under Commodore Peter Parker was compelled to sail back to New York. Afterward, General Richardson participated under the command of General Benjamin Lincoln in the campaigns that were initiated after the fall of Savannah during December 1778. When Generals Henry Clinton and Lord Charles Cornwallis arrived off South Carolina on 10 February 1780, General Richardson was among the defenders of the city of Charleston. The city fell on 12 May 1780 and with it were General Benjamin Lincoln’s army and Continental Navy units, the latter having been trapped due to the blockade of the harbor. General Richardson was among the captives. Initially, Richardson was offered parole, but General Cornwallis became concerned with Richardson’s influence with the Patriots. Consequently, efforts were made to persuade General Richardson to swear allegiance to the king or be imprisoned. General Richardson is known to have rejected all ploys and in his response when threatened with confinement: “I have, from the best convictions of my mind, embarked in a cause, which I think righteous and just. I have, knowingly and

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willingly, staked my life, family and property, all upon the issue; I am well prepared to suffer or triumph with it, and would rather die a thousand deaths than betray my country or deceive my friends.” Cornwallis made good on his threat and General Richardson was imprisoned, but his health could not take the stress. The British, aware of the failing health of General Richardson, permitted him to return to his home following captivity of several months. In September 1780, General Richardson succumbed. Colonel Banastre Tarleton, on a hunt for Colonel Francis Marion, the Swamp Fox, in November 1780 moved to the Richardson Plantation in an effort to establish an ambush with his Green Dragoons. The British ignited numerous fires to lure Marion into the trap; however, Tarleton’s scheme was foiled by the presence of mind of General Richardson’s widow, Margaret Cantey Richardson (3rd wife), who was able to send her son, Richard, to forewarn the Patriots of the trap. Marion moved from his position toward Jack’s Creek. On the following day, Tarleton moved out in search of Marion’s band, but he later returned to the plantation to coerce Margaret Richardson into telling him the location of Marion’s camp. Upon his return, Tarleton had General Richardson’s body exhumed to verify that the general had actually died. While there, Tarleton also ate dinner in the Richardson home. Afterward, with no compassion even for the animals, Tarleton ordered the home burned. He ordered his men to burn the barn without permitting the animals inside to escape. Tarleton’s tactics included a flogging of Mrs. Richardson; however, she proved to be more heroic than the armed troops who destroyed her home. Tarleton received no information from the defiant widow. She was not alone in resisting the British while they were plundering the property. The British began to steal valuables and one item that caught their attention was the saddle of the late general. General Richardson’s son, James Burchell Richardson, jumped on the saddle and told the soldiers that they couldn’t take it. The British reacted by relinquishing the saddle to the great satisfaction of James, whom the British referred to as the “little rebel.” At the time of the stand-off, James was seven years old. General Richardson’s son, Richard, served during the war and was also captured at Charleston, but he later escaped and served with Francis Marion. Richard rose to the rank of colonel. His wife, Dorcas Nelson Richardson was also at the plantation during the times it was plundered by Tarleton, but she also refused to hand over any information of her husband’s location. Dorcas Richardson was even successful in concealing her husband’s horse in an abandoned corn crib in the woods. The younger Colonel Richardson later rode his horse into battle with its new name, “Corn Crib.” At the battle of Eutaw Springs on 8 September 1781, Corn Crib was killed and Colonel Richardson had some difficulty getting out from under the horse that he had ridden throughout the conflict. But, once on his feet, Richardson jumped onto another horse and continued to engage the British in what became the final major contest in South Carolina. James, Richard’s younger brother, later became the governor of South Carolina. Also, Susanna, a daughter of General Richardson, married Laurence Manning, who later also became the governor of South Carolina. Rebecca, another daughter, married John Singleton.

Roberdeau, Brigadier General Daniel Daniel Roberdeau, the son of Colonel Isaac and Mary Conyngham Roberdeau of Rochelle, France, was born at St. Christopher’s (British West Indies) during 1727. Isaac had four other children, all daughters. Daniel’s father was a French Huguenot and his mother was a descendant of the Earl of Glencairn (Alexander Cunningham, 1st Earl). The details of Daniel’s early life are elusive; however, it is believed that he received an excellent education. Subsequent to his father’s death, Mary immigrated to America and settled in Philadelphia. There Daniel pursued a career as a merchant who transacted business in the West Indies

and Europe by importing products, primarily rum and wine, as well as produce from the West Indies. Daniel also handled bread, pork, molasses and flour, and it is known that he also handled lumber. During June 1756, Daniel Roberdeau entered politics when he was elected to the state assembly. According to state records, at the time of the election (to fill three vacancies), Daniel and Thomas Leech were elected as representatives of Philadelphia County and William Masters as a representative of the city of Philadelphia. Roberdeau remained in the assembly until 1760, when he decided not to run again for the seat. His term ended during September 1761. The assembly usually convened on 15 October and adjourned at the end of the year. While Roberdeau’s business prospered and he tended to the business of the assembly, he also spent time on various charitable works and was also one of the twelve managers of the Pennsylvania Hospital on Eighth Street. He served as a manager 1756–1758 and again in 1766. In the meantime, during 1761, Daniel married Mary Bostwick, the daughter of the Rev. David Bostwick, a Presbyterian minister in New York. Daniel and Mary, according to the family Bible, had the following children, each born in Philadelphia: Isaac (b. September 1763, married Susan Shippen, the daughter of the Rev. Samuel Blair); Mary (b. August 1765, d. 1769 from the hives); Anne (b. December 1767, married Jonathan Swift of Alexandria); David Bostwick (b. August 1779, d. September 1779; after David’s death, his father noted in the Bible: “He that gave has taken away the infant boy, and blessed be his Holy Name.”); daughter (name unknown, b. August 1771, died as infant; Daniel noted in a letter “that except the infant born to me in my absence, which God has taken to himself, I found all my little family well; so good and gracious has been my Benefactor, whose mercies endureth forever”); Philadelphia (b. July 1772, died an infant); Mary (2) (b. May 1774, married Thomas Patten of Alexandria); Selina (b. November 1775, married Scudamore Nickolls) and daughter (name unknown, stillborn February 1777). Roberdeau was a devout Christian who became an elder in the Presbyterian Church during 1765. During that year, the British Parliament passed the Stamp Act, which was later repealed, but the legislation sparked new dissension within the colonies and from there Britain passed other legislation perceived as oppressive by the colonies. The split continued to widen, although some were convinced reconciliation would occur. Roberdeau also owned land in Philadelphia, upon which a Presbyterian church was built during 1772. It was noted at the time that the church was erected on Fourth Street at Cherry on the site that “had been the board yard of General Roberdeau.” When the city fell to the British during 1777, the British removed all of the pews and used the building as a hospital. Meanwhile, during April 1775, clashes at Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts, launched hostilities between the colonies and the mother country. On 30 June 1775, the Committee of Safety was formed with twenty-five members, including Daniel Roberdeau, Anthony Wayne, Benjamin Franklin, John Cadwalader and Robert Morris. That October, the committee was reorganized, but it retained most of the original members. In Philadelphia that year, Roberdeau was appointed colonel of the 2nd Battalion (Associators), and he was also selected as president of the board charged with overseeing the Associators. On 15 July 1775, Colonel Roberdeau and Colonel John Cadwalader were charged with repairing to New Jersey to meet with Patriot leaders there to determine if the New Jersey forces would share responsibility in defending the Delaware River. Although Colonel Roberdeau was in the army, he also became involved with privateers. He and Colonel John Bayard personally got involved with privateers. Roberdeau’s venture was authorized by Congress and one of his vessels took a prize that was carrying “the sum of £6,097, Is., 3d., which, with five bags of silver coin and plate, is in full of the trust reposed in him. Received by order and in behalf of owners of privateers Congress and Chance. Received, July 25, 1776, of

371 Daniel Roberdeau, treasurer to the privateers Congress and Chance.” Records showed that on 2 April 1776, Colonel Roberdeau paid £100 for a 1 ⁄ 8 share in two sloops, the Congress and Chance. Shortly thereafter, Colonel Roberdeau acquired a share in the privateer Thomas Mifflin. Later, during August 1776, General Roberdeau ordered arms and ammunition for the privateer Venus. Congress noted on 12 June 1776: “Colonel Roberdeau, in behalf of the owners of the privateers which have taken some prizes, on board of which was a quantity of dollars, to the amount of 22,000, having tendered to Congress the moiety belonging to them in exchange for Continental bills of credit: Resolved that it be accepted.” Meanwhile, on 3 June 1776, Congress directed that a Flying Camp be established and that it be composed of “10,000 troops from the middle states.” The directive also called for two brigadier generals from Pennsylvania and one from Maryland. Pursuant to the call from Congress, on 4 July, while a member of the Committee of Safety, Colonel Roberdeau was commissioned a brigadier general of the Pennsylvania militia. When the votes were taken, Colonel Roberdeau received 160 and James Ewing and Colonel Miles had the second and third highest totals. It was the same day that the Continental Congress officially proclaimed independence from Britain. Roberdeau became 1st brigadier and James Ewing was appointed 2nd brigadier. Soon after, his battalion sent a congratulatory letter which included their regrets for losing him and the following: “We are instructed, unfeignedly to congratulate you on your election to the distinguished department you now fill; which we have no doubt you will conduct with honor to yourself, and advantage to the cause in which our lives and fortunes are so deeply engaged.” General Roberdeau responded: “It is the cause of God ... who can give efficacy to the feeblest efforts.” Both letters were published in the Philadelphia Journal on 17 July 1776. The Pennsylvania militia under General Roberdeau was ordered on 14 July to speed to New Jersey to support General George Washington. During autumn 1776, General Roberdeau fell ill from fever and it nearly took his life. While Roberdeau was still ill, during December the Council of Safety resolved “that an order be given to John Bray, or any other constable, to impress a close carriage with horses from James Pemberton, John Pemberton, Israel Pemberton, or Samuel Emlen, Jr., to remove General Roberdeau to Lancaster.” General Roberdeau, unable to continue in the field, found another way to support the cause. He committed $18,000 after Congress, during autumn 1776, appointed Arthur Lee as commissioner to Paris, with Benjamin Franklin and Silas Deane to follow later. Congress lacked the funds to initiate the mission. Roberdeau never received any funds in repayment. Later, during the term of James Monroe, treasury department clerk Thomas Mustin discovered a notation in the records that stated: “Paid for interest to Daniel Roberdeau on the amount advanced by him to Franklin, Lee, and Deane, Commissioners to Paris....” The space for the amount of the payment was blank. While Roberdeau was recuperating in Lancaster, tragedy struck. Mary came down with the same sickness while nursing her husband. At the time, according to the family Bible, Mary was pregnant. She died on 15 February 1777 at the same time that she gave birth to a stillborn child. Mary was interred under the communion altar of the Presbyterian Church in Lancaster. Mary’s death caused General Roberdeau extreme grief and it is thought that he never really recovered; however, he did return to the army. The nation had other responsibilities for him to undertake. Colonel Roberdeau’s 2nd Battalion, subsequent to Washington’s victory at Trenton on 26 December 1776, was designated as the relief force to take over charge of British General Prescott at Trenton. On 25 January 1777, Congress resolved “that colonel Roberdeau be requested to relieve the guard from Trenton, who has charge of General Prescott and Captain Chase, with a trusty guard from his battalion.” On 5 February 1777, General Roberdeau was elected to the Conti-

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nental Congress. Other Pennsylvanians elected then were George Clymer (signer of the Declaration of Independence); Benjamin Franklin (signer, Declaration); Robert Morris, Jonathan B. Smith and James Wilson (signer, Declaration). Roberdeau had recuperated sufficiently to take his seat with the others on 12 March 1777. He served on various committees while in Congress, including the Committee on the Commissary’s Department, and on the committee designated to confer with Generals Horatio Gates and Nathanael Greene to discuss “the general state of affairs.” Nevertheless, General Roberdeau was much less healthy than he thought. His sickness returned, compelling him to relinquish his positions on the committees and other assignments to again recuperate. While General Roberdeau was at York, Congress was forced to abandon Philadelphia, and after one day in Lancaster, the Congress reconvened in York. John Adams, after arriving in York, gained his lodging at General Roberdeau’s estate. Congress was at best gloomy, having been again evicted by the British, but the body remained totally committed. The somberness turned to jubilation on 31 October when the news of the defeat of British General John Burgoyne’s army reached York. In November 1777, the Articles of Confederation were adopted by Congress and General Roberdeau was a proponent of their adoption. During December 1777, the Pennsylvania Assembly again elected General Roberdeau to the Continental Congress. After the British abandoned Philadelphia in June of 1778, Congress departed York and resumed business in Philadelphia during July. General Roberdeau was appointed to the committee charged with greeting Comte D’Estaing’s fleet when it arrived in Delaware Bay. The congressional committee met the French minister, Sieur Gerard, at Chester and escorted him to Philadelphia. Later that year, General Roberdeau was appointed to the Board of Treasury and the Pennsylvania Marine Committee. During April 1778, General Roberdeau was granted a leave of absence from Congress. He departed for Sinking Spring Valley about 65 miles from Pittsburgh with instructions to establish a fort (Fort Roberdeau) for the purpose of defending the region, particularly the mine workers who were engaged in digging out lead the army badly needed for ammunition. General Roberdeau noted in a letter dated Carlisle, 17 April 1778: “I intend to build such a fort, as with sufficient provisions, under the smile of Providence would enable me to defend it against any number of Indians that might presume to invest it. If I am not prevented by an opportunity of serving the state eminently, by a longer stay in the wilderness, I propose to return to my duties in Congress in about three weeks.” A garrison remained there until 1779, but after the departure of the troops, the settlers in the region maintained the operation to defend the mines and the countryside. The mines were about 300 miles from Philadelphia, making transportation of the lead a major operation. While in command of the troops and supervising the construction of the fort, General Roberdeau is known to have used his personal funds for the entire operation. On 2 March 1779, James McLene, Frederick Muhlenberg and Henry Wynkoop were elected as delegates to the Continental Congress to replace Roberdeau, Edward Biddle, and William Clingan. Later that year, General Roberdeau remarried, taking Jean ( Jane) Milligan as his second wife on 2 December, as noted in the Pennsylvania Gazette on 3 December: “Last night, was married General Roberdeau to Miss Milligan, an agreeable young lady, who has every qualification to felicitate the nuptial state.” The couple had the following children: Jeany ( Jane, born in Philadelphia July 1781, died young); Jane (b. in Philadelphia in 1783, married Doctor Daniel Annan); James (b. in Alexandria, April 1785, married Mildred Lancaster Denny and later Martha Lane Triplett); and Heriot (b. in Alexandria during 1780, married Doctor Edward Conrad). In 1783, General Roberdeau and his son, Isaac, sailed for England.

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The elder Roberdeau remained there for about one year, but Isaac remained for several years while completing his studies. While there, General Roberdeau was being driven in a carriage when it was halted by stage robbers who surrounded it and moved to rob the general. General Roberdeau, without hesitation, opened the door, but he didn’t jump out with his arms raised. Instead he reached out toward the leader of the bandits and collared him, then he dragged the bandit into the coach as he yelled to the driver to “drive on and fire left and right.” The remainder of the gang became leaderless. With his pistol pressed to the bandit’s chest, General Roberdeau said: “If you move an inch I will shoot you.” The coach sped into London with General Roberdeau controlling the bandit, who was not entirely in the coach. Both of his legs were dangling through the open door as the horses galloped into London. Once inside the city, Roberdeau handed the man over to the authorities, unaware that there was a reward on his head. General Roberdeau returned to Alexandria, Virginia, where he often entertained General George Washington. General Roberdeau throughout his life was bold and daring; however, he had one unusual problem. Whenever he was anywhere near a cat, he would come close to fainting and even breathing became difficult. Once, while visiting Thomas McKean, while the latter was chief justice of Pennsylvania (1777–1799), McKean scoured the house prior to Roberdeau’s arrival to gather all the cats and remove them. Nevertheless, General Roberdeau began to react when he entered the study, but McKean insisted that there were no cats. To be sure, another search began and to the surprise of all, except Roberdeau, the diligent search team captured the straggler, a tiny kitten that had been quietly resting in the rear of a bookcase. Apparently, his family sometimes teased the general by smuggling a cat into a room, but he instantly detected them. On another occasion, General Roberdeau began to descend the steps in his house when a rogue cat blocked his passage. General Roberdeau decided not to retreat. Instead, he drew his sword as if to enter battle, then remained in place. Nevertheless, the lopsided duel did not occur; the cat scattered, giving the general safe passage to the foot of the stairs. The unusual idiosyncrasy did pass down to some of his descendants, but in a much milder form. General Roberdeau also was less than thrilled when his son, Isaac, started to learn how to play the clarinet. The general, upon hearing the instrument, exclaimed: “What is that tooting? If you want to blow that thing you had better go into the stable.” Isaac obeyed his father and repaired to the stable. But, there too, it wasn’t well received. The screeching of the clarinet immediately riled the horses, who had no ear for music. Every horse in the stable broke out and were last seen galloping away. Isaac was spared the family aversion to cats and in fact had a favorite that was always sitting on his shoulder, even while he worked. One day, the cat was perched on Isaac’s shoulder just as he was completing a drawing (a blueprint for city of Washington, D.C.). Suddenly, the cat flew from Isaac’s shoulder and plopped directly on the drawing, and unfortunately the ink was still quite wet. Isaac took it in stride and began to draw the design again, uttering the words: “There pussy, you know not what you have done.” Back in Alexandria during spring of 1794, General Roberdeau became extremely ill, and although the exact cause of the attack on his nervous system remains unknown, it came about from a shock that apparently lay dormant for many years and could have been from his actions during the Revolution or even partially tied to the death of his first wife. Nevertheless, it was debilitating. On 24 April 1794, his will was completed, but due to his weakened state, he was unable to sign it except for a mark. Later, on 1 May during a rare reprieve, he was able to personally sign an amendment to the will and yet again on 5 July, General Roberdeau amended his will with another codicil, which stated that he had “perfectly recovered from his recent sickness.” Shortly thereafter, General Roberdeau sold his property and moved with his wife and three young children to Winchester, Virginia. There

the pernicious disease again struck and the general’s nervous system was unable to recover. General Daniel Roberdeau died in Winchester on 5 January 1795. He was described as a “truly good and devout Christian; conscientious in the faithful performance of whatever duties he bad in hand; kind and affectionate to his family, and whose memory is justly revered by his descendants.” General Roberdeau was initially interred in the burying ground of the Presbyterian Church of Winchester, but later, his remains were re-interred in the Mt. Hebron Cemetery. Daniel’s widow, Jean ( Jane), died during 1835, at an unknown age, fifty-seven years after her marriage to Daniel. Jean was interred in the same place as her husband and the following inscription was added to the stone: “Here also are deposited the remains of Mrs. JEAN ROBERDEAU widow of GEN. DANIEL ROBERDEAU who departed this life on Sept. 3, 1835.”

Robertson, Brigadier General James James Robertson was born in Brunswick County, Virginia, on 28 June 1742. When he was about eight years old, his family moved to Wake County, North Carolina. James’ father was a farmer and James worked the farm, but he received no formal education. In 1759, James ventured further into the wilderness when he accompanied Daniel Boone’s third trip into what was known as the Watauga Valley in Tennessee. Boone however, traveled beyond the valley and entered Kentucky, where he experimented with planting corn and afterward returned to North Carolina. One man, William Bean, a Virginian who had been in the territory with Boone, settled in the valley during 1769 and built his isolated homestead, a solitary cabin, exactly where the Long Hunters had encamped along Boone’s Creek a tributary of the Watauga River. Russell Bean, William’s son, was the first white child born in what became present-day Tennessee. In 1770, at the break of spring, James again traveled to the valley. He led sixteen families to settle and start new lives. The Bean family was no longer alone in the wilderness. At the time, the settlers, many of whom had been soldiers, were familiar with the area, having been involved in the relief of Fort Loudoun (1758) during the French and Indian War. The settlers believed they were still within Virginia; however, it was later discovered that they had actually moved beyond Virginia into what became Tennessee and established their settlement right in the middle of the Cherokee hunting grounds. More than a few tribes claimed the same hunting grounds as theirs, including the Cherokee, Chickamauga, Chickasaw, Creeks, Shawnee and Uchee, but no tribe was prepared to establish any villages within the grounds. Of those tribes, the Cherokee and the Chickamauga seemed to dominate in the area. As early as 1735, the Cherokee (translated, means fire, from the word Cheera) inhabited about 60–65 towns and the tribe was always aggressive, with little patience for cowards and grand respect for courage. The Cherokees prided themselves on their propensity for combat and were known to hold a grudge at any cost, willing to travel thousands of miles to seek revenge. The medicine men of the Cherokee were called Cheera-tahge, indicating that they were each “possessed of divine fire.” An arch enemy of the Cherokee was the Tuscarora tribe. During a discussion between the settlers and the Cherokee in an attempt to bring peace between the two tribes, the Cherokee response was: “We cannot live without war. Should we make peace with the Tuscaroras, we must immediately look out for some other, with whom we can be engaged in our beloved occupation.” Actually, during the French and Indian war, the Cherokee supported the British during the second campaign, which succeeded in seizing Fort Duquesne, unlocking passage into the Ohio down to the Gulf of Mexico. Problems developed after the campaign when Cherokee warriors stole horses while en route back to their territory; this ignited hostilities when settlers retaliated. Nonetheless, Robertson was able to avoid hostilities, and a lease from the Cherokee was obtained to permit the

373 settlers to live there without harm. However, as the agreement was consummated, trouble erupted when a Cherokee was killed by one of the settlers. The incident nearly caused war, but again, through the abilities of Robertson, who single-handedly parleyed with the Cherokees, the issue was settled to the satisfaction of the Cherokee Indians. In the meantime, Captain Robertson married Charlotte Reeves about 1768; she played a key part in all of his endeavors. James and Charlotte had eleven children. Of the eleven children, one daughter died young and two sons were killed by Cherokee raids. The children were: Jonathan Friar (b. June 1769); James Randolph (b. December 1771, killed by Indians); Delilah (b. November 1773); Peaton (Peyton) Henderson (b. November 1775, killed by Indians); Charlotte (b. July 1778); Felix (b. January 1781); Charlotte (2) (b. March 1783); William Blount (b. June 1785); Peaton (Peyton, 2) (b. December 1787); Livinah (b. February 1790); and John McNairy (b. April 1792). Charlotte was very educated and began to teach James how to write. It must be noted that despite his lack of education, James became known as a gentleman with an excellent demeanor and a vocabulary that was void of curse words for his entire life. During 1771, the boundary line separating Virginia and North Carolina was surveyed, and after it had been drawn from Steep Rock to Beaver Creek, the Watauga settlement turned out to be in North Carolina, not Virginia. The revelation became earth shattering for the settlers, who would no longer find protection from Virginia military forces, but worse for them was the fact that they were also beyond the protection of North Carolina and in the midst of the Indian territory, land controlled by King George III. The settlers were informed of their predicament during spring of 1772 by the British agent of the southern Indians, Alexander Cameron, with a warning to depart. Fortuitously for the settlers, the Cherokee at the time had been heavily engaged against the Creeks and Chickasaw tribes and the latter had thrashed the Cherokee, deflating much of their enthusiasm for more combat, at least until their warriors again increased in numbers. A decision was made in 1772 to stay in place. The settlers gathered at Watauga to draw a blueprint for a constitution, known as the “Articles of the Watauga Association.” The articles were primarily composed of the laws governing Virginia. It was reported that every man in the settlement signed the constitution. Fort Watauga, known also as Fort Caswell (at times it was also called Fort Lee), was established during 1772 in conjunction with the agreement with the Cherokee Indians. The fort was foundation of the initial permanent settlement beyond the boundaries of the original thirteen colonies. During July 1776, Chilhowee Indians, led by Chief Old Abram, were repelled when they attacked the fort, but the Indians, after being thwarted, established a siege. The defenders, including Lt. Colonel John Carter, Captain James Robertson and John Sevier (later governor of Tennessee), were equal to the test and withstood the incessant pressure without faltering. After a couple of weeks of frustrating attempts to conquer the fort and having sustained high casualties, the Indians essentially quit trying to conquer the defenders and withdrew from the area. During the siege, Catherine Sherrill was trying to outrun pursuing Indians, and she reached James Robertson (Appleton’s Cyclo- safety when she ran into the arms of John Sevier; Catherine later pedia of Biography, Vol. 5, 1888)

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became John’s wife. During that period, the British were pulling out scheme after scheme to incite the Indians along the frontier. The Continental Army had an insufficient number of trained troops within the colonies and none to spare for the frontier. During July 1777, the Indians shot Frederick Calvit and afterward took his scalp. A contingent under Captain Robertson gave pursuit, but having only nine men, the odds were against them. That night Robertson’s party came under attack and two men were wounded. The enemy force, Creeks and Cherokee, held overwhelming numbers, but Robertson’s contingent broke through and got back to the fort. Later, during spring of 1779, Captain Robertson began to venture farther into the wilderness. His journey took him into the Cumberland region, where yet another settlement was afterward established by settlers from Watauga. While Robertson began to establish Nashville on Christmas Day, 1779, John Sevier remained with the original colony at Watauga. Robertson was at the new settlement (Bluff Station) when the group arrived on 30 April 1780. Nashville at the time was not a tranquil area for the Americans, and they were greatly outnumbered by Indians. Nonetheless, the insurmountable odds did not deter the initial optimism of the group, which included about 250 men. The struggles that followed began to transform the optimism into doubts. In the meantime, other stations were established, including Donelson’s Station near the mouth of the Stones River. The Indians inflicted casualties through raids and flooding crops to ruin them. The settlers were under attack by Indians; however, it was the British and the Spanish who were instigating the hostilities. Many of the remaining settlers were anxious to leave, but Robertson refused to quit. Sickness and Indian attacks reduced the number in the compound to 140 men. Nonetheless, Robertson declared: “Each one should do what seems to him his duty. As for myself, my station is here and here I shall stay if every man of you deserts me.” Afterward, Robertson and a small party, including Isaac Bledsoe, rode to Boonesboro, Kentucky, and once there they received “powder and shot” from Daniel Boone. The fresh supply of ammunition guaranteed the success of the settlement for the coming winter. By the following year, the Indians planned a major attack to reduce the fort. On 2 April 1781, a small band of Indians were detected and a contingent of twenty men was dispatched to engage and drive the band away or eliminate them. Once they were outside the gates, an ambush was sprung as large numbers of Indians holding concealed positions opened fire. The troops were cut off, isolated between Indians and the barricaded gates of the fort. At that instant, Captain Robertson’s wife Charlotte entered the fray to save the day. She gathered the dogs that were inside the fort. At about the same time, the horses became spooked by the ringing fire and broke away in a gallop toward the fort, but suddenly, they reversed course and headed back toward the positions of the Indians, giving the stranded troops an opportunity to reach the safety of the fort, while the Indians haphazardly tried to catch their horses. During that short spurt of confusion, the Indians came under a surprise attack. The gates of the fort were opened and the canine troops, each trained to hate Indians, were launching their attack. Charlotte’s riderless canine cavalry prevailed and saved the day and her husband as well as the fort. Later that night, the Indians again moved against the fort. The defenders had an abundance of fortitude, but their ammunition was nearly expended and their cannon, for awhile, was dormant until the defenders modified them by using horseshoes and other scraps of metal as cannon shot. The Indians came under a shower of flying horseshoes and again were repulsed. A few of the twenty men caught outside the fort were killed and scalped by the Cherokee, but most survived. Following the harrowing encounter, Charlotte Robertson said to her husband: “Thanks be to God, who gave to the Indians a dread of dogs and a love for horses.” During the following year, the fort was renamed Fort Nashville. At the time, Robertson was living in a one-room log cabin

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in the vicinity of 23rd and Park Avenue, close to Richland Creek. Later, the Robertsons moved into a brick home, but it was destroyed by fire during 1787. At some point after the siege Captain Robertson was appointed as a colonel. Following the close of hostilities, Colonel Robertson was able to raise about 500 men, all skilled in warfare, against the Indians; through that strength, he was able to bring about peace with the Chickasaw and Choctaw. A treaty with the Chickasaw Indians was consummated at Nashville during 1783, and the agreement including the transfer of Indian lands in North Carolina, which were to be purchased by the Americans. Another later treaty (of Hopewell) during 1785 confirmed the acquisition of the Indian lands. However, the Spanish in Louisiana still focused on driving out the Americans in Tennessee. By Spanish intrigue, Chief Alexander McGillivray waged war sporadically against the Tennesseans under Robertson from 1784 until 1796. Simultaneously, the Spanish attempted to persuade Robertson to break away from the United States to gain passage along the Mississippi River through Spanish Territory to reach the Gulf of Mexico by New Orleans. The scheme to get Robertson to establish an independent government failed miserably. Meanwhile, Colonel Robertson was elected as the first representative of the Cumberland Stations in the North Carolina Assembly. He was also appointed as commander and chief of the militia. During 1785, Colonel Robertson became focused on schools for his district. He traveled to the North Carolina Assembly (a trip of about 700 miles) with a school or academy on his agenda, although he believed the assembly might not support the idea. He departed Tennessee on about 1 November and was in attendance on the 1st day of sessions on 19 November. On the final day of the assembly, Colonel Robertson was able to achieve his goal. The assembly passed legislation on 29 December 1785 that established the Davidson Academy (later University of Nashville). Meanwhile, trouble with the Indians continued. During May 1787, a raid unfolded near the residence of Colonel Robertson and his brother, Mark, became a fatality. When his body was recovered, it became obvious that he went down fighting; however, the pernicious actions of the Indians remained visible from the pounding he received from knives and tomahawks. The savagery of the attack contributed to the settlers concluding that the hostile Indians may have been from an area below Muscle Shoals. Colonel Robertson sought help in locating their camp and to his jubilation, two Chickasaw Indians, one of whom was named Toka, delivered the intelligence on their location, but they also volunteered to guide the column of about 120 men during its march. It was decided to dispatch separately a few vessels to carry provisions. The vessels were boats, but designated as the “Fleet,” to be commanded by Admiral Hays (Lt. Colonel Robert Hays). The admiral, Colonel Hays, placed his flagstaff on the vessel named Piragua and it held the point for the rest of the fleet, two vessels, each about the size of canoes. The expedition of Hay’s navy was most probably the first and last navy of Tennessee, which is a land-locked state. Meanwhile, Lt. Colonel James Ford moved overland with Colonel Robertson. The information supplied by the Indian guides proved extremely accurate, and although the operation included a harrowing crossing of a river, the attack succeeded. The Indians were stunned that their territory had been invaded by the Tennesseans. Robertson’s raid rid the county of many of the killers and horse thieves who had been terrorizing the settlers. During July, intelligence gathered by a French trader reached Robertson, informing him that a large force of Indians was considering a retaliatory attack with the primary purpose being focused upon gaining more horses. The Indians launched raids again in the following year, and in one incident, John Montgomery’s property on Drake’s Creek was struck. Three of his sons were killed before they could reach safety. In March 1788, Colonel Robertson’s son, Peaton, was with several

other boys gathering sap at the Sugar Camp when Indians attacked. The boys ran, but Peyton was captured and killed. John Johnson, with Peyton at the time of the attack, was seized and carried away. The Indians continued their rampages throughout the year, creating devastation and brutalizing victims who were “scalped and chopped.” During 1789, while Colonel Robertson was in the fields, someone in the party became suspicious and thought Indians were in the cane ready to attack. No attack occurred, but one of the intruders fired a shot from the cane. The shot struck Colonel Robertson in the foot, but he recovered. During 1790, Robertson was commissioned a brigadier general in the United States Army by President George Washington. During February 1791, Washington signed his commission as a major general for the District Mero, responsible for territory south of the River Ohio. In the meantime, William Blount, appointed governor of the Southwest Territory by President Washington, sent General Robertson into the Cherokee territory to negotiate with the Indians to secure peace. Robertson’s mission succeeded and concluded with the consummation of the Treaty of Holston ( July 1791). Afterward, the treaty was given to President Washington and from him the treaty was forwarded to the Senate, which ratified it on 11 November 1791. That year, on 4 November, the U.S. Army sustained a horrendous defeat by the Indians at present-day Fort Wayne, Indiana, when Governor (General) Arthur St. Clair’s expeditionary force, composed of about 1,400 troops, sustained 637 dead and 261 wounded. The Indians at the time were familiar with the lack of military strength in the settlements in Tennessee and Kentucky. With their victory they had captured the army artillery, causing trepidation on the frontier. In Tennessee the following year (1792), General Robertson issued a call to form the militia in Davidson, Sumner and Tennessee counties. Robertson’s call for reinforcements rang throughout the settlements, and in one family, that of Colonel Valentine Sevier, the three sons of five that were of age and several others set out during January to reach Nashville, but they didn’t have horses. They left in a boat, but at some point along the route they were intercepted by Indians and never made it to their destination. The Sevier boys were eliminated in the boat and the others escaped down the river only to be intercepted, killed and scalped. Their father, Colonel Valentine Sevier, and uncle, General John Sevier, were notified and the settlers afterward sank into grief. The Indians soon attacked Bledsoe’s Station, which merged their grief with anger. Still more anguish overtook the settlements. Oliver Williams and Jason Thompson were both wounded at Bledsoe’s Station. Jason afterward returned to his home just outside of Nashville, and within a few days, Indians struck there. Jason, his wife and two of his children, a son and daughter, were massacred. The surviving daughter was dragged away, along with a Mrs. Caffrey, her son and an unnamed boy. They were taken into captivity by the Creek and Cherokee and made into slaves. At nearly the same time, other Indians raided Johnson’s Station and created a devastating scene: “At this spring the Indians killed two small children in open day, and wounded one slightly, and another dangerously. They were all scalped, and laid upon each other, a heap of children, living and dead.” The settlements were again being ravaged. Others included Durham’s and Brown’s. On 24 May General Robertson and his son Jonathan were fired upon while watering their horses at a spring, and both men were wounded. General Robertson, after being struck in the arm, lost his weapon. As he tried to retrieve it, his horse got spooked and the general fell to the ground while the horse galloped away. Just as the Indians closed to remove his scalp with their swaying tomahawks, Jonathan, although wounded in the hip, had not lost his skills as a marksman nor his instincts to save his father. Two of the Indians were wounded just as their tomahawks were set to land. With the Indians down, Jonathan and his father were able to escape with their lives and scalps intact. Nonetheless, on the following day, an-

375 other child, a boy, in the vicinity of the Robertson home, fell victim to the tomahawk and the day after, the Indians murdered a little girl in the vicinity of Nashville. General Robertson’s arm had been badly injured from his wrist up to just under his elbow. Still more terror permeated the region. On 26 May Ziegler’s Station was attacked and most of the inhabitants were massacred. The Indians kidnapped the settlers they didn’t kill. General Robertson and General Sevier were compelled by President George Washington to withhold their vengeance, which made the situation more painful due to their loyalty to the president, while their lands were being plundered. Robertson and Sevier were in agreement that an invasion of the Indian territory had to be unleashed and “the towns made up of a savage set, the brigands and banditti of the nations, Creeks and Cherokees, must be destroyed.” And the question “Shall the civilization and Christianity of Americans yield to the savage law of retaliation?” was raised. Meanwhile, talks were held with the Indians and the conclusion was that the Indians had been deceitful. While Governor Blount was preparing to trim the militia in accordance with congratulatory messages to Robertson on 14 September in response to the talks on Lookout Mountain, the scene rapidly changed. Word came that the Indians had ignited open warfare. By the 16th of September Blount was urgently directing Robertson and Sevier to prepare to defend the nation. By then, about 600–700 Indians had forded the Tennessee River. They attacked Buchanan’s Station on 30 September, but among the defenders, only fifteen riflemen were present. They were bolstered by some of the women, including Mrs. Buchanan, who acted as riflemen and scored well against the foe with their incessant fire. The fort held and the Indians retired. The settlers proclaimed that the victory had to be “an overruling Providence: God had confounded their [Indians] counsels.” By 1793, the federal government had still not absorbed the grueling punishment long endured by the Cumberland settlements and Governor Blount seemed at time oblivious to the hostile intents of the Cherokee and Lower Creeks. On 5 January 1793, the governor dispatched a message to General Robertson instructing him to “discharge of Major Sharpe’s troops.... You must keep down the expenses. This is the constant injunction from Philadelphia.” The bureaucratic bluster from Congress was not well received, as the settlers knew the congressmen were far from the dangers of the imperiled frontier. On 8 January, Blount remained in his distant world of appeasement when he wrote to Robertson to tell the general he (Blount) was meeting with the Indians and “expected there would be profound peace.” Blount informed Robertson that he had disbanded the militia in East Tennessee, except one infantry company and a 25-man contingent of cavalry attached to General Sevier. Meanwhile, the Spanish continued to arm and equip the Indians to fulfill their hopes of evicting all of the settlers in the region without committing Spanish troops. While the government ignored the crisis, more of the settlers were sacrificed. During late March the governor again wrote to Robertson directing him to call out troops and expect a major attack, thereby invalidating his earlier premature prophesy of “profound peace.” On 9 April, Colonel Isaac Bledsoe was cut down by Indians and others were attacked. During April the raiders left a trail of blood. Later that month, Blount’s letter was received by Robertson, and he read that the Cherokee had declared war upon the United States, which when translated meant the Cumberland settlements. Meanwhile, President Washington met with Chickasaw Indians on 27 April and it was decided to provide them with food, equipment and arms. All the while, the Cumberland settlements remained as stepchildren of the federal government at risk of being slowly annihilated. The ravaging continued and the fatalities mounted throughout the year. General Robertson’s son James was killed by Cherokees about 1 December. The Spanish, having apparently noticed the lack of govern-

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ment support on the frontier, on 2 December closed the navigation of the Mississippi River except for exporting fruits and the importing of some items. Still, some searched for appeasement, ignorant of the fact that appeasement often leads only to more depredations. The secretary of war asked: “Cannot the Indians be appeased by gifts?” The leaders in the region — Shelby, Logan, and Wheatley in Kentucky, John Sevier in East Tennessee and General Robertson — all agreed that the only solution was that “the Indians must be whipped at their own homes.” General Robertson expressed a desire to have “the tormentors tormented, the hornet’s nest burned down and the wolves smoked out of their den.” Nonetheless, Congress rejected an invasion. The killings continued into 1794, but despite the pleading of some, the leaders maintained that they must obey the government and could not act upon their own feelings of vengeance. Meanwhile, more settlers were slain by the tomahawk. On 6 July while Isaac Mayfield defended his son in the field and eliminated an Indian as he moved to kill Isaac’s son, six others pounced upon Isaac and he was shot repeatedly (about 15 rounds). Afterward, Isaac was brutally scalped, but still, they weren’t finished with the barbarous activity. They plunged a new British bayonet into one cheek and out the other and sliced him with their tomahawks. The British sword was noted as a sign that in addition to the chicanery of the Spanish and French, the British too were again up to their old tricks of arming the Indians. Isaac, the sixth in his family to die from the tomahawk, left a widow and children. Shortly thereafter, General Robertson dispatched a runner to Governor Blount, but en route, his horse was stolen. Nevertheless, he completed the trek on foot. On 9 August the Indians killed Major George Winchester, the brother of General Winchester. Later, Governor Blount again communicated with General Robertson and the message from the capital and Congress was to “keep the expenses down.” Congress “did not think proper to authorize or direct offensive operations.” That was apparently the final straw. General Robertson fully supported ending the terror, with or without the approval of Congress, and the citizens had long ago lost confidence in any rhetoric coming from the capital. During 1794, troops began to gather. They came from the east side of the Cumberland River, some under Colonel Ford and others from Clarksville under Colonel John Montgomery, while General Robertson collected volunteers west of the river in Davidson County. Fortuitously, mounted troops from the Hamilton district arrived to defend the Mero District just as the forces were converging on Nashville. The cavalry was under Major James Ore, and he too joined with the expeditionary force, which became known as Ore’s Expedition. In the meantime, Colonel Wheatley’s column arrived and all agreed top command was to pass to the colonel; however, because Ore was under “public authority,” General Robertson issued the order to Major Ore: “The object of your command is, to defend the District of Mero against the Creeks and Cherokees of the Lower Towns.” This included destroying the Lower Towns. The towns were destroyed on 13 September and the force sustained only several men wounded. Governor Blount became indignant about operating without orders. Nonetheless, Indian raids continued and still no governmental help was forthcoming. As more settlers and troops in small parties were being ambushed and killed, the governor continued talking to the Indians. Meanwhile, General Anthony Wayne won a decisive victory against Indians at Fallen Timbers (Ohio) during August 1794, and the news was received in Nashville with jubilation. On 12 November Blount penned yet another letter to General Robertson: “I assure you, upon my word and honor, that not only in the public talks, but in a long private one with Watts [Cherokee], he appeared truly sincere.” Finally, during 1795, the governor recommended an attack. By that time, General Robertson had relinquished his rank as general, but he remained an Indian agent. In the mean-

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time, the Creeks launched an attack against the Chickasaw Indians and sustained a defeat. Afterward, General Robertson told the Chickasaw chiefs: “You now can propose to them terms of peace.” Subsequent to the Chickasaw victory, peace began to settle in the region. During 1796, General Robertson served in the legislature, and that April the legislature elected James Winchester as brigadier general as successor to General Robertson. During June, Tennessee entered the union as the 16th state. General Robertson’s position as a judge came to an end with the termination of the territory. He had held the position since May of 1783. After the adjournment of the legislature, General Robertson remained an Indian agent. Later, Governor Blount became a member of the U.S. Senate, but was impeached and expelled from the Senate on 8 July 1797. He was expected to be transported to Philadelphia on charges of collaborating with the British, but he refused to go and the incident ended. Subsequent investigations concluded that no case could be made against him. Afterward he was elected to the state Senate and became speaker. Governor Blount died in Knoxville during 1800 and was buried in the Presbyterian church’s cemetery. Meanwhile, during 1798, Thomas Hardeman, a state senator from Davidson County, resigned and General Robertson was elected to finish the term. At the request of General (governor) Sevier, General Robertson participated in the talks that produced the Treaty of Tellico during July 1798. Later, during 1805, General Robertson was again called upon to negotiate with the Indians and convince the Chickasaw to relinquish their claims to Middle Tennessee. Robertson met with the Indians and Indian commissioners and a treaty was consummated on 23 July 1805. Afterward, he moved to the Choctaw Nation and there, too, succeeded in consummating a treaty, in which the Choctaw relinquished territory in Mississippi. At some point during the missions, General Robertson fell from his horse and sustained injuries. Nevertheless, he was called upon once again, and despite his pain, he agreed to return to the Choctaw Nation. On 25 October 1805, General Robertson yet again brought about a treaty in which the Choctaw relinquished more territory. During the following year, the general decided he would take two young Chickasaw boys and see that they received an education. By 1807, General Robertson was about 65 and was working in conjunction with the United States Postal Department to establish a “mail-road” from the Tennessee River through Indian territory to “Grind-at-One Ford, of the Bayou Pierre,” just outside Port Gibson (Mississippi). The highway became known as the Robertson Road. He was also selected to draw the Chickasaw boundary line and designated as the man to work with Colonel Meigs to draw the line which was decided upon by treaty. General Robertson remained an Indian agent and a trusted friend of the Indians. Few people knew the general suffered greatly with neuralgia, which at times brought him close to death. As the years passed the attacks occurred more frequently and the heat of August always brought him additional anguish. General Robertson was sure that one of the future attacks would end his earthly life, yet he insisted upon being in position to support the Indians, saying that he “might as well die there [with the Indians] as anywhere, if the will of God was so.” One of General Robertson’s favorite quotes was: “Man proposes, God disposes.” On 1 September 1814, General James Robertson succumbed. His final days had been filled with excruciating pain, including difficulty in breathing and inflammation of his brain, which also rendered him incoherent. His wife, Charlotte, who had shared all of his experiences through their 46 years of marriage, was beside him when he died at the Chickasaw Agency. On the following day, General Robertson was interred on the grounds of the Indian agency. General Robertson’s remains were re-interred in Nashville in 1825. Charlotte Robertson was interred in the same place after her death on 11 June 1843.

Rodney, Caesar (Signer of the Declaration of Independence) Caesar Rodney was born during 1728 to Caesar and Elizabeth Crawford Rodney in Kent County, Delaware. Caesar Rodney, Sr., had inherited most of his father’s (William Rodney) estate, which included the family farm known as Byfield. Caesar’s family (De Rodney) can be traced back to the Crusades. His grandfather, William Rodney, the son of William and Alice Caesar Rodney, arrived in America from England during 1681, initially settling in Pennsylvania and soon after moving to Delaware in the vicinity of Dover, where he established the farm (Byfield). Caesar’s (signer’s father) father was a child of William’s second wife, Sarah Jones, whom he married after the death of his first wife, Mary Hollyman Rodney. With Mary, William had three children, and with his second wife, Sarah, he had six children, with Caesar (signer’s father) born during 1707, being the youngest. Caesar inherited the family farm in East Dover Hundred. During 1727, the elder Caesar married Elizabeth Crawford, the daughter of an Episcopal minister, Thomas Crawford, who himself had emigrated from England. From that union, Caesar and Elizabeth had seven children; Caesar (signer), born during 1728, was the oldest. Caesar did not receive any formal education in England, but his parents saw to it that he received his education. In 1745, Caesar’s father died and at that time, Caesar, a teenager, assisted his mother with keeping the family intact and with overseeing the children. Nevertheless, Caesar, being only about seventeen, was given a guardian by the Orphan’s Court until he reached his majority. His mother, Elizabeth, remarried, becoming Elizabeth Crawford Rodney Wilson after marrying Thomas Wilson. Elizabeth had two additional children, giving Caesar a step-brother and a step-sister. Meanwhile, Caesar continued maintaining the farm. During 1745, despite lacking a formal education and official legal studies, he became high sheriff of Kent County. Other positions he held included clerk of Orphans Court, the same judiciary that appointed a guardian to oversee Caesar until he reached age twenty-one. Caesar also held the position of register of wills. Meanwhile, hostilities between Britain and France (French and Indian War) erupted and Caesar Rodney initiated his service with the military. He enlisted in the militia and was appointed as a captain of the Delaware militia’s unit from Dover Hundred. In 1758, he became a judge on the Superior Court in the district dealing with the three lower counties (Kent, Sussex and New Castle) and later, during 1769, he became an associate justice of the Delaware Supreme Court (three lower counties), holding that position until 1777. When he became a judge, Pennsylvania and Delaware were not separate colonies, although each had its own legislature. The three lower counties were composed of present-day Delaware. Rodney simultaneously served in the legislature, essentially remaining in public service in Delaware, with rare exception, from 1756 through 1776. Although the family retained the farm, Rodney, who never married, acquired a home in Dover during 1765 and used it whenever he was in the city. Rodney, while in politics, became affiliated with Thomas McKean. Later, both men would serve together as allies in the Continental Congress. In the meantime, Rodney and McKean worked on local issues. Following passage of the Stamp Act by Parliament during 1765, Rodney, McKean and Simon Kollock were selected as delegates to attend the provincial congress, referred to as the Stamp Act Congress, that convened in Albany, New York. By that time, it had become evident that Rodney and McKean were solidly in the camp of the Patriots and conspicuously exhibited their dismay with Britain’s policies in the colonies. However, they and others held out with hope of reconciliation with the king and the mother country. Nevertheless, conditions continued to deteriorate rather than improve. The Townshend Acts of 1768 caused further strains in the relationship. Although all of the colonies remained in a state of dismay due to the treatment received by Britain, Massachusetts received the brunt. The British ordered the port of Boston to be closed during 1774. The

377 action threw more fuel into the fire, as the colonists became more infuriated and determined to support their fellow colonists against the oppression. In Delaware, Caesar Rodney, in direct defiance of the royal governor, signaled for a meeting of the legislature. Without authorization of the governor, the meeting convened in New Castle and from it, Thomas, McKean, George Read and Caesar Rodney were elected as delegates to the First Continental Congress, scheduled to meet in Philadelphia that September. Rodney was returned to Congress during 1775 and 1776; however, during that same period he was also involved with the business of his home state. In May 1775, he was promoted from captain to colonel in the militia, and later he was promoted to the rank of brigadier general with the responsibility of commanding the state’s forces. During the following year, his dual responsibilities compelled him to depart Congress and return to Delaware to subdue Loyalist activity. He had been absent during a crucial period; Congress had moved toward the brink of no return as it prepared to vote for independence. In his absence, the other two delegates met in stalemate with George Read standing firm against independence, while Thomas McKean cast his vote for independence. McKean, in a desperate move to bring about a yea vote, sped a messenger to Delaware to get Rodney to rush back to break the tie. Although the ride of Caesar Rodney is less known than that of another prominent patriot, Paul Revere, it was no less important and much more successful. Revere had been halted by the British, preventing him from completing his mission. Rodney, who became ill after arriving in Delaware, ignored his condition, and immediately after receiving the emergency message, soon after he arrived home, he began the return trip to Philadelphia. In addition to being sick, Rodney also had to trek through a tremendous summer storm, which impeded his speed and yet, he completed the ride of about eighty miles in time to arrive back at Congress on 2 July to cast his “yea” vote to give the Declaration of Independence a unanimous vote by all the colonies. George Read, who refused to vote yea, did in fact continue to side with the Patriots’ cause. Both Read and Rodney signed the declaration after it had been completed in parchment form. Meanwhile, back in Kent County, the Tories, not favoring independence, succeeded in preventing Rodney from returning to Congress. To further their revenge, Rodney was also omitted from reelection to the Delaware legislature, and he was kept from being a representative at the state constitutional convention; however, he did remain on the Committee of Correspondence. Undaunted by his political setback and confident of his actions in favor of independence, Rodney turned his attention to his military responsibilities, which increased considerably. He moved toward Princeton, arriving there during January subsequent to the death of General Hugh Mercer and Colonel Haslet, the latter attached to Rodney’s brigade. General Rodney remained in the field at Princeton, pursuant to orders from General Alexander (Lord Stirling), and used his time there for recruiting. He remained there for about two months before departing for home with the thanks of General George Washington. Upon his return, Rodney declined an appointment to the Delaware Supreme Court, choosing instead to focus on military affairs. Tories again incited trouble around that time and General Caesar Rodney, with a sufficient show of force, terminated the unrest. Subsequent to the capture of Governor John McKinly by the British during 1777, his temporary successor, Thomas McKean, elevated Rodney to the rank of major general of the militia during September. That same year, although Rodney was out of both Congress and the legislature, he was appointed as an admiralty judge. That December he was returned to the Continental Congress. The struggle for independence continued and back in Rodney’s home state, his prior actions during July 1776 had become much more appreciated. In December 1777, Rodney was elected president (governor) of Delaware. He succeeded George Read and served from March

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1778 through November 1781. Thomas McKean had succeeded Governor McKinly, who was captured by the British, and George Read succeeded McKean. One month after being sworn in as president, Rodney responded to pleas from farmers in Kent County to dispatch troops to quell raids launched by Tories under Cheney Clow. A contingent under Lt. Colonel George Pope arrived at Clow’s stronghold on 14 April. Fire from the Tories prompted Pope to request reinforcements and “spirits.” On 18 April, Pope’s command secured the fort, but Clow escaped. He was captured during 1782, convicted of treason and charged with the murder of one of the deputies involved with his capture. It was never proved that Clow killed the deputy ( Joseph Moore), but after remaining in jail for five years under the penalty of death, he requested either freedom or death. The governor, Thomas Collins, ordered his execution. Meanwhile, as Rodney continued to govern Delaware, Congress still struggled with the war and the government. During February of 1779 Governor Rodney in a letter authorized the Delaware representatives to vote for the Articles of Confederation. He was governor until November 1781, one month after the surrender of Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown. Rodney, troubled by some type of skin cancer that had disfigured his face, finally after relinquishing his post as president of Delaware sought out a physician in Philadelphia. However, he waited far too long for treatment, and at the time, medical science was illequipped to provide any type of cure. Not one to surrender, either to an enemy or poor health, Rodney continued to participate in the affairs of the time. During 1783 he was elected as a state senator and presided as speaker. After a lifetime of being a persistent Patriot, Caesar Rodney’s devastating illness finally caused his death on 25 June 1784, almost eight years after the Declaration of Independence. Rodney was initially interred on his family property, Byfield, but later, he was re-interred in the cemetery of Christ Church in Dover, Delaware. Rodney, the soldier-statesman, had never married. He and Joseph Hewes were the only bachelors to sign the Declaration of Independence. The death of Caesar Rodney has been listed by various sources on different dates during June 1784 and some during 1783. The date of his death in this entry matches the date provided by the state of Delaware, 25 June 1784. The National Parks System and other usually reliable sources do not provide a definitive date.

Ross, George (Signer of the Declaration of Independence) George Ross was born during 1730 in New Castle, Delaware, into the family of the Rev. George and Catherine Van Gezel Ross, the latter being the second wife of the elder George. Prior to marrying Catherine, the Reverend Ross was married to Joanna Williams Ross from about 1705 until her death during 1725. Joanna and George had six children: David, John, Margaret, Aneas, Anne Catherine and Jacob. The Reverend Ross’ marriage to Catherine brought about seven additional children and of those George was the oldest. The others were: Gertrude (married the Rev. Thomas Till and later George Read), Catherine (married General William Thomp- George Ross (Biographical Sketches of son), Elizabeth (married Col- the Signers of the Declaration of Indeonel Edward Biddle), Susanna pendence, Benson J. Lossing, 1854)

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(married the Rev. William Thompson), Mary (married Colonel Mark Bird) and James. Young George Ross received a fine education, which included study of the classics. Afterward, he began to study law in the office of his step-brother, John (later attorney general of Delaware), and following a completion of his instruction, George succeeded in getting admitted to the bar. Nevertheless, he chose to remain in Philadelphia for only about one year before relocating in Lancaster. During that same year, 1751, he established his law practice and he was appointed prosecutor for Cumberland County, a position he retained until 1763. In the meantime, George married Ann Lawler during August 1751. Their marriage brought about three children: George, James (later lieutenant colonel, 8th Pennsylvania Regiment) and Mary. Ross entered politics and served in the legislature from 1768 until 1775, and during most of that time, his sentiments continued to remain with the mother country. Nevertheless, during 1774, he was elected as a delegate to the First Continental Congress. From that period in Congress into the following year, at some point, Ross’ outlook took a drastic change. He found himself aligned with the Patriots and he served on the Pennsylvania Council of Safety. He also was appointed as a colonel in the militia, but his transformation from the king’s prosecutor to rebel sympathizer and delegate to the Continental Congress cost him his seat in the provincial legislature. Ross served also in the Second Continental Congress that met in 1775; back in Lancaster, he had been a leader of the Committee of Observation. That committee chose the seven delegates, including Ross, to attend the state constitutional convention in Philadelphia, where he served as vice president (1776). While deliberations were underway in Congress that year on whether to declare independence, Ross was not a delegate; however, subsequent to the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, he was appointed to Congress. His timely arrival placed him within that group of 56 men who signed the parchment document. Ross signed the parchment document on 2 August 1776. He remained in Congress until the following year and in January ill health compelled him to retire. After his retirement, the citizens of Lancaster found a way to show their appreciation for his service and sacrifices. They had a resolution passed “that the sum of one hundred and fifty pounds, out of the county stock, be forthwith transmitted to George Ross, one of the members of assembly for this country and one of the delegates for this colony in the continental congress; and that he be requested to accept the same, as a testimony from this county, of their sense of his attendance on the public business, to his great private loss, and of the approbation of his conduct.” Although unable to continue with the responsibilities of Congress, Ross was appointed as an admiralty judge. He issued a ruling in a case (Olmstead et al. v. Rittenhouse’s Executors) that pitted a man from Connecticut against the state of Pennsylvania and his decision was overturned by a congressional court of appeals. Ross, unwilling to agree with the appeals court, initiated action to counter the decision and halt the higher courts from interfering with decisions handed down by a state court, essentially to bolster states’ rights against a federal government. The case initiated by Ross lingered in the courts for many years before finally being decided during 1809, about thirty years after his death. George Ross, who had survived his wife, Anne, by a few years, succumbed from gout at age 49 on 14 July 1779. He was interred at the Christ Church burial ground at 5th and Arch Streets in present-day Center City, Philadelphia. At the time the cemetery was established, its location was considered to be the “suburbs” of the city. Many Revolutionary War notables are interred at Christ Church. Included are four other signers of the Declaration of Independence: Benjamin Franklin, Joseph Hewes, Francis Hopkinson and Benjamin Rush. The cemetery remains open to the public and is within walking distance of Independence Hall. Some contemporary sources provide a specific date of birth for

George Ross; however, the author could find no early sources to validate a specific date. The major nineteenth century sources for the signers, such as Lossing, Goodrich, Dwight and others, state only 1730 and the National Parks System also specifies only 1730.

Rush, Benjamin (Signer of the Declaration of Independence) Benjamin Rush was born on Christmas Eve, 1745, in Berberry (Byberry, present-day Northeast Philadelphia) to John and Susanna Hall Harvey Rush. Benjamin’s mother was the widow of Joseph Harvey of Tacony (present-day Philadelphia). His father, John, was the grandson of Captain John Rush, who arrived in Pennsylvania from England during 1683 in the company of the settlers that came with William Penn. Captain Rush had commanded a troop of cavalry when Oliver Cromwell (The Protector) was in power. His son James was the father of Benjamin’s father. Upon the death of James Rush, Benjamin’s father, John, inherited his father’s estate (The Homestead) and trade, that of a gunsmith. When Benjamin was about five years old, his father died on 26 July 1751, leaving his mother to raise their four sons and two daughters by herself. The children in addition to Benjamin were James, Rachael, Rebecca, Jacob and John. Another of Benjamin’s siblings, Stephenson, died young prior to the death of his father. Benjamin and his brother Jacob were sent to West Nottingham Academy in Cecil County, Maryland, where they were tutored by the Rev. Samuel Finley (Findlay), an uncle, who had married their mother’s sister, Sarah. The boys were instructed in Greek, Latin, the arts and sciences, and religion. Benjamin later in life said he never “entertained a doubt of the divine original of the Bible.” During spring 1759, when Benjamin was fifteen, he entered the College of New Jersey (later Princeton). Benjamin received a bachelor of arts degree during 1760 and at that time, it was his inclination to become a lawyer. Nevertheless, on the advice of the Reverend Finley, Benjamin switched to medicine and studied under Doctor John Redman in Philadelphia from February 1761 until July 1766. While studying with Doctor Redman, Benjamin Rush was admitted to practice medicine at Pennsylvania Hospital. At that time he attended lectures given by Doctors William Shippen and John Morgan at the medical school founded by them. In July 1766, he boarded the vessel Friendship and sailed for Liverpool. During the voyage, twice, the ship was nearly lost to the sea and for most of the voyage, Rush was seasick. Once he arrived in England, he journeyed to Scotland, where he continued his studies and received a medical degree at the University of Edinburgh during 1768. While in Europe, Rush was taught how to speak fluent French by a man named Coumana, and he taught himself to read the Spanish and Italian languages. In addition, he traveled to France and met Benjamin Franklin, who was there acting on behalf of a few of the colonies. According to his memoirs, Rush visited just about everything there was to see in London. Finally on 26 May 1769, he boarded the vessel Edmund and returned to America from England, arriving in New York on 14 July. Upon his return to America, Rush remained unfazed by the lure of Britain and stood solidly on the side of the Patriots. Upon his arrival back in Philadelphia he opened his practice, focusing on the poor and walking from one patient’s house to the next. His medical techniques, modeled after those of Doctor Cullen, were scoffed at initially and caused problems with the old guard, but after much success with the sick, they were eventually adopted by the physicians who had opposed them, in place of Doctor Boerhaave’s methods, which had been the standard. During his first year back in the colonies, Rush was also employed as professor of chemistry at Philadelphia College. He was the first American to author a textbook on the subject of chemistry. During 1774, Rush had been engaged to Sarah Eve, but she became ill and died on 24 December, a mere two weeks before their wedding

379 was to have occurred. In January 1776, Benjamin married Julia Stockton, the daughter of Richard Stockton of New Jersey. Benjamin and Julia had thirteen children: John (1777), Emily (1779), Richard (1780), Susanna (1782, died as an infant), Elizabeth (1783, died as an infant), Mary (1784), James (1786), William I (1787, died as an infant), Benjamin I (1789, died as an infant), Benjamin II (1791), Julia (1792), Samuel (1795), and William II (1801). Richard Stockton, the father-inlaw of Benjamin, would also become a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Benjamin would also become familiar with some of the more prominent notables, including John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and Thomas Paine. Benjamin is known to have encouraged Paine to publish his piece Common Sense and to have suggested the title. Benjamin Rush was not a member of the First Continental Congress, nor was he a delegate during the adoption process in June–July 1776. However, he attended a conference of Pennsylvanians during June of 1776, in which those Patriots drew up a draft offering support for independence. During July, Rush, selected by the provincial convention, was sent as a member of Congress in place of one of several delegates who resigned rather than support independence. When the Declaration of Independence was completed in parchment form, Rush affixed his name to the document to become a member of that elite group of 56 men who signed. When the British threatened Philadelphia toward the latter part of the year, Rush did not devote much time to Congress when it fled to Baltimore. However, he did take precautions regarding his family and saw to it that his wife was safe at a relative’s home in Cecil County, Maryland. Afterward, he was a surgeon for the Continental Army during its New Jersey operations. He was with the troops that stormed Trenton and later Princeton, and he provided aid to American and British troops. After the Battle of Brandywine (1777), while behind British lines, treating Americans who had not been able to leave the field, he was treated kindly and thanked by the British for treatment he had given their officers, particularly Captain John MacPherson of the British 17th Regiment. Rush’s opposition during 1776 to the state constitution of Pennsylvania provoked his adversaries to block his re-election to Congress during 1777. Nonetheless, Benjamin accepted a position as surgeon general of the Middle Department, which he described as “a medical appointment in the military hospitals of the United States during April 1777, and the causes that induced me to resign on the 30th of January 1778.” After accepting the position, Rush put forth charges of “maladministration” against Doctor William Shippen due to Rush’s perception of horrible conditions in the hospitals. General George Washington transferred the complaints to Congress. Following an investigation, Doctor Shippen was cleared of the charges. However, the conditions in the hospitals were horrible and many of the troops refused to enter them for treatment. During 1777, Rush remained at odds with General Washington. He aligned himself with a group (later called the Conway Cabal) of Generals Thomas Mifflin, Thomas Conway and others who attempted to oust General Washington from command. The plot failed and with it, Benjamin Rush (Biographical Sketches Rush’s military career was terof the Signers of the Declaration of minated. In addition, BenIndependence, Benson J. Lossing, 1854) jamin’s political career veered

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off course for a long period of time. Rush resumed his medical practice. In 1780, Benjamin — heavily burdened by his enormous number of patients, primarily poor — was struck by a disease known as “breakbone fever” during autumn; however, he recovered. In his memoirs, Rush, who claimed to not be very susceptible to superstition, related that after recovering, he dreamed that a poor woman came to him pleading to go to her husband and that he responded he was overburdened and she should seek another doctor. The dream woman told him that he was to have died from the fever, but the prayers of the poor interceded with God and he was spared. Consequently, superstitious or not, Rush employed a Doctor Hall to assist him with his practice. In addition to his regular responsibilities as a doctor, Rush also devoted time to other causes, including a society that supported the abolition of slavery and another that focused on the prisons and humane conditions. He participated in the drafting of the constitution of the College of Physicians. When the country moved toward a federal constitution, Rush supported its adoption. In 1789, Rush succeeded Doctor Morgan “in the chair of the theory and practice of physic” at Philadelphia College. During 1791, the College of Philadelphia merged with the University of Pennsylvania, which caused Rush to be succeeded by Doctor Adam Kuhn as professor of theory and practice of physic. Rush became professor of the institutes of medicine and medical practice. During that period, his medical practice grew quite large. Despite his success with remedies and care, he continued to have adversaries, some cloaked in the shadows and others well in the open. Some of his medical students were encouraged to refrain from attending his classes. Undaunted by the animosity, Rush continued with his work, and when the city was harshly struck by the fever epidemic of 1793, results gained by Rush essentially eradicated any substantive attacks on his ability and character, but only for a while. His great success led to further increases in his practice, expanded by many whom he had saved from the fever. This ignited more ugly attacks fueled by jealousy. Despite resistance by nearly the entire complement of doctors of the College of Physicians, Rush correctly pinpointed the origin of the fever to a domestic cause, while his opponents insisted it was of foreign origin. His opponents continued to condemn him, and after the epidemic passed, Rush resigned from the college. The fever returned to the city during 1797 and enemies of Rush published erroneous information in the press and attributed it to him. Those pernicious attacks again caused Rush to defend his character; however, the attacks did serious harm. His practice greatly decreased and even some of those he had saved stopped going to him for medical attention. During 1779, a jury fined one of Rush’s detractors $5,000 for publishing libelous articles in his newspaper in New York. Rush also mentioned in his memoirs that he wouldn’t name the doctors who were his enemies because he held no malice and believed they would all soon be together in the grave. Rush also seemed quite proud of his treatment of soldiers during the war, stating: “I never charged an officer or soldier of the American army anything for my medicines and attendance upon them during the whole of the Revolutionary war.” He was also thankful to God and in one instance stated: “However trifling it may appear, I cannot help as acknowledgment of the good providence of God in having preserved me from falls in climbing and descending stairs, and from insults in the streets in the most lonely places, and at all hours of the night, during the course of one and thirty years.” On Christmas Day, 1796, Benjamin Rush and several others had turkeys delivered to the prisoners in the jail in Philadelphia, with a note reminding the prisoners that there were people who still cared for them on “this anniversary day of the birth of their Savior.” In 1797, Rush was appointed as treasurer of the U.S. mint by President John Adams, but not without difficulty. Old enemies even went to Abigail Adams in an effort to keep Rush from being appointed. The

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president, however, retained his solid support of Doctor Benjamin Rush. An entry in Rush’s journal noted that he had been offered the position of “president” of the mint during 1795, with an annual salary of $750. The entry concluded: “Never did any man feel more pleasure in receiving an office than I did in declining the above offer.” Rush had throughout his career been an advocate of ending capital punishment, and he also worked to improve conditions in the prisons. He also favored temperance. In addition to his various medical affiliations, Rush was one of the men who established Dickinson College, and he was involved in the establishment during 1787 of the Pennsylvania Society for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery, later serving as president of the latter and as trustee of the former. Rush also held membership in the American Philosophical Society. He was a cofounder of the Philadelphia Bible Society served as its vice president. The organization supported using the Bible for studies within the public school system. The practice of using the Bibles in public schools continued until beyond the mid–twentieth century. During 1791, Rush penned a classic piece regarding his reasons for using the Bible as a schoolbook, including this reason: “That the Bible, when not read in schools, is seldom read in any subsequent period of life.” Rush also was involved with Abigail Adams to bring about the establishment of the Young Ladies Academy of Philadelphia. Doctor Rush kept a journal from the 1790s to the 1800s that included people who visited him, family gatherings, deaths of friends and of notables up to the final year of his life. Entries are detailed in his memoirs, and one, dated 12 July 1804, related the death of Alexander Hamilton on the previous day in a duel with Aaron Burr. Another was dated 20 March 1792 and included his jubilation regarding free public schools. The same entry notes that his request to have his brother appointed as a justice of the peace was turned down. Having learned that Governor Thomas Mifflin ousted Rush from his position as an “inspector of sickly vessels in Philadelphia,” a post he had held for ten years, Rush noted: “These are excellent lessons not to trust to the gratitude of our country for services to it.” The last entry in his journal seems to have been during January 1813, when he entered his thoughts on the death of George Clymer, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. On 14 April 1813, after completing some house calls, he returned home from his last patient. After enjoying a cup of tea, he came down with the chills. Later that night, as described by Doctor Dorsey, he suffered tremendous pain in his side and soon afterward, although his symptoms abated, his affliction was diagnosed as “typhus diathesis,” which was an epidemic in the city. Doctor Benjamin Rush succumbed on 19 April 1813 from typhus. Another physician at his side, Doctor David Hosack, noted that Doctor Rush’s final words at about 5 P.M. were addressed to his son: “Be indulgent to the poor.” He was survived by nine of his children, all of those who had survived infancy. He was interred at Christ Church, at 5th and Arch Streets, in Philadelphia. After his wife, Julia, succumbed on 7 July 1848, she was interred there. Benjamin’s father and mother are also interred there. Benjamin’s mother (Susanna Hall Harvey Rush Morris), subsequent to the death of her husband ( John Rush), married a third time, to Richard Morris. No children came from that marriage. She died on 2 July 1795. Doctor Benjamin Rush is known as the “Father of American Psychiatry,” and he is sometimes referred to as the “Father of American Medicine” and the “Father of Public Schools.” Christ Church cemetery is within walking distance of Independence Hall. Other signers interred there include Benjamin Franklin, Francis Hopkinson, George Ross and Richard Stockton (Benjamin’s father-in-law).

Russell, Brigadier General William William Russell, the son of William Russell (an officer in British army) and Mary Henley, was born during 1735 in Orange County,

Virginia. William’s father arrived in Virginia with General Alexander Spottswood, royal governor of the colony. The elder William acquired vast tracts of land in Virginia through purchase and by royal grants. His holdings stretched through various counties, including Culpeper, Frederick and Spotsylvania. The younger William was given an excellent education, including William and Mary College. He married Tabitha Adams and afterward resided in Culpeper County. William and Tabitha had the following children: Henry (b. 1756, massacred in Powell’s Valley, October 1773); William (b. 1758, married Nancy Price); Mary Henley (b. 1760, married William Bowen); Robert Spotswood (b. 1762, married Deborah M. Allen); Tabitha Adams (b. 1764, married William Campbell); Arthelia (died young); Katherine (died young); John Coates (b. 1769, married Anne Clay); Samuel (b. 1770, married Lucy Roberts); Celah (b. 1772, married Robert Wilson); Henley (b. 1774, died unmarried); and Chloe (b. 1776, married Hubbard Saunders). During 1773, William Russell began a trip that was to end in Kentucky, where he intended to relocate on land he acquired as the heir to his brother Henry; however, en route, the party was met by others who said bands of hostile Indians were in the area. The warning was sufficient to bring the journey to a succinct halt in the vicinity of Castle Woods along the Clinch River. There Russell encountered another party, led by Daniel Boone. Although the Russell family moved no farther than the river, Russell’s oldest son, Henry, joined with Boone to examine what was later expected to be the family estate. After traveling about forty miles, Indians ambushed Boone’s party, which was composed of about eighty people. During the struggle, Daniel Boone’s son was among the six killed and Henry Russell also became a fatality. After news of the ambush reached Henry’s father, the plan to relocate in Kentucky was instantly shelved. William stayed where he was: in what became Russell County, Virginia. From the time William Russell settled along the Clinch, there were few periods of tranquility. As a frontiersman, he was frequently engaged against hostile Indians, including the Shawnee in the southwestern sector of Virginia, and against the Cherokee Indians in the vicinity of the Ohio River. Prior to the outbreak of the Revolution, William’s wife, Tabitha, died. On 21 April 1776, William married Elizabeth Henry Campbell, the sister of Patrick Henry and the widow of General William Campbell, who died of natural causes at Yorktown on 22 August 1781 during the siege. Elizabeth and William Campbell had two children at the time of his death, Sarah, born April 1778, who later married General Francis Preston, and Charles Henry, born February 1780 and died October 1785. As commander of a mounted regiment in 1776, William Russell was again engaged against hostile Indians. On 19 December he was appointed colonel of the 13th Virginia, which he commanded until 14 September 1778, when he was transferred to the 5th Virginia Regiment. During 1777, Colonel Russell participated in the defense of Philadelphia and fought at Brandywine during September and afterward at the Battle of Germantown on 4 October. After British abandoning Philadelphia on 28 June 1778, the Continental Army broke camp at Valley Forge and gave chase as the British marched toward New York. Colonel Russell participated in the Battle of Monmouth on 28 June; it would be the final major battle in the northern states. Afterward, Colonel Russell headed to the Department of the South, and he was among the defenders at Charleston under General Benjamin Lincoln when the city fell to the British on 12 May 1780. Colonel Russell was exchanged during November, returned to active service and remained with the army until the end of hostilities. Colonel Russell was awarded the brevet of brigadier general by Congress during November 1783. After the close of hostilities, William and his second wife, Elizabeth, lived on their estate at Aspenville and General Russell did return

381 to public life to serve in the state senate. William and Elizabeth had the following children: Henry Winston (b. 1784, died while an infant); Elizabeth Henry (b. 1786, married Francis Smith); Patrick Henry (twin of Jane Robertson, born 1788 and died as an infant) and Jane (twin of Patrick, born 1788, married William Patton Thompson). General Russell’s son William (b. 1758), as a young boy of about fifteen, traveled with Daniel Boone and gathered skills in fighting Indians. William (3) joined the Continental Army as a lieutenant and participated in the Battle of Kings Mountain, where he performed heroically; for his actions in the field he was promoted to captain. Later, he participated in a campaign against the Cherokee Indians. And in March 1781, Captain Russell participated in the Battle of Guilford Court House. Subsequent to the close of hostilities, Captain Russell repaired to Kentucky and settled there. Later he commanded a regiment during General Anthony Wayne’s campaign to terminate the hostilities along the frontier at the Battle of Fallen Timbers and at the Battle of Tippicanoe during 1811. He retired as a brigadier general at the conclusion of the War of 1812.

Rutherford, Brigadier General Griffith Griffith Rutherford’s ancestors originated in Scotland; however, Griffith’s grandfather John Rutherford moved to Ireland. John married a Miss Griffith, and their son John, the father of the subject, and his wife immigrated to America during 1739. At the time they sailed for America, their son Griffith was about eight years old. Either during the voyage or within a short time after the family’s arrival in America, Griffith’s parents died, leaving him an orphan. He was raised by an elderly couple, thought to have been German immigrants. Griffith was provided with only a basic education and he remained with his adoptive family until about 1753, when he moved to Rowan County in North Carolina. About 1756 he acquired some land in the vicinity of Grant’s Creek, less than ten miles from the settlement at Salisbury, North Carolina. The tract that Griffith purchased was next to the property of James Graham, who became Griffith’s brother-in-law when Griffith married James’ sister, Elizabeth. Griffith and Elizabeth’s children were Jane, James, Blanche, Margaret, Alfred, Newton, Elizabeth, John, Griffith Weakley, and Henry. Griffith Rutherford rose to a position of prominence in the region while he became a successful planter and a surveyor. By about 1766, he was elected to the North Carolina Assembly, and he continued to serve until 1774. About 1769, Rutherford became the sheriff of Rowan County. By 1771, the Regulators — an organization of citizens that had become angry because of corruption in government and exorbitant fees — charged that the fees being extracted were illegal. The dispute was settled locally when an agreement was reached between representatives of the county and the Regulators. Nevertheless, Governor William Tryon invalidated the agreement that had been made at Salisbury on 7 March 1771. Rutherford had been one of the officers of the county and a participant in the agreement. At the time, he was also a captain of the militia. The Regulators had been organized for a long time, but by 1771, some threats were made regarding the liquidation of government officials. Governor William Tryon led the militia to quash the Regulators. Rutherford’s unit arrived at the encampment of General Waddell and warned him of a large contingent of Regulators en route to strike. Waddell, greatly outnumbered, was able to break camp and avoid getting caught. Meanwhile, Governor Tryon’s disciplined forces overwhelmed the Regulators, many of whom were unarmed, at the Battle of Alamance in May 1771. Captain Rutherford remained in the service until the forces under the royal governor were disbanded. During 1775, Griffith was elected as a member of the Provincial Congress, which convened during September. At that time, Griffith was appointed a colonel (Rowan County), and he was appointed to the

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committee of safety (Salisbury district). In December 1775, the Provincial Congress authorized a battalion of Minute Men; command was given to Colonel Rutherford. In the Provincial Congresses, he was one of the men responsible for establishing the state constitution. Colonel Rutherford led a contingent to South Carolina in December 1775 to participate with the forces of Colonel (later brigadier general) Richard Richardson in the Snow Campaign against Loyalists (Scovelite Tories) who fled to Cherokee territory. Colonel Rutherford’s leadership during that campaign which was executed in conjunction with South Carolina troops, and the North Carolinians under Rutherford performed extremely well. The Provincial Congress during the following April promoted Colonel Rutherford to the rank of brigadier general of the western district (Salisbury) of North Carolina. Five others were also made brigadier generals: John Ashe (Wilmington district); Edward Vail (Edonton district); Richard Caswell (New Bern); Allen Jones (Halifax) and Thomas Person (Hillsborough). In September 1776, General Rutherford, in command of about 2,400 troops, led an expedition against the Overhill Cherokee Indians to eliminate the constant raids and plunder of the Cherokee and their Loyalist allies. On 10 October 1776, Rutherford’s force passed through Salem. Moravians there recorded that Colonel Martin Armstrong stated that the troops had burned the Middle Towns and destroyed more than 2,000 acres of the Indians’ corn crops. Rutherford’s retaliatory attacks against the Indians continued, and the Indians were shoved over the Smoky Mountains. After completing the operation, General Rutherford attended the Provincial Congress that convened during November 1776. The next year, having been elected to the state Senate, he took his seat as a senator representing Rowan County. He served until 1786 except during 1781 and 1782. In the meantime, following the February 1776 victory at Moore’s Creek Bridge, the British suspended their campaign to seize North Carolina and sailed from Cape Fear toward Charleston. The Patriot victory and the successful campaign of General Rutherford forestalled a major campaign in North Carolina for several years, as the Loyalists were unable to raise formidable opposition. During the latter part of December 1778, Savannah, Georgia, was taken by the British. General Benjamin Lincoln arrived in Charleston during that same period to succeed General Robert Howe. Lincoln’s forces were bolstered by contingents under Generals Rutherford and John Ashe during early January, but Lincoln discovered that the North Carolina militia lacked experience. At Briar Creek on 3 March, the Americans sustained a disastrous defeat and General Ashe left the field, leaving General Elbert to face the British alone. Elbert was captured and Savannah remained in possession of the British, while Lincoln lost a large part of his army. Back in North Carolina, General Rutherford, having been informed that Colonel Banastre Tarleton was on the move, assembled the militia at Charlotte on 3 June and instructed the troops to prepare to defend the state against the advancing British and to “keep the arms in readiness at a moment’s notice.” General Rutherford’s brigade participated at the Battle of Ramseur’s Mill during June 1780. General Rutherford was to link with a contingent under Colonel Francis Lock at Mountain Creek, but Rutherford’s contingent was running behind schedule and stood at Tuckassege Fork at the Catawba River, which he forded on the 19th. A rider was dispatched to inform Lock, but the man never arrived. Nevertheless, it was decided by various commanders with Lock to launch an attack on the British at Ramseur’s Mill on the 20th. Lacking Rutherford’s contingent, the militia numbered about 400 troops, and few were battle hardened. Major Lock sped a runner to Rutherford to get him to quicken the pace of the advance. The fight became gruesome and high casualties were sustained, but the Loyalists called for a suspension of hostilities to remove their wounded. During the pause, they abandoned their positions. Following the hard fought

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contest at Ramseur’s Mill, Rutherford’s brigade linked with the forces under General Horatio Gates, who was marching against Camden. The British inflicted a tremendous defeat upon General Gates on 16 August 1780. The Battle of Camden terminated the military career of General Gates. He was succeeded by General Nathanael Greene. At the battle, General Rutherford was in the thick of the fighting. He was seriously wounded and captured. The British initially held Rutherford at Charleston, but later, they transported him to St. Augustine, Florida, where he was held until exchanged during June 1781. Imprisonment did not deflate General Rutherford’s desire to continue the struggle. He arrived back in Rowan County and the fire was back in his spirit. At the time, the British had been in control of the Cape Fear region, prompting Rutherford to reform his brigade and advance to evict the invaders, smashing through and eliminating Loyalist forces as they plowed forward. In the meantime, the siege of Yorktown, where General Lord Charles Cornwallis was trapped, succeeded and Cornwallis was compelled to surrender during October 1781. Nonetheless, Rutherford relentlessly moved toward Cape Fear and encroached the British stronghold at Wilmington by mid–November. News of Cornwallis’ surrender reached Wilmington at about the same time. The commander ordered the city abandoned before Rutherford attacked. After the close of hostilities, General Rutherford returned to the state Senate. In 1786 he moved to Tennessee. During 1794, Tennessee was separated from the “Territory south of the Ohio,” and at that time he received an appointment from President George Washington to the Legislative Council. General Rutherford was then elected president of the council. In 1800, General Griffith Rutherford succumbed at his home in Sumner County. After his death, the states of Tennessee and North Carolina named counties in his honor. General Rutherford’s son James, born about 1757, was killed at the Battle of Eutaw Springs on 8 September 1781. Eutaw Springs became the final major battle in South Carolina.

Rutledge, Edward (Signer of the Declaration of Independence) Edward Rutledge was born in Charleston, South Carolina, on 23 November 1749, to Doctor John and Sarah Wert Rutledge. Edward was the youngest of seven children. His father had emigrated from Ireland during 1735 and established his residence and practice in Charleston. Earlier, his brother Andrew, a lawyer, had also arrived in Charleston from Ireland. Andrew, Edward’s uncle, married Sarah Boone Hext, the widow of Hugh Hext (a planter) and the daughter of Captain John and Elizabeth Patey Boone of Boone Hall Plantation on Boone Hall Creek in Christ Church Parish, Charleston County. Doctor Rutledge, who arrived about five years after his older brother, married his brother’s stepdaughter, Sarah Hext, the daughter of his sister-in-law and her late husband, Hugh. John and Sarah had seven children, including Edward, the youngest, and Thomas. Through their marriages, John and Andrew accumulated sizable properties. However, Doctor John Rutledge died while Edward was a young boy, leaving his Sarah to raise the children. Nonetheless, Edward, like his older brother, Thomas, received an excellent education. Edward completed his education in England and returned to Charleston during 1772. He began to practice law during 1773 after he had been admitted to the bar. It had been Edward’s plan to wed Mary Shubrick, but her father was against the marriage. In 1774 he married Henrietta Middleton, the daughter of Henry Middleton and the brother of Arthur Middleton; the latter, like Edward, would sign the Declaration of Independence. Edward and Henrietta would have three children together; however, Henrietta became ill while still a young mother and was never able to participate as a partner in her husband’s political life. She lived an extremely quiet life until her death during 1792. Two of their children, Henry Middleton and Sarah, survived her.

On 7 July 1774, in South Carolina, at Charleston, the Patriots selected the delegates for the First Continental Congress. They were Christopher Gadsden, Thomas Lynch, Henry Middleton, Edward Rutledge, John Rutledge and Thomas Lynch. Middleton was the first president of the Continental Congress. At the time, Edward was young, but his skills as a lawyer had already impressed his peers (Whigs) and prompted them to name him as a delegate. Edward returned to Congress during Edward Rutledge (Biographical Sketches of the Signers of the Declaration of 1775 and yet again during Independence, Benson J. Lossing, 1854) 1776. The commission of George Washington issued by Congress during June 1775 was drawn up by a committee composed of Richard Henry Lee, Edward Rutledge, and John Adams. In September of that year, Rutledge proposed a motion that would have required that General Washington discharge “all the Negroes as well as Slaves as Freemen in his (Continental) Army,” but the motion failed. On 5 June 1776, Rutledge was appointed along with John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Robert Livingston and James Wilson to the Committee on Spies. The same committee was responsible for revising the Articles of War. On the following day, Edward was appointed to the committee ( John Adams, Benjamin Franklin and Edward Rutledge) charged with making a journey to New York to meet with British General William Howe. The meeting took place on 11 September of that year at Billop Mansion (formerly known as the Manor of Bentley on Staten Island), but nothing was accomplished. During June 1776, when independence was introduced in a resolution by Richard Henry Lee, Rutledge maneuvered to delay the vote, despite having authorization from South Carolina for its delegates to vote “yea” if they concurred with the decision. He was of the opinion that independence was going to occur, but he believed that before proclaiming independence, the colonies should take steps to acquire foreign allies and that the colonies should confederate. In addition, there remained differences on various matters between the northern and southern colonies. Rutledge was successful in delaying the vote, which was taken on 1 July. At that time, South Carolina voted against declaring independence. There were different opinions within the body, including the Delaware delegation and the Pennsylvania delegates. On that day, nine colonies voted for independence, and Rutledge, discerning that the vote would carry, proposed that the vote be taken again on the following day. On 2 July South Carolina changed its stance and voted “yea.” In August, Rutledge signed the parchment Declaration of Independence. Earlier, during March of 1776, the Provincial Congress authorized a change in government and the legislature became the general assembly. Rutledge’s brother Thomas became the first president and Henry Laurens was appointed vice president. Rutledge was appointed in October 1776 to another committee, this one charged with reviewing resolutions regarding the “capture and condemnation of prizes.” During the following month, Rutledge departed Congress and returned to South Carolina to restart his personal business as a lawyer; however, upon his return, he also served in the military. In 1778 he was elected to the state legislature. After a British fleet moved from Cape Fear, North Carolina, to seize Charleston during 1779, Rutledge was a participant with the forces under General William

383 Moultrie at Port Royal Island on 3 February 1779, when the British were compelled to abort the mission. That year, Rutledge was re-elected to Congress, but he did not attend any sessions due to the tumultuous conditions in South Carolina, and instead remained with the militia. However, when the British returned in May 1780, Rutledge was among the captives when the city of Charleston fell in the greatest military defeat of the war. Two other signers, Thomas Heyward, Jr., and Arthur Middleton, were also among the captured. All three were transported to St. Augustine, Florida, and imprisoned there until July 1781. Rutledge’s brother, Governor John Rutledge, had safely escaped from the area with the continental forces of Captain Abraham Buford, but his brother Hugh was seized with the fall of the city. Thomas Sumter was appointed as commander-in-chief of the South Carolina militia by the Patriot leaders and was made brigadier general. Subsequent to the loss of the American army in Charleston, General Nathanael Greene arrived to command the Patriot forces, militia and regulars. Under Greene’s leadership, British General Charles Cornwallis was prevented from re-conquering the Carolinas and compelled to abandon his quest and head to Virginia. At Yorktown Cornwallis was trapped and forced to surrender his army, which essentially terminated the conflict. During 1782, Edward Rutledge again served in the legislature and remained until 1798. During those years, he became concerned about the Democratic-Republicans’ policies and switched to the Federalists. That year his wife, Henrietta, succumbed, and the husband (Colonel Nicholas Eveleigh) of the woman (Mary Shubrick) he initially wanted to marry succumbed. Edward married Mary Eveleigh. No children came of the marriage. During 1798, Rutledge, following in the footsteps of his older brother, John, was elected governor of South Carolina, but by that time, his health had begun to deteriorate and he never finished his term. Edward Rutledge, the youngest man to have signed the Declaration of Independence, succumbed on 23 January 1800. The citizens of Charleston turned out for his funeral, which included military honors. He was interred in the cemetery at St. Philip’s Episcopal Church in Charleston. His second wife, Mary, and his daughter, Sarah, afterward lived together. Edward’s son had moved to Tennessee. Edward’s brother, former Governor John Rutledge, a signer of the U.S. Constitution, succumbed that same year, 1800, on the 23rd of July. (See also, Rutledge, John.)

Rutledge, John (Signer of the U.S. Constitution) John Rutledge, the son of Doctor John and Sarah Wert Rutledge, was born in South Carolina during September 1739. John and Sarah had six other children, including Edward (a signer of the Declaration of Independence). John’s father emigrated from Ireland during 1735 and settled in Charleston, where his brother Andrew had already established residence after arriving in America about 1730. John’s uncle Andrew was a lawyer who married Sarah Boone Hext, the widow of Hugh Hext (planter) and the daughter of Captain John and Elizabeth Patey Boone of Boone Hall Plantation on Boone Hall Creek in Christ Church Parish (Charleston County). John’s father, Doctor John Rutledge, married Sarah Hext, the stepdaughter of his brother, Alexander. John’s father died while John was still young and his widow, Sarah, had to take care of raising the children. John, like his brother Edward, received an excellent education, initially by his father and from a tutor, David Rhind, who was also an Anglican minister. John was also taught the Latin and Greek classics. He studied law under James Parsons and finished his studies at the Middle Temple in London, then received his license to practice as a barrister in England during 1760. Nevertheless, John did not remain there; he sailed for home and lived the life of a planter while he expanded his law practice quite rapidly to become a sought out attorney and a prominent man of the region. John acquired other plantations and simulta-

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neously increased his number of slaves. In addition, he was elected to the Provincial Assembly during 1761 as a representative of Christ Church Parish. He retained the seat until hostilities with Britain erupted. In May 1763, John married Elizabeth Grimke, the daughter of Frederick and Martha Emmes Grimke. Elizabeth’s father was also a lawyer. During the following year, 1764, John was appointed as the provincial attorney general, a post he retained for ten months. The following year, John Rutledge, along with a large number of other Americans, reacted negatively when Parliament enacted the Stamp Act, one of the sparks that caused the colonists to initiate open opposition to the mother country. Rutledge, however, was more subdued. He too favored self-government, but in conjunction with remaining attached to Britain. South Carolinians protested the Stamp Act by calling for a committee to draw up a petition that was to be sent to the king; Rutledge chaired the meeting. In the meantime, the other colonies also became incensed by the Stamp Act, and for the stamp agents throughout the colonies life became miserable and at times dangerous. Rutledge attended the congress referred to as the Stamp Act Congress that convened in New York during 1765, but he was considered much more moderate than some others who were especially radical in their belief that separation from Britain was the way to end the tyranny. Stamp agents were prohibited from distributing the stamps and the Patriots set up committees in the respective colonies to take action if an agent tried to distribute them. Parliament was taken aback by the strong reaction in the colonies, and by the following year, the Stamp Act was repealed, but Parliament resorted to other measures to make up for the loss of revenue, which only fueled the fires of dissension in the colonies. Some were convinced reconciliation was possible, but they were in the minority. The Americans continued to seek reconciliation and fair treatment as British subjects, but in vain. The king and Parliament ignored the petitions. During 1768, British troops arrived in Boston from Halifax, Nova Scotia. After they debarked, two regiments moved to the square and took charge of the public buildings, which further infuriated the Americans. During December 1773, in Boston, open resistance began when the Sons of Liberty, disguised as Mohawk Indians, boarded several vessels in the harbor and dumped the tea (Boston Tea Party) into the water. The British retaliated during 1774 by enacting a series of legislation referred to as the Intolerable Acts in the colonies. One of the acts closed the port of Boston and escalated the tensions. That same year, Patriots in the other colonies gathered to devise ways to support the Patriots in Boston, while simultaneously establishing a war footing. John Rutledge and his younger brother Edward were selected as South Carolina delegates to the First Continental Congress held in Philadelphia during 1774. The other delegates from South Carolina were Christopher Gadsden, Thomas Lynch and Henry Middleton. Later, Henry Middleton was chosen as the second president of the Continental Congress. Another of the delegates, Patrick Henry of Virginia, upon his return home after the adjournment of Congress, was asked who in his opinion was the “greatest man in Congress.” His response was: “If you speak of eloquence, Mr. [John] Rutledge of South Carolina is by far the greatest orator, but if you speak of solid information and sound judgment, Colonel Washington is unquestionably the greatest man on that floor.” During the sessions of Congress, Rutledge remained solidly of the opinion that severing ties with Britain was not the course to follow, but he did favor an embargo of British goods, and along with non-importation, he favored cutting off selling American goods in Britain, with some exceptions, including rice, a major crop of South Carolina. His efforts to keep rice from being included as an embargoed product succeeded. Later, on 11 January 1775, the South Carolinians convened the First Provincial Congress at the Old Exchange in Charleston. The Patriots gathered there included John Rutledge, William Henry Drayton,

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Henry Laurens, Francis Marion, William Moultrie, Richard Richardson and Thomas Sumter. In June the Provincial Congress agreed to join with the other colonies in their defense and opposition to the British. That month in Philadelphia, Congress appointed John Rutledge to a committee that included John Dickinson, Benjamin Franklin and John Jay, with instructions to draw up a petition to King George III. Rutledge had also been on a committee with his brother Edward, Richard Henry Lee and John Adams that was charged with creating George Washington’s commission as commander of the Continental Army. The draft was approved on 17 June, the day the Battle of Bunker Hill was fought. On 23 June Congress authorized the printing of currency, including three-dollar bills. John Rutledge was appointed to the committee charged with acquiring the printing plates. Others on the committee included Benjamin Franklin and John Adams. Shortly thereafter, on 6 July 1775, Congress publicized a “Declaration on the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms.” Washington was directed to publish the declaration when he assumed command at Cambridge. John Rutledge penned the first draft, but it was not preserved. Later, during October 1775, Rutledge was appointed to a five man committee charged with devising methods of increasing the production of saltpeter. Other members of the committee included Samuel Chase of Maryland and Peyton Randolph of Virginia. Although Rutledge had been a member of the First and Second Continental Congresses, he was not at the sessions that led to the Declaration of Independence. He was called back to South Carolina to become involved in setting up a provisional government and was not present when the Declaration of Independence was voted upon and declared. However, his younger brother, Edward, was a supporter of independence, and he succeeded his brother in Congress and became one of the signers of the Declaration. On 26 March 1776, in Charleston, the Provincial Congress authorized a change of government and a new constitution for the province. That day the legislature underwent a transformation to become the General Assembly and John Rutledge was elected as the state’s first president and commander-in-chief. Henry Laurens was elected vice president and William Henry Drayton became chief justice. Rutledge was elected to the state legislature (1776–1778); however, when changes to the constitution were in process later, Rutledge disagreed, particularly with the removal of the Anglican Church as the state’s official religion, prompting him to resign from the legislature. Rutledge came under severe pressure when a British fleet arrived at Charleston in June 1776 subsequent to a failure to link up with Loyalists at Cape Fear, North Carolina. During the previous February a large Loyalist force was en route to join the fleet, but their ranks were shredded by Patriots under Colonel James Moore at Moore’s Creek Bridge. Meanwhile, in Charleston, General Charles Lee had arrived to take command of the Continental forces. He ordered Colonel William Moultrie to abandon a fort (later Fort Moultrie) on Sullivan’s Island, but Moultrie refused and the governor agreed with Moultrie and instructed Moultrie not to abandon the post unless he received a direct order from himself. Rutledge added the following: “And I would sooner cut off my hand than write one [order to abandon fort].” Nevertheless, the fate of Rutledge and Charleston rested upon Moultrie’s defenders. They didn’t disappoint the governor, and to the surprise of General Lee, the fort repulsed the attack. A few ships crossed the bar on 6 June and came under heavy bombardment, but the British became dismayed because their artillery couldn’t reduce or even damage the half-finished dilapidated fort held by Moultrie. The British land troops fared no better. While the British were retiring on 28 June, the fleet commander, Commodore Peter Parker, sustained a problem during the shelling; his pants caught on fire. During that same period, the Americans were also facing problems with hostile Indians, and Rutledge had overseen campaigns against them also. By the next December Rutledge had additional problems.

Subsequent to the British landing at Maryland earlier that year, four warships were detached and sent to blockade the port at Charleston. During February 1778, Rutledge again came under great pressure when the British, having controlled Savannah since the latter part of December 1778, dispatched a force into South Carolina, but forces under Colonel Moultrie engaged the Redcoats at the Battle of Port Royal and halted the advance. John’s brother Edward and Thomas Heyward, both signers of the Declaration of Independence, participated in the battle. On 11 May 1779, the British moved against Charleston, while General Benjamin Lincoln’s force was in Georgia. The British demanded surrender, but John Rutledge tried to buy time by offering to negotiate a “neutrality agreement.” The British rejected the proposal. In the meantime, General Lincoln aborted his advance and began to speed back to Charleston. Rutledge was spared defeat. The British, aware of Lincoln’s return, retired with Lincoln’s forces in pursuit. During September–October 1779, a combined American-French force failed to take Savannah due to a premature attack urged by the French. After taking high casualties, the force under Lincoln returned to Charleston. Afterward, Charleston again became a British objective. A British fleet approached it, but on this occasion the fleet intended to bypass Fort Moultrie, where Rutledge’s forces under Colonel William Moultrie prevented passage. During February 1780, Rutledge directed Captain Abraham Whipple (Continental Navy) to destroy the lighthouse and beacon in the harbor and ordered the destruction of Fort Johnston. By 1 April, Rutledge continued to attempt to rally the militia, but only about 200 men were in Charleston. At about that time or a little earlier, by action of the legislature, Rutledge had been given war powers similar to what General George Washington received from Congress when it abandoned the capital in the face of British threats. The powers granted Rutledge excluded certain things, but he was authorized “to do anything necessary for the public good, except the taking away of a citizen without legal trial.” Rutledge did not abuse his authority. By April, about 10,000 British had arrived. Rutledge had General Lincoln’s regulars (several thousand), but Rutledge’s recruitment drive failed to raise a large force. By 13 April the commanders convinced Governor Rutledge to depart the city to prevent his capture. He headed for North Carolina to run the government from there. Upon his departure, Christopher Gadsden assumed command as lieutenant governor. After a tenacious defense, the city fell on 12 May 1780 and the entire army of Benjamin Lincoln as well as Captain Abraham Whipple’s navy squadron became captives. The British placed harsh demands on the captives and refused to give them an honorable surrender. Lincoln’s army was composed of 5,466 men (ten Continental regiments, three artillery battalions and more than 400 artillery pieces were surrendered) and Continental seamen and Marines. John Rutledge’s brother Edward was among the captives. Following the loss of Charleston, only some scattered militia remained to prevent the British from complete domination of South Carolina. With the absence of a South Carolinian government, leaders met in Salisbury, North Carolina, on 16 June and appointed Thomas Sumter as brigadier general and commander-in-chief of the South Carolina militia. Some complications developed because John Rutledge was at Hillsborough and he appointed another as brigadier general, but the snafu was cleared up after a party rode to Hillsborough. In October 1780, Sumter emerged as commander. Meanwhile, Congress sent General Horatio Gates to assume command of the Department of the South, but with his obstinacy and refusal to heed the advice of militia leaders, which included Francis Marion (Continental Army officer), he sustained a devastating loss at the Battle of Camden on 16 August, worsening the situation in Charleston. The defeat cost Gates his military career. Afterward, General Nathanael Greene arrived to replace Gates. Rutledge cooperated with Greene and the latter, assisted by General Daniel Morgan, checked British progress

385 and prevented the loss of South Carolina. General Lord Charles Cornwallis moved to Virginia during 1781, leaving Lord Rawdon in command in South Carolina. Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown on 17 October 1781, but the British did not abandon Charleston until December 1782. During the British occupation of Charleston, John Rutledge’s plantation was plundered. He was never able to recover from his personal losses. That same year, 1782, Rutledge resigned as governor. He became a member of the South Carolina lower house and was elected to the Continental Congress, where he served into 1783. Subsequent to the surrender of Cornwallis, many of the colonists became complacent, anticipating no further action on the part of Britain. Nonetheless, Congress discerned that the apathy might spark the British to reinitiate offensive action to take advantage of the passiveness of the former defenders. Congress dispatched John Rutledge and George Clymer (signer of Declaration of Independence) southward to proclaim the lingering dangers of complacency. The pair spoke at the Virginia assembly and other places to contribute to the cause of permanent peace through vigilance and strength. During the following year, 1783, Rutledge became a judge on the chancery court and was returned to the lower house of the state legislature, where he served during 1784 through 1790. He was offered the post of the U.S. minister plenipotentiary to Holland at the conclusion of his term in Congress, but he declined. In addition, Rutledge was selected as a South Carolina delegate to the Constitutional Convention that convened in Philadelphia during 1787 for the purpose of establishing a new government in place of the present one, which operated under the Articles of Confederation. Rutledge attended all the sessions (May through September) and played a key part in bringing about adoption of the U.S. Constitution. He actually served on all five committees that emerged during the convention, and in during the deliberations, he like his fellow South Carolinians also maintained a focus on the requirements of the state. The U.S. Constitution was adopted on 17 September 1787, effective upon ratification by nine states. South Carolina ratified on 23 May 1788 to become the eighth state to join the union, followed by the ninth state, New Hampshire, which took action on 21 June. The new government became effective on 3 March 1789, when Congress convened under authority of the Constitution, while simultaneously, the old Congress dissolved. On 30 April 1789, General George Washington was inaugurated as the first president of the United States. He was elected by unanimous vote, and John Rutledge was one of the presidential delegates. That year, President Washington appointed John Rutledge as an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court; however, he remained on the bench for only a short while and there is no known reason for his early departure. During the following year, Rutledge was appointed as chief justice of the South Carolina Supreme Court. While serving on that bench, his wife, Elizabeth, died in 1792, a family tragedy from which he never recovered and one that afterward affected his faculties sporadically. At the time of her death, in addition to her husband, Elizabeth was survived by eight of their ten children. Two other children had predeceased their mother. Elizabeth’s death had a tragic and profound effect on John. During 1795, President Washington again appointed Rutledge to the U.S. Supreme Court as chief justice, successor to Chief Justice John Jay. Prior to his appointment, Rutledge had been aligned with those opposed to the Jay Treaty of 1794 (ratified by the Senate during June 1795), favored by the Federalists and opposed by the anti–Federalists, which caused the Federalists to lose confidence in Rutledge as an ally. Consequently, again, Rutledge’s stay on the court was shortlived. He served only one term before the Senate rejected his appointment. The action ended his political career and nearly ended his life. After being rejected, his faculties were again impeded. While heading home, but still in the city at Society Hill, Rutledge jumped into the

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Delaware River. He was saved only by some heroic action by a group of Negroes who witnessed the attempted suicide and managed to retrieve Rutledge before he drowned. Afterward, he lived in retirement, still plagued by mental anguish. John Rutledge died on 18 June 1800. He was interred at St. Michael’s Episcopal Church in Charleston. The personal papers, manuscripts and other documents of Governor Rutledge were either destroyed or lost due to the perils of war and in addition, the war exhausted his personal fortune. A home he built in Charleston during 1763 later became the John Rutledge House Inn. It remains standing on Broad Street and it is an operational hotel. John’s brother Edward, was as governor of South Carolina during 1799, but he died during his first year in office, during January 1800, about five months prior to the death of John. John’s daughter, Martha Henrietta Rutledge, married Francis Kinlock and his other daughter, Eliza, married Henry Laurens, Jr., the son of Henry Laurens president of Continental Congress. (See also, Rutledge, Edward.)

Safford, Brigadier General Joseph Joseph Safford, the son of Deacon Joseph and Ann Bottom (Longbottom) Safford and the brother of Brigadier General Samuel Safford, was born in Norwich, Connecticut, on 1 December 1741. Joseph’s parents later moved to Bennington, Vermont. Joseph married Marcy Robinson, the daughter of Samuel and Mercy Leonard Robinson. Joseph and Marcy had the following children: Marcy (b. January 1769); Sarah (b. December 1770); Junia (b. April 1773); Anna (b. January 1781); Joseph (b. May 1783); Lucy (birth date unknown); and Esther (birth date unknown). On 5 July 1776, pursuant to a resolution from Congress, a Continental battalion was raised in Vermont. Seth Warner was appointed colonel, Samuel Safford was appointed lieutenant colonel and Joseph Safford was appointed lieutenant. In addition, Walt Hopkins served as captain. Joseph Safford participated with the regiment in various engagements, including the Battle of Bennington (16 August 1777) and the Battle of Hubbardton (7 July 1777). Safford rose to the rank of brigadier general of militia; however, the author did not discover any field command against the enemy while he was a brigadier general. General Safford later, during the early 1800s, moved to Malone, New York. His wife, Marcy, survived him and later succumbed in Bennington during 1814. (See also, Safford, Brigadier General Samuel.)

Safford, Brigadier General Samuel Samuel, the oldest son of Deacon Joseph and Ann Bottom (Longbottom) Safford, was born Norwich, Connecticut, on 14 April 1737. Samuel’s parents arrived in Bennington from Connecticut during 1761 when the township of Bennington was established. The town’s leaders granted Deacon Joseph Safford and Samuel Robinson five acres of land on which they would establish a corn mill with a bonus of $40 if it was operational by August 1762. By June of 1762, a sawmill was completed, and that was followed by the grist mill. The operation was known as Safford Mills. In addition to being a deacon of the church, Deacon Joseph was appointed as treasurer of the town. Deacon Joseph and Ann, in addition to Samuel, had the following children: Esther (married Mr. Hyde, afterward married Colonel Samuel Robinson); Abigail (married Jonathan Scott); Anna (married Henry Walbridge); Elizabeth (married Cornelius Cady); David (married Anna Brewster); Harriet (married John Fassett, Jr.); Jacob (married Perais Robinson, daughter of Colonel Samuel and Hannah Clark Robinson); Joseph (later brigadier general); and Lucy (married Samuel Montague). Samuel was one of the early colonists to settle in Bennington. After he arrived with his wife, Mary Lawrence Safford, and their family during 1772, he was engaged with the affairs of the town. Samuel and Mary had the following children: Samuel (b. June 1761, married Aurella Mather); Mary (married Nathan Fay); John; Ruth; Anna; Clara;

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Electa; Amelia; and Jonas. Samuel was active during the turmoil caused by the land controversy dispute with New York, and he was involved with the defenses of the town. In addition, he participated in the various local conventions that dealt with the fears of attacks by colonists from New York. He also was a proponent of transforming Vermont into a separate state. Meanwhile, the relations between Britain and the colonies had begun to deteriorate rapidly. By 1775, the possibility of reconciliation was shattered on 19 April when the British clashed with the Patriots at Lexington and Concord. Vermonters gathered at Dorsett during July 1775 and it was decided to establish a battalion (Green Mountain Boys) in conjunction with a resolution of the Continental Congress. Seth Warner was appointed lieutenant colonel and Samuel was appointed major. The battalion participated as part of the expeditionary force that invaded Canada during 1775. Congress was especially satisfied with the performance of the battalion, prompting the body during July 1776 to authorize the raising of a continental regiment from the Green Mountain Boys. On 5 July 1776, Seth Warner was appointed colonel. Samuel Safford was appointed lieutenant colonel, while Walt Hopkins was appointed captain and Joseph Safford (Samuel’s brother) was appointed lieutenant. Samuel Safford participated in various contests and skirmishes, including the decisive victory under General John Stark at the Battle of Bennington (16 August 1777) and the Battle of Hubbardton (7 July 1777). Lt. Colonel Safford resigned his commission during January 1781 and that year he was commissioned a brigadier general of militia. On 11 April 1781, General Ethan Allen was recommissioned as brigadier general; however, he did not accept the new commission. In his place, Samuel Safford was selected. Also in 1781, Safford was appointed a judge of the county court (Bennington County), a post he held for 26 years. General Safford was also a town representative (in the Assembly) during 1781–1782, and following that service he was elected as a state councilor (1783). General Safford retained the post of councilor for nineteen years. General Safford, a deacon in his church for many years, held strict rules regarding the Sabbath, and the rules did not begin on Sunday. The family began the rule of the Sabbath on Saturday night. General Samuel Safford died during 1813. (See also, Safford, Brigadier General Joseph.)

St. Clair, Major General Arthur Arthur, a descendant of William and Margaret (daughter of Richard, Duke of Normandy) de St. Clair, was born in Thurso, Scotland, during 1734. During the eleventh century the family had settled in Scotland and had been aligned with the House of Stuart, which caused complications when the Protestant Succession brought about the union of Scotland and England. Arthur’s father died while he was young, but his upbringing was carefully handled by his mother. Arthur’s father left neither land nor finances. Nevertheless, Arthur was able to attend and graduate from Edinburgh University. He considered entering the medical field during a period in which he was indentured to Doctor William Hunter, who practiced in London. However, Arthur’s mother died during the winter of 1756–1757 and from part of his inheritance, Arthur was able to gain release from his commitment. Also in 1757, he used his friendships to acquire a commission (dated 13 May 1757) as an ensign in the British Army’s 60th Regiment (Royal American Regiment of Foot). Arthur’s military service, while attached to the 2nd Battalion, continued into 1758, when he participated in the Louisbourg campaign with General Amherst. Arthur’s military skills as exhibited during the campaign came to the attention of his superiors and he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant on 13 April 1759. Later, during September 1759, St. Clair participated in the battle of Quebec, in which both commanders, Generals Wolfe and Montcalm, lost their lives in a decisive win by the British. During the fighting on the Plains of Abraham, the British colors

had fallen while in the hands of a soldier who had been struck down, but St. Clair quickly recovered the colors and kept it aloft until the field was won. On 8 September 1760, the French signed articles of capitulation. After the siege of Quebec, St. Clair received leave and traveled to Boston, where he married Phoebe Bayard, the daughter of Belthazar and Mary Bowdoin Bayard (half-sister of Governor James Bowdoin). Arthur and Phoebe had six children, including Arthur, Jr., Louisa, Jane, and Margaret. Their oldest daughter, Louisa, later married Lt. Samuel Robb. Through his marriage St. Clair received £14,000, a legacy which his wife had received from her grandfather, James Bodowin. That considerable sum, joined with his accumulated wealth, made him quite prosperous and accelerated the end of his military service for Great Britain. He resigned his commission during April 1762. St. Clair served during 1763 in western Pennsylvania with the rank of captain during Pontiac’s War, but no documentation verifies that fact. The same sources related that Arthur had been in command at Fort Ligonier under orders from General Thomas Gage, the latter being related to St. Clair. In the event that he served, it would have been under a separate commission. Nonetheless, there is documentation to verify that St. Clair and his wife moved to the Bedford area during 1764 and from there to the Ligonier valley, where he had gained a tract part by purchase and part from a grant of the king for his military services during the French and Indian War. During April 1770, St. Clair was appointed as surveyor (district of Cumberland), and during the following month, he was appointed him to the Court of Quarter Sessions and Common Pleas, and as a member of the Proprietary Council (Governor’s Council) for Cumberland County. Bedford County was established in 1771, and at that time, Governor Thomas Penn appointed St. Clair as a justice of the court, recorder of deeds, and other positions, including clerk of the orphan’s court and as prothonotary of the court of common pleas (Bedford County). St. Clair, in cooperation with Moses McClean, that same year engaged in surveying and ran a meridian line just under ten miles west of the meridian line of Pittsburgh. Two years later, during 1773, Westmoreland County was carved from Bedford. At that time, Governor Penn appointed St. Clair to the identical positions that he had received at Bedford during 1771. By that time more settlers had arrived in western Pennsylvania, essentially in the wilderness of the western frontier. During 1774, while the colonies were nudging closer to independence, the frontier was still encountering difficulty with the various Indian tribes. Governor Dunmore initiated a campaign against the Ohio Indians during 1774. One of the colonists’ allies, Chief Logan, sustained the loss of family members who were killed by settlers in the vicinity of Wheeling, Virginia, creating a powder-keg in the region. At the time, Sir William Johnson’s deputy Indian agent convened a meeting with the tribes, including the Six Nations: Delaware, Shawanese, Munsey, Mohican and the Twightwee. A meeting was held at Fort Pitt during May 1774 and for a while, the situation did become calmer; however, about two decades would pass before the Indians were totally subdued. More than 300 miles distant, in Philadelphia, the colonists were in the early stages of calling for a Continental Congress that would meet in September 1774. Other turbulence developed simultaneously due to Virginia and Pennsylvania each claiming the territory at the headwaters of the Ohio River, a dispute that initially surfaced during 1752. A Pennsylvanian, Doctor John Connolly, arrived at Fort Pitt during 1774 and claimed it for Virginia under authority of Lord Dunmore. He renamed the fort to Fort Dunmore and called for the settlers to meet him there on 25 January 1774. In response, St. Clair, a magistrate in Westmoreland, had Connolly arrested. He was released on his promise of attending court. Dunmore demanded that St. Clair be removed from his post, but Governor Penn declined. The debate went back and forth for some time, until other incidents emerged, including Dunmore’s

387 War, which terminated British rule in Virginia. The dispute was pushed farther back into the shadows with the outbreak of war, which propelled St. Clair back into the military service, except this time in opposition to the king. During December 1775, St. Clair received a letter from the president of Congress, John Hancock, which included word of becoming commissioned as colonel in the Continental Army and instructions to expeditiously head for Philadelphia. Earlier that year, St. Clair had acted as secretary to the commissioners ( James Wilson, Lewis Morris and Doctor Thomas Walker) who met with the Indians at Fort Pitt. During that time, St. Clair suggested to the commissioners that a surprise attack against British-held Detroit would cause it to fall, but Congress procrastinated. In the meantime, the Canadian Campaign was underway, with the Americans already at Quebec. However, Congress believed that Detroit would fall with Quebec, and when it became apparent that the campaign failed, there was no time to invest in Detroit. St. Clair arrived in Philadelphia during January and he, along with some others, was commissioned by Congress on 3 January. Arthur St. Clair was to command the 2nd Pennsylvania Battalion, while Colonels John Shea and Anthony Wayne received command of the 3rd and 4th Battalions, respectively. On 16 February, Congress directed the Secret Committee to furnish St. Clair’s unit with arms. In the meantime, on 22 January, Colonel St. Clair had been ordered to raise a regiment for service in Canada. Six weeks later, during early March, he departed Philadelphia to join the campaign, but by the time the regiment reached Quebec in early May, the general retreat was in motion and St. Clair’s unit could only provide cover for the remnant army’s retreat. St. Clair’s Pennsylvania troops also participated in the battle at Three Rivers. Upon the return to New York, St. Clair was at Crown Point when it was abandoned, and from there he was based at Ticonderoga. On Sunday, 28 July 1776, following church services, Colonel St. Clair on Rattlesnake Hill (East Point), later known as Mount Independence, Vermont, read a copy of the Declaration of Independence to the troops and concluded: “God save the free independent States of America.” The troops responded with a hearty three cheers. Mt. Independence, on a peninsula along with a former French post (Fort Ste. Anne) on Isle La Motte, had been selected by General Philip Schuyler as the defensive line to intercept a British invasion of Vermont from the north. Americans were deployed at both positions as well as Fort Ticonderoga (New York). St. Clair’s service in the Northern Department ended the following month. On 9 August, he was promoted to the rank of brigadier general. Afterward, General St. Clair was directed to join with General George Washington. He departed the Northern Department, but in the meantime, the British had pushed the Continental Army from New York into New Jersey. St. Clair arrived and joined the Continental Army after the capture of General Charles Lee. St. Clair’s brigade participated in the Battle of Trenton on 25–26 December 1776 and the Battle of Princeton on 3 January 1777. At the latter, it was St. Clair’s brigade — composed of Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Hampshire troops — at the front of the main body, and his vanArthur St. Clair (Pictorial Field guard was led by Isaac Sherman, Book of the Revolution, Benson J. the son of Roger Sherman. During the following month, Lossing, 1860)

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on the 19th, St. Clair was promoted to the rank of major general, along with four others: Lord Stirling (William Alexander), Thomas Mifflin, Adam Stephen and Benjamin Lincoln. Upon the resignation of Colonel Joseph Reed as adjutant general (March 1777), General Washington appointed St. Clair in his place on a temporary basis until it was determined whether Colonel Timothy Pickering would accept the post. On 1 April, St. Clair was ordered by Congress to move to Ticonderoga to serve under General Horatio Gates, but he was ordered first to immediately report to Philadelphia to await further orders from Congress. On 5 May General Schuyler ordered St. Clair to move to Ticonderoga and assume command. Congress, on 29 April, ordered that St. Clair be informed that the British were en route to Ticonderoga and that he was to speed to that place. He arrived there on 12 June to discover the garrison was poorly armed and there were no magazines. It had been thought that Ticonderoga could prevent a British advance, but during General John Burgoyne’s advance, the fortress had a garrison of fewer than 3,000 troops. When the British seized Sugar Hill on 5 July and renamed it Mount Defiance, St. Clair chose to abandon Ticonderoga rather than risk the loss of his force, a move that was not authorized. St. Clair believed that the British would avoid Sugar Hill due to the steep climb, but the error in judgment became costly. The British nearly accomplished encirclement. St. Clair, in a letter to James Wilson, claimed he would rather assume blame than lose his troops to death or capture: “I know I could save my character by sacrificing the army; but were I to do so I should forfeit that which the world could not restore, and which it can not take away, the approbation of my own conscience.” St. Clair’s plan called for a new defense beyond Fort Edward, but when he reached Mount Independence, with the British in pursuit, the fortifications had not been completed and the French general, de Fermoy (Continental Army), had been asleep. At about 0200 (5th–6th), de Fermoy’s headquarters were set afire, which the British took as a signal that Mount Independence was also being abandoned. The blaze also was costly to St. Clair and made the retreat more hazardous. Burgoyne’s force, including reinforcements, numbered about 3,700 regulars, more than 3,000 Germans and other supporting units, and Indian allies. Mount Independence was seized by the British, but the Americans had evacuated. Nevertheless, the British, by the following day, were able to dislodge the obstacles on Lake Champlain to permit passage of the Royal Navy vessels, which sailed up Wood Creek to support the ground troops that continued pursuit. On 7 July 1777, rearguard forces under St. Clair clashed with the British, but without success, however, Burgoyne’s army fared less well at Hubbardton, Vermont. Troops under Colonel Livingston repulsed the British and were compelled to halt their chase, permitting St. Clair to get a breather and take time to regroup. Due in great part to the steadfastness of the defenders at Hubbardton, more time was bought to shore up the defenses at Bennington, Vermont, an anticipated target of Burgoyne. At Fort Ann, under Colonel Long, the defenders held out until they expended their ammunition. After torching the fort, they headed for Fort Edward. Later, at the Battle of Bennington, actually fought in New York, the British were stymied and compelled to retire. By the 8th, St. Clair reached Fort Rutland. The Green Mountain Boys who fought the unsuccessful rearaction at Hubbardton joined him there later. On 29 July, Congress directed that an inquiry be initiated into the evacuation of Fort Ticonderoga and Mount Independence. That day in New York, General Philip Schuyler ordered the evacuation of Fort Edward and then redeployed at Stillwater. At the time of the order, St. Clair’s forces had been at Fort Edward. Nevertheless, Schuyler’s force numbered only about 4,400 men, and of those, most were militia. On 30 July, Congress directed that General St. Clair “repair to headquarters.”

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General St. Clair was with General Washington at the Battle of Brandywine outside of Philadelphia during September 1777. When the Battle of Germantown erupted, General St. Clair was not a participant. He had received permission to return home on furlough. George Washington, a staunch ally of St. Clair, joined the latter in pressing Congress for a speedy inquiry. On 30 November 1778, Congress resolved to meet that Wednesday evening “to consider the proceedings of the courts martial on the trials of Major General Lee, Major General Schuyler, and Major General St. Clair.” On 16 December 1778, Congress, after consideration of the proceedings of General St. Clair’s court-martial, resolved “that the sentence of the general court martial, acquitting Major General St. Clair, with the highest honor, of the charges exhibited against him, be, and is hereby confirmed.” General St. Clair was engaged in assisting General Sullivan with preparations for Sullivan’s campaign against the Six Nations. In March 1780, he was appointed a commissioner, along with Lt. Colonels Edward Carrington and Alexander Hamilton, charged with arranging a cartel to bring about a general prisoner exchange at Amboy, New Jersey. Afterward, in the absence of Lafayette, General St. Clair was directed to command a light infantry corps, but British General Henry Clinton returned and the planned attack was aborted. Soon after Lafayette returned and assumed command of the corps. General St. Clair was directed by General Washington to assume command at West Point after the treason of Benedict Arnold. St. Clair was a member of Captain John Andre’s court-martial during October 1780; Andre was an accomplice to Arnold. St. Clair’s command was of short duration, as he was replaced by General Nathanael Greene, the latter having requested the post at West Point. In January of the following year, General St. Clair was involved with quashing a mutiny by troops of the Pennsylvania line. Subsequently, St. Clair’s activity consisted primarily of funneling troops southward to reinforce the troops in Virginia to bring about the defeat of Lord Charles Cornwallis. After a while, St. Clair, who had been ordered to fortify Philadelphia in the event of an attack, received orders to move south and join the main body under Washington at Yorktown, but despite the orders, St. Clair did not play a major role in the downfall of the British. He arrived just a short while prior to Cornwallis’ capitulation. Following the victory at Yorktown, General St. Clair, during November 1781, was directed to head south to support General Nathanael Greene in the Carolinas. St. Clair, leading a column of six regiments and supporting artillery, marched south under orders to liquidate any British posts in the path while traversing North Carolina. St. Clair later noted that he encountered no difficulty, and upon advancing to Wilmington, North Carolina, the British abandoned the city. St. Clair’s reinforcements joined with those under General Greene on 27 December, but by that time, the war was winding down. General St. Clair received a furlough, returned to his home in Pennsylvania, and began to reinitiate his personal business, which by the time of his homecoming was in shambles. The mill in Ligonier was essentially inoperable due to misuse during the war years, and some of his land had been taken over by squatters during his prolonged absence due to service in the army. During 1783, St. Clair was elected to the Council of Censors, authorized by the state constitution of 1776 to ensure the constitution was not violated. A new constitutional convention was recommended by St. Clair and others, but the people did not support it in large enough numbers; the measure to failed to reach a two-thirds majority. St. Clair was elected to a position known as vendue-master in 1783, which made him the Philadelphia auctioneer responsible for disposing of property acquired by the state during the late war. As vendue-master, St. Clair was entitled to a percentage of the money raised. During the summer of 1783, he encountered an unexpected prob-

lem when disgruntled soldiers initiated a mutiny and threatened Congress, which was in session. Troops encircled the state house (Independence Hall) while Elias Boudinot was presiding over a session. St. Clair was called upon by the president to assist with terminating the dangerous situation. The Pennsylvania militia was called out, but they ignored Congress’ call. St. Clair met with the disgruntled troops, collected their grievances and carried them to Congress as well as the Pennsylvania state legislature and its president, John Dickinson. Congress directed St. Clair to march the troops back to their barracks. He was instructed to tell the troops that Congress had no intention of negotiating (at the time, the congressmen were trapped inside Independence Hall), and that only after the troops returned to Lancaster would they receive their pay. Congress adjourned at 1500 and the soldiers remained in large numbers, but no physical harm came to any of the members; however, they did receive some verbal abuse. With St. Clair’s mediation, violence was forestalled; however, Congress was unable to convince Pennsylvania’s militia to provide security. Consequently, Congress adjourned and reconvened in Princeton, New Jersey. In 1786, St. Clair, having been elected to Congress as a Pennsylvania delegate, took his seat on 20 February. He was elected president of Congress on 2 February 1787. During 1788, in conjunction with the establishment of the Northwest Territory, Arthur St. Clair was appointed governor, a position he retained until 1802. Ohio was officially accepted into the union on 3 March 1803, becoming the 17th state. Governor St. Clair arrived at Fort Washington on 2 January 1790. On 4 January, he issued a proclamation establishing Hamilton County, which extended from the Little Miami River in the east and the Big Miami on the west to the Ohio in the south. St. Clair also gave the city of Cincinnati its name, changing it from Losantville. During the following month, St. Clair arrived at Kaskaskia and discovered that the conditions were poor, due in great part because of two things: the citizens had never been repaid by Virginia for the goods delivered to the army during the Revolutionary War, and the end of the Indian trading. While Governor St. Clair was in office, General Harmar sustained a defeat by the Indians during 1791. Many of the militia were untrained and their weapons were inoperable. One contingent disobeyed orders and gave pursuit, which permitted the Indians to strike the main body. General Harmar was later cleared of wrongdoing by a court-martial. Afterward the defeat, Governor St. Clair led an army against the Indians during autumn 1791 and the Miami tribe led by Little Turtle soundly defeated St. Clair’s forces. St. Clair came under great pressure from the loss; however, subsequent to an inquiry by a House committee, he was cleared of any wrongdoing. General Anthony Wayne, during 1794, moved a large force including Kentuckians to Fort Recovery, which had been built by St. Clair. His army scored a huge victory over Little Turtle and terminated the hostilities. The Indians signed a treaty on 3 August 1795 in which they relinquished nearly all land in the Northwest, leaving only some reservations. Meanwhile, St. Clair continued as governor of the territory. During 1796, after being unsuccessful in getting a competent attorney general, he persuaded his son, Arthur, to leave Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and relocate in Cincinnati to fill the slot. His son was a skilled attorney; however, the decision was seen by some as nepotism and it created some political problems. Nonetheless, Arthur, Jr., proved himself more than capable in the post and above repute. In 1800, the Northwest Territory was divided with the creation of the Indiana Territory. William Henry Harrison was appointed governor. Meanwhile, Governor St. Clair, who held the position through the administrations of George Washington and John Adams, was ousted by President Thomas Jefferson, a Democratic-Republican, during 1802. There was much controversy at the time between the Federalists (present-day Republicans) and the Democratic-Republicans who were swept

389 into power with the election of Jefferson. St. Clair retired from public life; however, he had lost nearly all of the wealth that he had acquired prior to the Revolution. The rest of his life was spent in obscurity in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. St. Clair tried to get the federal government to repay him for the finances he provided during the war, but to no avail. His mansion (The Hermitage, built about 1799) and most of his possessions were lost, leaving him, his wife, his daughters and his orphan grandchildren destitute. St. Clair, after experiencing the loss of his home and other valuables, stated: “They left me a few books of my classical library, and the bust of Paul Jones, which he sent me from Europe, for which I was very grateful.” Despite the government’s horrendous treatment and its failure to repay what was rightfully due the general, he was finally awarded a pension of $60 per month; however, by that time the bad faith of the government had provided too little, too late and St. Clair never got any of the money; rather, it was taken by creditors. General St. Clair died without ever having been paid back his legitimate expenses. Following the loss of the home, St. Clair lived in a log cabin near the old state road that ran from Bedford to Pittsburgh. He later sold supplies to travelers who passed. During the latter part of August 1818, at nearly 85 years old, Arthur St. Clair, after speaking with his daughter Louisa, set out for Youngstown, several miles distant, to acquire some supplies. He was riding in a wagon pulled by his pony. The route, known as State Road 80, was altered to take it along the Loyalhanna Creek. When he reached a point about one mile from his destination, a wheel fell off the wagon and the jolt as the wagon tilted catapulted the general to the ground with a thud and injured him badly. He was discovered later that day when the pony was spotted standing nearby. General St. Clair was taken home, but medical treatment had no effect. He succumbed on 31 August 1818. He was interred in the cemetery of the Presbyterian Church in Greensburg, Pennsylvania.

Saltonstall, Brigadier General Gurdon Gurdon Saltonstall, the son of the Reverend (and governor) Gurdon and his second wife, Elizabeth Saltonstall, was born on 22 December 1708 in New London, Connecticut. Having been born into a prosperous and influential family, Gurdon received an excellent education that included graduating from Yale during 1725. Gurdon’s father became governor on 17 December 1707 when the Connecticut legislature selected him to succeed Governor Fitz–John Winthrop, who died in Boston during November 1707. The elder Gurdon was first married to Jerusa Richards, the daughter of James and Sarah Gibbons Richards. The couple had five children. After her death during 1697, Gurdon married Elizabeth Rosewell, the daughter of William Rosewell of Branford, Connecticut. From Gurdon’s second marriage, in addition to the younger Gurdon, the couple had five children, including Rosewell, and Katherine (married William Brattle who became a Loyalist general). Subsequent to the death of Elizabeth, the elder Gurdon remarried yet again, this time to Mary Lawrence Clarke, a daughter of William and Mary Lawrence Whittingham and widow of William Clarke of Boston. The younger Gurdon married Rebecca Winthrop on 15 March 1732. They had the following children: Gurdon (b. December 1733); Rebekah (Rebecca, b. December 1734, married David Mumford); Katherine (b. February 1735, married J. Richards); Winthrop (b. June 1737, married Ann Wanton); Dudley (b. September 1738, married Frances Babcock, daughter of General Joshua Babcock); Ann (b. February 1739–1740, married Thomas Mumford); Rosewell (b. August 1741, married Elizabeth Stewart); Elizabeth (b. January 1742–1743, married John Ewetse, who died at sea, then Silas Deane); Mary (b. 28 March 1744, married Jeremiah Atwater); Richard (b. January 1746–47, lost at sea); Martha (b. October 1748, married David Manwaring); Henrietta (b. March 1749–50, married John Still Miller); Gilbert (b. Feb-

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ruary 1751–1752, married Harriet Babcock, daughter of General Joshua Babcock); and Sarah (b. June 1754, married Daniel Buck). During 1739, Gurdon Saltonstall was appointed colonel of Connecticut militia. He participated in the siege of Louisbourg during 1745 and was a commissioner involved with organizing the expedition against Canada. In the meantime, Colonel Saltonstall was elected to the assembly during 1744 and he served until 1748. Afterward, Colonel Saltonstall became a member of the house of assistants, where he served until 1754; however, he served in that body sporadically until 1757. In addition, he was appointed as a judge of probate during 1751, and he retained that post in New England for the remainder of his life. During 1774, when relations and Britain were approaching a point of hostilities, Colonel Saltonstall was appointed to the Committee of Correspondence, and he was in attendance as early as June of that year. Colonel Saltonstall presided over meetings of delegates from New London and Windham when they met at Norwich in September. During March of 1775, Colonel Saltonstall, concerned about the possibility of war, noted in a letter to Silas Deane: “It’s evident no more troops are at present destined for America; however, we must by no means relax our utmost preparations to be ready if called to defend by the sword.... Let us lie down and rise up with a fixed determination to maintain liberty for ourselves and posterity.” Open hostilities erupted in April 1775 at Lexington and Concord. Immediately thereafter, Colonel Saltonstall began to plan for the defenses of New London’s harbor. The assembly entered the picture, and during May 1775, appointed him to a committee charged with examining the defenses and deciding where the fortifications had to be established or improved. He was directly involved with the establishment of Fort Griswold and Fort Trumbull. Colonel Saltonstall also instituted a system that established a series of alarm posts along the sound, and in synchronization with the posts, riders were assigned as a means of communicating from station to station, with the information and intelligence gathered being forwarded to Governor Jonathan Trumbull, the only royal governor in the colonies to remain loyal to the American cause. Saltonstall’s system proved valuable, as the posts were able to observe the maneuvers of British vessels operating or passing offshore. In 1776, the British pressure forced General George Washington to call for reinforcements, following the Battle of Long Island on 27 August. Connecticut responded by promoting Colonel Saltonstall to the rank of brigadier general on 10 September 1776 to lead a temporary force to bolster the Patriots. Shortly thereafter, Saltonstall arrived at Westchester at the head of nine regiments. Saltonstall’s son, Gilbert, served as brigade major. After the arrival of the brigade, Washington sent several regiments to Kings Bridge to defend there, while others deployed along the sound. Several weeks later, Saltonstall removed to White Plains, but there is no information on whether he participated in the Battle of White Plains on 28 October. Afterward, the Connecticut contingent returned home. During December 1776, the assembly took action regarding the military. It appointed general officers, making Major General David Wooster the 1st major general in command of all Connecticut militia. General Saltonstall received command of the 3rd Brigade. General Jabez Huntington was made second major general, Erastus Wolcott was given command of the 1st Brigade, and James Wadsworth received command of the 2nd Brigade. Command of the 4th Brigade went to General Gold Selleck Silliman; Eliphalet Dyer became commander of the 5th Brigade. Also, Brigadier General Oliver Wolcott was given command of the 6th Brigade. Saltonstall’s brigade took responsibility for the defenses of the eastern sector of Connecticut. Governor Trumbull, during September 1777, appointed General Saltonstall as collector for the port of New London. Colonel John Tyler succeeded General Saltonstall as the brigade commander. The British launched devastating raids into the state during September 1781 and

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while inflicting destruction upon the coastal towns, much of Saltonstall’s property, including his residence, was destroyed. During the following year, General Saltonstall and other citizens of New London pressed the assembly to establish permanent garrisons to prevent any future enemy attempts to destroy the town. Saltonstall’s final record of military service appeared to be his name on the petition to bolster the defenses of New London. His name did not appear on any other military documents during 1781 or afterward. General Gurdon Saltonstall returned to private life following his military service, but his life ended within a few years. He died on 19 September 1785 in Norwich while there on a visit. Gurdon’s wife, Rebecca, had predeceased him in 1776. General Gurdon Saltonstall was the father of Commodore Dudley Saltonstall, who commanded the Penobscot Expedition against the British stronghold in Maine during July 1779. Commodore Dudley Saltonstall and his brother, Gilbert, each married a daughter of General (Doctor) Joshua Babcock of Stonington, Connecticut.

Schuyler, Major General Philip John Philip Schuyler was born on 22 November 1733 in Albany. He was the second son of John and Cornelia Van Courtland Schuyler, one of the most prominent Dutch families in the region. When Philip was about 16, he was sent to New Rochelle to attend the school of the Reverend Steuppe. His education served him well, as he excelled in mathematics and in French, the latter became a huge asset during later hostilities. In 1755, Philip raised a company and was appointed its captain during the early stages of the French and Indian War. The unit participated in the Battle of Lake George, and Philip, due in part because he spoke fluent French, not only participated in the victory, but he also was responsible for arranging for the acceptance of the prisoners, including the French commander, Baron Dieskau, at Albany. Shortly after his arrival at Albany, Philip got married and noted in his family Bible: “In the Year 1755, on the 17th of September was I, Philip John Schuyler, married (in the 21st Year, 9th Month, and 17th Day of his Age) to Catherine Van Rensselaer, aged 20 Years, 9 Months, and 27 Days. May we live in Peace and to the Glory of God.” Catherine was the daughter of Colonel John Van Rensselaer. The Schuylers were greeted with another addition to the family during 1758 when daughter Elizabeth was born on 9 August. An entry by her father in the family Bible noted her birthday and said: “Lord, do according to thy will with her.” Another daughter, Margaret, was born on 25 September of the following year. At Ticonderoga, Philip Schuyler became ill and relinquished his command to General Richard Montgomery. Subsequent to the termination of hostilities, Schuyler, who by that time had inherited a very large tract, initiated a business enterprise by cutting the timber and transporting it aboard his own vessels via the Hudson River to New York City. During July 1758, the British were badly defeated by the French at Ticonderoga. During the initial skirmishing, Lord General Howe was killed and afterward General James Abercrombie led an attack that cost the British about 2,000 casualties. General Howe’s body, escorted by Major Schuyler, was returned to Albany aboard one of the vessels carrying wounded. Horatio Gates, an English officer and later major general of the Continental Army, was wounded during the battle. In August 1758, French-held Fort Frontenac (Kingston, Ontario Canada), was attacked and seized by a force of colonials including Major Schuyler, led by Colonel John Bradstreet. The French surrendered within two days, severing the main link of communication between Canada and Louisiana. Bradstreet and his close associate, Major Schuyler, captured nine vessels, about 60 cannon, some mortars and ammunition. Few American casualties were sustained, but about 500 men became casualties due to sickness. Subsequent to the victory, Bradstreet returned to his post with the

British army. Schulyer returned home and soon after was greeted with a new daughter, Margaret, born on 25 September 1758. He was able to remain home with his wife and family for a while. Meanwhile, General Jeffrey Amherst replaced Abercrombie. Afterward the British regained Ticonderoga and Crown Point. The British eventually prevailed, ending the war (known in Europe as the Seven Years’ War) officially with the signing of the Treaties of Paris and Hubertsburg (Hubertusburg) during February 1763. France ceded Philip Schuyler (Pictorial Field Book Canada and all the territory of the Revolution, Benson J. Lossing, east of the Mississippi to 1860) Great Britain. In the meantime, Philip and Catherine had another child, John Bradstreet, born about 1759, but he succumbed shortly after being christened. Following his service in the war, Schuyler, at the urging of General Bradstreet, journeyed to England on behalf of Bradstreet. The journey came with unexpected surprises. He sailed during February 1761, but the captain died while the vessel, the General Bull, was en route for only a short time. Due to Schuyler’s knowledge, he was appointed captain, but from there more surprises were in store. A roving French privateer seized the vessel, but Schuyler, with his knowledge of French, was able to explain his way out of chains. Afterward a British warship captured the ship and Schuyler finally arrived in England, where he remained about a year and a half. Upon his return he was greeted by his family. Another son, John Bradstreet (II), was born on 20 July 176. Schuyler entered the birth in the family Bible, stating: “Do with him according to thy will O Lord. Be with him living or dying.” The baby had been the third son named John, but the previous two, including John Bradstreet born during 1759, had died in infancy. In 1764, Schuyler was appointed as a commissioner delegated with working out a settlement between New York and Massachusetts, both of which had been involved in a boundary dispute. That same year, another son was born into the family. The Schuylers named him Philip Jeremiah and noted in the Bible: “May the Lord grant that he grow up for the glory of god and his happiness.” Subsequently, Schuyler was a commissioner to help settle a dispute between New York and New Hampshire. During 1765, the Schuylers’ long-standing friendship with the Mohawk Indians was instrumental in gaining back some children taken by the Indians and for the Indians retrieving some of their missing children held by the colonists. Although the exchange was pleasant for a few of the colonists, there was also great sadness when certain children, missing for as many as ten years, had completely changed and were described as “little savages.” There was much sadness for many on both sides when their loved ones were not among those exchanged in Albany that day. Meanwhile, to supplement his ongoing enterprises, Schuyler had earlier begun to cultivate flax. In 1767, he established a flax mill. Later he reinitiated his military service when he was appointed colonel of a New York militia company during 1768. In addition, that year, he entered the political field after being elected to the state assembly. During May 1775, Schuyler was elected as a delegate to the Continental Congress and soon after, on 3 June he was appointed to the committee charged with determining the amount of money that will have to

391 be raised by Congress to meet the British threat. The other members of the committee included Thomas Cushing, Silas Deane, Joseph Hewes and George Washington. About one week later, on 10 June, Schuyler was appointed to a committee charged with overseeing the manufacture of saltpeter throughout the colonies. On the 14th, he was assigned to a committee charged with drawing up a draft of rules and regulations with which to govern the army. Congressional action on the 17th again affected Schuyler, when he was appointed to yet another committee. Congress resolved “that a committee of 5 (Patrick Henry, James Duane, Philip Schuyler, James Wilson, and Philip Livingston) be appointed to take into consideration the papers transmitted from the convention of New York relative to Indian affairs, and report what steps, in their opinion, are necessary to be taken for securing and preserving the friendship of the Indian Nations.” Nonetheless, two days later, on 19 June, Congress appointed Schuyler as one of four major generals. The other appointed major generals were: Artemus Ward, Israel Putnam and Charles Lee. On 20 June, Schuyler was appointed by Congress as commander of the New York Department, and on that same day, confirmed the department as a subordinate part of the Continental Army. The contingents of the New York Department (known also as the Northern Department) included the 1st, 4th and 5th Connecticut Regiments, with the 1st and 5th deployed in the vicinity of New York City and another 3,000 New York troops are to be added. Brigadier Generals Richard Montgomery and David Wooster were assigned duty under Schuyler. Several days later, on 23 June, Congress resolved “that it be recommended to the convention of New York, that they, consulting with General Schuyler, employ in the army to be raised for the defence of America, those called Green Mountain Boys, under such officers as the sd. Green Mountain Boys shall chuse [choose].” The Green Mountain Boys insisted that their officers be chosen by them. On that same day, Schuyler accompanied General George Washington, who departed Philadelphia for Cambridge under escort of the 1st Philadelphia Troop. Once the party reached New York, Schuyler split off to assume command of his forces. While he was en route, information carried by a scouting party arrived at Ticonderoga. The news was that the British were close to launching an attack to regain Ticonderoga. The alarming information was immediately rushed to General Schuyler. While in New York, General Schuyler attempted to visit Royal Governor William Tryon, but the governor, who was quite familiar with Philip, refused to greet him, claiming he knew of no Major General Schuyler. Nevertheless, when Schuyler returned home, a group at Saratoga was especially pleased to congratulate the new general: his children, including the youngest, Van Rensselaer, who had been born during 1773. The family would increase again in 1776 with the arrival of Cornelia, named after her grandmother. Meanwhile, on the 27 June 1775, Congress authorized an invasion of Canada and passed a series of resolutions, including: “Resolved, That if General Schuyler finds it practicable, and that it will not be disagreeable to the Canadians, he do immediately take possession of St. Johns, Montreal, and any other parts of the country, and pursue any other measures in Canada, which may have a tendency to promote the peace and security of these Colonies.” During mid–July Schuyler was named as one of four commissioners delegated to deal with the Indian situation in the Northern Department. Congress authorized Schuyler to use his judgment with regard to the disposition of his forces: “Resolved, That Genl P. Schuyler be empowered to dispose of and employ all the troops in the New York department, in such manner as he may think best for the protection and defence of these colonies, the tribes of Indians in friendship and amity with us, and most effectually to promote the general Interest, still pursuing, if in his power, the former orders from this Congress, and subject to the future orders of the commander in chief.”

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Meanwhile, the Canadian expedition was getting underway. The Americans had taken Ticonderoga on 10 May and with control of it, they held strategic ground between Lake George and Lake Champlain. General Schuyler received command of the campaign. General Richard Montgomery, with the vanguard, was to jump off from Ticonderoga during the latter part of August and later join up with Schuyler at Montreal. Another force under Colonel Benedict Arnold departed Massachusetts on 18 September. In the meantime, General Schuyler had begun his advance along the Richelieu River, but on 6 September he came down with fever. Despite his illness, he advanced toward St. John’s, but once there, he postponed an attack while awaiting reinforcements. All the while, his fever became more serious. On 10 September one contingent was ambushed, but another attack against the British was planned; however, fear of another ambush spread among the force and the troops retreated without a fight. At the time, Schuyler’s force numbered about 1,700, about double the number of British troops in all of Canada. By the 16 September, Schuyler was too ill to command. He transferred responsibility of the campaign to General Montgomery, then returned to Fort Ticonderoga. At that time, about 500 other troops were also ill from fever. On 11 October General Schuyler was directed by Congress on 11 October to concentrate on recruiting Canadians willing to serve against the British in the Northern Department. It authorized him to raise a Canadian regiment. With knowledge that most Canadians were Catholic, those who enlisted were guaranteed freedom of religion, something that would have been impossible only one year earlier. Later, on 8 November, the British abandoned Montreal. On the 18th, General Schuyler sent a dispatch to Congress to inform the members of the progress of the campaign. Nevertheless, the mission failed and the Americans sustained a terrible defeat on 31 December 1775 at Quebec City and lost General Montgomery in the process. Word was sent to Congress and to General Schuyler on the assumption that Schuyler was in Philadelphia; however, he was in Albany, and quite ill. Catherine, his wife, had been summoned to care for him at Albany and remained at his side until he recovered. During December 1775, Schuyler, who had already left General Montgomery in command of the Canadian expedition, was of such poor health that he had asked Congress appoint General Gates in his place. Afterward, word of the loss and the deteriorating circumstances of the troops in Canada was forwarded to Schuyler. In Philadelphia on 8 January 1776, Congress, not yet aware of Montgomery’s defeat at Quebec, authorized General Schuyler’s request from November 1775 for 3,000 troops to hold the captured territory through the winter. However, the situation in Canada never progressed and the troops in Canada were eventually recalled. On 16 January, General Schuyler, having been informed of the defeat in Canada, departed Albany for Schenectady with his small force to deal with another problem, the Tories in the region. Schuyler succeeded in quelling the problem by accepting the surrender of Sir John Johnson and compelling the Tories in Tryon County to turn over their arms. Meanwhile, General Charles Lee’s orders to move to take command in Canada were changed and Congress instead sent him to assume command of the Department of the South. Brigadier General John Thomas was promoted to major general on 6 March and he was to assume command in Canada in place of Lee, while Schuyler was ordered to cancel his move to New York and instead to remain in Albany, from where he was to acquire supplies and ship them to the forces in Canada. By June 1776, Schuyler was directed to move to Lake Champlain and oversee the construction of ships to meet the British threat on the lake. By that time, British forces under John Burgoyne had arrived in Quebec, and they were joined by about 4,000 Hessian troops. It became apparent that Canada could not be seized and that a British invasion

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was imminent. On 2 June, General Thomas succumbed to smallpox and was replaced by General John Sullivan. During that same month, June 1776, Congress directed General Schuyler to meet with the Six Nations (Cayuga, Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Seneca and Tuscarora). It resolved “that General Schuyler and the other commissioners for Indian affairs in the northern department be directed immediately to hold a conference with the Six Nations; to engage them in our interest upon the best terms that can be procured, and treat with them on the principles and in the decisive manner mentioned in his letter: That General Schuyler’s preparations for immediately taking post at Fort Stanwix, and erecting a fortification there, be approved of; and that General Washington be instructed to give him directions for carrying that measure into execution.” Also in June, it was agreed to erect another fort at a site (Mount Independence, Orwell, Vermont), selected earlier by General Schuyler, Benjamin Franklin and Colonel Jonathan Trumbull. And on 7 July, Generals Horatio Gates and Schuyler decided, against the protests of Colonel John Stark and other line officers, to abandon Crown Point and reform at Ticonderoga rather than meet a British force at Crown Point. By 20 November the British threat had diminished and during a war council, attended by Major General Horatio Gates, Major General Philip Schuyler and Brigadier General Benedict Arnold, it was decided to allow all of the troops except garrison troops to return to their homes for the winter. On 25 March 1777, Congress directed Major General Gates to move to Ticonderoga to assume command of the northern army. Major General Schuyler had been again elected as a delegate to the Continental Congress. On 1 April 1777, Major General Arthur St. Clair was ordered to report to Ticonderoga to serve under Gates, but first he was to report to Philadelphia and await further orders. General Schuyler arrived in Philadelphia and took his seat in Congress on 7 April. Congress directed Schuyler on several occasions to contact all military units at Philadelphia and at Annapolis to order them to advance to Bristol, outside of Philadelphia, to meet a British threat. On 30 April, Schuyler was charged with sending an officer to intercept reinforcements en route from the Carolinas and have them stop at several places in Virginia where doctors had been sent to inoculate them prior to arriving in Philadelphia. General Schuyler, who prior to his recent arrival at Congress had relinquished control of the Northern Department, on 15 May was directed by Congress to return to New York and again take command in place of General Gates. On that same day, Congress ordered that Gates be informed of the change of command and offered an option of remaining in the department under the command of Schuyler or becoming adjutant general of the Grand Army. Gates accepted the later position and retained his rank. In the meantime, the British seized Fort Ticonderoga on 6 July after it was abandoned by the Americans under General Arthur St. Clair. On the following day, British forces intercepted one of the retreating contingents at Hubbardton, Vermont, and that rear action commanded by Colonel Livingston stood firmly and terminated the British pursuit of St. Clair. However, the diminutive garrison at Fort Anne was forced to evacuate after running out of ammunition. All the while, St. Clair continued his retreat toward Fort Edward to join with General Schuyler, the latter having arrived there on 10 July. In the meantime, the British had also captured all the supplies at Skenesboro. The forces at Fort Edward were ordered on 29 July to abandon the position and retreat further to Stillwater, New York, to evade the advancing forces of General Burgoyne. During the abandonment of the fort, Schuyler contacted his wife and instructed her to set their wheat fields afire to impede British progress. During that time, Catherine Schuyler had encountered many fleeing citizens due to savagery inflicted by the Indians, including the murder and scalping of Jane McCrea, who was engaged to a soldier in Burgoyne’s army. Some urged Catherine Schuyler to turn back as she headed for Saratoga to salvage

some personal items, and she responded: “A general’s wife should not know fear,” then continued her journey. General Schuyler, who had for months been seeking equipment and ammunition, continued to impede progress of the enemy by ordering the destruction of bridges, particularly those that spanned Wood Creek, and by creating obstacles in the creek to block navigation. The orders also mandated blocking the roads with fallen trees, making it difficult for Burgoyne to advance his artillery and trains. Schuyler had also directed constant patrols to shadow the British movements to ensure an unbroken chain of intelligence. Other troops were dispatched to harass the advance with hit and run skirmishes. In addition, General Washington moved to strengthen Schuyler. Supplies were forwarded from Massachusetts, and militia from the same state was ordered to move. Forces under General Benedict Arnold and Colonel Daniel Morgan were ordered to speed to Schuyler’s aid. By that time, however, command of the Northern Department was again going to change. On 1 August General Schuyler was ordered by Congress to report to General Washington’s headquarters. On that same day, Congress directed Washington to select a successor to Schuyler. However, Washington requested that he not make the choice. Several days later, on 4 August, Congress reappointed General Gates as commander of the department. The evacuation of Ticonderoga by General St. Clair fueled Schuyler’s detractors in Congress and aided Gates in his quest for the command. Gates arrived at Schuyler’s residence soon after the Battle of Bennington, which occurred on 16 August just as Schuyler was about to depart to lead the troops in the defense of Fort Schuyler, and informed Schuyler of the change in command. Meanwhile, Burgoyne’s progress was much less than expected by the British; Schuyler’s tactics had worked. Burgoyne’s army, by 15 August, had only four days of supplies remaining and it had become extremely difficult to forage. Later the British arrived at the Schuyler mansion, and Burgoyne took quarters there and enjoyed a feast on the night before the Battle of Saratoga, with champagne in abundance. On the following day, the British torched the residence, claiming it afforded cover for the Americans and shielded them from British artillery. General Schuyler remained with the American forces after being relieved, but he wore no uniform, making his absence of rank conspicuous. The British sustained a severe defeat at the Battle of Bennington on 16 August, when Colonel John Stark scored a decisive victory. Barry St. Leger was foiled at Fort Schuyler (Fort Stanwix) by 22 August, compelling that force to return to Canada, essentially terminating any chance of a British grand victory that would have allowed Burgoyne to push through and join General William Howe in New York City. Nonetheless, the British were halted in their tracks and Burgoyne’s army was compelled to surrender after the Second Battle of Saratoga on 7 October. Although Gates was in command, he never entered the field. It was General Benedict Arnold and Colonel Daniel Morgan who brought about victory. British General Burgoyne later stated: “The first person I saw after the convention was signed, was General Schuyler.” Burgoyne offered Schuyler apologies for having destroyed his home and General Schuyler responded that there should be no more conversation about it because it was an act of war. He told Burgoyne that he “would have done the same thing.” Afterward, Schuyler assisted Burgoyne in finding housing while he was detained in Albany. General Schuyler and his wife also entertained the Baroness Riedesel, the wife of the Hessian commander. When the baroness first arrived at the American headquarters, she was escorted to General Gates’ headquarters, where she saw General Burgoyne. Soon after her arrival another man appeared and escorted her and her children, Caroline and Frederica, to his tent on an invitation to dine away from all men. She later found out the invitation came from General Schuyler. She raved about his kindness and the dinner, which she de-

393 scribed as including “smoked tongue, beefsteaks, potatoes and good bread and butter;” however, her real joy came from learning her captured husband was safe. Just prior to the Battle of Saratoga, Schuyler’s eldest daughter, Angelica, ran away with a Mr. Carter, the commissary for Rochambeau, and got married. It was later learned that he was John Barker Church, who had departed England following a duel and assumed the alias temporarily. General Schuyler, under scrutiny because of the situation in New York, was authorized on 14 November by Congress to repair to his home to take care of personal affairs. The resolution: “That General Schuyler be at liberty to attend to his private affairs until the committee appointed to enquire into the causes of the loss of Ticonderoga and Mount Independence shall make their report, and he shall have notice to attend at head quarters, in order to an enquiry into that event.” On 20 January 1778, Congress, with regard to a letter of 29 December from General Schuyler in which he requested a “speedy enquiry,” resolved “that the committee appointed to enquire into the causes of the evacuation of Ticonderoga and Mount Independence, and into the conduct of the general officers in the northern department, proceed immediately on that business, and report to Congress on Monday next.” After consideration of the proceedings of Schuyler’s court-martial, Congress resolved on 3 December 1778 “that the sentence of the general court-martial acquitting Major General Schuyler, with the highest honor, of the charges exhibited against him, be, and is hereby, confirmed.” On 5 January 1779, Congress received a letter, dated 27 December 1778, from General Schuyler, in which he requested permission to retire. Action on the proposal was postponed. Schuyler sent another letter, dated 5 March, to Congress and it was received and read on 18 March. The second letter dealt with Onandaga Indians that aligned themselves with the Oneidas and a second request for retirement. Congress in reaction to the letter, resolved: “that the President be directed to acquaint Major General Schuyler, that the situation of the army renders it inconvenient to accept his resignation, and therefore Congress cannot comply with his request.” On 19 April 1779, subsequent to receiving another letter from General Schuyler regarding his resignation, a motion was made and passed in Congress, that his resignation be accepted. That year, General Schuyler spent some time at Washington’s headquarters and his daughter Elizabeth had accompanied him. Elizabeth became engaged to Alexander Hamilton and during the following year, on 14 December 1780, the couple got married. And during the following year, General Schuyler and Catherine added a new child to the family with the birth of Catherine, named after her mother. Later, General Washington and Schuyler’s son-in-law, Alexander Hamilton, had a falling out and the latter, Washington’s aide, resigned. After the birth of their child, Hamilton, out of the army and studying law, in a letter to Lafayette noted: “I have been employed for the last ten months in rocking the cradle and studying the art of fleecing my neighbors.” After leaving the military, on 3 December 1778 Schuyler became a member of the state Senate and remained in that body almost continuously from 1780 through 1790. He was also a member of the Council of Appointment, which shared power with the governor, and he was a commissioner on the Massachusetts and Pennsylvania boundaries. In addition, Schuyler was also chairman of the Indian commissioners as well as the state’s surveyor general. Although the war had essentially ended with the surrender of Lord General Charles Cornwallis at Yorktown during October 1781, some hostilities continued, and there were also a continuation of intrigues. During summer of 1782, British agents launched a raid to seize General Schuyler. At the time, he was protected by only six men, but when the guards went to grab their weapons, which had been stacked, they

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were gone. Margaret Schuyler had removed them to prevent a grandchild of the general — also named Philip, the son of Angelica — from getting hurt. The plot failed to capture Schuyler failed, but Margaret was nearly killed when a tomahawk thrown by an Indian barely missed her. Shortly after the incident, the general and his wife, Catherine, had a new son-in-law when Margaret married Stephen Rensselaer. The general and Mrs. Schuyler had yet another daughter, Cornelia, who later caused a commotion within the family after attending the wedding of Eliza Morton and Josiah Quincy. At the celebration, she met Eliza’s brother, Washington Morton. The young man later approached General Schuyler and asked for Cornelia’s hand in marriage. The general quickly declined and then escorted Morton to a vessel to ensure that he would be transported back to New York City. Undaunted, Morton later returned with an accomplice and they threw a rope up to Cornelia’s window. In a quiet but speedy descent, she escaped and the couple headed for the river, where a boat waited to ferry them across. From there, they journeyed to Stockbridge, where Judge Theodore Sedgwick arranged for a minister to perform their marriage ceremony. It took a while, but the general finally accepted his new son-in-law. During 1792, Schuyler investigated a water route from Schenectady to Lake Ontario, which previously had been territory dominated by Indians. By 1796, vessels able to transport sixteen tons could move from Schenectady to Lake Ontario. Also, Schuyler supported the adoption of the U.S. Constitution, and after it was adopted, he was elected as senator, to a two year term, determined by a drawing of lots. The other senator, King, received the full term. At the next election cycle, Aaron Burr, supported by other anti–Federalists won out over Schuyler and was elected as senator. Meanwhile, Schuyler returned to the state Senate; however, during 1797, at the end of Burr’s term, the state Senate returned Schuyler to the U.S. Senate. Nonetheless, by that time Schuyler’s health was failing and he was soon compelled to retire from public life. Philip and his wife, Catherine, sustained the loss of some of their children during infancy, but eight lived to adulthood. The children were Angelica (Ann, b. February 1756, married John Barker Church); Elizabeth (b. August 1757, known also as Betsy, married Alexander Hamilton); Margaret (Margarita or Peggy, b. September 1758, married Stephen Rensselaer); Cornelia (b. August 1761, married Washington Morton); John Bradstreet (b. October 1763, died young); John Bradstreet (2) (b. July 1765, married Elizabeth Van Rensselaer); Philip Jeremiah (b. January 1768, married Sarah Rutsen and later Mary A. Sawyer); Van Rensselaer (b. January 1773, married Eliza Ten Broeck); Cornelia (2) (b. December 1776, married Washington Morton); Cortlandt (b. May 1778, died young); and Catherine (b. February 1782, married Samuel Malcolm and later, as a widow, her cousin Major James Cochran). General Philip Schuyler succumbed on 18 November 1804, about four months after the death of his son-in-law, Alexander Hamilton. Philip’s wife, Catherine, known as “Sweet Kitty V.R.,” died during the previous year (1803), their 45th year of marriage. Alexander Hamilton, the husband of Elizabeth Schuyler, was killed in a duel with Aaron Burr, his political nemesis. At the time of the duel (11 July 1804), Burr was vice president of the United States, serving in the Jefferson Administration. Alexander’s son, Philip, had earlier been killed in a duel with George I. Eaker on 23 November 1801.

Scott, Brigadier General Charles Charles Scott, the son of Samuel Scott, was born in Cumberland County, Virginia, during 1733. During the French and Indian War, Charles served in the failed campaign of General Edward Braddock during 1755; afterward he was with a Virginia regiment under George Washington. He also served with Colonel William Byrd and participated in Byrd’s expeditions against the Cherokee Indians. During the

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French and Indian War, Charles Scott was a non-commissioned officer, but later he became a captain and formed the first Virginia company south of the James River as the American Revolution was unfolding. In February 1762, Charles married Frances Sweeney. Charles and Frances had seven children. According to information supplied by the Woodford County Historical Society, they were: Eliza (Elizabeth), Merritt, Samuel, Daniel, Charles, Martha, Mary (Polly), and Nancy (thought to have been a twin. She died in infancy). During 1775, Charles Scott was appointed lieutenant colonel of the 2nd Virginia Regiment, commanded by Colonel William Woodford. The 1st Virginia Regiment was commanded by Patrick Henry. Lt. Colonel Charles Scott participated in the Battle of Great Bridge (9 December 1775) when Lord Dunmore was defeated and with the victory, the Carolinas were spared. Subsequently, on 13 February 1776, Virginia units were brought into the Continental Army by the Virginia Convention when “the Congress proceeded to an election, when, Patrick Henry, Esqr. was elected Colonel, of the first battalion, William Christian, Esqr. lieutenant colonel, Frank Eppes, Esqr. major, William Woodford, Esqr. colonel, of the second battalion, Charles Scott, Esqr. lieutenant colonel, Alexander Spottswood, Esqr. Major. Hugh Mercer, Esqur.” Lt. Colonel Scott served with the regiment throughout 1776 and participated at the Battle of Trenton on 26 December and the Battle of Princeton on 3 January 1777. On 1 February, Colonel Scott led a contingent against a Hessian foraging squad supported by elements of the British 42nd Regiment (Black Watch Regiment) in the vicinity of Metuchen, New Jersey, at Drake’s Farm. Shortly thereafter, Colonel Scott again led a contingent against a British foraging party on 1 March 1777, while the British were searching for food in the vicinity of New Brunswick, New Jersey. Soon after, on 1 April 1777, Colonel Scott was promoted by Congress to the rank of brigadier general. Later that year, Scott participated in the defense of Philadelphia, including the battles of Brandywine and Germantown, the latter during October 1777, just prior to the Continental Army establishing winter quarters at Valley Forge for the winter of 1777–1778. After the British abandoned Philadelphia during mid–June 1778, General Scott participated in the Battle of Monmouth, which became the final major battle in the northern states. General Charles Lee’s actions at the battle caused harm to the cause and General Charles Scott along with General Anthony Wayne pressed charges against him. The court-martial of Lee signaled the end of his military career. On 1 October 1778, a contingent of troops under General Scott skirmished with a British unit at Hackensack, New Jersey, and the British sustained twelve casualties. While serving under General George Washington, General Scott, renowned for his abilities, including Indian fighting and scouting, was often used by Washington as an intelligence officer and, as time went by, he was essentially Washington’s chief intelligence officer. General Scott participated at the Battle of Stony Point during July 15–16, 1779, when General Anthony Wayne’s hand-selected force burst upon what the British considered was an invincible post, one that they had seized earlier in the war. Scott’s contingent was one of the units that reinforced Wayne; however, the attack unfolded so swiftly with such overwhelming surprise that victory was attained without the use of reinforcements. General Scott was later ordered to Charleston and was among the army officers captured there when the city fell on 12 May 1780. During the following year, 1781, he received a parole, but he was not exchanged until 1782. During 1783, General Scott was awarded the brevet rank of major general. About two years later, he journeyed to Kentucky and later, after returning to Virginia, he settled in Woodford County, Kentucky, the latter being carved from Virginia. Despite the end of hostilities with Britain (Treaty of Paris, 1783), the British remained antagonistic and reveled in instigating the Indians to raise the

hatchet, which aided the British trading interests and helped delay the transfer of various fortifications that were not turned over to the Americans as stipulated by the treaty. The frontier remained explosive throughout the 1780s. During 1789, General Scott was elected as a Woodford County representative to the Virginia Assembly and served into 1789. Kentucky later was officially severed from Virginia to become the 15th state on 1 June 1792. The detachment of Kentucky from Virginia had no opposition from those in Virginia or from Congress, but it was a long, drawn out process. Finally, during June 1790, a convention was held and at that time, June of 1792 was agreed upon as the official date of separation. Meanwhile, during 1790, General Scott was appointed to a Kentucky military board, charged by President George Washington with examining the situation regarding the militia on the frontier and to determine the strength required to terminate the hostile actions of the Indians. Between 1783 and 1790, the Indians in the region had killed or captured about 1,500 people during attacks against the settlements. During March 1790, General Scott, in command of about 230 militia, joined with General Josiah Harmar (United States agent) and together they moved against Indian villages along the Scioto River. The expedition failed to eliminate the warriors. Only about four of the enemy were killed. The Virginia legislature directed that Governor Beverly Randolph arrange for the enlistment of several companies of Rangers to defend the frontier and at the same time, 20 December 1790, it appointed General Scott as commander of the Kentucky militia. In early January 1791, the U.S. Congress appointed a board of war for Kentucky. General Scott, Henry Inness, John Brown, Benjamin Logan and Isaac Shelby were appointed. Scott led a militia force in February 1791 to the Wabash River (Fort Wayne, Indiana) and destroyed Indian villages there. The Indians had been operation from an old French post, Fort Quiatenon, to raid the settlements in Kentucky. The fort, garrisoned by Americans at the end of the Revolution, was abandoned at the close of hostilities. General Scott also established a blockhouse about 1789–1790 at the convergence of the Kentucky and Ohio rivers in the vicinity of Port William (later Carrollton). Subsequent to the expedition to the Wabash by Scott, a second expedition, during May, was undertaken by General James Wilkinson, but neither succeeded in quelling the raids. A force under General Harmar was defeated by the Indians on 22 October 1791, and that was followed by a major expedition led by Governor (Northwest Territory) Arthur St. Clair. General Scott participated in the ill-fated campaign of St. Clair in which the army sustained a devastating loss to the Indians on 3 November 1791 in the vicinity of present-day Fort Wayne, Indiana. General Richard Butler, second in command, was killed. Subsequent to the defeat, Governor St. Clair was replaced as commander by General Anthony Wayne. In 1792, Isaac Shelby, a Marylander, was elected as the state of Kentucky’s first governor. Shelby directed General Scott to join with Wayne. The column arrived at Wayne’s headquarters, about ninety miles north of Cincinnati, during October of 1793, but winter was emerging. Fort Greenville was built to quarter the regulars, while Scott and the militia returned to their homes to await spring. Nevertheless, General Scott later participated in the decisive victory of the Indians at the Battle of Fallen Timbers (August 20, 1794), in which General Anthony Wayne commanded the expedition. General Scott, with about 1,000 to 1,500 Kentucky riflemen, joined Wayne at Fort Recovery at the rapids along the Maumee River on 15 August. The Indians were so thoroughly beaten at Fallen Timbers that the quest of the Indians to dominate the region had been eradicated. Wayne’s victory did not totally end hostile actions, but the tribes were never again able to mount a significant challenge to the supremacy of the Americans along the frontier. General Scott was afterward propelled into a high powered status in Kentucky, which led to his election as governor during 1808. During

395 the previous year (October 1807), General Scott remarried, taking Judith Cary Bell Gist as his second wife. His first wife, Frances, had died during October 1804. Judith was the widow of Colonel Nathaniel Gist. General Scott, the state’s fourth governor, defeated John Allen and succeeded Governor Christopher Greenup. Scott, the man who had fearlessly plunged into battle during the Revolution and against the Indians on various campaigns, without suffering serious harm, found politics more dangerous to his health. During his first year as governor, he slipped on ice at the governor’s mansion and became permanently injured. The debilitating injury prevented him from walking without using a pair of crutches. While in office (1808–1812), the new nation continued to grope with the relationship with Britain. The drums of war had been muffled, but not silenced. As war again seemed imminent, Governor Scott took steps to bolster the militia. Toward the latter part of his term of office, Governor Scott convened a meeting and at that time, he decided to appoint William Henry Harrison as commander of the Kentucky militia with the rank major general (brevet). Scott made the appointment on 25 August 1812. Unknown to Scott, Harrison had been appointed by President James Madison as a brigadier general in the U.S. Army on 22 August and was given command of the Army of the Northwest, as the successor to General Winchester. After completing his term as governor, General Scott lived out the remainder of his life on his estate, known as Canewood, in Clark County, Kentucky. General Charles Scott succumbed on 22 October 1813. He was initially interred at the family cemetery, but later, during 1854, his remains were re-interred in the Frankfort Cemetery in Frankfort, Kentucky. In addition to his military and political careers, General Scott was a member of the Society of Cincinnati, an organization of former officers of the American Revolution.

Scott, Brigadier General John Morin John (4), the son of John (3) and Marian Morin Scott, was born in New York during 1730. John was a descendant of Sir John Scott (1) (baronet of Ancrum in Roxbury Scotland) and Elizabeth Scott (daughter of Francis Scott of Mangerton). John’s grandfather, also named John (2) was a son of Sir John. He arrived in America about 1695 and established residence at New York. About 1701, he married Magdaline Vincent Scott. After being commissioned a lieutenant of fusiliers during 1710, John’s grandfather was appointed in 1711 as commander of Fort Hunter, named in honor of Governor Robert Hunter, in Montgomery County. The primary mission of the garrison was to protect the Mohawk Indians. John M., an only child, lost his father when he was only about three years old; however, his mother ensured that he received a fine education. He graduated from Yale during 1746 and afterward became a lawyer who practiced in New York. Later, as the colonists began to openly resist the policies of the Crown and Parliament, John became a prominent leader and one of the founders of the Sons of Liberty. His aggressive, no nonsense approach to the perceived oppressive policies won him many friends and an equal amount of adversaries who were less enthusiastic about raising resistance. John’s outward boldness is known to have cost him a seat in the Continental Congress that first convened during 1774. Nonetheless, John said what he believed, and refused to acquiesce on matters of principles. During 1775, his combination of legal skills and his instinctive ability to lead caused John Morin Scott to be appointed to the general committee of New York during 1775; he remained a member during 1776. He was a member of the Provincial Congress during 1775–1776. On 9 June, Scott was commissioned as a brigadier general with command of a brigade (state troops). The brigade remained active within the city of New York until after the Battle of Long Island on 27 August 1776. Afterward, with great pressure on the Continental Army, Scott’s brigade was shifted to Brooklyn, and after the Patriots abandoned

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New York on 16 September moved to Harlem Heights, then joined the Continental Army, which retired to White Plains. General Scott’s brigade also participated in the Battle of White Plains during October 1776, where General Scott was wounded. Afterward Scott’s brigade deployed along the Hudson River in the vicinity of Peekskill. At that time, General George Washington was leading the army into New Jersey. During March 1777, General Scott retired from the service at the expiration of his commission; however, he remained committed to the Patriots’ cause. On 13 March 1777, General Scott became sec- John Scott (Appleton’s Cyclopedia retary of state of New York. of Biography, Vol. 5, 1888) In 1780, General Scott was elected to the Continental Congress, where he remained for three terms. He served in the state Senate from 1779 to 1783. During the conflict, while the British held New York City, General Scott resided in the town of Hurley near Kingston. After the Americans re-occupied the city, General Scott returned to his home in New York, but it had been heavily modified by the British, essentially destroyed, as had the homes of many other Patriots. Nonetheless, by the time General Scott returned, his health had deteriorated. For a while, British troops and American troops shared the city, but the final contingent of British forces abandoned New York during November 1784. General John Morin Scott succumbed on 14 September 1784. He was interred in the cemetery of the Trinity church. General Scott’s only son, by his wife Helena Rutgers Scott, named Lewis Allaire, succeeded him as New York’s secretary of state. Lewis Allaire married Julianna Sitgreaves (daughter of William and Susannah Sitgreaves). Their only son, named, John Morin Scott, after his grandfather, later became the mayor of Philadelphia.

Screven, Brigadier General James James Screven was born to James and Mary Hyrne Smith Screven in Georgia during 1738. He was a descendant of the Rev. William and Bridget Cutt Screven, who immigrated to New Hampshire from England during 1640. James’ maternal grandparents were Thomas and Mary Hyrne Smith, and his paternal grandparents were William and Catherine Stoll Screven. The Rev. William Screven, a Baptist, was not well received in New Hampshire and his family was subjected to religious persecution, which prompted him to relocate his family to South Carolina. James’ parents also had the following children: Thomas Smith (b. 1743, married Eleanor Screven, Catharine Nicholson, Eleanor Hart and then Amanda Gibbes); Barbara; John (b. November 1750, married Patience Holmes and Elizabeth Pendarvis Bryan, the widow of Josiah Bryan); Benjamin; Mary (married James Brisbane); and Elizabeth (married Seth Gilbert). In 1764, James married Mary Odingsell of Edisto Island, South Carolina. James and Mary resided on James Island; however, they moved to Georgia sometime prior to September 1769. Records in South Carolina indicate that James, noted as a resident of Georgia, transferred property on James Island to William Royal. James and Mary’s children were Esther (b. 1765, married Thomas Smith); Mary (b. 1767, married John Hart); Martha (b. 1769); James (b. 1771); and Charles Odingsell (b. 1773, married Lucy Wilmington Bernard and afterward Barbara R. Galphin).

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In Georgia, James Screven acquired property in several parishes, including St. David’s, St. John’s and St. Paul’s. He became a bold defender of the Patriots’ cause. A meeting of prominent citizens was held in Savannah on 27 June 1774, and at that time, Screven was appointed to a 30-man committee charged with the task of creating a series of resolutions that paralleled articles already drawn in the northern colonies regarding policies of the Crown. During July of the following year, Screven was appointed as a delegate to the Provincial Congress, representing St. John’s Parish. Later, on 9 January 1776, Screven entered the military when he was commissioned as captain of a ranger company. Not too much time passed before Screven’s rangers were tested. On 2 March a British flotilla arrived at Savannah intent on seizing several vessels known to have been carrying rice and other items. The Patriots dispatched a contingent under Captain Rice to put the vessels out of operation, but the men were unaware that British troops were aboard. Rice was seized. Two others under a white flag went aboard to secure Rice’s release, but instead, both men, one of whom was a ranger, were also captured. Afterward, Screven and Captain Baker, the latter of St. John’s riflemen, and a group of about twelve men approached the vessel holding the captives. An exchange of fire erupted and the boat moved out of range, but a four-hour contest began between the battery on Yamacraw Bluff and the British. During the battle, the Patriots set one vessel afire and it was cut lose to allow it to strike the others. Two of the vessels escaped damage, but the British troops aboard it were captured and escorted out of the area by Screven’s rangers. On 23 May 1776, Screven became a member of the council of safety; however, he left the position during the following October. On the same day he was also was appointed as one of the justices of the quorum. Shortly thereafter, on 22 July 1776, Screven was appointed as a magistrate (St. John’s Parish). In the meantime, on 2 July, Captain Screven was directed to support an operation led by Lt. Colonel Lachlan McIntosh against hostile Indians, and on 5 July he was commissioned colonel of with command of the 3rd Continental Regiment. Soon after, Colonel Screven was directed to participate in an expedition into East Florida. Subsequently, during 1777, he was in command at Savannah with the rank of colonel-commandant. Later, during spring 1778, Colonel Screven resigned his commission, but afterward, at an undetermined time, he was commissioned a brigadier general of militia. Since his appointment as captain, General Screven had been in active service at various places stretching from Savannah to the Satilla River. During November 1778, the British were advancing in Georgia, and at Midway Church, the defenders found themselves in the path of the Redcoats. General Screven, with only 21 militia troops, sped toward the town to bolster the defenders, but British troops intercepted Screven just outside of Midway Church on the 24th, and during the tenacious exchange, General Screven was captured, but he had been fatally wounded after being shot several times. Colonel Samuel Elbert, aware of Screven’s condition, requested permission to send in doctors and the British permitted the move. Nevertheless, while there was a pause in the fighting and the two doctors (Braidie and Alexander) arrived, it was too late. The doctors concurred that he had little time to live. He died on the following day. On the 27th, the British set the church afire and destroyed it. General Screven was buried at Midway (Medway) Church. Congress authorized a monument to be erected in his honor. On 20 September 1781 the body resolved “that the legislature of the State of Georgia be desired to erect a monument, at Sunsbury, in the said State, at the expence of the United States, not exceeding five hundred dollars, to the memory of the late Brigadier General Screven, who fell, covered with wounds, fighting for the liberties of the United States.” The memorial was finally erected during 1915, when Congress authorized funds for a monument in honor of General Screven and another prominent citizen of Georgia, General Daniel Stewart, the latter being the grand-

father of President Teddy Roosevelt. During the latter part of the 1800s, Fort Screven on Tybee Island, Georgia, was named in honor of General Screven. Some reports claimed that General Screven was shot once and later shot by the British after he was captured, but the fact that Colonel Elbert was there and the truce team was permitted to attend him seems to negate that story. The inscription on General Screven’s tomb reads: “Sacred to the Memory of BRIGADIER GENERAL JAMES SCREVEN, who Fell, Covered with Wounds, at Sunbury, Near this Spot, on the 22nd Day of November 1778. He Died on the 24th Day of November 1778, from the Effects of his Wounds.” The inscription is at odds with the facts, as General Screven was fatally wounded near Midway Church about ten miles from Sunbury.

Sevier, Brigadier General John John Sevier, the son of Valentine and Joanna Goade Sevier, was born in Rockingham County, Virginia, on 23 September 1745. The Sevier family originated in ancient France and lived in the town of Xavier in Navarre, a sector in the French Pyrenees. The original spelling of the family name was Xavier and the family was related to St. Francis Xavier, who with St. Ignatius Loyola founded the Jesuit order. Valentine’s part of the family broke from Catholicism and became Huguenots, then settled in England. John’s father, Valentine, and two of his brothers emigrated from England during 1740. After his arrival, Valentine married a lady from Baltimore and later resettled in Virginia. John attended the academy in Fredericksburg until he reached age about sixteen. John’s father owned a store and operated a mercantile business, but the family also had a farm. John worked the farm, but he also learned to hunt, and he became an expert marksman. There was only a fundamental education available to John. The school was so primitive that no classes were held during the winter months. Nevertheless, when possible, John did attend class in the crudely built log-cabin and was taught the fundamentals, including English, mathematics and spelling as well as some grammar. No books were available and the writing instruments were goose quill pens expertly made by the teacher, described only as an elderly gentleman. John also attended an academy in Staunton where he gained additional knowledge, but it was there that his formal education came to an end. John chose not to further his education at William and Mary. Toward the latter part of the French and Indian War, John Sevier saw some service as a scout along the frontier and his career and life nearly ended when he approached a spot where Indians waited in ambush. Just in time, Sevier detected the trap and was able to escape with his scalp intact. In 1761, John at a young age married Sarah Hawkins and together they had ten children: Joseph, James, John, Valentine, Richard, Betsey, Dolly, Mary Ann, Nancy, and Rebecca. John acquired land and named his tract Long Meadows. Initially he was a farmer, but his particular interests in his horses and dogs were not abandoned. He made time for riding and hunting. Nevertheless, the family left there for the Shenandoah Valley within a few years. John acquired new land in the vicinity of Mt. Jackson and it was there that he founded the town of Newmarket. Once again John established a farm, but he also opened an inn. In addition, John became a merchant, dealing in various items including dry goods and food. His businesses prospered and his customers included friendly Indians who brought in pelts to trade for various items, including brightly colored cloth and “looking glasses.” Other settlers in the vicinity and from the mountains patronized the store; however, life was not always easy and the settlers were often engaged in defending their families and properties against hostile Indians that at times ravaged the Shenandoah. By 1770, John Sevier again tired of his surroundings and decided to move. He landed in Millerstown just outside of Newmarket, and once

397 there he began to take journeys farther into the wilderness (present-day Tennessee). During 1772, Sevier was appointed a captain of the Virginia Line. Sevier is sometimes listed as having been one of the thirteen commissioners appointed in conjunction with the “Articles of the Watauga Association,” and that he was appointed as one of the five judges of the court, but during 1772, Sevier was not yet a resident. He was there on an exploratory hunting trip, making it unlikely that he would have been part of the governing body at that time. Sevier relocated in Watauga during December 1773. Many of his family, including his parents, three of his brothers — Abraham, Joseph and Robert — and his sisters, Polly and Catherine, made the journey and arrived on Christmas Day. John’s brother Valentine had moved there with his family during the previous year. Sevier had built his cabin at the Holston settlement, prior to returning to Virginia to prepare his family for the move. Once settled, Sevier again opened a store, but he was to become more than a merchant due in great part to his distinctive personality and commanding presence, which helped to make him one of the prominent leaders in the region. He was also known to be fearless; however he was also blessed with empathy, and this was quickly noticed by the others in the region. During 1773–1774, when hostilities were on the rise, Sevier again entered the military with a commission as captain by Lord Dunmore of Virginia. He participated in what became known as Dunmore’s War, including the Battle of Point Pleasant (October 1774) in which General Andrew Lewis won a decisive victory in the absence of Governor Dunmore. During 1773, the Shawnee opened hostilities when they attacked a party under Daniel Boone that was en route to Kentucky. During that ambush, a son of Daniel Boone was killed and another young man, Henry Russell, the son of General William Russell, was also among the fatalities. During the early days of the Revolution, Sevier was among the group from the Watauga settlement that drew up a request for the government to accept the settlement as part of North Carolina. The North Carolinians concurred and what later became Tennessee was accepted as part of North Carolina and designated as the Washington district. Captain Sevier was soon after elected as a delegate to the state’s convention to be held during November. On 20 July 1776, Eaton’s Station (sometimes referred to as Fort Heaton) was approached by a large number of Cherokee braves. Militia moved out against them and while the Indians retired, they paused to establish an ambush, but the ploy backfired, costing the lives of about forty of the Cherokee. After the day’s combat, Captain Sevier remarked: “A great day’s work in the woods.” On the following day, the North Carolina militia destroyed a nearby Cherokee village in retaliation for the raid. On the 22nd, the Watauga settlement near Sycamore Shoals came under a strong attack by Indians under Old Abram, but the fort held and the Chilhowee Indians sustained high casualties from the accurate firing of the defenders, including John Sevier, Lt. Colonel John Carter and Captain (later brigadier general) James Robertson. After about two weeks of John Sevier (Life of General John Sevunsuccessful attempts to reier, Francis M. Turner, 1910)

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duce the fort (also known as Fort Caswell and Fort Lee), the Indians abandoned the siege and departed the area. Despite the desperate circumstances, there was one especially bright part, particularly on the part of Sevier. A young woman was attempting to outrun pursuing Indians when she ran straight into Captain Sevier. The woman’s name was Catherine Sherrill, and it later became Catherine Sevier after the death of the captain’s first wife. Reinforcements, a contingent of rangers under Colonel William Russell, arrived to relieve the fort, but the Indians had already departed when the rangers arrived. Another contingent under Evan Shelby also rode to lift the siege and arrived after the Indians departed. A tragic incident that occurred happened to a boy, Samuel Moore, and an accompanying adult, James Cooper, who had left the fort to gather some wood to repair a hut when Indians caught them at Gap Creek. Cooper dived into the creek to escape, but the Indians caught him in shallow water and he lost his scalp. Meanwhile, the boy was screaming for help, but at the fort, they believed the screams to be a diversion to draw them out of the fort. Samuel was carried away with the Indians and later they burned him at the stake. Another, the wife of William Bean, was captured and dragged away. Mrs. Bean was known to be especially kind to the Indians and she convinced herself that no harm would come to her when outside of the fort, but her confidence in the benevolence of the Indians was flawed. Later she was tied to a stake and about to be burned to death, but her life was spared through the pleadings of a Cherokee woman, Nancy Ward, the widow of Kingfisher of the Deer clan. It was also through Nancy Ward that Sevier got word about the Indians en route to attack Fort Watauga. Mrs. Bean was afterward taken back to Watauga (a replica of the original fort is in the Fort Watauga State Park, outside Johnson City, Tennessee). During that period, the British as well as the French and Spanish were working diligently to incite the Indians along the entire frontier. In spring of 1777, John Sevier, while representing the Watauga settlement in the North Carolina legislature, was able to persuade the body to authorize the establishment a court system. Subsequent to the adjournment of the legislature, he returned to Watauga and was appointed as county clerk and as a county judge. With his appointment as district judge, John Sevier and one other, James Robertson, actually dominated all of the judicial procedures and the administration of the settlement. In November 1776, the constitutional convention convened on at Halifax. John Sevier, representing Watauga, succeeded in getting a clause in the accepted document (Declaration of Rights) in the following words: “That it shall not be so construed as to prevent the establishment of one or more governments westward of this State, by consent of the Legislature.” That contribution indicated that Sevier had plans for a separate state. Also that year, Captain Sevier was appointed colonel of the militia. Colonel Sevier used all of his abilities and contacts to raise a sturdy militia by enlisting all of the males between the ages of sixteen and fifty, provided they were able-bodied. The militia afterward was rarely inactive, due to the tumultuous situation all across the frontier owing in great part to the chicanery of the French and Spanish, who worked to eliminate the settlements. The British, too, focused on inciting the Indians with intent to drive the settlers from the region. Nonetheless, their efforts were fruitless. Despite the never ending threats and depredations, the settlers remained. However, the climbing rate of murders by roaming bands of Indians caused a number of the settlers to relocate. Sevier continued to be engaged in the defense of the region. He participated in various campaigns with Colonel Shelby against the Indians. In the meantime, Colonel Sevier moved out of the Watauga settlement and into the settlement along the Nolichucky River; he built an estate at Mount Pleasant. He had some slaves who worked the plantation. Much danger continued to lurk in the shadows and after dark, Sevier was constantly on the alert for marauding Indians. His residence was extra large to

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afford safety to the family and guests of the plantation. Nevertheless, the family life, which had been full of love and affection, was shattered during 1780, when Colonel Sevier’s wife became ill and died during the early part of 1780. Colonel Sevier, a widower with young children, on 14 August married Catherine Sherrill, the girl he saved from the Indians four years earlier at Watauga. Colonel Sevier and Catherine, whom he called his “Bonny Kate,” had eight children: Ruth, Catherine, George Washington, Joanna Goade, Samuel, Robert, Polly Preston, and Elizabeth Conway. On 17 August 1780, Colonel Sevier participated in the victory at Musgrove’s Mill, South Carolina. The British sustained more than forty percent casualties including 63 killed, while the Patriots sustained 4 killed and 7 wounded. Colonel Sevier was also with Colonel Isaac Shelby and Colonel William Campbell when the Patriots dashed over the mountains in response to a call from Colonel Charles McDowell, who was pressured by Loyalists under Patrick Ferguson. Sevier became so well known for his skills in the woods, while scouting for Indians he received a nickname “Nolichucky Jack.” Following the victory at Musgrove’s Mill, the Patriots moved to the woods where they had left their horses and later that day were preparing to depart for Ninety Six, but word arrived regarding General Gates’ defeat at Camden on the 16th and with the news came an order from Governor Richard Caswell directing Shelby and Colonel McDowell to depart the area. The forces moved without pause for about 48 hours, heading into the mountains. Meanwhile, Colonel Sevier returned to his plantation. About 30 August Colonel Isaac Shelby was notified that Loyalists were about to liquidate Colonel Sevier. Ferguson dispatched a prisoner, Samuel Philips, a relative of Colonel Shelby,” with instructions to deliver his decree. Ferguson made it clear that if the Patriots (Overmountain Men) did not halt their resistance, his forces would arrive to “hang their leaders, and lay their country waste with fire and sword.” The threat accelerated the incentive to liquidate Ferguson. No response was relayed to Major Ferguson, but Colonel Shelby, who had returned by that time to Watauga, sped to Sevier’s plantation, concerned that the loyalists had gotten to Sevier before he could be warned, but upon his arrival, he discovered that Colonel Sevier was safe and had company in his home, while preparations were being made for a horse race. Nevertheless, upon Shelby’s arrival, Colonel Sevier halted his partying and serious discussion began about the Loyalists under Patrick Ferguson. Shelby returned to Watauga to assemble his ranger force, while Sevier assembled his riflemen. Shelby and John Sevier procured the funds needed by using their personal credit to borrow $12,735. The pair sought the funding from John Adair, the “entry taker” of Sullivan County, North Carolina. Upon receiving the request, Adair responded to Sevier: “I have no right to make any such disposition of this money; it belongs to the impoverished treasury of North Carolina, but if the country is overrun by the British, liberty is gone—let the money go too. Take it. If by its use the enemy is driven from the country, I can trust that country to justify and vindicate my conduct—take it.” Both forces were to converge on Sycamore Shoals on 25 September and from there they would ride to bolster Colonel McDowell, who was at the western settlement under threat by Ferguson. During the unfolding operation, Shelby dispatched his brother to get Colonel William Campbell to gather his troops to further bolster the Patriots, but Campbell at first was reluctant to join with Sevier and Shelby due to disapproval of their plan. After a second call, Campbell agreed to ride in support of an attack, and he arrived at the rendezvous with about 400 men, making the total nearly 900 troops in addition to those under McDowell. The force as a whole was described as looking peculiar with “the officers and men clad only in their hunting-shirts, but they were well armed with tomahawks, butcher-knives, and Deckard rifles.” One of Sevier’s sons, Joseph, accompanied the expedition, but it

caused a small ruckus within the family, as a younger son, James, insisted upon going. Mrs. Sevier, taking the side of her step-son, shouted to her husband: “Here Mr. Sevier, is another of our sons that wants to go with his father and brother to war; but we have no horse for him, and, poor fellow, it is a great distance to walk.” Colonel Sevier provided a horse for his younger son, about fifteen years old. Later, when the clash occurred, the younger son participated with honor, having learned his skills from his father. The older men were left behind to defend the women and children in case of an Indian attack. Just before the advance, the entire force stood with their heads bowed while the Reverend Doak sent them off with a blessing “of heaven upon them and besought God to fight their battles.” En route, two of the contingent absconded, and it was immediately thought that the deserters ran to warn Ferguson. Nevertheless, the two vacancies were soon filled. The columns moved over the Blue Ridge Mountains at Gillespie’s Gap and advanced to Quaker Meadows, where they encountered troops under Colonels Cleveland and Winston, which swelled the ranks with an additional 350 militia troops. At first the Overmountain Men missed Ferguson, who was warned, broke camp and moved to Kings Mountain, where he believed he held invulnerable positions. However, on 7 October the Patriots caught him on Kings Mountain, ignored the steep ascent and inflicted a terrible defeat upon Ferguson, who was killed at the battle and last seen leaning against a tree with his whistle dangling from his mouth. The victory interrupted Cornwallis’ plans to invade North Carolina. Colonel Sevier’s two brothers, Valentine and Robert, who accompanied him when he first moved to the Watauga settlement, participated in the battle. Robert and Valentine each commanded a company in John Sevier’s contingent. Robert was killed while leading a charge. Patrick Ferguson, known to have been hit by at least six shots, died shortly after falling from his horse. Soon after, the succeeding commander, Captain Abraham De Peyster, hoisted a white flag, but for a while, some firing continued due to the fresh troops with the American force who did not understand the purpose of raising a white flag. Others who saw a flag go up and then down several times still maintained their fire. One of Sevier’s sons, Joseph, become enraged after erroneously being told that his father had been killed, and he became extremely upset and refused to cease fire. Soon after, his father appeared and he learned that it was his Uncle Robert who had been killed. He was then quickly stopped from any additional firing. One of the troops who served under Colonel Sevier described him during the battle: “His eyes were flames of fire and his words were electric bolts crashing down the ranks of the enemy.” After the Battle of Kings Mountain, the North Carolina legislature awarded both Colonel Sevier and Colonel Shelby a pistol and a sword. Colonel Sevier also was given Ferguson’s commission as lieutenant colonel after his possessions were distributed. The Patriots buried the dead on the following day, prior to departing. Colonel Sevier returned to his plantation, while the British prisoners were taken to Virginia by the forces of Colonels Shelby, Campbell and Cleveland. By the time Sevier reached his home, the Indians had indeed gone on the warpath, giving Colonel Sevier no time to relax with his family. He immediately began an expedition to eradicate the invaders, departing during the first week in December 1780 with about 250 troops expecting to join with other forces under Colonel Arthur Campbell. A clash occurred shortly thereafter and the Indians were thrashed as Sevier had his troops moved in three divisions, laid back and successfully ambushed the enemy as they pursued scouts who intentionally retreated, firing a signal that they were being chased. The Indians fell rapidly from the devastatingly accurate fire, but some escaped. The clash is often referred to as the Battle of Boyd’s Creek. Following the exhausting week, Sevier returned to French Broad to await Campbell, but in the meantime, Sevier saved the settlement from another attack. Word arrived again through Nancy Ward that the Indians sought peace;

399 however, Sevier and Colonel Arthur Campbell were not ready to cancel the operations and intended to reduce Indian villages. Although the chiefs sought peace, the younger braves had no intent of terminating the hostilities. In 1781, Colonel Sevier was appointed brigadier general of the Watauga settlement. He led numerous successful expeditions against hostile Indians and reduced a number of Chickamauga villages in the process. On one such mission, his force of about 150 men conquered a mountain thought to be invulnerable by the Indians. Sevier’s troops struck like phantoms, killed many of the warriors and seized prisoners, then vanished again, taking prisoners on the steep descent back to their home territory. Ten of the captives were detained for three years and finally exchanged for settlers that the Indians held. Another lightning-quick strike occurred during the summer of 1781 when Cherokee warriors attacked a new settlement at Indian Creek. Sevier’s phantoms moved out in pursuit, then cunningly encircled the band, unleashing withering fire that killed many and compelled the others to make a rapid retreat, ending the threat. His aggressive actions were accompanied by a steady demeanor, which enabled him also to consummate several treaties with the Indians during that period. Sevier’s force once again returned to their homes, but yet again, another call arrived. The latest urged Sevier to form his command and speed across the mountains to intercept General Lord Cornwallis, who was in retreat, in the event he attempted to head back to Charleston. During September 1781, with hardly a pause since the last campaign, Sevier was back in the saddle on another cross-mountain journey. The column arrived at Charlotte, North Carolina, and learned that Cornwallis had surrendered at Yorktown. While there, prior to departing for home, General Nathanael Greene requested that General Sevier join his force with that of Francis Marion (Swamp Fox). Sevier gladly postponed the homeward march and led his command to the Swamp Fox’s positions at Davis’ Ferry, where the troops were received with jubilation. Sevier and Colonel Shelby participated in the capture of a British post at Monk’s Corner. Soon the British were locked in at Charleston, leaving an opportunity for General Sevier to finally lead his troops to their homes. At home, General Sevier again was faced with hostilities from Indians, prompting yet more campaigns. He led his force across the Hiawassee River, then plowed into the Chickamauga territory. There the Indian towns high upon Lookout Mountain were destroyed, and from there Sevier bolted further to the Coosa River and again reduced the Indian villages there. Giant plumes of smoke were spiraling upward as the column began its return to the Watauga region. A council was held with non-hostile Indians and after the talks, Sevier and his troops headed home with no additional raids taking place. Subsequent to the close of hostilities, during June 1784, the Watauga settlement’s territory, which had grown immensely, was transferred by North Carolina to the federal government. Shortly thereafter, the colonists called for a convention on 23 August 1784. At that time, a constitution was created and the delegates also formed a government, then elected General John Sevier as president (governor) of what they perceived to be their state, which was named Franklin in honor of Benjamin Franklin. Back in North Carolina, the legislature moved to negate what had occurred at the previous session when Watauga was ceded to the federal government. North Carolina established a superior court for Watauga and established a brigade of militia, with Sevier given command as a brigadier general. Governor John Houston of Georgia commissioned Sevier as a brigadier general (District of Tennessee) with a brigade established for the defense of Georgia. Sevier accepted the commission. Meanwhile, by the latter part of 1784, General Sevier had been working to convince the Watauga settlers to abort their move to become separate from North Carolina, but his efforts were fruitless. On 14 December 1784, Sevier, while at an assembly, stated: “Our grievances are redressed, and we have nothing more to complain of; my advice is

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to cease all efforts to separate from North Carolina, but remain firm and faithful to her laws.” His speech was disregarded. A new convention was called convened at Greenville on 14 November 1785, when state officials were elected. The legislature then met and Sevier was elected governor. Consequently, on 1 March 1785, General Sevier became the governor. Afterward, Governor Sevier established a superior court for the state. He also established Washington College, which became the first college to open west of the Allegheny Mountains. North Carolina considered the establishment of Franklin a rebellion. The government of Franklin pleaded with Congress to accept their actions and admit Franklin as a new state, but Congress took no action. To further complicate the situation, an Indian chief, Ungoola (Gun Rod of Citico, but known as Butler) was killed by James Hubbard during a confrontation. Hubbard’s parents and siblings had earlier been killed by Shawnee Indians, leaving him a permanent enemy of the Indians. During a previous clash, Ungoola was knocked from his horse by Hubbard and although the war had ended, Ungoola was determined to kill Hubbard. Nevertheless, when Hubbard was approached, he said he had brought food for the Indians, explaining that the war was done. The chief attempted to kill Hubbard, but missed, taking off only a lock of his hair, but as the Indians retired, Hubbard returned fire and the chief was killed. Prior to his death, the chief told Hubbard that the Indians were prepared for war. Except for the new possibility of war, under Sevier the state of Franklin prospered, and he was able to conclude additional treaties, but the situation was looked upon differently in North Carolina. The governor of North Carolina, Alexander Martin, proclaimed the government of the state of Franklin to be an insurrection and declared that it must cease and desist. His edict was not well received and the dispute evolved into hostilities between men who had only recently fought back-to-back against the British. Simultaneously, there was a faction in Franklin that was against Sevier, primarily led by John Tipton, with the latter deciding during 1786 to favor North Carolina’s position against the new state. Tipton’s faction held elections, elected officers and reinstated the laws of North Carolina. The two sides then battered each other and each disrupted the meetings of the other. North Carolina then enacted legislation that offered the future of an independent state “if they would return to their allegiance and wait.” The legislature of Franklin held its final session during September 1787. General Sevier’s term as governor was to expire during March 1788. North Carolina, by that time, considered General Sevier’s actions treasonous and moved to confiscate his estate. John Tipton played a key part in the action by arriving at Sevier’s plantation during February 1788 and confiscating the general’s slaves, then transporting them to his estate. Sevier, never prone to backing away from adversity, assembled about 150 troops and proceeded to Tipton’s estate. The peculiar warfare had Tipton guarded by only about fifteen men, as the others were out trying to capture Sevier, who was at Tipton’s and bolstered by a cannon. Sevier demanded that Tipton surrender and Tipton responded by preferring death to capitulation. The animosity was apparent. Tipton sent out a letter, but used the term colonel rather than general, and a reply was sent back that the colonel (Sevier’s brother Valentine) was not in the area. Afterward, some casualties occurred and Sevier’s battery was taken when Tipton’s reinforcements arrived. Tipton threatened also to hang two of Sevier’s sons. The initial aggression was to regain slaves and at that time, Sevier easily could have destroyed Tipton’s home and retaken the slaves. Apparently neither side really sought bloodshed. The short war terminated amid the blizzard that had raged during the confrontation, and Sevier returned home with his slaves. Soon after, Sevier was back in the saddle. He and his command moved out to the frontier to defend the settlers. In his absence, many erroneous charges were made against him. At the time, he was engaged against hostile Indians.

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During May 1788, an Indian raid wiped out John Kirk’s family (eleven people) at his residence in the vicinity of Knoxville. The family was brutally tortured and their disfigured corpses were scattered about the property just outside the home. John Kirk and one of his sons were away at the time of the massacre. Sevier led a contingent to retaliate, and during the campaign, some atrocities by the troops occurred when they operated away from Sevier. The campaign succeeded in terminating the raids and many chiefs were killed, although at Lookout Mountain, the Chickamaugas did inflict a defeat on his force. After Sevier returned to his home, a warrant for his arrest was issued by Governor Samuel Johnston (Caswell’s successor), who had been informed of the charges and believed them to be factual. John Tipton was again involved, and after Sevier surrendered to a Colonel Love, he was handed over to Tipton, who threatened to hang Sevier. Afterward, Sevier was taken to Jonesborough and from there to Morgantown where two old friends, Generals Charles McDowell and Joseph McDowell, awaited him. They appeared in court as Sevier’s bondsmen. Stories vary on the rescue of General Sevier, but aside from the embellished tales, General Sevier was in a tavern when his friends, including relatives, arrived and the party departed without fanfare, aware that they might be followed; however, no chase was initiated. Upon his return, he was not again arrested; however, John Tipton felt no sigh of relief when informed of Sevier’s return. The supporters of Sevier could handle the loss of the state of Franklin, but they were not about to tolerate abuses of Sevier. Sevier returned to Fayetteville during November of 1789 and was refused his seat in the legislature. Tipton defiantly stood against Sevier, but another submitted a motion to drop all charges against Sevier that passed after a flurry of arguments. Sevier took his seat in the North Carolina Senate. Later, North Carolina once again ceded the area to the federal government, calling it the “Territory South of the Ohio River.” William Blount was appointed governor of the territory. General Sevier was compelled to take an oath to the United States and at that time, yet again he was commissioned as a brigadier general. During the following year, Sevier was elected to the United States Congress to become the first congressman from the Mississippi Valley. As a U.S. brigadier, General Sevier again was confronted by hostile Indians, which prompted a new campaign (Etowah Campaign) against the Cherokee and Creek Indians during 1792. The expeditionary force moved at a strenuous pace in a determined effort to clear the region of hostile Indians to ensure safety for the settlers. The campaign shredded organized resistance and brought tranquility along the frontier for the Holston and French Broad settlements that lasted during the remainder of General Sevier’s life. The Indian rampages had been inflicting a growing number of fatalities. On 10 May 1792, Robert and William Sevier, two sons of Colonel Valentine Sevier, were killed while they were en route to support settlers along the Cumberland River. At one point, they believed the approaching Indians were part of the relief force. Within a few days, Colonel Valentine’s son Valentine was also killed by Indians. The campaign culminated on 17 October at Etowah when General Sevier defeated the Indian force composed of Creeks and Cherokee warriors. During that period, General Sevier ordered the erection of a series of block houses and he moved to a station which he built about ten miles outside Knoxville. The governor moved into Knoxville, the capital. On 6 May 1793, General Sevier presented a license received from Governor William Blount to the bar and he was admitted to practice law. On 1 June 1796, the state of Tennessee became the 16th state to join the union. General Sevier was then elected as the first governor of Tennessee, and on 30 March 1796, he was sworn in to office. General Sevier served three consecutive terms, the limit allowed. He was succeeded by Archibald Roane. Later, General Sevier was again elected and once more he served three successive terms. When he returned to office, Sevier’s nemesis again acted up and worked to ruin Sevier’s character.

Sevier also found himself with a new adversary, Andrew Jackson, whom Sevier appointed as judge. The relationship between Jackson and Sevier deteriorated further and Jackson challenged Sevier to a duel. Sevier accepted, but in his reply he informed Jackson that he would meet him outside of Tennessee so as not to break the laws of the state of which he was governor. The response fell flat with Jackson, who wanted the duel to occur at Knoxville. The duel never took place. In 1811, General Sevier was again elected to the U.S. Congress and returned for a third term during 1815, but he never served the last term. General John Sevier died on 24 September 1815, while acting as a commissioner appointed by President James Madison to draw the boundary line between Georgia and the Creek Territory in Alabama. General Sevier died in his tent and was attended by only a small contingent of troops and several friendly Indians. General Sevier and his family regularly attended church services at Lebanon, outside of Knoxville, but Sevier never formally joined a religious denomination. Back when he first founded Newmarket, he donated three acres to be used for the establishment of a Baptist church. General Sevier was afforded a military burial by troops under Captain William Walker. He was interred in the vicinity of Fort Decatur (Alabama) along the banks of the Tallapoosa River on the grounds of an Indian village (Tuckabatchie). The inscription on his tombstone read: “John Sevier.” A monument in honor of General Sevier, known as the “Father of Tennessee,” was erected in Nashville, and the state also named Sevier County in his honor.

Shelby, Brigadier General Evan Evan Shelby, the son of Evan Dhu and Catherine Davies Shelby, was born in Wales during 1720. Evan’s family immigrated to America during the mid 1730s and established their home in the vicinity of Hagerstown (Prince George County, later Frederick County and afterward Washington County), Maryland. In addition to Evan, his parents had the following children: Moses (b. about 1718, became a major, d. after 1780); Thomas (b. about 1725, d. about 1770); Eleanor (date of birth unknown, married John Polk); John (date of birth unknown, married Louisa Looney); Mary (b. 1734, married Adam Alexander); Rees (date of birth unknown) and one other daughter (name unknown, but she married Joseph Chapman). Evan did not receive a formal education, but from his life on the frontier, he quickly learned the skills of a hunter and marksman. For a while, Evan became a fur trader like his father. Their enterprise included the establishment of trading posts from the Kanawa River to Mackinaw Island, the latter place having been acquired by the Shelby family. Evan married Letitia Cox and together, they had the following children: Susanna (b. 1746, died young); John (b. 1748, married Elizabeth Pile); Isaac (b. 1750, married Susanna Hart); Evan, Jr., (b. 1754, married his first cousin, Catherine Shelby, he was killed by Indians in January 1793); Moses (married Elizabeth Neil); James (killed by Indians in 1786); Catherine (married Captain James A. Thompson of Washington County, Virginia); Sarah (married Ephraim McDowell); and Rachel (married Michael Leggett). The outbreak of the Seven Years’ War (French and Indian War) brought an abrupt end to the family fur business. During the French and Indian War, Evan Shelby first saw service as a private and later as an officer attached to a ranger company. He participated in the failed campaign of 1755 that also took the life of General Edward Braddock when the English attempted to seize Fort Duquesne. Afterward, using his personal funds, Shelby assembled and equipped a full company and rose to the rank of captain. Shelby’s wilderness skills and his familiarity with the wilderness from his fur trading days was a huge asset during the westward advance toward the French stronghold at Fort Duquesne. Shelby, while serving under General Forbes, participated in the seizure of Fort Duquesne (November

401 1758) after the French chose to evacuate the fort without a fight. Captain Shelby was wounded during the campaign. After the war, Captain Shelby applied for compensation but the war had bankrupted the colonies and the Crown also declined paying anything to Shelby. However, the colony of Maryland did award Shelby a small amount of currency of the colony. Disappointed, he abandoned Maryland and headed for the Virginia frontier (which as it turned out was outside of Virginia and in present-day Tennessee) and settled in the vicinity of Bristol, Tennessee. Isaac Baker traveled with Shelby and together they acquired just under 1,950 acres (Sapling Grove tract) in the Holston region from John Buchanan. The place upon which he settled was known as King’s Meadows in Fincastle County, Virginia. Shelby raised livestock for a while, but he became involved again with the military during 1774, when hostilities erupted with the Delaware and Shawnee Indians. Shelby assembled volunteers from the Watauga settlement and initiated a journey that began on 17 August and lasted just under one month before the contingent of about fifty troops hooked up with Virginians under General Andrew Lewis to participate in what became known as Dunmore’s War. Three companies from Fincastle County joined the expedition, those of Evan Shelby (Holston River region), William Russell (Clinch River region) and William Herbert (New River region). Shelby’s contingent, which included his son, Isaac, participated in the Battle of Point Pleasant, which inflicted a devastating defeat upon the Indians and saved the frontier from more ravaging raids. During the battle, Shelby’s colonel was hit and Shelby assumed command of the regiment while his son Isaac took command of his father’s company. Later, about 1771, Shelby, along with Isaac Baker, established Shelby’s Fort along Beaver Creek, a tributary of the Holston River near Bristol, Tennessee. The fort was utilized a place of safety for the settlers during times of Indian raids, but it also played an important part in the later Battle of Kings Mountain. It was at Shelby’s fort that many of the commanders planned for the assault against the British stronghold. During 1776, on 20 July the militia from the area engaged and defeated a large Indian force at Long Island Flats (Kingsport). Afterward, Shelby raced toward Fort Watauga, which had been under siege, but the Indians retired prior to Shelby’s arrival. One of the troops with Shelby was the Reverend Charles Cummings, who was also an excellent defender of the settlement and always prepared. The Reverend Cummings always arrived at church for services with his rifle. As he walked to the pulpit, he carried his rifle, then laid it nearby in the event an emergency occurred. All the men who attended services were also armed with their rifles at their sides. When the minister heard of the crisis at Watauga, he and about 100 of his parishioners rode with Shelby to the relief of the fort. During that same period, the Indians did succeed in attacking and murdering isolated families. In one incident, the Lewis family fell victim after ignoring a warning from Captain John Redd that the Indians had been on another rampage, but Mr. Lewis responded that he was safe and that the Indians would not find his isolated home. Shortly thereafter, Lewis, his wife and seven children were attacked, brutally killed and then scalped. Others found safety in the various forts and stations, but some still believed there was little chance of harm. Ambrose Fletcher left the security of Blackmore’s Fort after a few days due to being overcrowded. Fletcher quickly built a little cabin for himself, his wife and two children less than fifty yards from Blackmore’s Fort. He left the cabin to get his horse which had been in a canebrake and during that short absence, his cabin was struck. Upon his return, Fletcher discovered that the Indians had killed his wife and children with tomahawks, then scalped them. In autumn 1776, a force of about 2,000 militia departed Fort Patrick Henry (Kingsport), and the expedition succeeded in destroying a large number of Indian villages. It was just prior to the expedition that Patrick Henry, the governor of Virginia, appointed Shelby as a major

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in the force led by Colonel William Christian. Indians had forewarned the force that they would prevent them from crossing French Broad, but Christian replied he would cross and move beyond. The Indians retired without a fight and Christian advanced, burning village after village, but being particularly careful to inflict no harm upon Chota, where Nancy Ward (a Cherokee and ally of the settlers) lived. The Indians also lost their crops and had their grain destroyed as well as their supplies and cattle. Christian set a day of peace to be held at Long Flats, but the peace did not include two towns involved with the capture and death of a young boy, Samuel Moore. Those two towns were soon after destroyed by John Sevier’s contingent. At the conclusion of the campaign, Christian returned to Long Island and reorganized his command, leaving about 600 troops deployed there under the command of Major Evan Shelby and Major Anthony Bledsoe. During the entire campaign, only one soldier (named Duncan) was killed. He left a wife, Elizabeth Duncan, who was crippled and had five children. On 21 December, Governor Patrick Henry appointed Major Shelby as a justice of the peace for Washington County and on that same day, the governor also promoted Major Shelby to the rank of colonel. Governor Henry and the Virginia council ordered that a convention meet during May 1777 at Long Island for the purpose of obtaining a peace treaty. Colonel William Christian, Colonel William Preston and Colonel Evan Shelby were appointed as commissioners representing the commonwealth. Commissioners from North Carolina also attended and together they consummated a treaty with the chiefs who attended; however, it was not concluded until 2 July 1777. Shelby later conducted a successful expedition against the Chickamauga Indians during 1779. The expedition was financed by his son Isaac. Shelby commanded about 350 troops bolstered by Colonel John Montgomery in command of about 150 men. Under the guidance of a pilot, the expeditionary force proceeded up Chickamauga Creek. En route to their objective, an Indian was captured, and through information gained from their prisoner and reluctant guide, the force trekked through the canebrake, then with total surprise the troops were poised to strike. The Indians at their stronghold in Chickamauga became perplexed when it became known their previously unscathed territory had been penetrated. Surprisingly, the two chiefs, Dragging Canoe and Big Fool absconded with their warriors (about 500 braves), permitting effortless access to the town, which was destroyed by fire. The flames were spiraling upward as the Indians were ascending the mountains. Afterward, Shelby and Montgomery, combined, destroyed ten other villages and about 20,000 bushels of corn before suspending the campaign. It was during that same year that the boundary between Virginia and North Carolina was drawn. Consequently, Shelby’s property was in North Carolina. At that time, Governor Richard Caswell of North Carolina appointed Shelby as a brigadier general of militia, giving him the distinction of becoming the first man west of the mountains to be appointed as a brigadier general. Meanwhile, during 1779, it was decided to construct a road over the mountains from Virginia into Kentucky. Colonel Shelby was appointed as a commissioner for the project, but he declined the appointment and was replaced during 1780 by Captain John Kinkead. General Shelby’s family sustained a tragedy when his wife, Letitia, died on 6 September 1777. Letitia Shelby was interred in Charlottesville, Virginia. Two years later, General Shelby remarried, taking Isabella Elliott, the widow of James Elliott of Franklin (present-day Washington County, Tennessee), as his second wife. Information regarding General Shelby’s second marriage is scarce; however, documents regarding the marriage were discovered in the papers of his son Isaac. It gave the date of the marriage as 14 November 1779, officiated by one of the judges of Franklin, John Anderson. A daughter (no name provided) had received land based on the certificate of marriage.

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On 16 February 1779, Governor Henry of Virginia appointed Arthur Campbell as sheriff of Washington County. At the same time, Evan Shelby was appointed as one of his deputies. During the April 1780 court, in conjunction with Shelby having become a resident of North Carolina due to the drawn boundary, the court appointed William Campbell as colonel and successor of Shelby. On 7 October 1780, at the Battle of Kings Mountain, General Shelby’s son Evan served as a lieutenant under his brother, Colonel Isaac Shelby. Following the victory, Colonel Isaac Shelby penned a letter to his father, General Evan Shelby, who was not present at the battle, giving him the details. The letter was dated 14 October 1780 and included a synopsis of the battle. It added the casualties on each side with a notation that a later official report would more accurately account for casualties. General Evan Shelby was killed on his own property by Indians on 4 December 1794. He was interred without fanfare in the cemetery of the First Presbyterian Church at Bristol, but he did not, as the saying goes, “Rest in peace.” Long after the memory of his selfless contribution to the nation was lost in the obscurity of days gone by, progress interrupted his final resting place. About 1870, modern improvements, compelled by a growing community, brought about a need for new streets. One of those, Fifth Street, went directly through the church’s cemetery. The remains of most of those in the path of progress were extricated by their descendants. General Shelby’s remains, however, as detailed by a citizen who was there, were “placed in a common box and were locked up in the city calaboose but a few steps away for safekeeping. Just how long they remained there, I do not know. I was just a boy of thirteen years, and remember distinctly of having the skull in my hands.” General Shelby was re-interred just across the state border in a separate part of the cemetery (East Hill) that lies in Virginia. General Shelby’s four sons — Isaac, Evan, Moses and James — all served in the military during the Revolutionary War. Isaac later became a colonel and served as governor of Kentucky. The younger Evan participated at Kings Mountain and at Cowpens, as well as other clashes that occurred in the Department of the South. He was appointed a brigadier general of North Carolina militia and it was Evan, Jr., not his father, who had negotiations with John Sevier regarding the acknowledgment of the state of Franklin through the articles of compromise agreed upon during 1787, while the two met at the house of Samuel Smith. Moses participated in the siege of Savannah during 1779 and was a captain under Isaac at Kings Mountain during October 1780. At Kings Mountain, Moses was twice wounded. Captain Moses Shelby also participated in Battle of Cowpens under General Daniel Morgan ( January 1781) and the campaign which recaptured Augusta, Georgia, during May–June 1781. James Shelby, General Shelby’s fourth son, also served in the war. James served with George Rogers Clark and was killed by Indians. The Shelby family became very close to the Sevier family and the bond passed down through the generations. At the Battle of Kings Mountain with Isaac Shelby, seven members of the Sevier family participated. (See also, Shelby, Colonel Isaac.)

Shelby, Colonel Isaac Isaac Shelby, the son of General Evan and Letitia Coxe (spelling variations include Laeticia Cox), was born on 11 December 1750 in the vicinity of Hagerstown, Maryland. Isaac’s parents also had the following children: Susanna, John, Evan, Jr., Moses, James, Catherine, Sarah, and Rachel. Isaac’s father had immigrated to America about 1735, settled in Maryland and later relocated in the vicinity of present-day Bristol, Tennessee. In 1774, Isaac received a commission as lieutenant (Fincastle militia) from Colonel William Preston. Isaac served in his father’s company. During October at the Battle of Point Pleasant (Dunmore’s War), Isaac’s father assumed command of a regiment after Colonel Andrew Lewis, the son of General Andrew Lewis, was fatally wounded. At that point, Isaac assumed command of his father’s company. The

Indians sustained a severe defeat, despite the fact that Governor Dunmore’s force was not at the battle. Dunmore was away trying to broker peace. The situation created a conflict between General Lewis and the governor. Subsequent to the victory, Lieutenant Isaac Shelby remained deployed at Point Pleasant as commander until July of 1775. At that time, Lord Dunmore, concerned about the emergence of American resistance to the Isaac Shelby (Pictorial Field Book of Crown, disbanded the force the Revolution, Benson J. Lossing, 1860) at Point Pleasant to prevent its joining the Patriot forces that were building. After his deployment ended, he traveled to Kentucky, and while in the employ of Henderson and Company, Shelby was engaged in surveying land there. During 1776, he was commissioned a captain of militia by the Virginia Committee of Safety. He participated in the Battle of Long Island Flats during the summer of 1776. Governor Patrick Henry appointed Shelby in 1777 as commissary of the garrisons scattered across the frontier, including those of the Continental Army. Governor Henry, that same year, also appointed Isaac’s father, Major (later general) Evan Shelby as one of three commissioners delegated to repair to Long Island on the Holston during May 1777 to negotiate a treaty with the Cherokee. In 1778, Shelby was elected to the Virginia legislature as a representative of Washington County and was appointed as a major by Governor Thomas Jefferson (successor to Patrick Henry) and attached to the guards assigned to protect the commissioners delegated to draw the border between North Carolina and Virginia. When the border was settled, Shelby, like his father and others, suddenly found himself no longer a Virginian. Shelby’s property was within North Carolina. Meanwhile, Governor Richard Caswell of North Carolina took advantage of Shelby’s residency and appointed him colonel of militia (Sullivan County). During 1779, Shelby procured supplies (using his personal credit) for an expeditionary force command by his father, Colonel Evan Shelby, at a time when government funds were not available. Colonel Evan Shelby concluded the campaign with great success against hostile Chickamauga Indians. In February 1780, the British moved against Charleston. Despite a large army with naval support under General Benjamin Lincoln, the city fell on 12 May 1780. Shortly thereafter, word of the surrender reached Colonel Shelby while he was in Kentucky on yet another surveying mission. Shelby cut short his surveying and returned to his home in North Carolina, and once there became aware of a call from Colonel Charles McDowell to assemble as many troops as possible due to the threat of a British invasion of North Carolina. Shelby enthusiastically jumped back in the saddle. He raised a contingent of just under 250 troops, each a skilled rifleman, and the force set out to cross the mountains to bolster McDowell in South Carolina. Colonel Shelby’s mounted riflemen participated in the victories inflicted upon the British at Cedar Springs, Thicketty Fort and Musgrove’s Mill, the latter having erupted on 17 August 1780. Musgrove’s Mill gave the Americans a decisive victory with British fatal casualties soaring above 60, while the American losses were limited to 4 killed and 7 wounded. After the battle was won, the Patriots retrieved their horses, which had been concealed in the woods, and prepared to move to Ninety Six. The move was abruptly cancelled after word of General Horatio Gates’ defeat at Camden on the 16th reached the force.

403 Governor Richard Caswell had dispatched a runner to inform Shelby and the others of the catastrophic loss at Camden, and the message included orders to depart the area expeditiously due to the strong possibility of pursuit by Cornwallis’ army. The troops headed into the mountains. On the 30th, Samuel Philips, a relative of Colonel John Sevier, arrived at Colonel Shelby’s positions carrying a message from Major Patrick Ferguson directing the Patriots to cease and desist operations against the British or face annihilation. Shelby also learned that the Loyalists were preparing to betray Sevier, the latter having returned to his estate. Ferguson’s alternative, if the Patriots (Overmountain Men) refused his ultimatum, was stated in the message: he would “hang their leaders, and lay their country waste with fire and sword.” Shelby, annoyed by the ultimatum but concerned for the safety of Colonel John Sevier, raced to warn him of the mounting danger, hoping to arrive in time. To his great surprise, Shelby arrived at Sevier’s estate to find his friend perfectly okay with many guests and preparations underway for a horse race. Nevertheless, Shelby relayed the information he received from Samuel Philips and after an in-depth discussion, Sevier and Shelby concurred on the plan of action. They decided not to wait on the arrival of Ferguson’s forces and instead would charge toward the sounds of Ferguson’s infamous silver whistle and silence it and Ferguson simultaneously. The operation became a bold undertaking and the money to finance it was unavailable. Sevier and Shelby solved that by using their personal credit to acquire the funds from the “entry taker” of Sullivan County, North Carolina, John Adair. Colonel Sevier immediately began to gather his force, while Colonel Shelby returned to Watauga to rally his riflemen. Afterward, the separate contingents were to meet at Sycamore Shoals on 25 September. Sevier and Shelby borrowed $12,735 from Adair and later a receipt was recorded in the records of North Carolina showing that the entire debt was repaid. The money did not include any compensation for the troops, who each volunteered and received no pay. John Adair, when the request for funds was presented, responded: “I have no right to make any such disposition of this money; it belongs to the impoverished treasury of North Carolina, but if the country is overrun by the British, liberty is gone — let the money go too. Take it. If by its use the enemy is driven from the country, I can trust that country to justify and vindicate my conduct— take it.” A rider was sent also to convince Colonel William Campbell to join in the operation. At first he rejected the idea, but following a second request, Campbell, too, joined in the mission. Surprise was lost after two deserters rode to Ferguson’s camp and gave him warning of the approach of the Overmountain Men, prompting him to relocate to a new position. Ferguson chose Kings Mountains, where he felt his forces could withstand any attack. His conclusion was flawed due to the ingenuity and determination of the Overmountain Men. General Charles McDowell, under threat by Ferguson, was quite jubilant upon sight of the columns of troops, including the officers, adorned with their famed hunting shirts and carrying their tomahawks as well as razor-sharp butcher knives. Equally important, the Overmountain Men were armed with he combined strength of Sevier, Shelby and Campbell. Each of the 900 men was a skilled fighter in mountain warfare; they also were armed with Deckard rifles. While en route, as the columns crossed the Blue Ridge Mountains, their numbers grew just after they reached Gillespie’s Gap from where the advanced to Quaker Meadows and encountered additional troops under Colonels Cleveland and Winston, swelling their number to more than 1,250 men. Ferguson’s supposedly invulnerable positions were attacked on 7 October 1780 and the British soon discovered that they were not invincible. The British were vanquished. Major Patrick Ferguson was spotted and shortly thereafter, sharpshooters commenced fire and he was hit repeatedly. Major Ferguson fell from his horse and died shortly thereafter while propped up against a tree with his infamous

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whistle still dangling from his mouth. General Lord Charles Cornwallis was devastated by the news of the defeat, which was totally unexpected. Ferguson’s failure to carry out his threat to annihilate the Overmountain Men permitted the Patriots to compel Cornwallis to suspend his plan to invade North Carolina. At the time, the Continental Army was still regrouping after General Horatio Gates’ loss. General Nathanael Greene had been sent to succeed Gates as commander of the Southern Department, and it would be Greene’s army, bolstered by the Overmountain Men, that then held responsibility of evicting the British from the South. Following the victory, the North Carolina legislature awarded Colonels Sevier and Shelby a sword and pistol. Colonel Shelby’s brother, Evan, Jr., received the sword of Abraham de Peyster, who assumed command of the British force after the death of Ferguson. General Greene, unlike his predecessor, General Gates, held high confidence in the southern militia. He requested that Colonels Sevier and Shelby remain to assist him. Sevier and Shelby agreed, and they did participate for a while before returning to their homes. Colonel Shelby was elected to the North Carolina legislature after he returned home, and he was re-elected during 1782. Consequently, he departed from the army; however, prior to his departure, Colonel Shelby had proposed plans to attack Cowpens, another British stronghold, and the plan first given to General Gates was handed to General Greene, who concurred. At Cowpens on 17 January 1781, the forces of General Daniel Morgan (who had command of part of Greene’s army) scored yet another decisive victory against the British, bringing the American army closer to total victory. Other battles followed, but Cornwallis departed the Carolinas for Virginia, where he failed to gain his objectives and was unable to get reinforcements due to a French naval blockade at Yorktown, forcing his surrender during October 1781. During January 1781, General Greene again called upon colonels Sevier and Shelby, and they assembled their respective troops and advanced toward Charleston, where again they engaged the British in support of Greene. The British finally abandoned Charleston during December 1782. During 1783, Colonel Shelby was appointed as a commissioner to survey land along the Cumberland River that had been set aside for soldiers who had fought during the war. When the responsibility was completed, Colonel Shelby settled and married in Boonesborough, Kentucky. Isaac married Susanna Hart, the daughter of Captain Nathaniel Hart, during 1783 and afterward settled near Stanford, Kentucky. Isaac and Susanna had the following children: James (married Mary Pindell); Sarah (married Ephraim McDowell); Evan (married Nancy Warren); Thomas Hart (married Mary McDowell and afterward, Mary Bullock); Nancy (married S.K. Nelson); Isaac (married Maria Warren); John (died unmarried); Letitia (married Charles Stewart Todd); Catherine (died young); and Alfred (married Virginia Hart). Once he became a Kentuckian, Colonel Shelby simultaneously became a solid proponent of Kentucky entering the union. Some, including General James Wilkinson, favored breaking away and consummating an alliance with the Spanish. Shelby aligned himself with others, including Thomas Marshall, and together, they foiled the plan of those who favored Spain. Kentucky entered the union on 1 June 1792 to become the fifteenth state. Colonel Isaac Shelby, having been a loyal Virginian and North Carolinian during the war, remained equally loyal to Kentucky and became its first governor. Colonel Shelby served as governor for four years, and although war with Spain did not erupt, the period at times was tumultuous with Spanish domination of the Mississippi River, the route to the Gulf of Mexico through New Orleans. By 1795, the Spanish acquiesced and a treaty was consummated that opened up the river to the shipping of the United States. Colonel Shelby retired from office during 1795, refusing to run for another term. He returned to his estate to farm. Colonel Shelby turned down

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various opportunities to resume public office, but he did accept the appointment as a presidential elector, and he participated six separate times under three presidents: Thomas Jefferson (1801–1909), James Madison (1809–1817), and James Monroe (1817–1825). Colonel Shelby continued to enjoy his retirement, but when another war with Britain was imminent, his military spirits jolted his patriotism and he gave way and agreed to again become the governor of Kentucky. However, he offered more than his statesmanship. Colonel Shelby, several years beyond sixty, bounced back into the saddle when the frontier became endangered following the surrender of the army at Detroit on 16 August 1812 and the massacre at Raisin River on 21 January 1813, in which the British and their Indian allies killed about 100 and captured about 500 Kentuckians. Colonel Shelby, although never having been commissioned as a brigadier general, as commander-in-chief of the armed forces of Kentucky raised a force of about 4,000 troops and rode to join with General William Henry Harrison (later 9th president of the United States) and participated at the Battle of the Thames on 5 October 1813. The Americans were victorious and a British ally, Tecumseh, was killed. Congress during 1818 by a resolution on 4 April awarded gold medals in honor of their leadership in the face of the enemy to General Harrison and Governor Isaac Shelby. Colonel Shelby later, during 1819, turned down an appointment from President Monroe, which would have made Shelby the secretary of war. However, he did accept an appointment as a commissioner to deal with the Chickasaw Indians regarding the cession of territory in West Tennessee. He served with General Andrew Jackson (the hero of New Orleans and later 7th president of the United States). The mission was successful. Colonel Isaac Shelby returned to his farm, where he died on 18 July 1826. Colonel Shelby’s brother, General Evan Shelby, Jr. (North Carolina militia), resided in the vicinity of the Red River at Clarkesville. He was killed by Indians on 18 January 1793, when he was ambushed while in a boat on the river. It was Evan, Jr., who played a pivotal part in the negotiations between the state of Franklin and the state of North Carolina. Evan, Jr., as the North Carolina representative, worked out the differences with a close family friend, General (governor) John Sevier, the representative of Franklin, the short-lived state. On 20 March 1787, they agreed upon the “Articles of Compromise,” which acknowledged the state of Franklin and that of North Carolina. (See also, Shelby, Brigadier General Evan.)

Sheldon, Brigadier General Elisha Elisha Sheldon, the son of Elisha Sheldon, Sr., was born in Connecticut during 1741. The elder Sheldon graduated from Yale during 1730, but his son did not attend the college. About 1759, the younger Elisha married Sarah Bellows, and during 1761, he built one of the first houses in Litchfield. On 12 December 1776, he was commissioned by General George Washington as a lieutenant colonel in command of the Continental 2nd Light Dragoon Regiment. The resolution stated that “Elisha Sheldon be appointed Lieutenant-Colonel commandant of a regiment of Cavalry on the Continental establishment, with the rank and pay of a colonel of Foot; and that General Washington be authorized to appoint the other officers to the said regiment; and that the Colonel, with his officers, proceed, without delay, to raise and discipline the said regiment; and that they repair to and join the army under the command of General Washington, by companies, as soon as each company shall be complete.” Colonel Elisha Sheldon had earlier arrived at Washington’s location with his contingent of cavalry, but at the time, supplies were lacking and there was an insufficient amount for the Continental Army, prompting Washington to decline accepting Sheldon’s force; however, by December, several setbacks made it necessary for Washington to request reinforcements. Sheldon’s command was eagerly accepted into the Continental Army. The regiment participated in various campaigns,

including the battles of Trenton and Princeton and the defense of Philadelphia in 1777. During that same period, a contingent of Sheldon’s dragoons also participated in the Saratoga Campaign. Later it participated in the Department of the South and fought at Yorktown. Colonel Sheldon and his regiment remained in continuous service for the duration of the war and acted in various capacities, including spying for Washington. During 1780, Colonel Sheldon received a court-martial on charges of “defrauding the officers and soldiers of plunder taken in action, and converting the avails to his own use.” He was acquitted of all charges. On 13 June 1783, pursuant to orders from General Washington, the unit was furloughed; however, it was not officially disbanded. Having completed its service at various outposts and coordinated patrol duty in the vicinity of the sound, Colonel Sheldon led the regiment back to Connecticut. Colonel Sheldon later, during 1791, moved to Vermont in a town named Hurden Ford, but the name was afterward changed to Sheldon. The home Colonel Sheldon built back in Connecticut was for a while taken over by his son Samuel, who transformed it into the Sheldon Tavern (or inn), and later it became known as the Gould House. When Elisha settled in Vermont, his three sons (Samuel, Elisha Jr., and George) and other family members accompanied him. He remained out of public life after he retired. Colonel Elisha Sheldon died during 1805 while visiting one of his daughters.

Shepard (Shepherd), Brigadier General William William, the son of Deacon John and Elizabeth Noble Shepard, was born in Westfield, Massachusetts, on 20 November 1737. Deacon John and Elizabeth had eight other children. William first saw service in the military after joining as a private during the early days of the French and Indian War. By 1756, he was promoted to the rank of sergeant and served in Captain Ball’s company, which was attached to Colonel William Williams’ regiment. By 1759, William Shepard had made lieutenant and participated in the ill-fated campaign under General James Abercrombie, where the British sustained a severe defeat during the attack against French-held Fort Ticonderoga. However, during the following year, with the rank of captain, Shepard served under General Jeffrey Amherst during the successful campaign that terminated with the capture of Fort Duquesne and afterward the surrender of the French at Montreal to give the British domination of North America. After the defeat of the French, Shepard returned to his home, having become a seasoned veteran. Once back in Westfield, he resumed his personal life. He married Sarah Dewey, the daughter of Moses and Rachel Moseby Dewey, on 31 January 1760. They had the following children: William (b. March 1761); Charles (b. September 1764); Sarah (b. February 1767); Noah (b. February 1769); Nancy (b. October 1771, married Seth Wetmore); Warham (b. December 1773); Lucy (b. December 1778); and Henry (b. June 1782). Shepard was catapulted into local politics when he was elected as a selectman during 1774. By that time, relations between Britain and the colonies were beginning to rapidly deteriorate. Although Shepard’s ancestors were English, he was a staunch Patriot. During 1775, he was appointed to the Committee of Correspondence and Inspection of Westfield. At the outbreak of hostilities on 19 April at Lexington and Concord, Shepard served as a lieutenant colonel in the regiment of Minute Men commanded by Colonel Timothy Danielson. Colonel Shepard participated in the siege of Boston and afterward during the campaigns in and around New York, following the abandonment of Boston by the British on 17 March 1776. Meanwhile, on 1 January 1776, Shepard was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel of the Continental 3rd Massachusetts Regiment. Colonel Shepard’s regiment was attached to the constantly active brigade of General John Glover, which included Glover’s Marblehead Regiment. Colonel Shepard participated in the Battle of Long Island and was

405 wounded on 27 August 1776. Glover’s brigade played a strategic part in holding the line as Washington retired toward White Plains. At that time, Glover’s troops were transformed into sailors, not an unusual task because most were mariners prior to the outbreak of war; the brigade safely evacuated all the supplies and men from Long Island. Afterward, it was again Glover’s brigade that withstood insurmountable odds in the vicinity of Pell’s Point and forced the British to halt their attack, giving Washington the time needed to retreat. While Washington was being chased through New Jersey, Glover’s brigade again saved the day by operating the boats that carried the army into safety in Pennsylvania. Later, on 2 October 1776 (effective 4 May 1776), Shepard was promoted to colonel on 1 January 1777, and he received command of the 4th Massachusetts Regiment. In the meantime, he participated in the Battle of Trenton, and yet again, it was Glover’s brigade that Washington depended upon to carry the army back across the raging Delaware River on 26 December to surprise and vanquish the British at Trenton. Only Glover’s brigade contained the skilled sailors capable of conquering the river and its floating ice as well as an incessant blizzard. In 1777, the brigade participated in the Saratoga Campaign, and after General John Burgoyne was vanquished and forced to surrender during October 1777, Colonel Shepard’s regiment traveled to join with General Washington while the British were seizing Philadelphia. Following the grueling winter and wretched conditions at Valley Forge, Colonel Shepard participated in the Battle of Monmouth, the final major battle in the northern theater. Later, while serving under Lafayette, although he was not commissioned by Congress, Colonel Shepard was appointed as an acting brigadier by Lafayette. Colonel Shepard was later awarded a sword by Lafayette and it became an heirloom that was handed down from generation to generation. Colonel Shepard retired from the army during January 1783. He was not the only member of the family to serve during the war. Five of Colonel Shepard’s six brothers served, and William, the oldest son of Colonel Shepard, was in the army. After the war, Colonel Shepard resided on a farm in Medway, Massachusetts; however, there was little time for prolonged relaxing. He was elected as a selectman of Westfield and served four successive terms. He served again in that same capacity at various times. As a prominent and well respected leader, he often was chosen to preside at town meetings; this occurred frequently until nearly the end of his life. In 1785, Colonel Shepard was elected to the lower house of the legislature, and he served there into 1786. That year Colonel Shepard was catapulted to the rank of major general of the 4th Division (Massachusetts militia). General Shepard’s division played a key part in suppressing the revolt that became known as Shay’s Rebellion. It prevented the insurrectionists from destroying the Springfield Arsenal on 27 January 1787. The division under General Shepard also remained active against the roaming rebels who continued to wreak havoc and cause some terror among the citizens living between Boston and the New York border. General Shepard’s responsibilities were not confined to military actions. During 1786, he was also appointed as a commissioner charged with negotiating with the Penobscot Indians, which culminated with the state acquiring all of the territory lying above Nicholas Rock along the Penobscot River. By 1787, General Shepard was again called upon to act as a commissioner in negotiations with the Six Nations, and that too became a success. He parlayed with the Indians at a place in New York state along the Genesee River. Those negotiations succeeded in gaining a vast amount of land. General Shepard surveyed the territory and established township lines. During 1788 and 1792, General Shepard was selected as a presidential elector. He served four years in the Massachusetts Senate and was on the governor’s council from 1792 through 1796. In 1797, General Shepard, having been one of the many men who

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struggled against all odds to preserve the nation through the anguishing years of war, became one of the few to have an opportunity to get a first-hand view of what he helped to save, the seat of government. The people of Massachusetts elected him to the United States Congress. He served there from 4 March 1797 until 3 March 1803, during those turbulent years that the administrations of President Thomas Jefferson and James Madison were faced with continuing problems with the Spanish and British as well as the French, who for several years during the latter part of the 1790s engaged in what became known as the Quasi War with France. General William Shepard died on 11 November 1817, about one month prior to his 80th birthday. His widow, Sarah, survived him and died on 23 January 1829.

Sherman, Roger (Signer of the Declaration of Independence and of the U.S. Constitution) Roger Sherman was born in Massachusetts in the vicinity of Newton, outside Boston, on April 19, 1721. His ancestors were from England. Roger’s great-great grandfather, John Sherman of Dedham, who married Martha Palmer, was a clothier who arrived in America about 1634 and settled in Watertown, Massachusetts. Roger’s great-grandfather was Captain John Sherman (spelled Shearman at the time), and his grandparents were Joseph and Elizabeth Winship Sherman. The marriage of Joseph and Elizabeth brought about eleven children, including William, the father of Roger Sherman, who was the seventh son and the ninth child. Roger’s father first married Rebecca Cutler and they had one son, William 1, but he did not survive infancy. Following the death of Rebecca, William married Mehetabel Wellington in 1715. The marriage brought about seven children, including Roger. The others were William 2, Mehetabel, Elizabeth, Nathaniel, Josiah and Rebecca. William was raised in Stoughton on Punkapoag Plantation, where he remained until he was about twenty-two years old. As a boy, Roger was taught the trade of a cobbler by his father, who also ran a family farm. Upon the death of his father in 1741, Roger took on the responsibility of caring for the family. Subsequently, the farm was sold and the family relocated to Connecticut at New Milford, where one of his brothers, William, already resided. It seems Roger was self-taught, having had only a nominal education as a youngster; however, he was able to become familiar with the law, through extensive reading, which enabled him to eventually be admitted to the bar. Prior to becoming a lawyer, he had been a partner of his brother in the mercantile business. In 1745, Sherman was appointed “Surveyor of Lands for the County of New Haven.” During 1752, New Milford became part of Lichfield County and Sherman continued in his capacity as surveyor for that county. In the meantime, during 1748, Roger acquired a house from Gamaliel Baldwin on Park Lane, outside New Milford, but later, he received the house of his brother William, which was near town hall. The building was also used to operate the business. Upon the death of William, during 1756, Roger took over the home and business and retained it until 1760, when he sold it to Abel Hine. Sherman authored an almanac for most of the years from 1750 to 1761. He began Roger Sherman (Biographical Sketches to become involved in the af- of the Signers of the Declaration of fairs of New Milford during Independence, Benson J. Lossing, 1854)

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1752, when he was appointed to several local offices, including selectman. He also performed services as a leather sealer and a fence viewer. During 1749, Roger married Elizabeth Hartwell of Stoughton, the daughter of Deacon Joseph Hartwell. Roger and Elizabeth had seven children: John, William, Isaac, Chloe (died in infancy), Oliver (1) (died in infancy), Chloe (2), and Elizabeth (1). Although Roger had learned the trade of shoemaker and had become a surveyor, he persisted in his study of the law. In February 1754, he was admitted to the bar by the County Court of Litchfield. Sherman was introduced to political life when he was elected during 1755 as a delegate of New Milford in the general assembly. With a couple of exceptions (1756 and 1757), he was re-elected and served in the assembly until 1761. He was appointed in May 1755 as a justice of the peace and later, during 1759, he was appointed as a justice of the quorum in Lichfield County. From the latter, Sherman became a member of the county court (Court of Common Pleas), where he served as a judge assisted by quorum members. Afterward, he became an associate judge of the Superior Court of Connecticut and served in both houses of the Connecticut colonial assembly. As a member of the assembly, Sherman served on a variety of committees, including one during May of 1756 that investigated Indian complaints. In 1759, during the French and Indian War, he was appointed as “Commissary to reside at Albany.” In that capacity, Sherman expedited supplies for the Connecticut troops and accepted arms which were being returned from the troops. While in New York, he entered into a contract with some others during February 1760 with the intent of establishing a settlement east of Fort Edward, but the settlement never materialized and Sherman remained a resident of Connecticut. Roger’s wife, Elizabeth, succumbed on 19 October at age 34. During the following year, he abandoned New Milford and re-established his family in New Haven; however, he also gave up practicing law to again become a merchant. His decision had not been impulsive, based on his actions. About one year prior to relocating in New Haven, he had established two stores, one in New Castle and another in Wallingford. While visiting with his brother Josiah in Massachusetts, Sherman met and soon after married Rebecca Prescott, a niece of Josiah’s wife, on 12 May 1763, in what seemed to have been for him love at first sight. The marriage of Roger and Rebecca, who was eighteen years old when she met Roger, brought about eight children; one, Mehetable (1), died in infancy. The others were Rebecca, Elizabeth (2), Roger, Mehetable (2), Oliver (2), Martha and Sarah. Sherman retired from what had been a successful enterprise during 1772, leaving one of his sons to operate the business. While in New Castle, Sherman became the treasurer of Yale College (1765–1776), which presented him with an honorary master of arts degree during 1768. In October 1764, Sherman was elected as a New Haven representative to the legislature; he was re-elected during May and October 1765 and again during October 1765 and May 1766. His re-election continued through the years, giving him nineteen years in the body. In 1765, the Stamp Act was passed by the British Parliament and with it came unintended consequences for the Crown, as the colonists were consumed with consternation. The act was so condemned by the Americans that it was repealed during the following year, but during its short life span, many of the tax agents became quite familiar with a new breed of Patriots, known as the Sons of Liberty. Their resistance to the Crown’s policies included violence when necessary. Nevertheless, in Britain, during July 1766, the government of Lord Rockingham came to a close and with it, the colonists found themselves falling quickly under unjust policies. During 1767, the Townshend Acts pressed the colonies further when they learned that glass, paper, tea and other items were to be taxed. Later, the colonies were to be taxed only on the tea, which brought about the Boston Tea Party. Although there were still some who believed reconciliation was possible, most believed it was not probable.

The colonies agreed to hold a congress in Philadelphia during September 1774. Five Connecticut delegates — Silas Deane, Richard Law, Erastus Wolcott, William S. Johnson, Eliphalet Dyer — were chosen, but Law, Wolcott and Johnson did not accept. In their stead, Roger Sherman and Joseph Trumbull were selected. However, only Sherman, Deane and Dyer attended as delegates to the First Continental Congress. Sherman, Dyer and Deane also became delegates at the Second Continental Congress, which convened in Philadelphia during May, after an explosive encounter with the British at Lexington and Concord in April 1775. On 24 June 1775, Congress named Sherman to a committee to bolster the militia: “Resolved, That a Committee of seven be appointed to devise ways and means to put the Militia of America in a proper state for the defence of America.” During the sessions, General George Washington was unanimously selected as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army, but initially, some New Englanders, including Sherman, preferred a commander from New England. Sherman, who remained in Congress for the duration of the war, was a proponent of independence. He was appointed to various committees, including the one in June 1776 that was shared with Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and Benjamin Franklin and Robert Livingston, charged with drawing up a declaration of independence. During July, Roger voted for independence and afterward signed the parchment Declaration of Independence. He also served on the committee charged with designing a draft of the Articles of Confederation and was appointed to the Board of War. On 17 March 1777, Congress appointed a five-man committee, including Sherman, delegated to confer with General Horatio Gates “to discuss the general state of affairs.” When British General John Burgoyne surrendered at Saratoga in 1777, General Wilkinson departed New York to deliver news of the victory to Congress; however, he arrived long after the news. Nevertheless, Congress suggested presenting Wilkinson with a sword. Sherman, displaying his usual levity, in turn suggested that the general should instead be presented with a pair of spurs. In April 1778, Sherman was appointed to the committee charged with investigating the general officers (Northern Department) who were present when Ticonderoga and Mt. Independence were evacuated. He was replaced on the Board of War by Jesse Root on 22 December 1781. Shortly before leaving Congress, on 13 September, Sherman introduced a motion which designating 13 December as a day of public thanksgiving throughout the United States. Sherman remained in Congress until November 1781, the month following Lord Cornwallis’ surrender, but during October 1783, he again was returned to Congress for one year. Sherman supported the Articles of Confederation and later, while he participated in the Constitutional Convention, he also supported the adoption of the federal Constitution and quite frequently made speeches on the floor in support of it. He is credited for bringing about equal representation for the states, both large and small (two senators per state regardless of population). Sherman also signed the U.S. Constitution. Subsequent to the adoption of the Constitution, Sherman was elected to the U.S. Congress (1789–1791) and at that time relinquished his position as Superior Court judge, which he had held for nineteen years. Afterward he was elected to the U.S. Senate (1791–1793). He was serving in that capacity when he was victimized during a typhus epidemic, which took his life on 23 July 1793. For the greater part of his life, including the tumultuous years when the nation stood on the brink of disaster and the pressures of serving the nation were overwhelming, Roger Sherman remained in excellent health. Even at age seventy, he was capable of mounting a horse and taking exceedingly long rides, but the typhus was not insurmountable. At the end of his life, Roger Sherman was unable to complete the family prayer. When asked if he was prepared to die, he responded: “Father, not my will, but Thine be done.” Sherman was not known as an

407 eloquent speaker, but he was noted as an effective speaker, once described due to his motions while speaking as a “shoemaker drawing a thread.” However, he was greatly respected in his home state and in the nation. John Adams, in a letter to his wife, Abigail, dated 16 March 1777, described Roger Sherman as “that old puritan, as honest as an angel, and as firm in the cause of American independence as Mt. Atlas.” Sherman had also served as a mayor in his town of New Castle. When the town was organized during 1784, he was elected as its first mayor and he remained in that position for life. Roger Sherman was known to be a faithful Christian throughout his life and depended heavily on his Bible. He was interred in the Grove Street Cemetery. During his memorable career, he and only one other, Robert Morris, signed all three of the pivotal documents of the republic: the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation and the U.S. Constitution.

Silliman, Brigadier General Gold Selleck Gold Silliman, the son of Judge Ebenezer and Abigail Selleck Silliman, was born in Fairfield, Connecticut, on 7 May 1732. He was named after his mother and his grandmother, Abigail Gold. Twenty years later, Gold graduated Yale (class of 1752), the same institution from where his father graduated during 1727. Gold, like his father, became a lawyer. Gold Selleck was the oldest of five sons. During 1754, Gold married Martha Davenport, the daughter of Deodate and Lydia Woodward Davenport of East Haven, Connecticut. Gold and Martha had one child, William, who reached adulthood, and two or possibly three other children who died young. In 1771 he became the attorney representing the Crown in Fairfield County. Although attached to the Crown through employment, Gold was a solid Patriot. Martha died in 1774. The next year he married Mary Fish Noyes, the daughter of the Rev. Joseph and Rebecca Peabody Fish and widow of the Rev. John Noyes of New Haven. Gold and Mary had two children, Gold Selleck, Jr., and Benjamin. At the outbreak of hostilities, Gold Silliman, already having experience with the militia and a current member of the Committee of Correspondence of Fairfield, was appointed by the legislature during the April–May session 1775 as a colonel in the militia with command of a cavalry unit. He remained active during the period the British controlled Boston and his cavalry was often involved with the defense of the southwestern sector of Connecticut. After the British abandoned Boston on 17 March 1776, the governor of Connecticut, Jonathan Trumbull, and the council during May 1776 appointed Silliman as a colonel and ordered him to lead a regiment, specifically selected, to ride to New York and establish a defense and hold the line there until General George Washington could arrive with the Continental Army. Colonel Silliman’s 1st Light Horse Regiment was engaged in much more than being the vanguard at New York, although Silliman did return home upon Washington’s arrival during the spring. Silliman had been with the 4th Massachusetts until his transfer to the 1st Light Horse Regiment, which was one of six regiments established by Connecticut and the one selected to bolster General Washington at New York. The regiment participated in the Battle of Long Island on 27 August 1776, and it played a key part during the retreat to White Plains, where the regiment acted as rear guard in October 1776. Subsequent to the Battle of White Plains, Colonel Silliman was elevated to the rank of brigadier general (Connecticut militia) with command of the 4th Brigade. The primary responsibility of Silliman’s brigade was to defend the western sector’s coastal cities. General Silliman’s estate was strategically atop Holland Hill. From there he had visibility, depending on the weather, for as far as forty miles, giving him the ability to observe British warships and transports in the sound through his spyglass. He was often able to observe enemy activity across the sound on Long Island. General Silliman’s brigade performed admirably during 1777, when

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Governor William Tryon led a force against Danbury. The British advanced and by 26 April the supply depot at Danbury was destroyed. Word of the raid reached General Silliman that same day at Fairfield. He immediately led militia and Continental troops to intercept the invaders. Meanwhile, during the expedition, General David Wooster was fatally wounded on the 27th, when his force launched a premature attack. The British, after finishing their rampage, headed back to New York, but on the 27th, they were intercepted. Silliman’s contingent engaged in a heavy skirmish against the British rear guard at Ridgefield, near the Saugatuck River. The British discovered a hole in the defenses and their pressure forced Silliman’s line to pull back, leaving an opening for the Redcoats to escape and return to the ships from which they debarked, which were waiting to carry them to New York. Meanwhile, General Benedict Arnold, during the fighting at Ridgefield, escaped harm, but his horse was hit with nine shots that killed him instantly. Arnold reported 20 American casualties, and the British force, composed of about 2,000 troops, reportedly sustained about 200 casualties. General Silliman moved into New York in September–October 1777 to bolster General Israel Putnam during the Saratoga Campaign. Later, during December 1777, General Silliman again entered New York to augment the Patriots’ forces there, while General Putnam made a feint toward Kings Bridge. During May 1779, British General Henry Clinton dispatched a contingent to capture General Silliman; the mission succeeded. The British managed to reach Holland Hill without detection and after rousing the general and his son, Major William Silliman, at about midnight, both were seized taken to Long Island. Meanwhile, Mary Silliman, usually an unshakable woman blessed with keen intelligence and a grand sense of humor, remained extremely concerned about her husband and stepson for about three weeks due to having no information on the their fate. Later the British permitted General Silliman to communicate with his family, then he was paroled and permitted to return to Connecticut. Once there, William, acting in response to intelligence and rumors regarding an imminent invasion, began to take action to protect his pregnant step-mother and his little step-brother, Gold Selleck, Jr. In the meantime, General Silliman, at Flatbush on 12 May, penned a letter to his father-in-law, the Reverend Fish, in which he stated: “Before this reaches you, you will have received the news of my captivity, I doubt not I was surprised in bed at my own house about 1 o’clock in the morning of the Sabbath, the 2d inst. by a party of refugees from Connecticut (except two that were foreigners) commanded by one Bonnell, who used to live in my neighbourhood. This party went from the Island for this purpose. Billy [General Silliman’s oldest son, William] is with me. We both receive kind and complaisant treatment.” Shortly thereafter, the rumors of an invasion proved to be true. During early July a British fleet approached Fairfield. Mary Silliman, atop the roof of her home, spotted the armada and the Silliman family plan went into action. Mary and her young son, Gold Selleck, were sped to safety at Trumbull, a good distance from the coast. The British demanded the surrender of the city and the Patriots refused. On 7 July 1777, Governor Tryon ordered the city destroyed by fire. The region was plundered and the Redcoats spared nothing in their path, not a depot or a church. Even barns and stables were destroyed. One post, Black Rock Fort, defended by only nineteen troops, was captured. In the meantime, Mary Silliman was safe at Trumbull and during the following month, while General Silliman remained a captive, he again became a father. Benjamin was born during August 1777, and Mrs. Silliman became anxious to introduce him to his father. She began conferring with Governor Trumbull in an effort to bring about an exchange of prisoners and the discussions led to a conclusion that the Americans would have to snatch a prominent Loyalist to win General

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Silliman’s release. The target was named, Judge Thomas Jones, a former classmate of General Silliman. Plans were laid and then executed the following autumn. On 6 November a contingent of Patriots, led by Captains Hawley, Lockwood and Jones, crossed the sound in a whale boat and advanced to the residence of Judge Jones of the New York Supreme Court at Fort Neck (present-day Massapequa, Long Island), arriving there in time to disrupt a party. The celebration with its noise concealed their approach to the estate, which resembled a castle. The Americans were unwelcome guests, but they didn’t mind barging into the party. The judge was snatched and informed that his party was over. In addition to Judge Jones, the party also seized a Mr. Hewett and two others, then made a hasty departure into the darkness. The British initiated pursuit and in the ensuing chase, six Patriots were captured; however, the key to the release of General Silliman, Judge Jones, was still with the party when they finally got back to their hidden whale boat on the night of 8 November. Judge Jones was a welcome sight to Mary Silliman when he was delivered to her home. At first sight of the judge, she was thrilled that her plan worked, grateful to the men who gambled their lives to gain the release of her husband and ecstatic in her belief that thanks to Judge Jones, Benjamin’s father was coming home. She even offered to cook breakfast for her reluctant guests. After being held at the Silliman estate at Holland Hill for a short while, the judge was transferred to Middleton, where he remained until the British relented and agreed to the exchange. During spring of 1780, a boat from the British and one from the Americans rendezvoused, and after the two men shared dinner together, the exchange was complete. That occasion was the third time Judge Jones had been seized by the Americans. Judge Thomas Jones went back to his home; however, by the following year, Judge Jones took a precaution to ensure he would not be captured yet again. He sailed for England during 1781 and lived out his life there until he died during 1792. After the war, General Silliman resumed his private life and worked on re-establishing his law practice. Afterward, he was appointed as the state attorney. However, the severe losses sustained by General Silliman due to his selfless service during the war were never recovered. And because he had never served in the Continental Army, the Congress offered no support. General Gold Silliman died on 21 July 1790, leaving his family in dire straits. The family lost much of its fortune during General Silliman’s imprisonment, and the huge amount expended to pull off the capture of Judge Jones further depleted the finances. Within a few years, the family had recovered through the sheer determination of Mary Silliman. Both of her sons went on to attend and graduate from Yale, and Benjamin became a prominent scientist, a career which his son followed. In the meantime, Mary Silliman remarried, becoming the wife of Doctor John Dickinson of Middletown during 1804. She lived until 1818.

Simpson, Brigadier General John John Simpson, the son of John and Mary Randall, was born in Boston on 8 March 1728. John’s paternal grandparents were John and Aurelia Holmes Simpson. John (2) later established his residence in Beaufort County, North Carolina, along with a group of other New Englanders who arrived at the same time. John’s home was built in the vicinity of the Tar River about five miles below Greenville, and his estate became known as Chatham. During 1753, John married Elizabeth Hardee, the daughter of Colonel John Hardee (Hardy). John and Elizabeth had the following children: Mary Randall; Susannah (married Lawrence O’Bryan); Elizabeth; Samuel (later general, married four times); Alice; John Hardee; Ann (married John Eason); Joseph; and Sarah (married Doctor Joseph Brickell).

John Simpson entered the militia and was commissioned as a lieutenant on 9 July 1757. He was assigned to a company commanded by Captain Robert Palmer and attached to Colonel Robert Palmer’s regiment. At an undetermined time, Captain Simpson was raised to the rank of colonel. He entered politics when he was elected to the lower house (Colonial Assembly) in 1760. He was instrumental in establishing Pitt County that year. St. Michael’s parish was formed within the county and Simpson was elected as one of its commissioners. He and the other commissioners afterward initiated the task of building a court house, jail and other governmental structures. In 1766, the governor, William Tryon, appointed Simpson as register of the county. When Tryon departed to become the governor of New York, his successor, Governor Josiah Martin, reappointed him to the post on 13 November 1771. In March 1766, Colonel Simpson was appointed as high sheriff of Pitt County. Simpson became ensnared in a confrontation in a 1768 session of the court with regard to taxation due to the absence of a sheriff. Another North Carolinian, William Moore, protested and lodged charges against Simpson for obstructing the operation of the court. The assembly during its session on 20 November passed the matter to a committee, and it was ruled that Simpson was “guilty of a high misdemeanor, and that his conduct in preventing the sitting of the Inferior Court of Pitt County is greatly injurious to the Public and detestable to this House.” Colonel Simpson was censored by the house. He received a leave of absence from the assembly for the remainder of the session. During that same time period, John Simpson was involved in the shipping industry. During 1769, a schooner owned by Simpson sailed from Port Royal in Jamaica, but the inclement weather compelled the crew to divert and head for safety at Vera Cruz, Mexico, rather than risk losing the ship to a storm. In Mexico, the Spanish detained the ship until February of 1772. The crew sailed to Havana and once there they acquired a sloop, the Sally, and with the sloop they finally arrived back in North Carolina during April to proclaim their tales of woe. However, the severe treatment they supposedly received sounded suspiciously false, considering the crew seem to have come into a large amount of money during their time of agony and their story of being robbed fell flat. An investigation revealed that the crew falsified information. The ship’s master, Ebenezer Fuller, expeditiously fled from the county. Another of the crew was John’s brother, Ichabod, but whatever consequences he suffered are unknown. However, he was later appointed to the county’s standing committee of which his brother John was chairman Despite the investigation, John Simpson recovered none of his losses. An anti-government group (opposed to government corruption, high taxes and political bribes) known as the Regulators vowed to oppose the government by peaceful means, but the opposition turned violent and the Regulators even threatened to kill government officials. During 1770, the Regulators moved to prevent Edmund Fanning from taking his seat in the assembly. Colonel Simpson displayed empathy for the Regulators; however, out of loyalty to Governor Tryon, he put out a call for his militia to assemble at the courthouse and be prepared to march. Colonel Simpson had raised more than 350 troops, with about six days’ supplies. Nevertheless, the force was not needed. Fanning however, remained loyal not only to the governor, but also to the Crown, and when Governor Tryon departed for New York to assume the post of governor, Fanning accompanied him and afterward commanded a contingent of Loyalists. After the conclusion of the Revolutionary War, he eventually rose to the rank of general in the British army. In contrast, Colonel Simpson’s loyalty to Tryon was linked to Tryon’s commitment to the colonies, but it stopped there, overridden by Simpson’s iron-fisted devotion to his country and fellow Americans. And since the infamous Stamp Act of 1765, the colonists had begun to

409 openly resist the Crown, with murmurs of independence being sporadically brought into conversations. In 1771, Governor Tryon marched against the Regulators with seasoned troops, and the Regulators, many of whom were unarmed, were overwhelmed at the Battle of Alamance on 16 May. At the time, Colonel Simpson’s regiment was posted at New Bern and did not participate in the battle; however, he did provide funds to Captain Robert Salter with instructions to raise a company to bolster Tryon’s force. By 1774, the colonies began a major shift toward breaking away from Britain if a solution could not be found to bring about reconciliation. Colonel Simpson, during 1774, was appointed to the Committee of Safety of Pitt County. He and another man, Edward Salter, attended the convention in New Bern on 25 August 1774 as representatives of Pitt County. Simpson and Salter had been chosen at New Bern on the 15th. In New Bern, the representatives received instructions in the form of the following resolution (in part): “Resolved, That John Simpson and Edward Salter, Esqs., do attend at the town of NewBern on the 25th inst. in general convention of this province, and there to exert their utmost abilities preventing the growing system of ministerial despotism which now threatens the destruction of American liberties....” Afterward, the North Carolinians, at a meeting of the Committee of Safety, agreed to support the Bostonians who were under great stress from the British. Supplies were gathered and transported to Boston in defiance of the British, who were blockading the port. A general election was held on 9 December in Pitt County to form a new county committee (standing), and Colonel Simpson was elected as a member. He was made chairman on 17 December. He succeeded his father-in-law, Colonel John Hardee. On 11 February 1775, the committee convened and delegated Colonel Simpson with the task of securing a ship to sail to Massachusetts with the supplies needed by the citizens of Boston. Later, on 10 March 1775, Colonel Simpson was elected as a delegate from Pitt County to attend the upcoming Provincial Congress at Hillsborough. Meanwhile, on 3 April, Colonel Simpson again attended the convention at New Bern. In the midst of the escalating crisis with the British, a revolt by some slaves (armed by the British) broke out during July 1775 in Pitt County and surrounding areas. The insurrection was quashed. Colonel Simpson attended the Provincial Congress in Hillsborough in August 1775. The following September, North Carolina acted to organize, and the next month, Colonel Simpson received his former command of the Pitt County regiment. Other officers attached to the regiment were Lt. Colonel Robert Salter, 1st Major George Evans and 2nd Major James Armstrong. On 9 December 1775, Colonel Simpson was elected as a member of the New Bern district’s Committee of Safety. He was appointed judge (Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions) in Pitt County on the 23rd. Shortly thereafter, a meeting (New Bern District) convened on 16 January 1776 and Edward Salter was the delegate from Pitt County, but Roger Ormond of Beaufort died and John Simpson was elected in his place, building Pitt County’s representation to two members on the committee. During April 1776, while the Provincial Congress was in session at Halifax, all of the officers of the Pitt County regiment were re-elected. About two months before the convention, the Patriots had scored a decisive victory against the Loyalists at Moore’s Creek Bridge and forced the Loyalists to scatter, rendering them unable to raise organized resistance for several years. Meanwhile, Colonel Simpson was elected by the congress as a member of the state’s Committee of Safety. In May 1778, William Robeson was elected as entry taker for Pitt County and upon his election, he resigned his seat in the House of Commons. Colonel Simpson was chosen as his replacement. Colonel Simpson was appointed to the governor’s council on August 14 and continued to serve in the House of Commons, but upon his election to the Council of State during 1779,

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he resigned his seat in the House and was replaced by John Williams. Simpson was returned to the House of Commons in 1782. In 1783, Colonel Simpson was promoted to the rank of brigadier general. Following the close of hostilities, he returned to his private life. During 1786, he became a trustee of an academy that was established in Pitt County by the legislature. General John Simpson died on 1 March 1788. He was interred in Pitt County on the south bank of the Tar River, slightly below Greenville at “the old Hardee place,” along the Greeneville Washington Road. His widow, Elizabeth, survived him until March 1805.

Smallwood, Major General William William Smallwood, the son of Bayne and Priscilla Heaberd Smallwood, was born during 1732 in Kent County, Maryland. William’s grandfather was Major James Smallwood, who settled in Maryland and during 1696 served in the assembly. William’s father was a successful planter, but he also was engaged as a merchant and he, too, served in the assembly and held other public offices, including justice of the peace. The Smallwoods owned a plantation, known as Mattawoman, on the Potomac River. William, after receiving education in Maryland, was sent to England and completed his studies at Eton. In the early 1760s, he was elected to the Maryland state assembly. By that time he had begun to run the family plantation. During 1760, he constructed a home for himself; however, he never married. He served in the lower house in 1761–1763, 1765–1766, 1768–1771 and 1773–1774. He also served as a judge of Charles County on several occasions (1762 and 1770–1773). His service in the assembly soon coincided with the American resentment for British taxation of the colonies. During 1774, William Smallwood became a member of the Charles County Committee of Observation, and during the following year, he attended the Maryland Convention. There he sided with those who favored armed resistance against the British Crown. On 2 January 1776, Smallwood was elected colonel of a Maryland battalion. In July his command (nine companies) arrived in New York to join with the forces of General Washington. During the following month, Colonel Smallwood and his unit participated in the fighting at Long Island and Brooklyn Heights, the latter on 20 August. The Marylanders sustained heavy casualties. On the 22nd, General George Washington held a council of war and it was determined that Long island would be evacuated. Smallwood’s battalion played a key part in covering the withdrawal. Congress promoted Colonels William Maxwell and William Smallwood to brigadier generals on 23 October. Shortly thereafter, the Marylanders fought at the Battle of White Plains (27–28 October) and it was there that General Smallwood received a severe wound. The Marylanders were again in the thick of the fighting at Fort Washington on 16 November. General Smallwood’s forces focused primarily against the Loyalists in Maryland, but he did command both Maryland regulars and Continental Army units. On 31 December 1776, Congress, in session in Baltimore, directed General William Smallwood (Pictorial Field Smallwood to “use all meas- Book of the Revolution, Benson J. Lossures within his authority to ing, 1860)

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raise more troops in Maryland.” Smallwood’s command participated with General John Sullivan when the Staten Island expedition unfolded during August 1777. The attack against Decker’s Ferry on 21 August by Generals Sullivan, Lord Sterling and Smallwood was repulsed with high casualties inflicted upon the force. At nearly the same time, the British arrived in the Chesapeake, landed at the Head of Elk and prepared to seize Philadelphia. On 22 August 1777, Congress was informed of the British presence and directed that Maryland call out the militia. That day, Congress resolved “that General Washington be directed to order Brigadier Smallwood and Colonel Gist, to repair immediately to the State of Maryland, to arrange, march and command the militia required of that state.” General Smallwood was to protect the western shore of Maryland. Nevertheless, he was also needed in support of Philadelphia. General Smallwood’s contingent participated in the Battle of Brandywine on 9-11 September 177 and the Battle of Germantown (present-day Philadelphia) 4 October 1777. Once again, the Marylanders performed admirably. The British maintained control of Philadelphia, but they never were able to totally control the Delaware River, which jeopardized their hold on the city. General Smallwood was directed by General Washington to deploy at Wilmington, Delaware, just south of Philadelphia, during the winter of 1777–1778. While there, his forces were able to seize a British brigantine on the Delaware River before it could deliver its cargo to Philadelphia. In addition to serving with the Continental Army in New York, Pennsylvania and Delaware, General Smallwood had also devoted time to quell Loyalist activity on Maryland’s eastern shore at various times until he was ordered to move southward to the Carolinas. In the meantime, on 26 March 1778, Congress resolved “that Brigadier Smallwood be directed to secure the persons of Thomas White, Charles Gordon, and such other inhabitants of that State as he shall, upon good grounds, suspect to be disaffected, and whose being at large will be dangerous to the independence of these states, and to send them under guard to such safe place or places as he shall think proper.” On 23 April 1778, Congress, after considering a committee report regarding a letter from General Smallwood, resolved “that the governor and council of the State of Maryland be requested immediately to embody three hundred militia of the eastern shore of that State under active and spirited officers, and to order them to march with two field pieces and a proper number of artillerists into the Delaware State, there to execute such orders as they may receive from a committee of Congress specially appointed for this purpose.” A few days later, Congress acted on the spiritual needs of Smallwood’s command when it resolved “that the Rev. Mr. J. Montgomery be appointed chaplain to Brigadier Smallwood’s brigade.” Subsequently, General Smallwood would see service in the South. Congress, concerned with the British threats in the South, directed George Washington on 8 April 1780 to reinforce South Carolina. On the 22nd, the 1st Maryland (Brigadier General William Smallwood) and the 2nd Maryland and Delaware Regiments (Brigadier General Mordecai Gist), led by General Baron de Kalb, departed for North Carolina and arrived there on the 22 June. The units had been trained by Baron von Steuben and were no longer considered raw troops. Von Steuben had molded a formidable army, prepared to stand against the British regulars under Lord Charles Cornwallis, who at the time held Charleston. General Horatio Gates arrived shortly thereafter, assumed command of the Department of the South, succeeding General Benjamin Lincoln, and hurriedly moved to vanquish Cornwallis. However, the British defeated General Gates at the Battle of Camden on 16 August 1780. The Americans, most of whom were sick on the day of the battle, sustained a severe defeat, which essentially terminated the military career of General Gates. General Smallwood, who did not participate in the battle due to becoming separated from his command, was

instrumental in maintaining order and keeping the forces cohesive after the stinging defeat, which included the loss of Baron De Kalb and the hurried departure from the field by General Gates, who sped to Hillsborough, North Carolina. After the debacle at Camden, General Smallwood was among those recognized by Congress for his service at Camden. A resolution of 14 October 1780 conveyed the thanks of Congress “to Generals Smallwood and Gist, and to the officers and soldiers of the Maryland and Delaware lines; the different corps of artillery; Colonel Porterfield’s and Major Armstrong’s corps of light infantry, and Colonel Armand’s cavalry; for their bravery and good conduct, displayed in the action of the 16th of August last, near Camden, in the State of South Carolina.” General Smallwood, like other American officers, was not very hospitable to foreign officers. Baron de Kalb, temporary commander in the South prior to the arrival of Gates, was superior in rank to Smallwood. When a shipment of coffee, brandy and other provisions arrived from Maryland for the use of the officers, Smallwood ordered a guard for the chest, with orders that nothing be given to de Kalb. General de Kalb was mortally wounded at Camden. General Smallwood was promoted to major general on 15 September 1780. Later, when General Nathanael Greene succeeded General Gates, General Smallwood refused to serve under General von Steuben. He informed Congress that he would resign unless his commission was made retroactive for two years to give him seniority over General von Steuben. Congress rejected the threat, but Smallwood did not resign. He remained in the service until Congress accepted his resignation on 15 November 1783. However, his rise to the rank of major general did little to change his attitude toward other officers and his misfired ultimatum to Congress did not improve his service opportunities. General Smallwood was eased out of field command and sent back to Maryland, where he served in recruiting and in supply. Subsequent to his retirement, he was elected to Congress in 1785, and that year he was elected governor of Maryland, a position he held for three years. During his service as governor he was a proponent of the federal Constitution and pressed for its ratification. Later, during 1791, he was elected to the Maryland Senate, where he became president. General William Smallwood afterward retired from public life and died on 14 February 1792. General Smallwood, while residing at his Charles County plantation, was a member of the Durham Parish Episcopal Church. A road from the plantation to the church was known as Smallwood’s Church Road. William’s father succumbed prior to the outbreak of the war, but his mother lived until 1783. William lived with his mother until the time of her death. In addition, he had been the initial president-general of the Maryland Society of Cincinnati. The residence of General Smallwood has been preserved and remains open at various times during the year to visitors at Smallwood State Park. General Smallwood requested that no monument be erected at his grave site and initially, his request was respected. Nevertheless, later, a group of Marylanders decided that his memory should be honored. The Maryland Society of the Sons of the American Revolution erected a modest granite monument over his grave site on the Fourth of July 1898. Up until that time, the only marker at the grave was a chestnut tree, thought to have been purposely arranged by a neighbor who planted the nut at the general’s grave. The inscription on the monument reads, in part: “General William Smallwood, A Hero of the American Revolution and In Memory of Commissioned Colonel in 1778: Brigadier a Native of Maryland. General in 1777; Major-General in 1780. Died February 14, 1792.”

Smith, James (Signer of the Declaration of Independence) The personal history of James Smith and his family lacks details and much of the blame for the paucity can be placed on the signer himself. Neither James nor any of his family ever disclosed exactly when he was

411 born in Ireland; however, it is thought that his birth occurred about 1719–1720. His family (MacGowan) originated in County Meath, Ireland, and came under the English Act, passed during the reign of Edward IV, that required the Irish in the areas dominated by England, referred to as “The Pale,” to change their Irish surnames to British surnames. In Irish, mac meant “the son of ” or “descendant” and gow meant “smith” or “blacksmith.” James’ family switched their name to Smith. Other examples include MacTiernan being changed to Masterson, Oneils and MacNeils becoming Neilson and O’Donnels and MacDonnels becoming Donelson. James arrived in America as young boy with his family, which settled in Pennsylvania (York County) west of the Susquehanna River. James received a fine education that included studying the classical languages while attending classes under the Rev. Francis Allison, who ran an academy in New London, Pennsylvania. James initiated further studies to familiarize himself with the law by working in his older brother George’s law office in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. George Smith drowned in the Susquehanna River in 1740. Another of James’s brothers, Arthur, settled in Western Pennsylvania and became a farmer. It is known that James had a surplus of eccentricities, but it never affected his ability to learn or detracted him from taking his work seriously. Following his time in his brother’s office, he was capable of becoming an attorney. He was admitted to the bar during 1745 and shortly thereafter he moved to present-day Shippensburg, which at the time was on the western frontier and contained few law clients and about an equal amount of people in need of a surveyor. By about 1750, despite having no competing attorneys, James Smith moved farther east to York, where he re-established his practices of law and surveying. James married Eleanor Armor, but the dates have not been preserved for the wedding or the births of their five children, three sons and two daughters. By about 1771, Smith, still having had little success in gaining a large number of clients, veered off from law to initiate a venture that involved the manufacture of iron, which he pursued beyond the start of hostilities with Britain. Nevertheless, by 1778, without ever turning a profit, he abandoned the business. Smith became engaged in politics during 1774, when he attended a provincial congress (Committee of Pennsylvania) in Philadelphia and favored the action regarding nonimportation for Great Britain and favored establishing a federal congress. He was also involved with the defense of his region. That year, Smith organized a company (1st Battalion, Associators of York County) and became its captain. Afterward, he was presented with the honorary title of colonel; however, he never served in the field. On 15 July, Smith was selected as a member of the provisional deputies. It was also Smith who authored the “draught of instructions” for the Provincial Assembly. Later, he was a participating member of the provincial convention that convened on 18 June 1776. Shortly thereafter, he became a member of the provincial conference held on 18 June 1776. Smith was also elected during 1776 to the Continental Congress, but not in time to vote for independence. Smith, along with George Clymer and Doctor Benjamin Rush, replaced the Pennsylvania delegates who declined supportJames Smith (Biographical Sketches of ing independence and abanthe Signers of the Declaration of Inde- doned their seats in Congress. They seats were filled by darpendence, Benson J. Lossing, 1854)

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ing, competent replacements who remained staunch Patriots. Smith arrived at Congress and took his seat on 20 July and later signed the parchment Declaration of Independence. He remained in Congress until 1778; however, for a short while, he retired during 1777. When Congress fled Philadelphia for York, he again attended sessions. While in Congress, Smith’s reputation as an eccentric continued to expand. Apparently, he had an abundance of humor bundled and available with nearly every conversation. One exception was his faith. He never took kindly to any unpleasant words spoken against his beliefs as a Christian. Following his departure from Congress, Smith renewed his endeavors for his state, serving in the legislature for one term (1779) and serving as a judge (high court of errors and appeals) after receiving his commission on 20 November 1780. He was appointed as a brigadier general in the militia (May 1782), but again, due to his age, he saw no active duty. During an ongoing dispute regarding claims by Connecticut and Pennsylvania for land in the Wyoming valley (Pennsylvania), Smith was state counsel for Pennsylvania. He had an opportunity to return to Congress during 1785, but believing he was too old, he refused reelection. For the remainder of his life, James Smith lived quietly and practiced law until his death on 11 July 1806. Prior to his death, fire struck his office. According to the Pennsylvania Historical Society, although his books on the ground floor were spared, his private correspondence and records, which were held on the second floor, were destroyed. Smith was interred in the First Presbyterian Church Cemetery in York. James’ wife, Eleanor, many years younger than him, upon her death was also interred with him, but yet another mystery remains as to exactly when she died. James was also survived by two of his children, James, Jr., and Elizabeth, the latter having married James Johnson of York, Pennsylvania.

Spaight, Richard Dobbs (Signer of the U.S. Constitution) Richard D. Spaight, the son of Richard and Margaret Dobbs Spaight, Sr., was born on 25 March 1758 in New Bern, North Carolina. Richard’s mother was the sister of Governor Arthur Dobbs. His father served in the military during the French and Indian War and participated in the ill-fated campaign of 1755 led by General Edward Braddock when the French defeated the British in the vicinity of Fort Duquesne in Pennsylvania. Richard acted as paymaster of the troops from North Carolina. He was also a personal secretary to his brotherin-law, the governor. Other positions held by Richard’s father included clerk of the Provincial Council, a body that he also served beginning in 1757. While Richard was still quite young, about seven years old, during 1765 his uncle the governor died, and soon both of his parents died, leaving Richard an orphan. From that point, Richard was under the care of guardians. Afterward, Richard was taken to Ireland, the land of his ancestors, where he received his education. From Ireland he later traveled to Scotland, where he graduated from Glasgow University. Upon receiving his degree, Richard returned to North Carolina during 1778 and eventually became a planter, but his arrival was at a time when the country was engulfed in the Richard Spaight (National Park Service)

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war. He joined the militia and from that point he participated in the service until 1781; however, during 1779, Richard was elected to the North Carolina legislature (lower house). For a while, Richard D. Spaight had a dual role, soldier-legislator, but following his participation at the Battle of Camden on 16 August 1780, where General Horatio Gates was defeated, he left the service by the end of the year. During 1781, Spaight focused upon his responsibilities regarding the legislature, as a representative of New Bern County, until 1783. He served on various committees, including the committee on privileges and elections; finance committee, and others that dealt with the militia and the treasury. On 25 April 1783, subsequent to the close of hostilities, Spaight was appointed to the Congress by Governor Alexander Martin. Spaight succeeded William Blount, who had resigned. Spaight won re-election the next year and remained in Congress until 1785. He made failed attempt to get elected to Congress during 1782. Subsequent to his term in Congress, he was returned to the state legislature (1785), but as a representative of Craven County. He served as speaker. While in the Congress, Spaight served on the committee of finance. During 1786, while speaker, he was named to chair a joint committee to investigate fraud in the army and malpractice by some judges. During his final year in the legislature, he was selected as a delegate of Georgia at the Constitutional Convention that convened in Philadelphia during May–September 1787. Spaight, being among the youngest delegates, did not play a leadership role, but he was a strong supporter of a strong and effective government in place of the flawed Articles of Confederation. His attendance at the sessions was constant and at times during the discussions and debates, he did speak from the floor. The convention for a while was entangled in a quagmire due to the varying agendas of the delegates and their particular regional concerns. A major problem was the fear of the smaller states of becoming overshadowed in the new government by the larger states. That obstacle was overcome when a representative of the New Jersey delegation proposed that each state receive two senators regardless of size or population and the lower house would receive representation according to population. The proposal was accepted and became known as the “Great Compromise.” Then the majority of the delegates discarded their regional preferences for what was to be the greater good of the nation. The U.S. Constitution was adopted on 17 September 1787, effective upon ratification of nine states. The other North Carolina delegates who served with Spaight at the convention were William Blount, William R. Davie, Hugh Williamson and Alexander Martin. Blount and Williamson signed the Constitution, but Davie and Martin did not. Martin departed from the convention during August. After Spaight returned home, he maintained his enthusiastic support and used his talents and energy to bring about ratification. Georgia ratified the Constitution on 2 January 1788 to become the 4th state to join the union. New Hampshire ratified on 21 June 1788 to become the ninth state, thus putting the document into effect. The new Congress convened under authority of the Constitution and on the same day, 3 March, the old Congress dissolved. On 30 April 1789, George Washington was inaugurated as the first president of the United States. In 1787, Spaight lost in his bid to become governor. Although he sided with the Federalists with regard to the Constitutional Convention, the Federalists lacked confidence in his leanings and believed his convictions were too far to the side of the Democratic-Republicans. Samuel Johnson was chosen over Spaight as governor. Two years later, with the new government in place, Spaight sustained another personal defeat when he failed to get elected to the U.S. Senate. Undaunted, he continued to persist in the quest to advance in government service; however, the path was severed when his health failed, compelling him to retire from public service. After a long absence from public life and following recuperation, Spaight made yet another attempt to win election as governor during 1792 and he succeeded, becoming successor to

Governor Alexander Martin. As governor, Spaight served until 1795, when he was succeeded by Samuel Ashe. In the meantime, Governor Richard Spaight married Mary (Polly) Leach during 1793 and together, they had three children: Charles; Margaret (married John R. Donnel); and Richard, Jr., who later also became a governor of North Carolina. Richard, Jr., remained a bachelor. Also in 1793, Spaight was elected as a presidential elector and a vice presidential elector. It was during Richard’s tenure as governor that the assembly convened its initial session in Raleigh, the capital of North Carolina. Spaight, as governor, was confronted with various problems, and one of those was to quell some Indian hostilities, but on the national scene, trouble was brewing between the United States and France. Spaight issued a declaration of neutrality. His declaration was benign and later hostilities erupted, but the conflict (Quasi-War with France) for the duration was confined to the high seas and eventually settled by the Treaty of Morfontaine in 1800. Nonetheless, when the French were harassing American shipping during 1793, some North Carolinians were in Wilmington preparing to go to sea as privateers, but Governor Spaight took action and had the ships that were being outfitted there seized by the Georgia government. In 1798, Spaight was appointed to the U.S. House of Representatives, as a Democratic-Republican (present-day Democrats) to fill the unexpired term of Nathan Bryan, who died while in office. Spaight took his seat on 10 December. He remained in the House until 1801, and at that time, he declined re-election. Poor health hindered his attendance during his service, but he was involved in the contested election of 1801 that made Thomas Jefferson the president. Of the nine North Carolina delegates, six, including Spaight, voted for Jefferson; four cast their votes for Aaron Burr. During his service in Congress, he sided with those who sought to repeal the Alien and Sedition Acts, passed while the Federalists held the majority in Congress. The acts dealt with naturalization and deportation of immigrants and writing published about the government. Subsequent to his service in Congress, Spaight was elected to the lower house of the North Carolina Legislature and then was elected to the Senate. Spaight’s Senate career was cut short due to an ongoing adversarial relationship with John Stanley, a Federalist who succeeded Spaight when he retired from Congress. The two antagonists continued to exchange unpleasant words, with Stanley accusing Spaight of malingering when important issues came up to avoid making tough decisions. Spaight responded in a written message and that catapulted the disagreement into a volatile situation. Stanley reacted to Spaight’s message by challenging him to a duel. The two men met at the appointed time at New Bern on Sunday, 5 September 1802, and after each man had fired three times, both remained unscathed. Rather than considering that both had satisfied their respective honor, they prepared to fire a fourth round. During that final round, Richard Spaight sustained a fatal wound and died on the following day.

Spencer, Major General Joseph Joseph Spencer, the son of General Jabez Spencer, was born during October 1714 in East Haddam, Connecticut. Joseph’s education led him to a profession as a lawyer; however, he served as an officer during the French and Indian War. In 1775, having risen to a brigadier general in the Connecticut militia, Joseph was appointed as a brigadier in the Continental Army on 22 June, just a short while after the Battle of Bunker Hill (Breed’s Hill). Prior to Joseph Spencer’s appointment in the Continental Army, Connecticut had appointed two brigadiers, Joseph Spencer and Israel Putnam, and it appointed David Wooster as major general, commanding officer of the militia. Spencer was among the New England officers who were unhappy with the arrangement of rank; however, he agreed to serve, while others, such as Seth Pomeroy, declined his appointment. Spencer had served with General Putnam

413 and David Wooster during the French and Indian War, and by the time of his appointment as general officer of the Continental Army, he was about 60 years old. Spencer participated in the American siege of British-held Boston. By 23 July, General Spencer’s brigade, attached to General Ward’s command, was deployed on the right wing (Southern) opposite Boston Neck, adjacent to General Thomas’s brigade, also of Ward’s division. The left wing was guarded by the brigades of Generals John Sullivan and Nathanael Greene (General Charles Lee’s command). Meanwhile, the ranks of the Continental Army were continuing to swell. By mid October it stood at more than 22,000, and of its six brigades, General Spencer’s was composed of about 3,200, including two Connecticut regiments. After the British abandoned Boston in March 1776, General Spencer participated in the actions in New York prior to being returned to New England. On 9 August 1776, Spencer was promoted to the rank of major general. Others promoted to major general that day were William Heath, John Sullivan and Nathanael Greene. On 1 September General George Washington reorganized the Continental Army by forming three separate divisions under Generals Heath, Putnam and Spencer. General Spencer’s command was held in reserve, while Putnam deployed in central New York and Heath held the northern tip of the island. General Spencer was involved with the ill-fated Rhode Island campaign during 1777. That September, General Spencer was poised to launch an attack against British positions there, but the assault was cancelled, causing great consternation back at Congress. Spencer’s force assembled in the vicinity of Providence and plans were drawn to attack British-held Newport, where Peter Parker’s fleet had arrived. Following a few weeks of lingering about, the attack was cancelled and the militia was directed to return to their homes. General Spencer requested and received an inquiry into the incident and the results of the investigation cleared him of any wrongdoing; however, his military career came to an end. Following exoneration, General Spencer on 20 December 1777 sent his letter of resignation to Congress. On 13 January 1778, Congress resolved “that General Spencer’s resignation, for the reasons offered by him in his letter of the 20 of December be accepted, when he shall be relieved from his present command by a suitable officer of the rank of a major general, who is to be immediately sent to take the command of the troops raised for the defence of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.” On 27 January 1778, while in session at York, Pennsylvania, Congress selected 28 January as the day to appoint a successor to Spencer as commander at Rhode Island and Providence Plantations; however, no appointment came about. On 21 February Congress directed General Washington to appoint a “general officer to relieve General Spencer, in his command.” The command was later given to General John Sullivan. The year he left military service, Spencer was appointed by the Connecticut legislature as a delegate to the Continental Congress, where he served into 1779. After his time in Congress, Spencer continued to serve his nation on a state level as a member of the executive council of Connecticut. He remained in that post for about nine years, from 1780 until his death on 13 January 1789. General Joseph Spencer was interred at East Hadam in the Millington Green Cemetery, but later, during 1904, his remains were re-interred at Nathan Hale Park, also in East Haddam. After the war, General Spencer sold his property in New Hampshire to Benjamin Baker. The home was preserved and operates as the Spencer Inn. It is along Colonel Spencer Road in Compton, New Hampshire. General Spencer married Martha Brainard, the daughter of Hezekiah and Dorothy Hobart Brainard, during 1738. Following her death, he married Hannah Brown.

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Stanton, Brigadier General Joseph, III Joseph (3), the son and oldest child of Colonel Joseph and Mary Champlin Stanton, was born on 19 July 1739. In addition to Joseph (3), his parents had the following children: Esther (b. November 1741, married Ichabod Babcock); Mary (b. June 1743, married Elias Thompson); Augustus (b. March 1746, married Eunice Crandall); Hannah (b. February 1748, married Daniel Wells); Lodowick (or Ledgewick, b. May 1749, married Nancy, maiden name unknown); Gardiner (birth date unknown, died unmarried); Malborough (birth date unknown, died unmarried) Henry (birth date unknown, married Cynthia Lewis) and Abigail (birth date unknown, married the Rev. William Gardner). Joseph was a grandson of Colonel Joseph (1) Stanton and a great grandson of Thomas Stanton of Stonington, Connecticut. Joseph Stanton III first entered the military during the French and Indian War. He participated as a 2nd lieutenant during the Canadian Campaign of 1759. Following the close of hostilities, he was elected to the Rhode Island general assembly and served there from 1768 through 1775, the year he was appointed to the Committee of Safety. Meanwhile, the British were attempting to apply new pressure against Rhode Island. During November of that year, a regiment commanded by Colonel William Richmond was taken out of service; the assembly ordered another to be raised with a term of enlistment set at three months. John Sayles was appointed colonel of the regiment. By the following month the ongoing emergency turned more drastic. On 2 December 1776, eleven British warships under Commodore Peter Parker arrived off Block Island. The seven ships of the line and four frigates were en route to link with a fleet of transports that carried about 6,000 British troops scheduled to attack Newport. Within Rhode Island every available man was called to action, and urgent calls were sent to other colonies. Three days after the armada was detected, the legislature acted to form a new regiment. Joseph Stanton was appointed colonel of the 1st Rhode Island Regiment on 5 December. At that time, enlistments for the militia were not surpassing expectations due to the lure of the privateering, which held the opportunity for heavy compensation from seized prizes. Nevertheless, Rhode Islanders did answer the call to arms. John Reynolds was appointed lieutenant colonel in Stanton’s regiment. A regiment from Providence, under Colonel Chad Brown, volunteered to bolster the forces at Newport. The assembly chose Brigadier General William West as commander at Newport. On 12 December a brigade of three regiments was formed, two of which were infantry and the third an artillery regiment, under General James Varnum. Colonels Stanton and Benjamin Tallman commanded the infantry regiments and the artillery was commanded by Colonel Robert Elliott. Meanwhile, the British began to debark on 8 December, initiating an occupation. The invasion force included General Henry Clinton and Major General Richard Prescott. All American troops were compelled to abandon Newport and redeploy on the mainland, leaving Newport in the hands of the British. An invasion led by General John Sullivan during 1778 failed to oust the British, due in great part to the failure of a French fleet to support the operation. Nonetheless, during April 1779, General John Stark arrived to assume command in conjunction with General James Varnum’s resignation from the Continental Army. During May 1779, Rhode Island commissioned General Varnum as major general of militia. At the same time, Colonel Stanton was commissioned as a brigadier (Kings County), along with Nathan Miller (Newport and Bristol counties) and Colonel William West (Providence). Subsequent to the close of hostilities, General Stanton returned to his private life and operated the family inn, which was later taken over by a relative, Colonel Augustus Stanton. The inn, originally established during the 1600s, remains in operation. In 1790, General Stanton was a member of the Constitutional Convention of 1790, but he opposed the Constitution. Nevertheless, the state of Rhode Island

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ratified it on 7 May 1790 to become the last of the original thirteen states to enter the union. In June of that year, Governor Arthur Fenner called a special session of the assembly, and each of the government officials swore an oath of loyalty to the U.S. Constitution. In addition the assembly elected General Stanton and Theodore Foster of Charlestown and Providence respectively as United States Senators. General Stanton served in the Senate until 1793, and then in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1801 through 1807. General Joseph Stanton died in January 1822, while he was at Lebanon, Connecticut. He was interred on his estate. General Stanton had married Thankful Babcock in July 1762, but no children were born from the marriage.

Stark, Brigadier General John John Stark, the son of Archibald and Eleanor Nichols Stark, was born in Londonderry, New Hampshire, on 28 August 1728. His father was born in Scotland; however, his family immigrated to northern Ireland, and it was there that he married Eleanor, who also was from a Scottish family that immigrated to Ireland. The Starks immigrated to America during 1720 and initially landed in Maine; they lived there for about one year in Wisxcasset before relocating to Londonderry, New Hampshire. John was one of five children. He had one sister and four brothers: Ann (also Anna, b. 1722, married William Gamble) William (b. 1724, married Mary Stinson), Samuel (b. 1736, married Elizabeth Powers); and Archibald (b. 1730, married Mary Anderson). During 1736, the family moved to Harrytown (Manchester), New Hampshire. Archibald, subsequent to an Indian raid against Rochester, in which five men were killed during 1746, became concerned for the safety of his family and others. He constructed a fort or garrison house (Stark’s Fort) in the vicinity of Swagger’s Pond (sometimes known as Fort Pond). It was one of a large number of garrison houses established in the region. During spring of 1752, John, along with his older brother William and two others, Amos Eastman and David Stinson, ventured into the wilderness (later Rumney Township) on a hunting trip, which initially was a great success. The party had gathered a large amount of furs worth a considerable amount of money; however, before they departed, their roles were switched and they became the hunted. On 28 April a small band of St. Francis Indians led by Chief Francis Titigaw encountered the party and informed them about hostile Indians that had been spotted in the area on the previous day. The hunters immediately decided to return to their homes. John, the youngest, got the task of gathering the traps. John was still going about getting the traps when the sun began to set. While he leaned down near the water to pick up a trap, lurking Indians sprang from the bushes and trapped him. After he did not return, the others became concerned and fired their weapons as a signal. They sensed that young John had been seized or worse. John Stark (National Archives)

On the following morning, William Stark and David Stinson were in the canoe when the Indians snagged Amos Eastman on shore. The Indians, still concealed, directed John Stark to call to the boat and have it move into shore, but instead, John shouted that he had been seized and that they should flee. The Indians fired at the canoe and killed Stinson, but William Stark escaped. Once he was back at the settlement, a rescue party was formed, and it set out present-day Concord, New Hampshire, on the 30th. The contingent found Stinson’s body, which the Indians had scalped. However, there was no trace of John Stark or Amos Eastman. They were ransomed during June that year by men from Massachusetts who had traveled to Montreal to rescue other men from Massachusetts, but none were there. During John’s captivity, he repeatedly ignored directives of the Indians, but luckily for him, they appreciated his defiant spirit and refusal to submit to his captors. In addition, he gained much knowledge about the various habits and strategies of the Indians that would later pay great dividends to for him. About two years later, in 1754, word arrived that the French were establishing a post in the vicinity of the Upper Coos. A contingent, under a white flag, guided by John Stark, traced the route that the Indians used when he was their captive. They advanced to the suspected location, but discovered no signs of the French. During the following year, with the unfolding of the Seven Years’ War (French and Indian War), Stark was commissioned by Governor Benning Wentworth as a 2nd lieutenant in the ranger company formed by Captain Robert Rogers (Rogers’ Rangers). The rangers arrived at Fort Edward during August 1755 and were there with the army under General Johnson when Johnson was attacked by the French near the southern end of Lake George at a place that came to be known as Bloody Pond. The French under Baron Dieskau were devastated and sustained about 1,000 casualties and the loss of their baggage. Dieskau was among the captives. By fall of 1755, the campaign had ended and the rangers were sent home; however, prior to spring the British commander at Fort Edward determined that a permanent ranger corps was necessary. Consequently, Rogers was appointed commander. He selected his brother, Richard, as his 1st lieutenant and John Stark was recalled as 2nd lieutenant. By April 1766, the company was formed and had arrived at Fort Edward. Rogers’ Rangers, as the unit was known, was a self-sufficient, well trained and extremely disciplined force, capable of enduring long marches and expected to often exist on whatever they could forage in the wilderness. Of equal importance, the unit to a man was a skilled guerrilla fighter. Rogers’ Rangers became the model for the modernday rangers of the United States Army. The rangers operated throughout the year, using tactics employed by the French and Indians against them, and they were also known for taking scalps in retaliation for the barbaric actions of the Indians. The force was enlarged during the fall of 1756, when several companies arrived from Halifax and were attached to the rangers. The rangers, during the early part of 1757, marched from Fort William Henry toward a point lying between Crown Point and Ticonderoga, the latter about forty miles from Fort Edward, to interrupt the French supply line that moved between the two posts. The rangers crept into the area near Ticonderoga without being discovered and destroyed some of the sleds, but one was able to escape and make the three-mile trek to Ticonderoga. The rangers began a forced march to return to English controlled territory, but on the afternoon of 21 January they ran into an ambush, established by a huge force, composed of French and Indians. The rangers were greatly outnumbered, but they fought their way though. In the process, high casualties were sustained. The pace was quickened despite the wounded, including Rogers, who was hit twice. After marching non-stop throughout the night, the ragged column was forced to halt. The elements had further drained their strength, and still, they stood only at Lake George, about forty miles from Fort William

415 Henry. Stark, also wounded, ignored his wound as well as snow and the frigid temperature and volunteered to reach Fort William Henry to get a relief force. Oblivious to his own health, Stark trekked through the snow and completed the incredible journey. The British sent out a relief force with sleds and the beleaguered rangers arrived back at Fort Edward on the night of the 23rd. Lieutenant Stark, who assumed temporary command of the force after Rogers sustained his second wound, was rewarded for his heroism during the arduous mission. He was promoted to captain of the company to succeed Captain Spikeman, who had been killed during the fighting at the ambush. Stark’s intuition and his instincts were most probably responsible for saving Fort William Henry from becoming a French Post. On 16 March 1757, while Stark was in command of the rangers at Fort William Henry, defended by the rangers and an Irish regiment, he became aware of plans for the celebration of St. Patrick’s Day on the 17th by the Scots-Irish rangers and the Irish regiment. He took steps to cancel any extra grog for his rangers on the 16th, directing the rangers’ sutler to inform the rangers that no additional grog was to be distributed without a personal written order from Stark. The Irish regiment, however, received additional grog and initiated the celebration early. On the night of the 17th, the rangers became disgruntled as they observed the regulars’ celebration. Meanwhile, the French, led by General Marquis Vaudreuil, spent the 17th preparing to attack the fort, thought surely to be defended by an inebriated band of Irishmen. At 0200, on the 18th, a stone sober ranger who was standing guard noticed a peculiar light on the lake, which alerted the guard of an approaching flotilla. The guiding light was accompanied by a force of about 2,500 French troops supported by Indians. Stark was alerted and precautions were taken without raising any suspicions that the defenders were prepared to intercept an attack. The French confidently encroached the walls of the fort in the darkness, without the slightest hint that their movement was being carefully observed. While the main body held back, poised to follow the vanguard, scaling ladders were moved into position to launch about 500–550 troops over the wall and into the fort’s interior. With even more confidence, the French prepared to ascend the ladders, but the action was interrupted with a signal to the rangers to open fire. While the muskets fired in unison to shred the vanguard, the fort’s cannon catapulted shells into the main body. The combination of the artillery and musket fire descended upon the French and inflicted heavy casualties, while crushing the discipline of the attack-force, which became disoriented. The boom of the artillery fire also had a sobering effect on the revelers, who seemingly bounced back to sobriety in cadence with the guns and were up and in defensive positions within a short time. By then the sun rose to overtake the darkness and a French party, under a flag of truce, appeared. The message was succinct. The French, claiming the British were holding a post in French territory, demanded that the fort be surrendered and in addition, the British were also directed that they should provide gifts for the Indians. The ultimatum was rejected. Consequently, the French launched a major attack under orders to liquidate the entire garrison, including the women and children. No one was to be spared. The major attack, like the foiled surprise attack, was handily repelled with the French and Indians again sustaining heavy casualties, while the defenders sustained no fatalities and only a few wounded. Captain Stark was hit but suffered only a minor contusion, not a wound. The French, unable to reduce the fort, retired. However, the French, under Montcalm, returned during August of that same year and initiated a nine-day siege, which ended with the capture of the fort, due in great part to the commander at Fort Edward, 15 miles distant, who refused to send reinforcements from his 4,000man garrison. On July 6–8 of the following year, 1758, Captain Stark participated in the ill-fated assault against Fort Ticonderoga. General James Abercrombie commanded the expedition, but his self-confidence was shal-

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low. He undertook the task without taking any artillery with the army. The British sustained severe losses, including the death of Lord Howe, and a general retreat was ordered on 8 July 1758. The rangers, however, performed well during the expedition. Afterward, Captain Stark received a furlough. During his pause in military engagements, he returned home and married Elizabeth Page, the daughter of Captain Caleb Page. The ceremony took place on 20 August 1758. John and Molly, as John referred to his wife, had eleven children: Caleb Page (b. December 1759, married Sarah McKinstry), Archibald (b. May 1771 died 1791), John (b. April 1763, married Mary [Polly] Huse), Eleanor (b. March 1765, d. 1767), Ellen (Eleanor, b. June 1767, married Isaac Babson and later Thomas Coombs), Sarah (b. June 1769), Elizabeth (b. August 1771, married John G. Cameron), Mary (Molly, b. September 1773, married Benjamin Stickney), Charles (b. December 1775, vanished at sea during 1796), Benjamin Franklin (b. June 1777, d. 1809, married Elizabeth Cushing), and Sophia (b. June 1782, married Samuel W. Dickey). Captain Stark, having formed a new ranger company, moved to Fort Edward during spring of 1759 and served under Abercrombie’s successor, General Jeffrey Amherst. The rangers participated in the successful expedition which reduced Crown Point and Ticonderoga, which fell. Following the capture of Crown Point, Amherst directed Stark, with a contingent of 200 rangers, to build a road from Crown Point to Number Four along the Connecticut River. Number Four was the fourth in a series of forts along the Connecticut River in New Hampshire and it was the furthest one extended northward. Following the complete capitulation of the French, Captain Stark returned to civilian life. With his older brother William, his father-inlaw, Caleb Page, who became the primary proprietors of a new township, he and his family settled in what initially was named Starkstown (later Dunbarton). John Stark established a sawmill on his farm and remained involved with the business of the township during that period when relations between Britain and the colonies were deteriorating. After the close of the war, Britain chose to extract high taxes from the colonies to pay for war expenses. The colonists resisted peacefully, but as the years passed and the king’s policies became more severe, the resistance became more intense. Britain sent troops from Halifax to Boston, which led to violence, including the Boston Massacre during 1770, but the main ignition was the clashes at Lexington and Concord that erupted on 19 April 1775. In June, the Continental Congress selected George Washington as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army and sent him to Cambridge, Massachusetts, to assume command. In the meantime, word of the contests at Lexington and Concord reached Stark, who immediately set out to join with the Patriots outside of Boston. While en route, Stark passed the word and simultaneously solicited volunteers as he sped for nearly seventy miles, leaving word for recruits to join him at Medford, Massachusetts, slightly outside Boston. His reputation had preceded his arrival at the various towns and the ranks swelled. At Medford, the men held a meeting at a tavern, later known as New Hampshire Hall, and John Stark, by a raise of hands, was elected colonel of the regiment. Isaac Wynian was elected lieutenant colonel and Andrew McClary was elected as major. On 20 May at Exeter, the convention, in session, appointed Enoch Poor, John Stark and James Reed as commanders of the three regiments to be raised by New Hampshire. William Stark was not with aligned with either the Patriots’ cause or his brother. William was commissioned colonel in the British Army. His military career lasted only until the following year when he was killed while fighting in New York. John Stark, after forming the regiment into a coherent force, returned to New Hampshire to finalize some personal business and spend some time with his wife and family, but the pause was short-lived. He was back on scene, and his regiment was deployed in a strategic location when the Battle of Bunker Hill (Breed’s Hill) erupted.

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Prior to that major conflagration, on 27 May a contingent of Stark’s command, under the colonel, moved to the area near Chelsea Creek to prevent the British from seizing livestock. Stark’s troops were bolstered by units of militia from various Massachusetts towns. The Americans exchanged fire with British warships off Hog Island and one of the vessels, the Diana, ran aground and was seized then burned. On 16 June British warships initiated a bombardment of American positions, while the officers on the ground finalized the strategy to quash the rebels. The Americans, however, had not been dormant, rather, they fortified their positions, particularly below Bunker Hill at Breed’s Hill. On the 17th, the British welcomed dawn until they spotted artillery in the heights. Unknown to the British, the artillery for the most part lacked ammunition. Nonetheless, the British launched their attack. At Stark’s positions, the regiment repelled three successive charges; however, despite horrendous casualties, particularly to the British officers, the British were determined to continue their ascent. During the heavy fighting, Colonel Stark was informed that his son, Caleb, had been hit and killed. Colonel Stark, after hearing the news, responded: “If he is [dead], it is no time to talk of private affairs while the enemy is advancing in our front. Back to your post!” Soon it was determined that Caleb was alive and well. The Americans in the meantime had expelled nearly their entire ammunition supply and were finally forced to abandon the positions. During the disciplined retreat, Stark, commanding about 150 men behind a fence to the rear of the redoubt by the Mystic River, provided cover fire as the Americans pulled back. When Stark’s regiment expended its ammunition, the regiment retired to Prospect Hill, but the defenders had first repelled attacks by General Pigot, as well as Generals Henry Clinton and William Howe. Britain owned the hill, by about 1730, but at great cost. The main force to strike Stark’s lines was the Welsh Fusiliers, at a strength of about 700. On the day following the confrontation, fewer than 100 men turned out for duty. Following the battle, Stark’s regiment deployed at Winter Hill. The regiment remained at Boston during the siege, and subsequent to the evacuation of Boston on 17 March 1776, Stark was ordered to repair to New York to bolster the defenses there. On 1 January 1776, the Continental Army was reorganized with the New Hampshire regiments being designated 2nd New Hampshire (Colonel James Reed), 5th New Hampshire (Colonel John Stark) and the 8th New Hampshire Regiment (Colonel Enoch Poor). During May 1776, Stark was ordered to Canada to augment the beleaguered army that had failed to take Quebec City and was under great pressure from the British. Stark arrived at St. John’s, where he joined with the army and accompanied it to the mouth of the Sorel. At Sorel, the force met up with the Canadian expeditionary force, commanded at the time by General John Thomas, which was in retreat. General Thomas during early June died from smallpox. The army command shortly thereafter fell to General John Sullivan after it was turned down by General Horatio Gates. Stark participated in the Battle of Three Rivers, but he opposed the undertaking due to the strong presence of the Royal Navy. The attack commenced on 7 June and failed. Sullivan initiated a retreat toward Ticonderoga. Meanwhile, General Arnold, commanding several hundred troops, was still at Montreal. On the 18th, the Americans reached Crown Point. During the following July on the 7th, Generals Gates and Schuyler, against the advice of Stark and the other line officers, decided to abandon Crown Point and retire to Ticonderoga. The columns began arriving at Ticonderoga on the 6th of July and by the following day, the entire force had completed the trek. Gates ordered Colonel Stark, with command of a brigade, to move to Mount Independence and establish defenses. That autumn, Congress appointed more brigadier generals, but Stark had been bypassed, prompting him to strenuously voice his opinion regarding junior colonels being promoted over him. In the meantime, fol-

lowing up on intelligence gathered at St. John’s by a volunteer, Lieutenant Badger and a small party arrived at St. John’s and seized a prisoner. Badger donned the uniform and attended a British party where he was accepted as a British officer. While there, he learned that the British had postponed their offensive until the following spring. The information was handed over to headquarters and this relieved pressure of the exhausted American forces in New York state. It also allowed reinforcements to be sent to join with General Washington, who was being chased across New Jersey by the British. Colonel Stark was ordered detached from the northern army and directed to join with General George Washington. His force arrived just prior to Washington’s surprise attack (26 December 1776) against Trenton, New Jersey. Stark’s regiment neared the end of its enlistment period, but the colonel persuaded the men to remain for an additional eight weeks. Stark participated in the Battle of Trenton, and he led the vanguard of General Sullivan’s force on 3 January during the Battle of Princeton. Afterward, Stark remained with General Washington until winter quarters were established at Morristown. At that time, Colonel Stark returned home, where he initiated the task of recruiting another regiment. During March of 1777, with his regiment formed and prepared for the next campaign, he repaired to Exeter, New Hampshire, but to his dismay, once there he learned that Congress had yet again overlooked his credentials and promoted new brigadiers. The omission of his name on the promotion list was enough to cause him to resign from the army. Upon his departure, while speaking to Generals Poor and Sullivan, both of whom failed to persuade Stark to remain in the army, he forewarned them of the disaster awaiting the army at Ticonderoga. While Stark was at his residence along the Merrimack River, a British force commanded by General John Burgoyne was plowing southward from Canada. The American army was again in retreat and Vermont was threatened. Colonel Stark was approached and urged to come to the aid of Vermont. At Exeter, he responded that if given a separate command, subject only to his leadership, he would accept and focus on the enemy’s rear. His terms were accepted and he was commissioned as a brigadier general by New Hampshire. General Stark began to raise his force and instructed volunteers to converge on Charlestown, New Hampshire. From there on 30 July he informed the New Hampshire authorities that he was aware that the British had departed Castleton en route for Bennington. Stark led his command over the mountains to Manchester, where he would form his brigade and begin a march to Bennington. In the meantime, on 19 July 1777, the New Hampshire General Court divided the state militia into two separate brigades, commanded by Generals Abraham Whipple and John Stark. General Stark’s force for the defense of Bennington included contingents of General William Whipple’s brigade and units of his own brigade. Stark held a conference with Colonel Seth Warner at Manchester and from there he moved to join the brigade at Bennington. Meanwhile, Major General Benjamin Lincoln, also at Manchester, informed Stark that General Schuyler ordered his New Hampshire brigade to move to the Hudson River under command of Lincoln. Stark rejected Schuyler’s order and informed Lincoln that he (Stark) was responsible only to the authority of the state of New Hampshire. Lincoln was beside himself after being rejected by Stark, and he informed Congress of Stark’s reaction. Meanwhile, General Stark arrived at Bennington on 13 August. While Stark was preoccupied with an imminent threat, Congress, having been informed of Stark’s refusal to serve under General Lincoln, censured him, but Stark remained unaware of the action. The British meanwhile dispatched a force led by Colonel Baum from Fort Edward to seize the supplies at Bennington. The contingent arrived at Cambridge, New York, at about dusk on the 13th and captured a small American contingent deployed there to protect the cattle. The captured

417 men were George Duncan, David Starrow, Samuel Bell and Matthew Bell. One other, Hugh Moore, had surrendered earlier. The British continued the advance, but a storm struck on the 15th and impeded progress. Later, Friedrich Baum and his force, composed of dragoons, Canadians, Loyalists and Indians, advanced closer to their objective, but the column was still in New York on the 16th when the clash was ignited. Stark bellowed a proclamation to his force, which had been joined by Berkshire militia and Pittsfield militia: “There, my boys, are your enemies, Red Coats and Tories. You must beat them or Molly Stark is a widow tonight.” In cadence with his call for victory, Stark rushed to the head of his troops. The Americans struck first blood, collapsing the line of the Loyalists. Immediately they plunged into the lines of the Hessian troops, which also folded under the unrelenting pressure of Stark’s charge. Suddenly, Stark’s troops faced the enemy artillery; however, the crews had abandoned their weapons, leaving the cannon and supplies for the Americans. British reinforcements arrived and for a while, the pressure threatened Stark’s advantage until American reinforcements under Seth Warner arrived. Warner’s Green Mountain Boys helped neutralize the strong British counterattack. More British pressure was applied, but the American line absorbed it without allowing a crack. The British were totally stymied and the Americans held the field, making sure that Molly Stark did not wake up on the following day to find herself a widow. However, during the intense fighting, General Stark’s horse was killed. By dusk, the Hessian forces abandoned the field and retired to Hoosick; their commander, Colonel Baum had been killed. The British losses were stunning, having sustained between 800 and 900 casualties, while the Americans under Stark lost thirty killed and about forty wounded. Bennington had been spared and the British force never entered Vermont. Nevertheless, Bennington, Vermont, celebrates the Battle of Bennington on an annual basis. Following the victory, it became apparent that if Stark obeyed Schuyler’s order to proceed to the Hudson, Burgoyne would have gotten the supplies at Bennington, demolished the northern army and advanced to Albany. However, Burgoyne, following his double defeat at Saratoga and lack of supplies, was compelled to surrender his entire army during October 1777. In the meantime, the British and Hessian troops that had been captured received military honors, but the Loyalists received no courtesies. They (152 men) were separated into pairs, then tied together and each pair was then tied to a horse and led away in a humiliated fashion, listening to the taunts of the American victors. New York had been a hotbed of Loyalists and just prior to the battle, a large number of New Yorkers switched to the side of the British just in time to be vanquished by Stark. Stark’s victory also rang loudly in Congress, which had twice denied him promotion. Stark returned to New Hampshire and still agreed to operate only under the jurisdiction of New Hampshire. He raised another regiment and upon orders repaired to New York, where Burgoyne was still entrenched, although much less mobile since the defeat at Bennington. His force at Fort Stanwix was also foiled when forces under Benedict Arnold arrived to dismantle the siege. The British, under Barry St. Leger, abandoned the siege just after the Indians fled upon the approach of Arnold. St. Leger returned to Canada. Meanwhile, Burgoyne’s forces at Fort Edward had the pleasure of being introduced to Stark. General Stark recaptured Fort Edward, but Burgoyne had not learned of the loss. Afterward, Stark advanced to positions along the Hudson, arriving there on the night of 7 October opposite Burgoyne’s camp to ensure that the escape route was sealed. On the same day the Americans became victors at the Second Battle of Saratoga. During the night of the 7th, Burgoyne began to abandon his artillery and wounded to permit him to cross the river and head back to Fort Edward, but his scouts, after moving to the opposite bank, returned to report that an entire

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army was posted there. Burgoyne’s whose plans were again foiled by Colonel Stark. Although Congress essentially retained a condescending attitude toward General Stark, his remarkable success on the field compelled the body to finally promote the hero of Bennington. On 4 October, General Stark was commissioned as a brigadier general in the Continental Army. In his official report to the New Hampshire Council with regard to his men at the Battle of Bennington, he stated: “Too much honor can not be given to our brave officers and soldiers, for their gallant behavior in advancing through fire and smoke, and mounting breastworks supported by cannon. Had every man been an Alexander, or a Charles XII [King of Sweden], they could not have behaved more gallantly. I can not particularize any officer, as they all behaved with the greatest spirit.” After being promoted to a Continental Army brigadier general, Stark was appointed commander of the Northern Department. Afterward, Congress selected Stark as the commander of a clandestine mission, to lead an expeditionary force into Canada to disrupt the British supply lines. Resolutions were passed on 3 December designating Stark as commander of the secret mission; however, after all preparations were completed, the operation was canceled due to the great opposition, including that of General Washington. General Stark served as commander of the Northern Department from 18 April 1778 to 19 October 1778, when he was succeeded by General Edward Hand. Stark repaired to Rhode Island to serve under General Horatio Gates. After a short tour with Gates, he returned to New Hampshire for the winter, and in spring 1779, he returned once again to Rhode Island to assume command at Providence as successor to General Varnum, who resigned from the Continental Army to accept a commission as major general of Rhode Island militia. On 7 October 1779, British General Henry Clinton abandoned the naval base at Newport and embarked for New York. Shortly after the evacuation, General Stark entered the city and maintained control, but General Washington’s concerns about British movement prompted him to order Stark and General Gates to depart and join with the main army in New Jersey, leaving a small garrison at Newport. General Stark, a short time after arriving in New Jersey, was directed by General Washington to return to New Hampshire and devote time to recruiting. Stark later returned to New Jersey during May 1780 and joined with Washington at Morristown. That June, General Marquis de Lafayette’s force engaged a British Hessian force on the 7th at Springfield. At one point, General Maxwell was pushed back, but reinforcements under General Stark bolstered the brigade and the British afterward headed north, with Maxwell and Stark in pursuit. Subsequent to that clash, General Stark was again ordered to return to New Hampshire. He was directed to raise a force including militia and volunteers and take them to West Point. He arrived at West Point while Washington was away on a journey to meet the French forces under Rochambeau. Nevertheless, after the recruits arrived at the Point, General Stark returned to New Jersey. His orders soon changed again. When he had arrived at West Point, General Benedict Arnold’s treason had not yet been discovered. During September 1780, Stark was ordered to West Point to relieve General St. Clair’s Pennsylvania Line, which became responsible for West Point, once Arnold’s treachery became known. Stark moved from Liberty Pole, New Jersey, and St. Clair moved from West Point to Liberty Pole. On 1 October 1780, General Stark sat on the board that convicted British Major John Andre, a co-conspirator of Benedict Arnold, of treason. Andre was executed on 2 October 1780. General Washington planned a major attack against Staten Island later that year. Command of the force, expected to number about 2,500 men, was given to General Stark; however, the attack was aborted. Afterward, the army established winter quarters at West Point and other places. During that period, General Stark became seriously

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ill. He was given a furlough to return home to recuperate. By the following spring, Stark was prepared to resume his duties. He was again given command of the Northern Department, a dreaded command with too few troops and too many Loyalists, spies and renegades roaming the vast frontier. Stark established his headquarters at Saratoga. At the time, no place or person was safe. On one occasion, General Philip Schuyler’s home in Albany was raided. The general barricaded himself in his bedroom and commenced firing straight through the locked doors. The military heard the fire and sped to the general’s home, but not in time to seize the bandits. General Stark, subsequent to the capitulation of Lord Charles Cornwallis at Yorktown during October 1781, disbanded the militia and sent them back to their families. He was directed once again to return home and focus on recruiting. However, after arriving back in New Hampshire, Stark became debilitated from rheumatism, which prevented him from returning to duty in the field. In 1783, General Stark received orders from General Washington to report to headquarters. He arrived in Newburg, New York, in April. While there the officers formed the Society of the Cincinnati, but General Stark was not in favor of the idea. He objected adamantly to naming it after an ancient Roman, stating, among other things, “that its principles had no affinity with the character and conduct of the illustrious Roman general, whose name had been adopted.” On 30 September 1783, General Stark was awarded by Congress the brevet rank of major general. General John Stark, the last surviving American general of the Continental Army, succumbed on 8 May 1822 at age 94. His funeral was attended by many citizens. The Goffstown Light Infantry provided the escort of his remains. He was interred in the cemetery on his estate along the Merrimack River. On the 16th of August 1829, the celebrated anniversary of the victory at Bennington, a granite monument (obelisk) was erected at his grave site. General Stark was fortunate to have retained all of his faculties until the end of his life, giving him the ability to recall many events of not only the Revolution, but also many incidents from the French and Indian War. He became incensed when he heard that the guns he captured at Bennington were seized at Detroit during 1812. Nevertheless, “his guns,” as they were referred to by the general, were later recaptured by the Americans when Fort George was seized. From there the guns were taken to Sackett’s Harbor. Two of the lighter cannon were later given to Vermont by Congress. Another piece was thought to have been presented to a New Hampshire artillery regiment. Subsequently, the New Hampshire legislature passed legislation directing that the latter piece be placed in the state capitol. Three of John Stark’s sons served in the United States Army. Caleb, when he was under sixteen, participated at the Battle of Bunker Hill and served for the duration. Archibald served under his father when General Stark commanded the Northern Department, and he accompanied General Sullivan during the expedition against the Six Nations. Benjamin Franklin was commissioned a lieutenant during 1799. General Stark had only been injured once, despite his continual presence on the battlefield, in two wars. The injury, sustained during the French and Indian War, was only minor. Long before his death General Stark had lost his mobility. During 1814, when he was 86 years old, his wife, Molly, died. General Stark was unable to go to the grave. As he watched her funeral procession move from the lawn to the nearby grave site, General Stark struggled to get to his room and is known to have remarked: “Good-bye, Molly, we’ll sup no more together on earth.”

Stephen, Major General Adam Adam Stephen, a native of Scotland, was born during 1718. Following his early education, Stephen followed a course that led him to the medical field. He attended two universities, Aberdeen, where he received a Master of Arts degree in 1740, and Edinburgh. He studied

medicine at Edinburgh for several years, then afterward, in London during 1745, he passed the examination to become a naval surgeon. However, he chose to serve aboard a hospital ship, the Neptune, as a surgeon for the army, and he participated in an expedition against Port L’Oriente (Brittany, France) as part of the British forces under General James Murray and Admiral Richard Lestock. Adam immigrated to the colonies during 1748 and initially arrived in Alexandria, Virginia, where one of his brothers, Alexander, resided. Afterward he settled in Fredericksburg. Adam established a medical practice, but upon the outbreak of hostilities with France, he served in the military. During April 1754, a contingent composed of French troops and Indians seized a group of Englishmen from Virginia who were constructing a fortification near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The capture of the work party on 7 April impeded Virginia’s plan to construct a line of forts to intercept French challenges, but it also ignited the sparks that caused the French and Indian War to commence. The French believed the capture of ground would speed up their plans to link Canada with Louisiana, giving the French control of the land at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers at the Ohio River. The incident was the spark that ignited the French and Indian War. The Virginia assembly authorized £10,000 to meet the threat. Meanwhile, on 2 April, two companies of troops led by George Washington moved out of Alexandria, Virginia, and when the column arrived at Will’s Creek (Cumberland, Maryland) on the 20th, it was joined by a contingent under Captain Adam Stephen. While there, General George Washington learned of the capture of the troops under Captain Trent and others from the Ohio Company. On 1 May 1754, the column, including Captain Stephen’s contingent, departed to retake the fort. On 27 May, Washington was told by an Indian ally, Chief HalfKing, that a French ambush was poised to strike, but Washington, aware of the trap, outsmarted the French and launched a surprise assault on the 28th. The French commander, Joseph Coulon de Villiers, Sieur de Jumonville, was slain. One Frenchman escaped and informed the garrison at Fort Duquesne of the approach of the British. Captain Adam Stephen had participated in the initial contest of the war. The British, having lost any further element of surprise, halted the advance and returned to Great Meadows near Uniontown, Pennsylvania, and built Fort Necessity. The fort was compelled to capitulate on 4 July due to a lack of reinforcements. It was the first and last time that George Washington would capitulate to an enemy force. During July 1755, a large force composed of colonial and British, led by General Edward Braddock, initiated a campaign to reduce Fort Duquesne. On 9 July 1755, the French mauled the British, with the latter unable to discover the enemy’s concealed positions. General Braddock received a fatal wound and succumbed at Fort Necessity. He was buried in an unmarked grave on 14 July. The English lost about 900, killed or wounded. Captain Stephen was among the 500 survivors who arrived back at Fort Necessity with Washington. Meanwhile, by December 1754, Captain Adam Stephen had bounced from major to lieutenant colonel, and on 12 December, he was promoted to colonel and given command of Fort Cumberland, Maryland. At the time, there was a great deal of trouble with hostile Indians in Maryland. In 1757, Colonel Stephen and his Virginia troops were released from responsibility of Fort Cumberland by a board of governors who met in Philadelphia. The fort was transferred to the jurisdiction of Maryland. Subsequently, during 1758, Colonel Stephen participated in the expedition against the Creeks, who were attacking the colonists in South Carolina; however, the anticipated French invasion of the Carolinas never began. Subsequently, Colonel Stephen participated in the campaign under General Forbes to seize Fort Duquesne during November 1758 without incident, as the French abandoned the post. After the French and Indian War, Colonel Stephen also participated in the conflict known as Pontiac’s War. Colonel Henry Bouquet essentially

419 ended that conflict with the victory at Bushy Run (August 1763), but, Indian raids continued into 1766. Colonel Stephen was not present at Bushy Run. Also in August, Colonel Stephen contracted to supply cattle and flour to Fort Bedford with delivery by December. In the meantime, Colonel Stephen, during 1761, plunged into politics by attempting to get elected to the House of Burgesses. During May 1761, he ran against two opponents: George Washington and Hugh Mercer. Washington won, with Colonel Stephen coming in last. During 1764, Colonel Stephen was appointed a justice of the peace (Frederick County), a position he retained for eight years. That year, 1764, political differences between Virginia and Pennsylvania continued. Virginia declined sending reinforcements to Colonel Bouquet at Fort Bedford (Pennsylvania). Colonel Stephen, who supplied Bouquet with stores, was accused of misusing militia by sending military escorts with his wagons on their treks to the fort. Stephen was afterward exonerated of any wrongdoing. In 1770, Stephen acquired land along the Tuscarora Creek in what became Berkeley County, West Virginia. There he founded the town of Martinsburg, which he named in honor of his friend Colonel Thomas B. Martin. Stephen established mills in the town and operated an armory and a distillery. In addition, he also began construction of a home there during the 1770s; according to a plaque at the doorway, construction was completed during 1789. During April 1772, Colonel Stephen was appointed as justice of the peace (Berkeley County) and at about the same time, he was appointed sheriff of the county for a twoyear term. He was succeeded by George Washington’s brother Samuel. Meanwhile, Colonel Stephen remained in the militia. During 1774, Colonel Stephen’s unit joined with Governor Dunmore’s expedition to the Ohio River. It was during that offensive that Fort Pitt at Pittsburgh was renamed Fort Dunmore. Toward the latter part of 1774, Colonel Stephen was appointed to the Berkeley County Committee of Safety. The next year he was appointed sheriff of the new Berkeley County, and he became a member of the Virginia convention. That year, during September, he also participated in a conference with various Indian leaders at Fort Pitt; however, despite the efforts of Colonel Stephen and others, most of the Indians in the Ohio Valley continued to side with the British. By the latter part of 1775, action by the Virginia convention prompted six battalions, including that of Colonel Stephen, to move to the Norfolk-Portsmouth area. Later, Governor Dunmore, unable to quell the Patriots, fled Virginia. During 1776, Colonel Stephen was appointed as an officer in the Continental Army. On 13 February 1776, Congress resolved: “The convention of Virginia having recommended persons for field officers of the six batallions ordered to be raised in that colony, the Congress proceeded to an election....” Adam Stephen was appointed as colonel of the fourth battalion. Others appointed as colonel and commander of a Virginia regiment included Patrick Henry (1st Battalion), and Hugh Mercer (3rd Battalion). On 4 September Stephen was promoted to brigadier general. While the British were pushing south from New York to gain Philadelphia, General George Washington was compelled to bolt across the Delaware from New Jersey to Pennsylvania during early December 1776. On 5 December, General Washington reported to Congress that the commands of General Stephen and General Alexander (Lord Stirling) were deployed as rear guard, while the baggage was being transported across the river. Afterward, the Continental Army re-crossed the Delaware, defeated the British at Trenton on 26 December and followed that feat with another victory ay Princeton on 3 January. During the following month, on the 19th, Stephen was promoted to the rank of major general. Others selected were Lord Stirling, Thomas Mifflin, Arthur St. Clair, and Benjamin Lincoln. During May 1777, on the 10th, General Stephen led an attack against British positions at Piscataway, New Jersey, but it was repulsed by the 42nd Highlanders. General Stephen’s military career extended only a short while longer. The British seized Philadelphia subsequent to

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clashes with the Americans at Brandywine and vicinity, then during October of 1777, on the 4th, the Battle of Germantown erupted. General Stephen was charged with being inebriated during the battle in which he was blamed for friendly fire that ignited during morning fog and struck a friendly column. He was forced from the service, losing his commission on 20 November 1777. Despite his fall from grace with the military, Adam Stephen remained loyal to the American cause. He participated in the Virginia convention of 1778 and fully supported ratification of the U.S. Constitution. He also was a proponent of relocating the federal capital to a place along the Potomac River. In the meantime, Adam Stephen continued to reside in Martinsburg. He succumbed there on 16 July 1791. He had never married. He was interred on the estate of his brother Robert in what was known as the “monument lot” along South Queen Street in Martinsburg. The home General Stephen built remained standing throughout the years. In 1959, the property was turned over to the city of Martinsburg by the owner, a Mr. Evers, who had left Martinsburg and resettled in California. Afterward, the house was restored and maintained by the General Adam Stephen Memorial Association. It is open to the public on weekends from May through October. Also, while a practicing doctor, as noted in a manuscript dated 177 in the handwriting of Doctor Benjamin Rush, Stephen had become known “by making an incision into the liver of Mrs. Mercer of Stafford County, cleansing and healing the ulcers there, contrary to the opinion of all the faculty employed to cure the lady.” Doctor Rush also noted another example of Doctor Stephen’s skill: “He also did an operation on one Abraham Hill for aneurysm, restoring him the use of his arm and hand.”

Steuben, Francis William Augustus Baron Von (De) Francis Steuben (pronounced Stoyben), the son of William Augustine and Mary Dorothea (died 1780) von Jagow Steuben, was born in Prussia on 15 November 1730 at the Magdeburg, the Prussian fortress on the Elbe River. Francis was one of ten children born into the family, but of those only three reached adulthood. His sister, Dorothea Mary Justine, was born during 1733 and his brother, Hans Alexander Siegfried von Steuben, was born in 1743. Francis’ ancestors had various spellings of the name, including Steube, Stoebe, Stoben and then Steuben. Members of the family were in eastern Prussia, Weimar, and Westphalia. Francis Steuben, although a Protestant, received his education from the Jesuits when he attended colleges in Neisse and at Breslau, both of which were in Silesia, a conquered province. His youth was unusual with regard to the military. He was with his father, a captain in the engineers, when his father was ordered to the Crimea peninsula, and he remained there until 1740. That was the year Frederick the Great ascended to the Prussian throne. While only about 14 years old, during 1744, Francis served in the military as a volunteer under his father during the War of Austrian Succession, and he was a participant of the siege of Prague. During 1747, when Francis was only about seventeen, he became a cadet in von Lestwitz’s renowned infantry regiment (later von Tauenzien’s regiment). Francis’ service included the War of the Austrian Succession and the Seven Years’ War, the latter having concluded with the peace of Hubertsburg (1763). Frederick the Great, in the meantime, revitalized German morale, which made him a renowned leader and a respected king. Francis became a cadet during 1747, was promoted to ensign in 1749, and during 1753, achieved the rank of lieutenant. He participated in the battles of Prague (6 May 1757) and Rossbach (5 November 1757). During 1758, Francis was appointed adjutant general of General von Mayr’s Free Corps, a unit that had been described as an army equivalent of naval privateers. Von Mayr, the illegitimate son of Count Sella, had received at best an informal education; however, his military

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credentials were greatly respected by his adversaries. Following the death of Von Mayr during 1759, Francis rejoined the regular army and became adjutant general of General Von Hulsen, whose force at the time was attached to the army of Prince Henry (Frederick the Great’s brother) in Saxony. On 23 July 1759, the combined forces of the Russians and Austrians defeated the Prussians at the Battle of Kay, and that stinging defeat opened the route to Frankfort, where another fierce battle erupted when the Prussians attacked the enemy positions between Frankfort and Kunersdorf on 12 August 1759. The Prussians sustained 8,000 killed and about 15,000 wounded against the combined Austrian-Russian casualties of 24,000 (killed, wounded and captured). Frederick the Great, however, was not satisfied with the victory. He expected to annihilate the enemy. Against advice of his generals, Frederick ordered a charge against a Russian battery, which was bolstered by fresh troops that had not yet been engaged. The results were devastating to the Prussians. High casualties were sustained. Most of the generals were either wounded or killed and the king was among the wounded. Later, during October 1761, the Austrian-Russian forces compelled the surrender of the Prussian forces under Major General Knobloch. On 21 October the adjutant, Steuben, was selected to negotiate terms of surrender. On the 23rd, Knobloch and about 56 officers, including Steuben, were among the approximately 2,000 men who capitulated. The officers were transported to St. Petersburg. Shortly thereafter, Empress Elizabeth of Russia succumbed. She was succeeded by Peter III, which brought about some fortuitous events for Steuben. Peter III concluded a treaty with Frederick the Great that terminated the confinement of Steuben and General Knobloch and permitted them to return home during the following spring. At about that time, Francis Steuben was promoted to the rank of captain and was placed on the staff of Frederick the Great. Afterward, Steuben was sent by the king to Silesia to recruit and bring an exhausted corps back to an effective unit. He was appointed aide-de-camp to Frederick and was made marechal general de logis (quarter-master general, and adjutant general to the king). During 1763, Francis Steuben left the military, but despite various reasons alluded to by later sources, the exact circumstances remain unknown. During May 1764, Steuben was introduced to the Prince of Hohenzollem-Hechingen by Prince Frederick of Wurtemberg, and from that encounter, Francis Steuben became the grand marshal of the court of Hechingen. Later he served the Margrave of Baden at Carlsruhe, and it was the Margrave who awarded him the cross of the order of de la Fidelite on 28 May 1769. The army of Baden had no officers with the rank of general. The highest rank was that of colonel of the guards. However, Steuben had been appointed general of the Circle of Suabia (national guard), an honorary post. After conferring with Benjamin Franklin, Francis Steuben sailed from France aboard the Flamand. During the journey of more than sixty days, the vessel encountered two severe storms, one in the MediBaron von Steuben (Pictorial Field Book of terranean Sea off Africa and one off Nova Scotia. the Revolution, Benson J. Lossing, 1860)

In addition, a mutiny occurred aboard the vessel and the passengers were compelled to fight to quell the mutineers. One of those who fought against the mutineers was a Frenchman, Captain Pierre Landais, who would later through the support of Steuben be retained in the Continental Navy. Landais later created many problems for John Paul Jones. The ship faced other danger when the forecastle on three separate occasions was set on fire. Nonetheless, Francis Steuben arrived safely in Portland, New Hampshire, on 1 December 1777. That day he learned for the first time of General John Burgoyne’s surrender. Benjamin Franklin, aware of the ongoing problems that emerged when foreigners received commissions over American generals for service in the Continental Army, designed Francis Steuben’s nobility to ensure that his background would overstep any questions from Congress of the commander-in-chief, General George Washington. On 7 December, Baron von Steuben wrote to Congress, explaining that he sought to serve as a volunteer and that he sought “neither titles nor riches.” He also wrote to General Washington and later was informed by Washington that he was to repair to York, where Congress was in session. On 14 January 1778, Congress took Steuben’s offer under consideration and resolved “that the president present the thanks of Congress, in behalf of these United States, to the Baron Steuben, for the zeal he has shewn for the cause of America, and the disinterested tender he has been pleased to make of his military talents; and inform him, that Congress cheerfully accept of his service as a volunteer in the army of these states, and wish him to repair to General Washington’s quarters as soon as convenient.” Baron von Steuben departed Portsmouth for Boston on 12 December and later, upon receiving word from General Washington, he left for York, where he appeared in front of Congress. Baron von Steuben’s whirlwind journey from New Hampshire to York to Valley Forge was woven with several memorable stories, including one in which Steuben was warned to avoid an inn at Worcester County, Massachusetts, whose owner, a Tory, would refuse service to Steuben’s party. Nevertheless, due to a storm, the party found itself there and the innkeeper proclaimed that he had no food and no lodging. The exchange continued for some time, until Steuben finally became upset, called for his weapons and then asked the same questions about food and lodging. The Tory had a quick change of heart and immediately found the food and lodgings that were unavailable to the Patriot party. While en route to York, the party paused at Manheim, to the great pleasure of the baron, who was greeted by many who spoke fluent German. The baron and his group attended a grand party that evening. At the time, the King of Prussia was a most popular person in the German settled regions of America. While in Manheim, dining at an inn, the baron noticed an engraving hanging on the wall, which brought about a large smile. The illustration depicted a “Prussian knocking down a Frenchman in great style.” The illustration carried the following caption, translated: “A Frenchman to a Prussian is no more than a mosquito.” Baron von Steuben, after being accepted by Congress, departed for York, and after some time there, he left on 19 February for Valley Forge. He and his party, including Monsieur de Ponceaux (Congress appointed him as secretary to Steuben, with the rank of brevet captain in the Continental Army) arrived at Valley Forge on 23 February. Steuben’s task at Valley Forge was monumental, considering he was to train the troops on drill and discipline, but with the handicap of not being able to speak English. Meanwhile, on 23 February, General Washington and an escort rode out of camp to welcome Baron von Steuben. From the date of his arrival until camp broke during mid–June, Steuben focused on the troops and turning them into a formidable and disciplined fighting force. Volumes have been written regarding the Continental Army at Valley Forge, including the poor conditions of the commissary, the lack of sufficient food and clothing and weapons that were inoperable, but one of the observations of Steuben set the stage

421 for the job that faced him: “I saw officers, at a grand parade at Valley Forge, mounting guard in a sort of dressing-gown, made of an old blanket or woolen bed-cover. With regard to their military discipline, I may safely say no such thing existed.” Baron Steuben drafted 121 men from various units and transformed them into a guard for the generalin-chief. The selected men were personally drilled twice a day by General Steuben, and within two weeks he gained the results he required. In the meantime, the baron was supplied with division inspectors, each with the rank of colonel, and Washington also supplied brigade majors. Steuben eliminated the European methods and instituted his method of “drilling recruits like children learning their alphabet.” Steuben further explained that he had no choice: “In the first place, I had no time to do otherwise. In our European armies a man who has been drilled for three months is called a recruit; here, in two months I must have a soldier.” Nevertheless, at the first parade on 6 May in celebration of the news of the alliance with France, there was some confusion, considering the Baron spoke no English, but a Captain B. Walker of the 2nd New York Regiment approached the baron and offered to translate Steuben’s commands for the troops. The baron stated, “If I had seen an angel from heaven, I should not have more rejoiced.” It was a great help to Steuben that Walker offered his services, as there were very few officers who spoke English and French fluently. Captain Walker was appointed aide-de-camp to General Steuben. On 28 March, Baron von Steuben became inspector general; however, as a volunteer. Congress confirmed the appointment on 5 May, and that day, Steuben received the rank of major general, replacing General Thomas Conway. On 26 May, Congress directed the quartermaster general to supply General von Steuben with two horses. Baron von Steuben participated in the Battle of Monmouth. Later, during the court-martial of General Charles Lee, the latter mentioned Steuben, and the baron took offense at what he perceived as Lee questioning his courage. Steuben, in a letter dated 2nd December, demanded satisfaction: “You will choose the place, time and arms; but as I do not like to be a distant or slow spectator, I desire to see you as near and as soon as possible.” Lee responded, explaining that he had not intended to question von Steuben’s courage. The baron accepted his explanation and cancelled the challenge. Following the fighting at Monmouth, Washington gave Steuben temporary command of Lee’s division when the army arrived at White Plains on the 20th of July. Two days later, Washington directed Steuben to relinquish his temporary command and return to his duties as inspector general. Washington explained that the rank of major general was nominal and that the American brigadiers were against his holding command. The baron, having become disgruntled, requested permission to report to Congress to get his status clarified with intent to relinquish his position as inspector general and acquire field command. Nonetheless, on 20 August, Congress resolved “that the Baron de Steuben be appointed Inspector General of the Armies of the United States.” On the 28 August 1778, Congress directed General von Steuben to repair to Rhode Island to offer his advice to General John Sullivan. During the winter of 1778–1779, Baron von Steuben was in Philadelphia with a directive to author a book on regulations for the United States Army. It was titled Regulations for the Order and Discipline of the Troops of the United States, composed of 25 chapters. Others who were chosen by Steuben to help complete the work were Captain Walker, his interpreter, and Colonel Fleury, both as assistants. He chose Captain de l’Enfant to design the plans. In addition, he selected Pierre Etienne Duponceau as his personal secretary for the project. Von Steuben initially wrote the work in chapters and mostly from recollection from his service in Prussia, but in German. From that, it was translated into “bad” French, which was then rewritten by Fleury into fluent French. Afterward, Captain Walker translated the work into English, which Steuben could not read. Nevertheless, his work became the fundamen-

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tal guide for the American infantry. The completed manuscript was accepted by Washington and in a response to von Steuben, he stated that the title “will be sufficient.” The Blue Book, as it was known, was distributed, but with some delay, as finding workers in Philadelphia at the time was difficult. Baron von Steuben’s efforts were again validated by the stunning recapture of Stony Point by General Anthony Wayne on July 15–16 1779. The attack was won with the bayonet and none of the muskets were loaded. The American soldiers finally gained confidence in their bayonet and used it for its designed purpose rather than as a utensil to cook a steak over a fire. During the attack, one man attempted to load his musket against orders and was run through by a bayonet of an officer. Steuben convinced General Washington that soldiers should have their bayonets attached to their weapon at all times. Orders were issued to remove all sheaths and belts and that no more be issued. Later, on 28 September 1779, in a letter to Benjamin Franklin, who was in Paris, Steuben remarked about the success of the bayonet at Stony Point and at Paulus Hook, both having been taken without firing a shot: “I will say nothing of our political affairs — these do not fall within my province. All I can assure you of is that the English will not beat us, if we don’t beat ourselves.” By November 1779, General Washington was preparing winter quarters at Morristown, but sufficient numbers of troops also remained at West Point. By that time, von Steuben had gained more support. Two of the major generals who had caused him problems, Thomas Conway and Thomas Mifflin, had left the service. Another, Lafayette, was away. Steuben’s efforts were by then proved meritorious, and he had learned to express himself in English. He continued training and inspecting the troops. While Baron von Steuben continued to instill discipline and pride in the ranks, he was overburdened with expenses, often having to personally pay for forage for his horses and food for his assistants. General Washington brought the problem to the attention of Congress. Meanwhile, during January 1780, Washington sent Steuben to propose to Congress “the adoption of certain laws for the formation of the army on a more permanent and efficient basis” to increase success during the campaigns of 1780. Steuben returned to headquarters about 20 April 1780. Increasing the numbers of the army was not easily accomplished, as many of the states failed to supply their quotas. In the meantime, during February 1780, Congress received a report on expenses that had been incurred by Baron von Steuben in Europe and in America. A committee recommended that Congress should compensate him or face the possibility of losing his service. Congress, on 7 March, resolved “that Major General Baron Steuben be allowed the sum of 250 louis d’ors, in bills of exchange, for reimbursing him the expenses of himself and family coming to America: Resolved, That the further sum of five hundred and forty six louis d’ors in bills of exchange be advanced to him, for which he is to be accountable.” On 25 September 1780, Congress resolved “that Baron Steuben be, and hereby is, continued inspector general of the armies of the United States, and vested with power to appoint all officers necessary to carry the aforegoing plan into execution, they being first approved of by the Commander in Chief.” On 29 September 1780, in New York, Baron von Steuben sat as one of the judges at the court-martial of British Major John Andre, an accomplice in General Benedict Arnold’s treason. At a parade later, General von Steuben heard the name “Arnold” ring from the Connecticut line. He peered at the man and directed him to come to his quarters after muster. Once there, von Steuben informed the soldier that he was too good a man to bear the name of a traitor and told him to change it. The man asked, to what? And von Steuben suggested that if he had no other choice to take his name. The man suddenly appeared on the roster as Jonathan Steuben. Subsequently, on 8 January 1783, the general court of Connecticut, by “special order of the governor,” officially approved of Jonathan’s name change.

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On 27 October 1780, Baron von Steuben accompanied General Nathanael Greene, who moved to the Carolinas to succeed General Horatio Gates following the defeat at Camden. Steuben accompanied Greene as far as Virginia. He remained there to oversee the operation required to get supplies to Greene’s forces, but the situation in Virginia was terrible due to a variety of ills, including embezzlement by officials, lack of discipline and total disorder, including robberies and theft at all levels. One of von Steuben’s first actions was to take the supplies at Petersburg and get them to a safer location. British forces under Benedict Arnold established positions in Portsmouth, Virginia, about 20 January 1781. Steuben’s command lacked the strength to attack, but he deployed outside Portsmouth to guard the passes and provide some protection to the Virginians in the area. In June 1781, reinforcements under General Anthony Wayne arrived in Virginia to bolster Lafayette. A British force under Colonel Simcoe clashed with Steuben’s forces at Point of Fork. The forces of Lafayette, including the reinforcements of Wayne and Steuben, compelled the British to pull back to Yorktown, where they were corralled. The siege was bolstered by Baron von Steuben’s expertise with the entrenchments. General Washington and the French fleet arrived, and General Charles Cornwallis, following a successful siege, capitulated on 19 October 1781. Baron von Steuben remained in the army beyond the close of hostilities. On 24 March 1784, while living in New York, he requested retirement; it was accepted on 15 April 1784. The baron was awarded a sword from Congress, but it was not completed for some time. Finally, during June 1787, the sword (made in London under supervision of Colonel Smith) was forwarded to the baron by General Knox. He had also received an offer of a life-lease to the estate of John Zabriskie outside New York in Bergen County, but Steuben, aware that the action would place Zabriskie into poverty, declined the offer. He instead accepted 16,000 acres of former Oneida lands near Lake Ontario in New York, which the state awarded him on 5 May 1786. Steuben resided on the farm in New York until his death. He never married. When the baron was moving to the farm, a portrait of a young woman fell from a cabinet, and as it was being picked up, a person with Steuben asked who she was Steuben’s response, although emotional, did not shed light on the mystery: “O, she was a matchless woman.” During his service in America, Steuben was also known as a man who was quick to part with his money. He gave monetary rewards to soldiers and often entertained. Subsequent to his departure from the army, Steuben’s claims had still not been acknowledged by Congress. He had been living in New York in a boarding house, but it was demolished and for a while, it was thought that he would have to return to Europe. Nonetheless, during 1790, he was compensated. After Steuben received a government pension, George Washington remarked: “I rejoice that Congress has given to so excellent a patriot an independency by an annuity, for had they bestowed a specific sum, were it ten times the amount, the generous heart of Steuben would keep him poor, and he would, in all probability, die a beggar.” The sword presented to the baron was passed to Benjamin Walker upon the death of Steuben. Baron von Steuben was instrumental in the founding of the Society of the Cincinnati. Also, during 1784, a society to assist poor Germans was organized in New York; Steuben became a member, then later, he was unanimously elected president. Steuben was with Governor George Clinton at Murray’s Wharf to welcome George Washington when he arrived in New York for his inauguration as president of the United States. Francis Steuben suffered a stroke during the early morning hours of 26 November that paralyzed his left side. He died on 28 November 1794. At his request, he was interred privately without parade on his property. His estate was divided between Benjamin Walker and William North (U.S. senator, and adjutant general during John Adams’

presidency), whom he considered adopted sons. In 1804, Baron von Steuben’s remains were re-interred in what became known as Sacred Grove, present day Steuben Memorial Historic State Park in Oneida County, New York. Sources varied on Baron Steuben’s date of birth. The source used here was The Life of Frederick William Von Steuben by Friedrich Kapp, who acquired the date from Lieutenant von Steuben, a grand nephew of the baron.

Stevens, Brigadier General Edward Edward Stevens was born in Culpeper, Virginia, during 1743. He later married Gilly Coleman, the daughter of Robert Coleman, but the date remains unknown. Official records of Culpeper prior to 1781 were lost. Edward is known to have been solidly aligned with the Patriots’ cause when relations between the colonies and the Crown were deteriorating. At the outbreak of the American Revolution, the men in Culpeper formed a battalion known as the Culpeper Minute Men. Lawrence Taliaferro was appointed colonel, with Edward Stevens appointed lieutenant colonel. Thomas Marshall was appointed major. Later, Colonel Stevens participated at the Battle of Great Bridge, in which the Patriots inflicted a disastrous defeat upon the forces of Lord Dunmore on 9 October 1775. Following the battle, which ended any chance of Dunmore regaining Virginia for the English, Colonel Stevens remained in the militia until November 1776. At that time, he entered the Continental service in command of the 10th Virginia Regiment. As commander of the 10th Virginia, Colonel Stevens participated in the defense of Philadelphia during 1777, including the Battles of Brandywine (September) and the Battle of Germantown; however, he did not suffer the hardships of Valley Forge throughout the winter of 1777–1778. Colonel Stevens resigned his commission as an officer in the Continental Army during January 1778. Nevertheless, Stevens did not abandon the cause. He continued to serve in Virginia, and during 1779, he was commissioned as a brigadier general (Virginia militia). General Stevens led a contingent of militia at the Battle of Camden, the contest which cost General Horatio Gates his military career. The defeat was devastating and many of the militia fared poorly. Stevens’ contingent initiated an attack, but when faced with the bayonets of the Redcoats, his militia was unable to withstand the pressure. After General Nathanael Greene arrived in the Department of the South as Gates’ successor, General Stevens’ militia served under Greene and participated in the Battle of Guilford Court House on 15 March 1781. During the fighting, General Stevens was wounded; the injuries required time for recuperation. Stevens returned to Virginia but was back to active duty in time to participate in the siege of Yorktown, which terminated successfully during October 1781 with the surrender of General Lord Charles Cornwallis’ army. General Stevens remained in the militia and eventually was promoted to the rank of major general. He also served in the Senate of Virginia until 1790. General Edward Stevens succumbed on 17 August 1820 in Culpeper. He was survived by his wife, Gilly Coleman, whose date of death is unknown.

Stewart, Brigadier-General Daniel Daniel Stewart, the son of John and Susannah Bacon Stewart, was born on the family estate (Tranquil Plantation) in St. John’s Parish, Midway, Georgia, on 20 October 1761. Although not yet fifteen when hostilities erupted with Britain, Daniel was not a reluctant warrior for the cause of independence. Nevertheless, his circumstances were different from those of most young men in his outfit. Daniel’s mother died when he was about five years old, and his father died during 1776. Daniel entered the militia that year, and despite his youth, he was skilled in the use of his weapon and eagerly participated in various clashes against the enemy. During the early days of his enlistment, he served under Colonel John Baker. One night while Baker was checking the perimeter, he

423 came upon Daniel, and taking notice of his clothing, Colonel Baker took off his coat and gave it to Daniel to help keep him warm. Daniel served with Baker for two years and participated in the failed expedition against the British in Florida. Daniel Stewart was wounded during an action against the British and captured. He was confined to a British prison ship; however, during a storm that hit South Carolina, he was presented with an opportunity to escape. While the crew was concerned with the safety of the ship, Daniel, of slim build, was able to make his flight to freedom by climbing out one of the portholes. He made it to shore, but during the escape he sustained more injuries. While staying with relatives in South Carolina, he was introduced to Martha Pender, who became his wife. Daniel and Martha had one child, John, but Martha died while giving birth to her son. Daniel decided to leave his son with his relatives while he returned to the service. After returning to Georgia, he discovered that during his absence the British had occupied his plantation, which was near Riceboro. He found out that his house sitter was Lt. Colonel James Mark Prevost, who for a while was appointed temporary governor of the colony of Georgia, until the former royal governor, James Wright, returned. Prevost left a message on a wall of the home: “This house was the home of a nest of rebels.” Later, Stewart was elevated to the rank of colonel; he received command of a cavalry unit, which he had raised. Colonel Stewart also became the commander of what was known as the Minute Men of Georgia. Subsequent to the close of hostilities, Colonel Stewart built a new estate in the vicinity of where his father and stepmother resided. Daniel’s father had remarried during 1769, taking Sarah Nickols as his second wife. Colonel Stewart named his residence Cedar Hill Plantation. In 1785, Colonel Stewart remarried, taking Sarah Susannah Oswald as his second wife. He made arrangements to have his son brought to Georgia. Daniel and Susannah had two children that survived childhood, Daniel (b. 1791) and Martha (b. 1799). In the meantime, Colonel Stewart had entered politics. He served in the Georgia House from 1785 to 1787. In 1795, Stewart was elected the sheriff of Liberty County, a post that he retained until 1797. He also served several terms as a state senator during the early 1800s, the last year of service being 1811. In the meantime, his wife, Susannah, succumbed during 1807. Colonel Stewart was elevated in rank during 1809 when he was commissioned as a brigadier general in the Georgia militia. One year after his promotion, Colonel Stewart again married, taking Sarah Hines Lewis as his third wife. From his marriage to Sarah, two daughters were born. When the second war with Britain erupted, General Stewart served as commander of a cavalry brigade. Daniel Stewart died on 27 May 1829. In some historical references, he is named as a general during the Revolution because he and General James Screven are both buried in the Midway Cemetery and both are usually listed together as heroes of the Revolution. During 1915, the United States Congress authorized the erection of a monument in honor of Generals Screven and Stewart at the Midway Congregational Church cemetery. General Stewart’s initial home, which survived British occupation during the Revolutionary War, later fell victim to the Union Army during the Civil War. General Stewart’s great-grandson became a hero during the Spanish-American War when his cavalry (lacking horses) stormed Kettle Hill without orders. His troops took the hill and San Juan Hill, but at high cost. General Stewart’s greatgrandson, Teddy Roosevelt, later became the 26th president of the United States. James Stephen Bulloch, the son of Captain James and Anne Irvine Bulloch, initially married a daughter of Senator John Elliott, but his second wife was Martha Stewart, the daughter of General Stewart. James and Martha had a daughter, Martha, who married Theodore Roosevelt Sr., and their son was President Theodore Roosevelt. Theodore’s uncle Irvine Bulloch, the brother of his mother, was

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the sailing master aboard the Confederate vessel Alabama when the ship clashed with and was defeated by the Union ship Kearsarge during the only naval battle fought on the high seas during the Civil War.

Stewart, Brigadier General Walter Walter Stewart, a native of Ireland, born about 1756, arrived in America sometime prior to the American Revolution and quickly aligned himself with the Patriots’ cause. Walter established residence in Pennsylvania at Philadelphia and resided near Blair McClanachan, a Patriot and prosperous merchant who later became his father-in-law. During the early days of the Revolutionary War, Walter Stewart formed a company (Company F) that was attached to the 3rd Pennsylvania Battalion. On 6 January 1776, a few days after the Continental Army was reorganized, Stewart was commissioned a captain. On 26 May 1776, Captain Stewart was appointed aide-de-camp to General Horatio Gates and promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel. Stewart’s service with Gates lasted until 17 June 1777, at which time, the Supreme Council of Pennsylvania commissioned him as colonel. Shortly thereafter, Colonel Stewart, on 6 July, assumed command of a state regiment (infantry). The regiment was initially formed during April 1777 when the remnants of Colonels Miles’ and Atlee’s units were joined. At that time, John Bull was appointed colonel, but the troops protested his appointment. On 17 June 1777, Colonel Bull was appointed adjutant general of Pennsylvania militia by the Supreme Council, which named Colonel Stewart as his successor. The regiment was deployed at Fort Mercer, New Jersey, across the Delaware River from Philadelphia. The regiment was involved in the defense of Philadelphia, and under Stewart, participated at the Battle of Brandywine in September 1777 and the Battle of Germantown during early October 1777. Within about one month following the fighting at Germantown, Congress incorporated Stewart’s regiment into the Continental Army and designated it the 13th Regiment of the Pennsylvania Line. After the British abandoned Philadelphia in June 1778, the Continental Army broke camp at Valley Forge and initiated pursuit. Colonel Stewart led his regiment at the Battle of Monmouth on 28 June 1778. Colonel Stewart was wounded there. After recuperation, he returned to the regiment; however, on 17 January 1781, his command was terminated when the unit was merged with the 2nd Pennsylvania Regiment. Command of the 2nd Regiment went to Colonel Stewart, the senior officer. Meanwhile, during 1780, conditions in the Continental Army had become wretched and the depredations prompted troops in the Pennsylvania Line to ignite mutiny. The mutiny was quashed and the general officers reacted afterward by reorganizing the Pennsylvania Line. Colonel Stewart was appointed commander of a battalion, which was assigned to the command of General Anthony Wayne. Afterward, Stewart participated with General Wayne at the siege of Yorktown, the final stand of General Lord Charles Cornwallis, whose dreams of re-conquering the South had been dashed by General Nathanael Greene. In addition, at Yorktown, Washington stripped Cornwallis of victory and humbled the once all-powerful British Army. General Lord Cornwallis surrendered his army during October 1781. That same year, 1781, Colonel Stewart married Deborah McClanachan, the oldest daughter of Blair McClanachan, on 11 April. Their children were: William (b. December 1781, at his baptism, General Washington stood as his godfather; later lost his life at sea during 1808); Robert (b. February 1784, died in Canton, China, 1806); Anne (b. in Londonderry, Ireland, July 1786; married Philip Church); Walter (b. in London July 1787, died during 1807 at Port Alajon in vicinity of Gibraltar); Henry (b. December 1788, died in Mexico during 1823); Mary Ann (b. March 1791, died in Philadelphia during 1844); Caroline (b. May 1794, died young); and Washington (b. August 1796, died in South America, 1826). Washington, the eighth child of Walter and Deborah, was born about two months after the death of his

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father. All of the children except Anne and Walter, both born abroad, were baptized by the Reverend White. During January 1783, Colonel Stewart ended his military service, but his life as a civilian was short-lived. General Washington persuaded Stewart to return, which he did, to become the inspector general of the Northern Department. Later that year, during November, Congress awarded Colonel Stewart the brevet rank of brigadier general. Following the conclusion of hostilities, General Stewart resumed his private life in Philadelphia and became a prosperous merchant. Later he was appointed major general of the state militia. General Walter Stewart succumbed after coming down with severe fever on 14 June 1796. Two days later, he was interred at St. Paul’s Burial Ground in Philadelphia.

Stockton, Richard (Signer of the Declaration of Independence) Richard Stockton was born on 1 October 1730 at Morven, the family estate in the vicinity of Princeton, New Jersey. His parents were John and Abigail Phillips Stockton. John and Abigail had four sons and one daughter, including Richard. The other children were John (later Captain John Stockton, died at sea), Philip, Samuel Witham, and Hannah (later married Elias Boudinot, president of the Continental Congress). Initially, his great-grandfather, also named Richard, emigrated from England during 1670, landing first at Flushing, Long Island. From there he moved to New Jersey, where he acquired a tract of about 7,000 acres in Burlington County. It was there that he succumbed during 1707 at Oneanickon. However, his son Richard (2), the grandfather of Richard (signer) did not relocate in Burlington. He moved to Piscataway and from there to Princeton. Initially, Richard (2) acquired about 400 acres on the north side of Stony Brook, but during 1701, he received a grant from William Penn for about 5,500 acres, where it is thought that he resided in a home on Edgehill Street, later referred to as the “Barracks.” Subsequently, Richard (2) purchased a tract later known as Morven. The signer’s grandfather succumbed during 1709 and was survived by his widow, Susanna Robinson Stockton, and six sons, one of whom was John, the father of Richard (signer). John inherited a tract of 500 acres, drawn from the plantation. It was along King’s Highway on the north side of Main Street. That section of the plantation on the south side of Main Street was, according to John’s will, divided equally between John’s two brothers. The original mansion at Princeton is thought to have been built by John Stockton, the father of Richard (signer), after he inherited the property. However, at the time, the mansion was not known as Morven. That name came about later, subsequent to the marriage of Richard, when his wife named it. Richard Stockton, having been born into an affluent family, received an excellent education, including studies under the Rev. Samuel Finley (Findlay) at Nottingham Academy in Maryland. From there he continued his education at New Jersey College in Newark. Upon graduation during 1748, Stockton remained in Newark and studied law under David Ogden. In 1754, he was admitted to the bar. As an attorney he excelled and prospered. By about 1763, Stockton was awarded a degree known as “sergeant of law,” which elevated him to the honor of holding the top degree in England regarding common law. During the previous year, 1762, Richard married Annis (Anice) Boudinot, the sister of Elias Boudinot, who studied law under Richard. Richard and Annis had six children: Abigail, Julia (married Doctor Benjamin Rush), Lucius Horatio, Mary, Richard and Susan. The Boudinots, French Huguenots, originally arrived in America about 1686. The splendid gardens at the Stockton mansion were also designed by Annis. In 1766, Richard journeyed to England, where he remained for about fifteen months. Annis was asked to accompany him, but she declined to remain at home to care for the children. While in Europe, Stockton also traveled to Scotland and Ireland. His

visit to Scotland nearly cost him his life when he came under attack by a thug. The attacker may have pegged Stockton as an easy mark, but his skill with a sword in that instance matched his skill with law. He successfully drove off his attacker. While he was abroad, the trustees of the college of New Jersey elected John Witherspoon as president of the college, but he was in Scotland. Word was sent to Richard Stockton to inform Witherspoon of his appointment and to persuade him to accept the position. Richard Stockton (Biographical Sketches Witherspoon’s wife was re- of the Signers of the Declaration of luctant to leave England and Independence, Benson J. Lossing, 1854) cross the ocean; however, during 1768, about one year after Stockton returned home, the Witherspoons changed their minds and sailed for America. In Stockton’s absence, Benjamin Rush, who had been in England at the time, helped to persuade the Witherspoons to change their minds. Witherspoon at the time had no idea that he would be a key leader in the Patriots’ cause and a signer of the Declaration of independence. Back in America, Stockton again practiced law, but he also began to breed cattle and horses. Although he traveled to England at a time when the relationship between Great Britain and the colonies was worsening, he remained loyal to the American cause; yet he was considered a moderate. Up until the passage of the Stamp Act, he had favored colonial representation in Parliament and was not anxious to break from Britain. By 1768, Stockton became involved in politics and served a six year term on the state’s executive council. During 1774, he was appointed to the state Supreme Court, a position he held until 1776, the same year he was elected to the Continental Congress. At his estate, Morven, Stockton planted a column of catalpa trees. He also planted “the avenue of elms” that lined the path to the mansion. The catalpa trees, which reached full bloom on 4 July, became known also as the “Independence Trees.” As the vote for independence neared, the New Jersey delegates to the Continental Congress balked at voting “yea,” however, among the people of New Jersey, independence was favored. Just before the crucial vote, Stockton and John Witherspoon were appointed in place of two other delegates and sent to Philadelphia with directions to vote “yea.” Within Stockton’s extended family, the outbreak of war became a family affair. His two brothers sided with the American cause, as did his father-in-law, his brother-in-law, Elias Boudinot, and his son-inlaw, Doctor Benjamin Rush. Subsequent to the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, Stockton signed the parchment document, fully aware that his family and property would be placed directly within the line of advance if the British moved to seize Philadelphia. Stockton also attempted to become the governor of New Jersey during 1776, but he failed in the attempt. When the votes were tallied, he and William Livingston were tied, but afterward, Livingston was chosen as governor under the new constitution of New Jersey. Stockton was chosen as chief justice of the Supreme Court of New Jersey; however, he declined. As a members of Congress, Stockton and George Clymer, also a signer, traveled to New York to investigate the condition of the Northern Department. While they were away, the British had begun the offensive to take Philadelphia and quash the rebellion. Stockton raced to his home and got his family to safety by taking them to a friend’s home,

425 that of John Covenhoven in Monmouth County, but Tories, informed of his location, sped to the place and dragged Stockton and John Covenhoven from their beds. In the meantime, his estate was plundered by the British. Much of his property, including his extensive library, was destroyed, but Annis Stockton was able to secure, transport and preserve a substantial number of “state papers as well as the rolls and records of the American Whig Society of Princeton College.” One of Stockton’s relatives, Major Richard Stockton, a Tory major, is thought to have been the one who betrayed Stockton and directed the band to his location. British Major Richard Stockton was later captured by the Americans at the Battle of Princeton, along with two others, a captain and a chaplain. Richard Stockton was imprisoned initially in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, prior to being transferred to New York. He was not hanged for treason, but his captivity was especially cruel and included deprivation of sleep and withholding of food. In addition, he was deprived of proper clothing and imprisoned under unhealthy conditions. After Congress learned of the capture of Stockton and the harsh treatment he received, steps were taken to gain his release. Congress directed General George Washington “to make immediate inquiry into the truth of this report, and if he finds reason to believe it well founded, that he send a flag to general [William] Howe remonstrating against this departure from that humane procedure which has marked the conduct of those states to prisoners who have fallen into their hands; and to know of general Howe whether he chooses this shall be the future for treating all such, on both sides, as the fortune of war may place in the hands of either party.” The extraordinary efforts of the Continental Congress and General Washington won Stockton’s release during spring 1777, but he was never able to regain his health. He remained a devout Christian until he succumbed at his residence in Princeton on 28 February 1781. He was interred at the Stony Brook Quaker Meeting House Cemetery. Richard’s wife, known for her poetry, penned a poem on the day of Richard’s death. It read, in part: “O greatly honored in the lists of fame / He dignified the judge,— the statesman’s name; / How ably he discharged each public trust, / In council firm, in execution just, / Can best be uttered by his country’s voice, / Whose approbation justified their choice. Annis Stockton, Morven, February 28, 1781.” General Washington had at one time used Moren as his headquarters, and he had become friendly with Stockton and his family. Subsequent to Stockton’s death, Washington again stayed at the estate, while he was president of the United States. Annis remained on the estate until her son, Richard, married. At that time, she relinquished the estate to him as prescribed in the will of her husband. From that point, Annis Stockton moved to Princeton, where again, President Washington was frequently a guest.

Stone, Thomas (Signer of the Declaration of Independence) Thomas Stone, the son of David and Elizabeth Jenifer Stone, was born during 1743 in Maryland at Pointon (Poynton) Manor, near the town of Welcome in Charles County. Thomas’ great-great grandfather, William Stone, emigrated from England during 1628 and settled in Virginia, but later, when political and religious turbulence arose in Virginia due to civil war in England, William Stone and his family moved to Maryland, where he later became the colony’s first Protestant governor. The Stone line that followed included John Stone, the father of Thomas Stone, who became the father of David Stone (1709–1773). Thomas (signer), named after his paternal grandfather, was one of eight children born to David and Elizabeth. The others were Frederick, Michael Jenifer, John Hoskins (later governor of Maryland), Daniel Jenifer, Walter, Grace, Elizabeth Anne (1), and Catherine. Subsequent to the death of Thomas’ mother, his father remarried, taking Sarah Hanson as his second wife. From that marriage, four additional

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children were born: David, Samuel, Mary and Anne (2). Thomas as a youth received an excellent education, which included studying the classics. After completing his education he began to study law in Annapolis, which provided him with sufficient knowledge to gain admittance to the bar during 1764. Thomas opened his law practice in Frederick, Maryland, and remained there until 1766, when he returned to Charles County. Thomas Stone (Biographical Sketches of By that time, Britain’s poli- the Signers of the Declaration of Incies for the colonies had dependence, Benson J. Lossing, 1854) begun to irritate many of the Americans and the dissent was beginning to become more vociferous. However, Thomas had not yet begun to fall into the ranks of the Patriots. During 1768, Thomas married Margaret Brown, the daughter of Doctor Gustavus and Margaret Black Boyd Brown. Margaret’s father had first married Frances Fowke, and after her death, he married Margaret Black Boyd, the widow of an Irish merchant at Port Tobacco. Margaret’s father and his first wife had a large family, which included eleven children: Gustavus (died at less than one year old), Frances, Sarah, Mary, Christina, Gustavus (2) (died as in infant of less than one month old), Elizabeth, Richard, Gustavus (3) (died at 13 months old) and Jane. An entry in the family Bible inserted later reads: “The following memorandum made by Gustavus Rich’d Brown, the last son of the above named Gustavus Brown: a daughter Ann was born by the first marriage, not mentioned by my father. After the death of his first wife, my father married Margaret Boid (Boyd) from whom I descended. I (Rich’d) was born on the 17th of Oct., 1747.” A sister Margaret was born about two years later and married Thomas Stone, Esquire. Thomas and Margaret had three children, Margaret Eleanor, Mildred and Frederick. The marriage between Thomas and Margaret could be looked upon as an act of fate. Margaret’s father, as a young Scottish man, had arrived in Maryland aboard a vessel, but while he was ashore, a nasty storm approached and the ship was forced to set sail, leaving Gustavus with neither money nor even clothes. He did, however, convince the townspeople that he was a doctor. Following his marriage to Frances Fowke, the couple embarked for Scotland. Frances never adjusted to life there and persuaded her husband to return to Maryland. Several years after his marriage, during 1771, Thomas and Margaret, using her dowry of £1000 sterling, acquired a tract in the vicinity of Port Tobacco, and it was there that the Stones established Habre-de-Venture, which became his primary residence. Thomas Stone, about 1771, was appointed to the state legislature, a position he retained for nearly all of his life. He continued to practice law, and by 1773, he became a member of the Maryland committee of correspondence. In 1774, acting for the interests of the proprietary governor, Stone prosecuted a Maryland legislator for refusing to pay Parliament’s enacted poll tax, brought about to compel the Americans of every faith or no faith to contribute to the expenses of the Anglican clergymen. His position as representative of the governor was not received graciously by the lawyers representing Joseph Harrison, the charged legislator. Stone and his three opposing attorneys, Thomas Johnson, Samuel Chase and William Paca, would later become members of the Continental Congress, and three of the four — Chase, Paca

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and Stone — would sign the Declaration of Independence. The colonists raised so many objections to the poll tax that it was repealed. Although Stone was not considered a radical, nor particularly inclined to break away from Britain, he was selected as a delegate to the Provincial Convention held during 1774. Known as one reluctant to press for independence and as a proponent of continuing negotiations with the British, he was selected during 1775 as a delegate to the Continental Congress, where he remained until 1778. He was in that body during that crucial period in history when the nation was debating independence and preparing to vote. Stone rarely spoke during debates due to his lack of rhetorical skills. He continued to lean with those who opposed independence; however, when the vote came, his was “yea.” Thomas also signed the parchment document, but still, he continued to believe reconciliation was possible. The Marylanders had earlier instructed their delegates to vote “nay,” but during June just prior to the vote, the instructions were changed, paving the way for Maryland to be added to the unanimous vote. New York delegates abstained, while the southern states swung over at the last minute. Delaware, which had been in a stalemate, swerved into the “yea” column when a seriously ill delegate, Caesar Rodney, arrived on the day of the vote to break the tie that was causing the stalemate. Stone remained in Congress, but he maintained a low profile. He was appointed to the committee charged with drawing up an oath for the officers, and he was on the committee that was responsible for creating the Articles of Confederation, adopted during 1777. Nevertheless, Stone did not sign the Articles. That year, Stone was re-elected to Congress, but he retired during 1778 and returned to Maryland. In Maryland, as a member of the state Senate since 1776, Stone worked to have the legislature adopt the Articles of Confederation, but there too, he was not a vocal legislator. Maryland did not do so until 1781. Despite having retired from public life, Stone appears to have been re-elected during 1783 and was present when General George Washington appeared at Congress to offer his resignation. During 1784, Stone served again in Congress and for several days presided as president. He retired at the end of the session and returned to public life only once again, when he and two others were appointed as Maryland delegates at the Mount Vernon Conference, held during 1785 between representatives of Virginia and Maryland to find solutions to problems regarding navigation of the Potomac River. That conference, hosted by George Washington, led to a proposal by the Virginia Assembly on 21 January 1786 for a meeting among all of the states to devise a national plan to regulate commerce. It was held at Washington’s invitation after confusion caused some of the Virginia delegates to miss the earlier meeting at Annapolis. By the following year, 1787, Stone’s wife, suffering from poor health for a prolonged period of time from an inoculation of small pox, died at age 34. Her death was especially traumatic for Stone and prevented him from continuing his career. His health after her death took a dramatic turn for the worse. Stone had been selected as a delegate to the Constitutional Congress but was unable to attend. While still suffering from extreme grief, he chose to make a journey to England. Thomas Stone was at Annapolis waiting for the ship on 5 October 1787 when he died unexpectedly. He was known to have been a Christian and member of the Episcopal denomination. He was interred at the family cemetery near Habre-de-Venture. Thomas’ three children survived him, but his son, Frederick, who was not married, was struck down by the yellow fever epidemic of 1793 while he was in Philadelphia studying to be a lawyer. Daughter Mildred had married Travers Daniels and daughter Margaret Eleanor married John Moncure Daniel (of the Crow’s Nest, Stafford County, Virginia). Stone’s brother John Hoskins Stone was elected governor of Maryland during 1794. The Thomas Stone Home, Habre-de-Venture, has been restored and the property, now a national historic landmark, contains other

buildings and the family cemetery. It is operated by the National Parks System and open to the public without charge. The home is in Charles County five miles west of Highway 301 (LaPlata, Maryland) along Rose Hill Road between state routes 6 and 225, in the vicinity of Port Tobacco, Maryland.

Strong, Caleb (Framer of the U.S. Constitution) Caleb (3) Strong, the only son of Lt. Caleb (1) and Phebe Lyman Strong, was born in Northampton, Massachusetts, on 9 January 1745. In addition to Caleb, his parents had the following children: Caleb (2) (b. September 1737, died 1738); Phebe (b. December 1738, married General Benjamin Bellows); Esther (b. February 1741, married Samuel Hunt); Mehitable (b. February 1743, married Caleb Lyman); Eleanor (b. January 1747, married Asahel Clark); Martha (b. March 1749, married Colonel Ebenezer Moseley); Dorothy (b. April 1751, d. July 1752); Asahel (b. June 1753, d. February 1759); Isaac (b. September 1756, d. June 1757); Dorothy (2) (b. December 1758, married Judge Samuel Hinckley); and Achsah (b. November 1761, d. September 1770. Caleb was a descendant of John Strong, who arrived in America during 1630, but within a short while after his arrival, the young man of just twenty-five years old sustained a double tragedy when his wife and their child both died. Afterward, he married Abigail Ford of Dorchester on the outskirts of Boston. John and Abigail had sixteen children. One of John’s sons, Caleb, was the father of the subject. John, the grandfather of Caleb (2), died during 1699 at age 94 and he left just under 150 descendants, including all of his sixteen children. John’s family and his descendants were known as devout Christians. Caleb (1) operated a tannery. Caleb (2) received an excellent education that included instructions under Samuel Moody and studies at Harvard from 1760 to graduation in 1764. While returning home from Harvard, he contracted smallpox that took him close to death’s door, but he survived. The disease, however, caused great permanent damage to his eyesight. Nonetheless, Caleb was determined to pursue his quest to become a lawyer. His sisters and his father were equally determined to help him succeed. They read aloud to him and Caleb gained admittance to the bar during 1772, during a period of turbulence in Massachusetts. Also during 1772, Caleb Strong was elected as a selectman in Northampton. During 1774, he was elected as a member of the Provincial Congress and was appointed to the Committee of Safety and Correspondence of Northampton. During November 1776, the committee was merged with the Committee of Inspection, and Strong was a member of the joint committee. After the war had begun in earnest following the clashes at Lexington and Concord on 19 April 1775, Caleb was appointed in 1776 to the General Court of Massachusetts, but he did not serve in the military because of his poor eyesight. While in the General Court, he was described as “condescending and conciliatory in manner, but firm and resolute in purpose.” Strong had also served as a Justice of the Peace (Northampton) during 1775. The next year he became the county attorney (Hampshire County), a position he retained for twenty-four years. In 1777, Caleb married Sarah Hooker, the daughter of the Rev. Thomas Hooker. Caleb Strong (Biography of the Hon. Caleb and Sarah had the Caleb Strong, Alden Bradford, 1820)

427 following children: Theodore (married Martha [Patty] Allen, adopted daughter of Jeremiah Allen of Boston); Sarah (1) (b. February 1781, d. October 1783, scalded to death); Clarissa (b. June 1783, married Timothy Dwight); Lewis (b. June 1785); Sarah (2) (b. July 1787, married the Rev. Alexander Phoenix); Edward (b. July 1790, graduated Harvard, died in 1813 at age 23); Julia (b. April 1793, d. 1818 at age 24); Phebe (b. March 1795, d. September 1799); and Philip (b. February 1799, d. August 1800). Strong was selected as a delegate (one of four at-large delegates) to the convention that drew up the state constitution in 1779. When the votes were counted, Strong came in second just behind Sam Adams. He received 203 votes out of a possible 237, six less than the popular leader, Sam Adams. The convention convened in Cambridge on 1 September 1779, remained active for about one week, then adjourned until October. When it reconvened, the committee was unprepared to issue its report, a draft of constitution. After two weeks, the convention again adjourned until January 1780, when a draft was reported and afterward circulated. The constitution became effective during September 1780. At that time, John Hancock was elected governor and James Bodowin became lieutenant governor, while Strong and Timothy Danielson were elected as councilors. Election of representatives (legislature) was held the following month. That same year, 1780, Strong had been a member of the Council of Massachusetts, which was the sole executive power of the state until ratification of the constitution. He had declined election as a delegate of the Continental Congress, but subsequent to the adoption of the state constitution, he did accept the position as state Senator, a seat he retained until 1789. After the war, Strong was appointed to the Massachusetts Supreme Court (1783); however, his health was poor and he also had personal affairs that compelled him to decline. Later he was selected as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia during May–September 1787. Strong, as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention, arrived on 28 May and aligned himself with those who favored a strong central government in place of the Articles of Confederation. Strong held true to particular articles, but in conjunction with the “Great Compromise,” he concurred and voted yes on the equal representation in the U.S. Senate and representation by population in the House of Representatives. He was opposed to the electoral college and favored selection of a president by the legislature. However, because of a medical emergency at home, he was forced to depart the convention during August and return home. Consequently, Strong was absent when the final document was adopted on 17 September 1787, effective after ratification by nine states. Although Strong was not able to sign the Constitution, it was signed by Rufus King and Nathaniel Gorham, both of Massachusetts. The sole dissenter from Massachusetts was Elbridge Gerry, who was described as a pest that was “opposed to everything he did not propose.” Gerry chaired the committee that formulated the Great Compromise, but he personally opposed it. Afterward, back in Massachusetts, when the delegates opened the state convention, Strong again was engaged in supporting ratification. Massachusetts ratified the U.S. Constitution on 6 February 1788 to become the sixth state to join the union. New Hampshire ratified on 21 June 1788. The new Congress convened during March 1789 and during the following month, on 30 April 1789, George Washington was inaugurated as the first president of the United States. Strong became one of the first two from Massachusetts to serve in the United States Senate. Tristram Dalton was the other. Strong was an early arrival, taking his seat on 4 March, one day after the new Congress convened and the old Congress dissolved. After drawing lots, Strong obtained the “second class,” which gave him a four year term. Strong was afterward re-elected, but he only served three of the four years of the second term. He was chairman of the Committee of Foreign Intercourse during 1790. Other committees he served with in-

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cluded the Pension Committee, the Consular Committee and the Post Office Committee. When a major controversy erupted with regard to negotiations between John Jay and the British regarding the treaty, Strong pressed for a delegation to be sent to England in 1793 to bolster Jay. The Jay Treaty was consummated with Britain by John Jay on behalf of the United States during November 1794. The British still maintained garrisons on U.S. soil in the Northwest Territory and continued to meddle in U.S. affairs, and equally upsetting to the United States, they continued to impress American sailors into the Royal Navy. Strong was an ally to the administration of President George Washington, which, when notified of the treaty during March 1795, pressed for ratification. The treaty was ratified by the Senate and Britain, but in the details, the treaty did not cover the large number of Americans held in the hulls of British ships and in prisons. Nonetheless, the treaty did not avoid war. It merely postponed the War of 1812. During 1800, Strong, a Federalist, ran against Elbridge Gerry in the election for the governor. Strong won, although at the time, the Democratic-Republicans under the leadership of Thomas Jefferson were gaining power over the Federalists. In the town of Northampton and at least six other nearby towns, not one vote was cast against him. Once when Strong was governor, he was participating in a parade when he noticed an elder statesman, anti–Federalist Sam Adams, who was sitting by a window in his home watching the parade pass. Strong halted the parade and the band fell silent, while the governor moved to greet Adams. The male participants removed their hats and the troops presented arms. It was a moving moment for Adams, a Democratic-Republican, being so warmly honored by the Federalist governor. Strong was also elected as a member of the Massachusetts Historical Society during 1780. He remained governor until 1807. He again ran for the post during 1812 and his opponent once again was Elbridge Gerry. When the ballots were counted, Strong again prevailed and held the governor’s post until 1816. During the War of 1812, there was little support for the war in New England. Strong defied an order from President James Madison to call up Massachusetts militia and place them under the command of Major General Henry Dearborn. Strong claimed the call up did not meet the requirements of the U.S. Constitution. The Massachusetts Supreme Court concurred with Strong and the order was ignored. Subsequently, the interpretation of Strong and the Supreme Court was determined to be incorrect. Most of the Federalists opposed the war with Britain, but subsequent to the occupation of Washington, D.C., by the British during 1814, some of the Federalists began to support the war. Meanwhile, Strong did place the militia under General John Brooks with instructions to be prepared to march at any moment. Caleb Strong retired during 1816, and he was succeeded as governor by General John Brooks. He died on 7 November 1819 and was interred in Northampton in the Bridge Street Cemetery. Caleb’s wife, Sarah, predeceased him during 1817. He was survived by four of his nine children: Clarissa, Lewis, Sarah and Theodore.

Sullivan, Major General John John Sullivan, the son of John (formerly Owen O’Sullivan) and Margery Browne Sullivan, was born on 17 February 1740. John’s father was born during 1692 in Limerick. His mother, a native of Cork County, Ireland, actually met John’s father aboard the vessel that was taking them to America during 1723. Their marriage occurred several years after they arrived in the country. The elder John initially arrived in Maine, and from there he went to Summersworth (later Rollinsford), New Hampshire. In about 1747, the family moved to Berwick, Maine, and resided on a farm. Another of the Sullivan children was James, who later became attorney general and governor of Massachusetts. John, like his father, worked the farm; however, his father, having

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been well educated in the classics, made sure John received a good education. John leaned away from farming and toward the law. He studied under Samuel Livermore and later became a gifted lawyer, aided by a natural propensity of reasoning and further blessed with the talent of oratory. John also had a strong inclination to participate in the American cause against the policies of Britain that began to inject a separation between the mother country and her colonies. During 1760, John married Lydia Worcester, the daughter of John and Lydia Remick Worcester. He continued to practice law in Berwick until 1763 and at that time, he and his wife moved to Durham, New Hampshire. The Sullivans had four children that reached adulthood: Lydia (b. March 1763, married Judge Steele); John (b. October 1767); James (b. September 1768) and George (b. August 1771, married Clarissa Lamson). The Sullivans had two other children that died during infancy. John Sullivan was appointed in 1772 as a major in the militia. During 1774, the Patriots, while in assembly established a Committee of Correspondence Royal Governor John Wentworth reacted by dissolving the assembly. Nevertheless, the colonists called a convention to be held at Exeter in defiance of the governor; Sullivan was appointed a delegate to the First Continental Congress, along with a second delegate, Nathaniel Folsom. Congress convened during September and adjourned in early October. During December 1774, a contingent of Patriots from New Hampshire and Massachusetts raided Fort William and Mary (later Fort Constitution) on Great Island (later New Castle) in New Hampshire to acquire munitions. The garrison was composed of only about five men. The attack was prompted by news of a British naval force approaching Portsmouth to prevent the colonists from gathering ammunition. The raid occurred on 14 December. On the following day, Major Sullivan arrived with reinforcements. The stores were seized and expected to be quickly dispatched to various places of safety, but frozen waterways foiled the plan. Instead, the items, about 100 barrels of powder, were concealed in a church and from there taken overland to Boston. During January 1775, another convention convened in Exeter and Sullivan was elected as a delegate to the Second Continental Congress. In place of Folsom, John Langdon was elected. During February 1775, the British abandoned the fort and moved to Boston. Afterward, the Patriots occupied the fort and Sullivan became its initial commander. He took his seat in Congress on 10 May 1775. Shortly after General Washington was appointed commander-in-chief of the Continental Army, Sullivan was one of eight brigadier generals commissioned on 22 June 1775. Upon receiving his commission, Sullivan resigned his congressional seat. The next month he received command of a brigade in General Charles Lee’s division in conjunction with the reorganization of the army by Washington on 23 July. Nearly immediately, Sullivan noticed a severe crisis. On 5 August the Committee of Safety was notified that stores of ammunition were only sufficient to dispense one-half pound of powder per man. John Sullivan (Pictorial Field Book of Dispatches were immediately the Revolution, Benson J. Lossing, sent throughout the colonies in an effort to get ammunition 1860)

forwarded to Cambridge. Sullivan’s brigade formed part of the siege troops that compelled the British to remain in Boston. Even foraging parties ran great risk when they ventured outside British lines. During autumn of 1775, it was thought a British warship was about to pummel Portsmouth, prompting General George Washington to dispatch General Sullivan to meet the threat. The attack did not materialize and the force returned to its lines. By the end of the year, many of the enlistments had ended, leaving the Army short of troops. General Washington requested that the militia be raised to full strength to augment the regulars. General Sullivan raised four companies during January 1776 from troops around the vicinity of Boston. At that time, Connecticut raised four regiments and Massachusetts raised six. The siege continued into March of 1776, but circumstances for the British changed drastically during mid March when the Americans without detection occupied the high ground above the British lines. On 17 March General William Howe abandoned Boston, and the Patriots regained the city without a fight. Meanwhile, in Canada, the Americans had sustained a devastating defeat at Quebec City on 31 December of the previous year. General Richard Montgomery had been killed during the fighting and Colonel Benedict Arnold was seriously wounded. General Sullivan arrived in Canada on 1 June 1776 to assume command. The commander since 6 March, General John Thomas, succumbed on 2 June. On 17 June, General Horatio Gates was appointed commander of the expeditionary force in Canada, but by that time a general retreat was in process. Gates never assumed command. General Sullivan oversaw the retreat and retained the post as commander until 2 July. Meanwhile, on 7 June, General Sullivan ordered an attack against the British at Three Rivers, but it failed. Afterward, the columns were formed and the retreat to Ticonderoga began. However, Benedict Arnold’s contingent, about 300 able-bodied men, although under orders to retire, was still at Montreal on 13 June. The two forces joined at St. John’s on the 16th and Sullivan arrived at Crown Point on 2 July. Five days later, General Gates, successor to Sullivan, and General Philip Schuyler ordered Crown Point evacuated. General Arnold commanded the evacuation. General Sullivan resigned from the service, but Congress contacted him regarding the reasons for Gates’ promotion over Sullivan. In turn, Sullivan withdrew his resignation and moved to New York to serve under Washington. On 9 August 1776, General Sullivan was promoted to the rank of major general. Three others — William Heath, Joseph Spencer and Nathanael Greene — were also appointed major generals on that date. On 20 August, due to the illness of Greene, General Washington appointed Sullivan to replace him. On the 27th during the Battle of Long Island, the British pounced upon the undefended positions (left flank) of Sullivan, while other contingents pounded the right flank, forcing a withdrawal to Brooklyn Heights. During the three-day battle, the forces of Generals John Sullivan, Israel Putnam and William Alexander were struck with devastating force. General Sullivan was captured. Nevertheless, the Americans fought heroically, and later reports indicated that the British sustained much higher casualties than they reported. General Sullivan, on 30 August, brought messages from British General Howe to Congress to General Washington, but Washington refused them. However, he permitted Sullivan to deliver proposals for reconciliation to Congress. On 4 September, General Sullivan was exchanged for British General Richard Prescott, and two days later, Congress appointed John Adams, Benjamin Franklin and Edward Rutledge as a committee of three to meet with Howe. Nonetheless, the meeting produced nothing positive. Later, on 13 December, the British captured General Charles Lee at Baskingridge, New Jersey, while he was slowly advancing to reinforce General Washington. General Sullivan assumed command in place of Lee, and on 13 December, he marched toward Pennsylvania to hook up with Washington. The force arrived

429 in time to participate in the Battle of Trenton, which erupted on the 26th and ended with a significant victory for the Americans. In addition, the previously feared Hessian troops were vanquished, bringing about unexpected consequences as the Americans lost their fear of the Hessian bayonets. The Americans had crossed the Delaware on Christmas night. Early the next morning, with total surprise they overwhelmed the Hessian defenders. The commander, General Rall, had been mortally wounded. Generals Washington and Sullivan visited with him just before he succumbed. The Americans followed their victory with an aggressive move against the British that ignited the Battle of Princeton on 3 January 1777. Again Sullivan’s command participated. British General Cornwallis’ main army had been on the move to attack Washington, but the Americans had lit campfires and then abandoned their positions during the night of the 2nd–3rd. The three British regiments at Princeton were unable to hold. Sullivan surged from the east and while a battle raged, Sullivan’s columns attacked the British rear and shredded the British 17th Regiment, then plowed into Princeton. The British remnants formed a defense at Nassau Hall, but they surrendered without incident. General Washington’s victory was a morale booster, but in the process of pushing Cornwallis back toward Brunswick, General Mercer was fatally wounded. The following summer, a major confrontation erupted between Congress and several officers, including Nathaniel Greene, Henry Knox and John Sullivan due to Congress promoting a recently arrived French officer (Count du Coudray). Sullivan threatened resignation over the matter, which would have placed the Frenchman in command of artillery. On 3 July 1777, Congress in response, resolved “that the president inform General Sullivan that Congress have not been accustomed to be controlled by their officers in the measures which they are about to take in discharge of the important trust committed to them by the United States; that they mean not to be controlled by his letter in their proceedings respecting Monsr du Coudray; for that whatever those proceedings may be, General Sullivan’s resignation will be accepted by Congress whenever he shall think it proper to transmit it to them.” Meanwhile, Sullivan continued to command in the field. The matter was resolved when Count du Coudray drowned in September. Nonetheless, Sullivan had made some new enemies at Congress. On 21 August, forces attached to Sullivan and General Alexander (Lord Stirling) raided British positions on Staten Island at Decker’s Ferry; however, the attack was repelled and the Americans sustained heavy casualties. On 26 August in Congress, a motion to direct General Sullivan to move to Trenton was defeated. During September that year, Sullivan’s division participated at the Battle of Brandywine (9-11 September), and during the British push, Sullivan’s force was compelled to pull back after the British forded the creek at an unguarded point. A later inquiry into the actions of Sullivan exonerated him. General Lafayette was wounded at the battle. On 14 September Congress resolved: “that General Sullivan be recalled from the army, until the enquiry, heretofore ordered into his conduct, shall be duly made.” Two days later, on the 16th, Congress resolved “that the execution of the resolution of Congress, for the recall of General Sullivan from the army in the present critical situation of affairs, be left to the discretion of General Washington until further orders.” Congress on the 17th, while preparing to evacuate Philadelphia, and aware of the accidental death by drowning of Monsieur du Coudray (“colonel brigadier in the service of his most Christian Majesty, the king of France, and commander in chief of the artillery in the French colonies of America, gallantly offered to join the American army as a volunteer, but, in his way thither, was most unfortunately drowned in attempting to pass the Schuylkill”), resolved “that the corpse of the said Mons. du Coudray be interred at the expence of the United States, and with the honors of war; and that the town major carry this order into execution.” Meanwhile, with the British in control of Philadelphia, Washington’s

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forces prepared to launch an attack. On 4 October 1777, at the crack of dawn, five separate columns advanced to strike with surprise to catch the British at Germantown off-balance; however, General Greene’s column was late. During the confusion, caused in part by fog, American troops mistakenly fired upon General Sullivan’s column, causing disarray and compelling the Americans to retire and abort the attack. Although the British won the day, the Americans gained momentum and confidence. The Battle of Germantown (present-day Philadelphia), linked with the American victories in New York at Saratoga, were the beginning of an American surge. Although the British retained Philadelphia, they were not in total control of the Delaware River, and without domination of that artery, the hold on the city was not guaranteed. General Francis Nash was killed during the assault, as was British General James Agnew. On 20 October, a report on the inquiry regarding General Sullivan’s raid on Staten Island was considered by Congress. Afterward, it resolved “that the result of the court of enquiry into the expedition of Staten Island, so honourable to the character of General Sullivan, is highly pleasing to Congress, and that the opinion of the said court be published in justification of the injured character of that officer.” During June of 1778, General Sullivan, in command in Rhode Island, informed Congress of the British attack against Tiverton. Subsequent to the resignation of General Joseph Spencer during the previous January, General Washington appointed Sullivan in his place as commander of the state. During July a French fleet arrived off New England and the Americans moved to attack British-held Newport. On 9 August, a British fleet arrived to confront the French armada. The French were unable to liquidate the British ships, and following some maneuvering by both sides, a horrific storm approached, canceling the duel and inflicting damage to both fleets. On 29 August, the French fleet returned to Rhode Island, but the enthusiasm of the Americans was short-lived, as Count D’Estaing claimed he had to obey orders and return to Boston, leaving the ground troops without protection. By the latter part of August the Americans were compelled to abandon the operation and break for the mainland. On the 26th, General Sullivan ended the siege. Two days later, Congress ordered that General Francis Steuben “repair to Rhode Island, and give his advice and assistance to General Sullivan, and the army under his command.” Congress resolved “that General Washington take every measure in his power that the protest of the officers of General Sullivan’s army against the departure of Count D’Estaing be not made public.” On the 29th, the British attacked the retiring forces of Sullivan at Quaker Hill, but the British were repelled and the evacuation to the mainland succeeded. By the following day, all forces had made it to the mainland, and apparently just in time, reinforcements under General Henry Clinton arrived at Newport to bolster General Pigot. On 9 September, Congress passed a series resolutions with regard to the action of Sullivan and his command, including “that the retreat made by Major General Sullivan, with the troops under his command, from Rhode Island, was prudent, timely, and well conducted, and that Congress highly approve of the same.” And “Resolved, That the thanks of Congress be given to Major General Sullivan, and to the officers and troops under his command, for their fortitude and bravery, displayed in the action of the 29th August in which they repulsed the British forces and maintained the field.” During the following month, Sullivan authorized Captain Silas Talbot to launch a raid to seize the British schooner Pigot, which was blocking passage on the Seconset River. The raid succeeded, and for his efforts Talbot was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel, Army of the United States. During the following spring (1779), General Sullivan arrived in Eston, Pennsylvania, and established Fort Sullivan at Athens. From there Sullivan initiated his campaign (Sullivan Expedition) against the Iroquois (Six Nations). General Sullivan received command of the

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operation after General Gates refused the task, claiming he was too old to undertake a campaign in the wilderness. Gates removed to Rhode Island to replace Sullivan, but by November, Gates took a leave of absence and did not serve throughout the entire winter (1779–1780). On 11 August, in synchronization with a force at Fort Pitt under Colonel Brodhead (Allegheny Expedition), the campaigns opened. By the time of their respective terminations — Brodhead on 14 September and Sullivan on 14 October — the Indians that had been ravaging the settlers found their strongholds and villages destroyed, along with their crops, guaranteeing them a difficult winter (1779–1780) and ending their major raids in the region. During the expeditions, Sullivan’s force devastated the Indian stronghold at Newton, New York (Battle of Chemung), on 29 August, and on 7 September 1779, the army scored another success at Kanadaseagea, the Seneca capital, which was abandoned upon the approach of Sullivan. Nevertheless, the village was destroyed. On the 12th, an advance party of just under 30 men came upon an unoccupied village on the east bank of the Genesee River, but no runner was sent back to inform the main body. The ambush was then sprung and some fought their way out, but 18 men were killed and two seized. The Indians thought that they had entrapped the main body, but it was only a reconnaissance party. The two captives, Lt. Thomas Boyd and Sergeant Michael Parker, were brutally tortured. When their bodies were discovered at an oak tree, remembered afterward as the “Torture Tree,” the scene was gruesome. They had no clothes and were tied to the tree, then lashed unmercifully, but a more distressing sight was upon the troops. The eyes of both men had been gouged out and left dangling, and they were alive when they lost their tongues, nails, noses and one ear each. Afterward, both had their hearts cut out and in a final act of barbarism, both were decapitated. Sullivan and the main body arrived on the 14th, but many of the warriors fled. Those who remained were devastated, and in the process, Sullivan ordered the village, Little Beardstown, destroyed. Meanwhile, other units under Sullivan had destroyed villages along Lake Cayuga and the Tioga River. In Philadelphia on 14 October 1779, Congress passed a resolution congratulating General Washington and General Sullivan on the success of the campaign against the Indians who had been incited by the British. On that same day, Sullivan’s force arrived back at Easton; however, all prisoners captured during the operation were taken to Albany. During the following month, on the 14th, Congress rejected General Sullivan’s request to resign, but he was given a leave of absence to improve his health. Nonetheless, on 30 November, Congress, after considering yet another letter, dated 9 November 1779, from General Sullivan, resolved to accept his resignation. General Sullivan reinitiated his law practice. He also was returned to Congress (1780–1781). During that time, he was faced with a personal problem. His finances had been drained since the start of the war, and his brother, in poor health aboard a British prison-ship off New York, delivered him a peace proposal from the British. Sullivan in turn shared the information with French minister Luzerne and Luzerne during that time made a loan to Sullivan. Charges were afterward brought by the minister against Sullivan for taking a bribe. The allegations were frivolous and Sullivan was exonerated of any wrongdoing. Some nineteenth century historians carried the charges without noting Sullivan’s innocence, prompting the New Hampshire Historical Society to investigate the affair. The committee’s “Report on General Sullivan” also found Sullivan innocent. During 1782, Sullivan became a member of the New Hampshire legislature; that year he served as attorney general and held the post until 1786. Meanwhile, during 1785, he was elected speaker of the House. Following his service as attorney general, Sullivan was elected president (governor) of New Hampshire. During his first year in office, riots erupted in opposition to the issuance of paper currency, but they were

terminated. He was re-elected in 1787. Sullivan was made chairman of the state constitutional convention in which the U.S. Constitution was ratified on 21 June 1788 to make New Hampshire the ninth state in the union; he again served as speaker of the house that year. During 1789, Sullivan was again re-elected as governor. During September 1789, General Sullivan, under the government of the Constitution, was appointed by President George Washington as a judge of the District Court of New Hampshire, a position he retained until his death on 23 January 1795. General Sullivan had received a master of arts degree from Harvard, and from Dartmouth, he received a doctor of laws. General Sullivan’s father, who lived beyond one hundred years, survived his son by a few months. An obituary at the time in The Oracle of the Day listed the elder John’s age as 105; however, a headstone at his grave site in Durham gives his age as 104 and his year of death as 1796, but there is no documentation on the date, leaving it to tradition. General Sullivan was interred on his estate in Durham. His wife died on 21 March 1820. General Sullivan was described as “if not tall, General S. Was a person of commanding presence, with dark eyes of remarkable brilliancy and a fine voice....” It was noted that General Sullivan was “ordinarily mild and tranquil, and as far removed from petalance as a man could be; but when irritated he was stormy and violent.” Although there is general agreement on General Sullivan’s date of birth (17 February 1740), some nineteenth century biographies place his birth in Berwick, Maine; however, according to New Hampshire records, he was born in Somersworth, prior to the family moving to Berwick.

Sumner, Brigadier General Jethro Jethro Sumner, the son of Jethro and Margaret Sullivan Sumner, was born on the family plantation known as the Manor during 1733. The plantation was about one mile outside Suffolk, Virginia. Jethro’s paternal grandfather, William Sumner, arrived in Virginia from England about 1695. Jethro’s family was affluent, and after the death of Jethro’s father, the family continued to do well. In 1758, armed with a letter of introduction from Governor Robert Dinwiddie, Jethro traveled to the western part of Virginia and gave the letter to Colonel George Washington. Washington afterward appointed Jethro as a lieutenant in the regiment of Colonel William Byrd, and he participated in the expedition led by General Joseph Forbes against Fort Duquesne. Forbes procrastinated during the campaign by taking a circuitous route. His second in command dispatched a force under Major Grant ahead, but he was badly defeated. Nevertheless, the Virginians under Washington, including Jethro Sumner, arrived at Fort Pitt on 25 November 1758 and occupied it after the French abandoned it. The seizure of Fort Duquesne (afterward Fort Pitt) terminated the threat against the region and gave the English domination of the Ohio River. Sumner, on 8 May 1760, was sent along with Sergeant Nash to Fort Cumberland, and once there Sumner was to assume responsibility as paymaster. On 9 August, Indians massacred the garrison of Fort Loudoun (Tennessee) after the fort was abandoned and the troops and their families were en route back to South Carolina. Subsequent to the massacre, Sumner participated in expeditions into the Cherokee territory. Later, he spent time at Fort Bedford in Pennsylvania, pursuant to orders from Colonel Henry Bouquet issued on 26 November 1760. Sumner left the service during 1761, having served three years, while gaining experience in military strategy in the wilderness. He moved to North Carolina and established residence in the vicinity of the courthouse in Bute County (later carved into Wayne and Warren Counties), which was only recently established. Sumner established a tavern, and although he was the proprietor, he did not run the business. Jethro married about 1762, taking Mary Hurst, the daughter of William Hurst, as his wife. The couple had three children: Thomas Edward, McKinnie Hurst and Jacky Sullivan (later changed her name to Mary Sumner Blount, married Thomas Blount).

431 During August 1772, Sumner was appointed sheriff of the county by Governor Josiah Martin. He also joined the militia. At the August 1775 meeting of the Provincial Congress at Hillsborough, the state was divided into five separate military districts with one colonel for each district. Nicholas Long was elected colonel of the Halifax district, composed of Halifax, Edgecombe, Northampton and Granville Counties. The lieutenant colonel selected was Henry Irwin, while Jethro Sumner became major. That month, the Congress approved raising two battalions for the Continental Army and six companies of Minute Men. Sumner was appointed major of one of the Minute Men companies. The war had already been ignited in the north at Lexington and Concord, followed by Bunker Hill during April and June 1775, respectively, but the brush fires of freedom were spreading rapidly. During November 1775, the royal governor moved to quell the rebels by seizing Norfolk. However, the Virginians reacted and got additional support from North Carolina. Colonel (later general) Robert Howe moved north with his command and afterward, during November, the Committee of Safety ordered Colonel Nicholas Long (commander of the battalion) and Major Sumner to raise a force of Minute Men and other volunteers and move expeditiously to Virginia. In April 1776, North Carolina’s provincial government authorized four additional regiments for the Continental Army. Sumner was appointed colonel of the first of the new regiments, the 3rd Continental Regiment. At the same time, William Alston was appointed lieutenant colonel and Samuel Lockhart was appointed major. The regiment participated in the defense of Charleston during the latter part of June 1776, when a British fleet under Commodore Peter Parker sailed into Charleston Harbor. Following that encounter, Charleston was spared enemy activity for several years. Sumner’s regiment moved to Savannah. During September 1776, while the regiment was in Savannah, Colonel Sumner returned to North Carolina to procure supplies for the regiment, which was in bad shape. Later, North Carolina decided the units needed to be modified. The regiments were formed into a brigade. During March 1777, the brigade, commanded by General Francis Nash, moved north to join General George Washington in New Jersey. En route, the North Carolinians paused at several places, including Alexandria, Virginia, where the troops were given inoculations against smallpox. Upon arrival, the North Carolinians were attached to General Lord Stirling’s division. The brigade participated in the defense of Philadelphia at the Battle of Brandywine on September 9-11. Then on 4 October 1777, it fought at the Battle of Germantown, where it greatly contributed, but sustained heavy casualties, including General Nash, who was killed. After the contest at Germantown, the British pursued only for a short while, then returned to Philadelphia, while General Washington led the Continental Army to Valley Forge and established winter quarters. When the British abandoned Philadelphia on 18 June 1778, Washington sent troops to reoccupy Philadelphia while simultaneously initiating pursuit of General Howe in an attempt to intercept him in New Jersey before the British could reach New York. The North Carolina brigade had lost a large number of its troops since coming north. Consequently, during the month prior to breaking camp at Valley Forge, the brigade was reduced to three regiments: the 6th (formerly Colonel Lillington’s) into the 1st (formerly Colonel James Moore’s) under Colonel Elijah Clark; the 4th (formerly Colonel Thomas Polk’s) into the 2nd (formerly Colonel Robert Howe’s) under Colonel John Patton; and 5th (formerly Colonel Edward Buncombe’s, slain at Germantown) into the 3rd (formerly Colonel Sumner’s) under Colonel Jethro Sumner. The brigade commanded by Brigadier General Hogan participated in the Battle of Monmouth on 28 June 1778. Sumner was promoted by Congress to the rank of brigadier general on 9 January 1779; with the promotion, he was terminating his service in the North. Reinforcements for the South were ordered by Wash-

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ington the previous November, and they included General Sumner’s brigade, which by that time had been reduced to about 700 men. The brigade was charged with supporting the defenses of Georgia and South Carolina. At that time, General Benjamin Lincoln had succeeded General Robert Howe, who was vanquished by the British at Savannah in December. On 9 June 1779, Sumner’s brigade participated in the tenacious battle of Stono River in South Carolina when the forces of Lincoln attacked General Prevost. Sumner’s command played a key part in the battle. The Americans began to gain the edge as General William Moultrie penetrated James Island, but before Moultrie could strike a fatal blow, General Lincoln ordered a retreat. Both sides took heavy casualties and the contest ended without a victor. After the battle, General Moultrie, who avoided sickness during the dreary encampment in the frigid winter at Valley Forge, had been suffering from malaria since about July. He was compelled to seek leave and return to North Carolina to recuperate. Upon his return, General Sumner also concentrated on recruiting to refill the ranks of his regiment. He returned to South Carolina during November, but after a while, General Sumner was ordered back to North Carolina to raise four new regiments. That duty turned out well for Sumner, because he was far from Charleston when General Lincoln capitulated on 12 May 1780. The North Carolina brigade was among the captives when the city fell. The loss of Lincoln’s entire army, except for a few scattered contingents, sent shockwaves through the colonies. In North Carolina, some panic ensued. Governor Abner Nash (General Francis Nash’s brother) convened a war council. Richard Caswell, whom Nash succeeded, was appointed major general of the state’s militia. At the same time, General Sumner was engaged in raising men for the Continental Army. Congress made General Horatio Gates commander of the Southern Department in place of General Lincoln, who was seized at Charleston. To further bolster the southern forces, General Johann de Kalb was ordered south with a Maryland brigade led by General William Smallwood and another brigade, Virginians under General Edward Stevens. De Kalb moved to Deep River, while the militia under Richard Caswell moved to Cheraw. General Gates arrived on 25 July and met with de Kalb, then a hook up was made with the militia. On 16 August, the British overwhelmed Gates at Camden, but he was not there for the finish. Gates fled for Hillsborough, while de Kalb and the remaining force attempted to forestall disaster. De Kalb was mortally wounded. General Caswell also fled; however, due to Caswell’s negative attitude toward Sumner, the latter was not at Camden. The Americans retreated toward Hillsborough. General Gates was soon replaced by General Nathanael Greene, the latter having much more appreciation of the southern militia, which Gates ignored. The defeat and the fact that Gates and Caswell fled to Hillsborough prompted Governor Nash to form a new brigade of about 1,200 troops and place the unit under General Sumner at Charlotte, North Carolina. Sumner’s militia was joined in October by a brigade under General John Butler and another from Halifax under General William Jones. General William Smallwood arrived at General Sumner’s camp, and pursuant to orders from General Caswell, Smallwood took command of the militia, pushing Sumner out once again. Nonetheless, Sumner continued with forming the Continental regiment. By that time, British General Charles Cornwallis had sustained a defeat at King’s Mountain and was compelled to return to South Carolina. Soon after, on 2 December 1780, General Greene arrived and assumed command. Greene, without delay, ordered Sumner to reorganize the Continental troops. By February 1781, Cornwallis again was in North Carolina to pursue General Daniel Morgan, who scored a stunning victory over the British at Cowpens, South Carolina, on 17 January 1781. General Caswell was not anxious to use the Continental troops to good advantage, most probably due to some type of personal problem he had with

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General Sumner. General Greene wrote a personal letter to Governor Nash, requesting Sumner to command the North Carolina troops ordered to reinforce Greene, but Caswell ignored the request. Nevertheless, Sumner focused on forming Continental units and working tirelessly, but in vain, to procure arms until July 1781, when he was ordered to reinforce General Greene in South Carolina. Governor Nash finally decided to request Sumner’s force to subdue the Loyalists that could not be controlled by the militia; however, Sumner explained his orders from Greene, offered his regrets and marched off to South Carolina on 14 July. Sumner’s column, a light brigade composed of about 1,000 troops divided into three battalions, commanded by Colonels John Baptiste Ashe, John Armstrong and Reading Blount, arrived during the latter part of August 1781, just prior to the Battle of Eutaw Springs. The fighting was ferocious and the militia was severely pounded. Nevertheless, the militia from North Carolina, which had tarnished its image at Guilford Court House, eradicated the past action by its superlative conduct on the field at Eutaw Springs. When finally forced to retreat, to their jubilation, they immediately saw the brigade of General Sumner, who bellowed: “Forward!” The regiments of Ashe, Armstrong and Blount plowed into the hole created by the retreat of the militia, then badgered the British, who were soon forced to retire from the field. Although it was not an American victory, the forces under Greene held the line and the British were compelled to retire to Charleston. The Red Coats’ offensives had been terminated in what became the final battle in South Carolina. At the outset of the battle, Sumner’s command was ordered to use their bayonets only. The effort was successful, but the resistance was so stiff that the troops had to also revert to their muskets. Word of Lord Charles Cornwallis’ surrender reached camp on 9 November. Afterward, General Sumner returned to North Carolina and continued recruiting and forwarding troops to General Greene. He retired from the army on 3 November 1783. General Jethro Sumner succumbed on 18 March 1785, three days after making out his last will and testament. He was interred near the Bute Court House and the Shocco Chapel. General Sumner’s sword was later given to the Tennessee Historical Society. His tombstone contained an inscription: “To the memory of GENERAL JETHRO SUMNER, one of the heroes of ’76.” His wife had predeceased him at about the time he retired from the army, but the exact time of her death is unknown. His estate was left to his three children. At the time of his death, General Sumner had large land holdings amounting to more than 22,000 acres in Tennessee, and some ground in Halifax, Louisburg, and Smithfield in Virginia. He also owned two plantations in Warren County, North Carolina, one he called the Bute Court House plantation and the other known as his manor plantation. Subsequently, General Sumner was re-interred at Guilford Court House (National Military Park) in Greensboro, North Carolina. General Sumner did not join with General Greene until after the Battle of Guilford Court House, but he is considered as one of North Carolina’s favorite sons. Also, General Sumner after retiring from the army, became the president of the North Carolina chapter of the Society of the Cincinnati. He presided at the meeting in Hillsborough on 13 April 1784.

Sumter, Brigadier General Thomas Thomas Sumter, the son of William and Patience Sumter, was born in Hanover County, Virginia, on 14 August 1734, according to a leaf from the family Bible in possession of the family. William, a native of Wales, had moved to England prior to departing for America. Patience was a Virginian. Information regarding Thomas’ youth is scarce; however, it is known that his father died while Thomas was young and that Thomas had an older brother, William, who was born during October 1731. Some nineteenth century sources list Thomas as having

served in the military during 1755 and participated in the expedition during 1755 in which General Edward Braddock was killed while attempting to seize French-held Fort Duquesne in western Pennsylvania, but no documentation verifies it. Contrasting evidence was presented by William Martin, son of General Joseph Martin, who recorded that his father and Thomas Sumter joined the military together during 1756. Following the close of the French and Indian War, during 1762, Thomas Sumter sailed for England and served in some way with escorting several Cherokee Indian chiefs to London in an attempt to showcase the power of the British and deter the Cherokee from waging war against British settlements in the colonies. Sumter returned to Virginia that year and was jailed as a debtor, but apparently, his escape came about through some help from his friend Joseph Martin (later brigadier general), which gave Sumter the opportunity to relocate. After moving to South Carolina, he established a store in Craven County, and on several occasions he mortgaged slaves to obtain loans. In 1766, Sumter acquired about two hundred acres along the south bank of the Santee River in Orangeburg County from Aquila Miles. A deed shows that he and his wife, Mary Jameson, sold the tract in 1771 to Samuel Du Bois. The exact date of the marriage of Thomas and Mary Cantey Jameson is not certain. Mary was also the daughter of Joseph Cantey. Sumter, having married a wealthy widow, expanded his enterprises. By 1774, in addition to having become a prosperous merchant, his plantation was flourishing. Thomas and Mary had nine children, but only their son, Thomas, Jr., reached adulthood. Mary also suffered from a childhood disease that left her crippled. That June, more than 100 men attended a meeting in Charleston to discuss joining with the other colonies in resisting the policies of the Crown, but it is not known whether Sumter was in attendance. During November 1774, a general meeting was called, scheduled to convene during January 1775. The meeting, known as the First Provincial Congress, met on 11 January. Sumter was elected as one of ten representatives from the region east of the Wateree River. Other representatives included William Henry Drayton, Henry Laurens, Francis Marion, William Moultrie, Richard Richardson and John Rutledge. The congress adjourned on 17 January 1775, but upon news of the clashes at Lexington and Concord during April, a new congress was called and scheduled to convene on 1 June 1775. The distressing news from Boston, under siege by the British, accelerated the congress’ actions. It was decided to establish three regiments to defend the colony: two composed of infantry, while the third was to be composed of mounted rangers. Sumter was not one of the men elected as an officer. Later, during August, Colonel Richard Richardson was sought out for a recommendation regarding Thomas Sumter, and he highly supported him; but the council was wary because Sumter was at least an acquaintance of a man named Kirkland who had been exposed as a Loyalist and dismissed. Nevertheless, Sumter was again passed over. However, he was in the service by September and at Fort Johnson. On 15 September, Drayton, chairman of the Congress, ordered Sumter to fire upon any British ship attempting to pass the fort. Meanwhile, during August, Sumter was again elected as a delegate of the Provincial Congress, which was to convene during November 1775. At that time, it was decided to raise yet another contingent, an artillery regiment. Sumter was appointed captain in Colonel William Thompson’s ranger regiment. That same month, while Major Andrew Williamson’s garrison at Ninety Six was under attack by Loyalists, Colonel Richard Richardson led a relief force to lift the siege. The column simultaneously initiated what became known as the Snow Campaign, which terminated with the Loyalists scattering. Richardson quashed the insurrection. During the campaign, Captain Sumter was appointed as adjutant-general by Richardson. During February, 1776, the 2nd Provincial Congress convened and authorized two additional regiments. Thomas Sumter was

433 attached to the second (6th) as lieutenant colonel. The assembly established a government for South Carolina and scheduled October 1776 as the time to reconvene. The British attempted to attack Charleston during June of 1776, but the fleet was repelled by the defenders on Sullivan’s Island under Colonel William Moultrie. Colonel Sumter’s regiment was not engaged in that action. The exact date that Sumter was promoted to colonel is unknown, but during June–July of 1776, pursuant to direction from the Continental Congress, South Carolina transferred its six state regiments into federal service and the officers retained their rank upon entering the Continental Army. During 1777, intelligence was gained that informed the Patriots of a pending invasion of Georgia by the British. At the time, General Robert Howe commanded the South Carolina troops. Howe led a force to Savannah and reinforcements, including Sumter’s regiment, arrived to bolster the original contingent. Sumter was in Savannah from about March until June 1777. In December 1777, Colonel Sumter was in Charleston and participated in a council of war. Although Sumter was reportedly in or near Charleston until April 1778, there is no further mention of him being involved in any additional military activity until after the fall of Charleston in May 1780. A list of the officers who served in the Continental service was published under the direction of the South Carolina legislature during 1886 and states Colonel Sumter resigned on 23 September 1778. Nevertheless, even that record is inconsistent, and it lists Sumter as a lieutenant colonel at the time of his resignation. Other sources link Sumter’s termination of service to the year 1777, in conjunction with the loss of all of his children except one son. And yet, Lt. Colonel William Henderson remained at that rank until at least March 1779, so the exact date Sumter left the Continental service remains unclear. During February 1780, Congress resolved to eliminate some of South Carolina’s five infantry regiments (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 6th), taking them down to three, with Colonel Pinckney commanding the 1st, Lt. Colonel Francis Marion, the 2nd, and Colonel Thomson the 3rd Regiment. On 28 May, Sumter departed his estate and headed for Salisbury, North Carolina, to rejoin the Patriot forces there. It was a timely departure. On that same day, Lt. Colonel Banastre Tarleton dispatched a contingent to arrest Sumter. The Redcoats arrived, and when they failed to find their target, the troops burned Sumter’s home down. On 15 June 1780, at Salisbury, the Patriot leaders there who were not caught in the net at Charleston convened a meeting and selected Colonel Richard Winn as president (Governor John Rutledge fled Charleston with Colonel Abraham Buford). At the convention, Sumter was elected as the commander-in-chief of the South Carolina militia, with the rank of brigadier general. Colonel Winn presented Sumter with his commission. At the time, there was no actual government in South Carolina due to the British seizure of Charleston on 12 May. Shortly thereafter, a British Loyalist force was searching for several particular Patriots, including Captain John McClure, but without success. The contingent, led by a Philadelphia lawyer, Captain Thomas Sumter (Pictorial Field Book Christian Huck, also missed of the Revolution, Benson J. Lossing, capturing William Bratton, but the Redcoats remained 1860)

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undaunted. Huck established camp at Williamson’s Plantation and compelled Mrs. Martha Bratton to cook him dinner. Meanwhile, word of Huck’s activity and information that he was holding captives, including members of the McClure family, reached General Sumter. While Huck prepared to grab Bratton on the following day, Sumter’s force was on a midnight ride en route to spoil Huck’s breakfast. Slightly before dawn on 12 July, the Patriots lunged upon the British positions, catching the enemy by complete surprise. Huck’s force was devastated and he was killed during the short melee. The British sustained high casualties and some were captured; several were later hanged. British afteraction repots indicated that twenty-four British troops escaped. On 1 August 1780, Sumter’s force attacked the British stronghold at Rocky Mount in coordination with a diversionary attack against another post at Hanging Rock. At Rocky Mount, Sumter was unable to reduce the defenses, so he reverted to burning the British huts, but again he was foiled, as a torrential rain struck and extinguished the fires. Each side sustained about twelve casualties. On 5 August, General Sumter moved from Land’s Ford toward Hanging Rock and arrived there about midnight (5th–6th) without detection. The British, about 500 strong, were struck by a two-pronged attack that reduced the flank and opened a huge hole in the line that turned the battle into a rout. British reinforcements arrived, but the fresh Redcoats did not impede the Patriots. The British line again faltered; however, one unit managed to enter the woods and emerge undetected by the Americans, but the enemy rangers failed to force a retreat. The Americans regrouped at more tenable positions and reinitiated their whirlwind of fire. The British officer corps was decimated, and many of the rangers who attacked were liquidated. The Patriots sustained some self-inflicted grief when some of the troops concentrated on booty from the British rather than the remaining enemy troops, who were preparing to launch a counterattack. Major Richardson Davie saved the day by launching a series of charges that halted the British plans to counterattack. Sumter’s forces at the time were cooperating with Continental Army forces under General Horatio Gates. On 15 August, General Sumter dispatched Colonel Thomas Taylor to intercept a British convoy en route from Charleston to join with General Lord Charles Cornwallis in the vicinity of Camden. Taylor seized Fort Carey, and at the time he was informed of the exact location of the wagons. Soon the train of about fifty wagons was seized. Sumter afterward learned that British General Charles Cornwallis sent a contingent to recapture the train. On the 18th, Lt. Colonel Tarleton stunned Sumter at Fishing Creek and caught the Americans off guard with their arms stacked. General Sumter, asleep under a wagon when the British struck, was one of only a few Patriots who escaped the wrath of Tarleton. The British captured nearly the entire force of about 600 troops and seized Sumter’s artillery, arms and baggage. General Sumter evaded capture and made it to Major William Richardson Davie’s camp, arriving there alone on a horse without either a saddle or a bridle. From there, Sumter made it to Charleston. Major Davie, aware of the defeat of General Horatio Gates at Camden, sent a rider to warn Sumter, but while Sumter retreated along the Catawba, the column lowered its guard. Sumter’s force had been the only active army in the Department of the South after the loss of Gates’ force. Nevertheless, some guerrillas under Colonel Francis Marion, the forces under Colonel William Richardson Davie, and others continued to operate. The British encamped on Sumter’s destroyed plantation. On 20 August 1780, Marion, the Swamp Fox, swarmed upon them, and in quick time, the British were vanquished, but more importantly, Marion, in addition to seizing 22 Redcoats, also rescued about 150 Marylanders who had been captured at Camden. On 30 September, trouble broke out among officers when Colonel James Williams arrived at Sumter’s camp at the Catawba carrying a brigadier’s commission issued by exiled Governor John Rutledge. Williams was rejected by the troops,

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who refused to accept him as a commander over Sumter. Governor Rutledge modified his order on 6 October 1780, naming Sumter brigadier general and commander of all South Carolina troops. On the following day, the Patriots scored a decisive victory at Kings Mountain, but General Sumter did not participate. He had been in Hillsborough, North Carolina, working out the rank problem, but his force did arrive in time to harass Cornwallis’ forces that were in retreat following the loss at Kings Mountain. Sumter, having been a nemesis of Cornwallis, became a target. Cornwallis, informed of Sumter’s positions by traitors, dispatched a contingent with orders to liquidate the camp. Once again, the British were confident as they appeared to reach the encampment. A signal was given and the British, with fixed bayonets, lunged into the camp guided by the campfires and began to plunge their bayonets into empty blankets. Sumter’s men were concealed nearby anticipating the attack. Suddenly, the British were under attack. The British retired and both sides sustained only slight casualties. During the opening moments of the contest, the British attempted to snatch Sumter from his tent, but he was not in it. Nevertheless, General Sumter was twice wounded. The British tried to eliminate General Sumter again later. An attack was launched against Sumter’s positions near Ninety Six, but he regrouped at more formidable positions at Blackstock’s Plantation. A heated battle ensued and initially the British, with their fixed bayonets, caused panic in the ranks, prompting about 500 men to retreat. Tarleton pressed forward, but Sumter was not rattled and Tarleton was unaware of riflemen holding concealed positions. The British were hit with relentless fire and finally Tarleton’s cavalry saw action, but not what Tarleton expected. A contingent of Patriots crept near the cavalry and attacked, causing pandemonium. The British cavalry regrouped for an attack, but that too was repulsed. Tarleton and Sumter both claimed victory; however, when Tarleton retired, his force had sustained more than fifty fatalities, while Sumter’s command suffered fewer than ten casualties, including three fatalities. During the heated contest, General Sumter sustained a severe wound in the shoulder. Afterward, Colonel Twiggs assumed command. Twiggs ordered the camp fires lit, but then he led the militia back to their base. Meanwhile, Tarleton prepared for a new attack on the following day. The attack was sprung, but to Tarleton’s surprise, there was no foe. During January 1781, while General Sumter continued to recuperate, Tarleton was in hot pursuit of General Daniel Morgan, who commanded part of General Nathanael Greene’s army. Urgent requests were sent to General Sumter by Morgan for reinforcements, but Sumter ignored them. Despite his outnumbered force, Morgan chose to fight at his positions near Cowpens rather than retreat. On 17 January, Morgan’s force, including regulars and militia, thrashed Tarleton. The British sustained about 100 killed and about 229 wounded. Morgan’s command sustained twelve killed and sixty wounded. On 19 February 1781, forces under General Sumter seized Fort Granby outside of Columbia, South Carolina, and then moved against a British-held plantation (Thompson’s) on 23 February, but the British held the post. Soon General Sumter’s positions at Manigault’s Ferry came under attack, but the Patriots were forewarned and instead the British got bushwhacked. Reinforcements arrived, prompting Sumter to retire, but the river had swollen too much to allow fording. Nevertheless, General Sumter loaded the confiscated supplies on captured boats and got the items safely across the Santee. The boats, however, landed within range of the guns of Fort Watson, compelling the Patriots to abandon their prizes to evade capture. On the 27th, a contingent under General Sumter attacked Fort Watson, but the British repulsed the assault. On 8 March the British again surprised General Sumter’s force at Ratcliff ’s Bridge (Lee County) as it moved toward Waxhaws. General Sumter again avoided capture by escaping across the bridge. On 11 May 1781, his forces captured the British garrison at Orangeburg. The quest to oust the British continued.

On 13 June 1781, Colonel Henry Lee and Generals Sumter and Marion endeavored to harass the British in the vicinity of Monk’s Corner and Dorchester to keep Lord Rawdon off guard. General Sumter, on 13 June, engaged a British force at Biggin’s Church, but the British were able to retire, with their rear guard forcing the pursuit to end. Several days later, on 17 July, a combined force under Generals Marion and Sumter, along with the contingent under Colonel Lee, clashed with the British at Quimby Bridge in Berkeley County, but the Patriots were repelled. Skirmishing continued in South Carolina, but General Lord Charles Cornwallis surrendered his army at Yorktown during October 1781. The British did not abandon Charleston until December 1782. Meanwhile, General Sumter’s health began to fail. After the action at Quimby Bridge, he retired from military service, and when his health had been regained, the British were locked in Charleston. Consequently, he did not return to the field. General Sumter during the war became known as the “Gamecock.” After the United States ratified its Constitution, General Sumter, a solid Federalist, was elected to Congress and served from 1789 until 1793 and 1797 until 1801. In the latter year he became a U.S. Senator and remained in the Senate until 1809. Following his service in the legislature, during 1809, General Sumter was appointed as minister to Brazil, a post he held until 1811. General Thomas Sumter succumbed on 1 June 1832. He was the last living general officer who served during the Revolution. His death, despite his age, which was close to 98, was unexpected. General Sumter for nearly his entire life was healthy, and on the day prior to his demise, he completed a twenty-mile ride. General Sumter’s grave site is at the Church of the Holy Cross in Stateburg, and it is under the care of the management of Poinsett State Park General Sumter’s son, Thomas, served in the diplomatic service, including an appointment as minister to Spain.

Swartwout, Brigadier General Jacobus Jacobus Swartwout, the son of Jacobus and Gilles Newkirk Swartwout, was born in Dutchess County, New York, on 5 November 1734. Jacobus was a great-grandson of Roeloff Swartwout, who immigrated to America from Zwarter Woud (Black Wood) in the Netherlands (Friesland Province) and settled in Ulster County. Jacobus was the youngest of nine children. His parents had initially lived in the vicinity of Kingston, prior to relocating in Dutchess County. Their first three children were born and baptized in Kingston. At the time of his birth, Jacobus’ family had been engaged in a long-term boundary dispute with the Westfall family of New Jersey. The feud continued for many years with occasional periods of compromise and lapses when other developments prompted a suspension of the ongoing land dispute. One such event was the French and Indian War. During that conflict, Jacobus served as a captain of the militia. In March 1760, Jacobus married Aeltje (Aaltje), daughter of Isaac and Sarah Rapelje Brinckerhoff. Jacobus became a proponent of the Patriots’ cause, and when Duchess County organized its militia, Petrus Ten Broeck, the colonel of the 1st (also known as Rhinebeck or Northwest Regiment),was appointed as brigadier general. Jacobus was appointed colonel of the 2nd Regiment. His commission was issued on 17 March 1775. In the summer of 1776, Colonel Swartwout’s regiment was deployed at Fredericksburg, but during August it repaired to Peekskill, and afterward Kingsbridge. During October 1776, orders issued at headquarters, Harlem Heights, on 15 October directed two Connecticut regiments to cross “the new bridge” to hook up with Colonel Swartwout’s regiment to combine the forces to establish a guard for Washington’s flank. Swartwout’s regiment participated at the Battle of White Plains on 28 October. Duchess County formed two brigades of militia in 1780 and Colonel Jacobus was appointed brigadier general of one of the brigades on 8 March 1780. General Swartwout remained on active duty for the duration, but he did not participate in any major battles while he held

435 the rank of brigadier. A major clash occurred in New Jersey at Monmouth during June 1778, and after that the major fighting shifted to the Southern Department. After the war, General Swartwout founded Swartwoutville, but it was considered an area, not a town. General Swartwout remained in the service until 1794, and upon his resignation as brigadier general (Duchess County), he was replaced by Abraham Brinckerhoff. General Swartwout involved himself in local affairs and spent time in helping his church, often sending his entire work force to assist in building a new church, while supplying them with the materials required as well as covering the expenses of the labor. His efforts were a key part in completing the construction of the Dutch Church during 1795. General Jacobus Swartwout died on 23 January 1827.

Swift, Brigadier General Heman Heman Swift, the son of Jabez and Abigail Pope Swift, was born in Sandwich, Massachusetts, on 14 October 1733. In addition to Heman, Jabez and Abigail had the following children: Elisha (b. May 1731); Jabez (b. April 1736); Jireh (b. August 1738); Abigail (b. December 1740, married Peleg Chamberlain); Job (b. June 1743); Hannah (b. August 1745, married Doctor Bird); Bathsheba (b. July 1747, married Reuben Smith and afterward Doctor Ephraim Crocker); Seth (b. November 1749); and Patience (date of birth and death unknown). Heman first entered the military during the French and Indian War and served with the rank of a lieutenant. He was attached to the provincial troops that operated on the northern frontier. In 1760, Heman married Mary Skiff of Kent, Connecticut. They had the following children: Rufus (b. January 1761); Philo (b. November 1762); Elisha (b. August 1764); Jabez (b. September 1766); Heman (b. September 1768); unknown name (b. September 1768, date of death unknown); Denis (daughter, b. August 1770, married William Kellogg); Polly (b. April 1772, married Doctor John Calhoun); Rhoda (b. September 1774, married Miles Lewis); Ira (b. February 1778); and Erastus (b. January 1781). Heman Swift joined the army on 20 June 1776 and was appointed colonel of a state regiment the next month, a command he held until December that year. Colonel Swift served for a while under General Horatio Gates in New York at Ticonderoga. Later, on 1 January 1777, he was transferred to the 7th Connecticut Regiment (Continental Army, Connecticut Line). Colonel Swift remained in that command until 1 January 1781, when he transferred to the 2nd Connecticut Regiment. In the meantime, Colonel Swifts’ regiment participated in the defense of Philadelphia during 1777. At the Battle of Brandywine, he was involved in removing Lafayette from the field after he was wounded. Following the Battle of Germantown, during October 1777, General George Washington established winter quarters at Valley Forge. Colonel Swift endured the punishing winter of 1777–1778. During June 1778, the British abandoned Philadelphia and the Continental Army broke their encampment to give chase. The interception occurred at Monmouth, New Jersey, and the major confrontation occurred on 28 June. After the hard fought battle, Washington prepared to strike again on the following day; however, the British abandoned their positions under the cover of darkness and resumed their retreat toward New York. The Battle of Monmouth was the final major confrontation in the northern states. Colonel Swift was then attached to the Connecticut Light Infantry Battalion and served under Lafayette during 1780–1781, including the Virginia campaign and the siege of Yorktown, the latter having caused the demise of British General Charles Cornwallis’ army. Lord Cornwallis, trapped at Yorktown, unable to be rescued by sea due to the French fleet, surrendered in October 1781. Following the fighting at Yorktown, Colonel Swift retained command of the 2nd Connecticut Regiment. Trouble erupted the following year

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within the Connecticut Line and Colonel Swift was successful in quashing the mutiny. With regard to the mutiny, on 12 February 1782, Colonel Swift dispatched a message to General Samuel Safford, in which he requested supplies and provisions for a four-man escort charged with transporting some deserters to a separate location away from the regiment. The Connecticut Council approved the request. During June of 1783, Swift’s command of the 2nd Regiment had been terminated, but he was retained in the service and given command of the Consolidated Connecticut Regiment. That September, Colonel Swift was awarded the brevet rank of brigadier general by Congress In December he retired from the army, but he continued in public service. He served twelve continuous years in the State Council and was appointed as a judge of Litchfield County Court. General Swift died on 12 November 1814. He was interred at Cornwall in the Calhoun Cemetery. His wife, Mary, had succumbed during March 1788. After her death, General Swift remarried three times. His second wife was Eleanor Marvin Johnson. After her death in March 1790, he married Sarah Robinson Fay (Faye) of Bennington, Vermont. The later death of Sarah has been caught up in a centuries old tale about the “Curse of Dudleytown (Connecticut)” and the incessant tragedies that struck the town, which by some is called the “Haunted Town.” Sarah Swift was struck by lightning while she was resting on the porch of the family residence in Dudleytown during April 1804. She was instantly killed and the accident caused severe illness to her husband. General Swift was so shaken that he is known to have become “slightly demented.” Nonetheless, he apparently recovered. Subsequent to the death of his third wife, he married Hannah Hopson Pratt of Kent. With regard to Dudleytown, a section of Cornwall, it is now a ghost town, and the legends of ghosts and the curse continue, supposedly since the curse was made in England against the Dudley family when one of its members attempted to kill the king. Another of the countless stories related to the curse involved Mary Cheney of Dudleytown, who married Horace Greeley, the founder of the New York Tribune. Mary committed suicide during 1872, one week before Horace failed in his attempt to become president of the United States. Greeley attempted to oust President Ulysses Grant, but lost in a landslide. Nevertheless, it is not recommended that any tourist attempt to visit Dudleytown, now private property, because the Connecticut State Police will arrest anyone trying to enter or even park there.

Taylor, George (Signer of the Declaration of Independence) George Taylor was born in Northern Ireland about 1716, but there is no precise date, nor is there an abundance of personal information regarding his family, except that he apparently received a good education in Ireland and that he was the son of a clergyman. Nonetheless, it seems as if poverty prompted him to cross the Atlantic Ocean and seek his fame and fortune in the colonies, but first he would have to conclude his service as an indentured servant. The exact year that George immigrated is unknown, but it appears he arrived in America when he was about twenty years old. Having no fortune did not increase his chances of great success and prosperity; however, his perseverance surely became an asset. George toiled in an iron factory (Warwick Furnace) in Pennsylvania. The owner, Mr. Savage transformed him into a clerical employee, which provided George with an opportunity to become familiar with the entire operation from the menial tasks to the method of operation. He became the bookkeeper-manager of another of Savage’s enterprises, Coventry Forge, near Warwick Furnace. The iron works was originally founded by Thomas Rutter and handed down to his heirs. George worked for Samuel Savage, Jr., who was married to Ann Taylor Savage (daughter of Isaac and Martha Taylor). During 1742,

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Samuel Savage succumbed. Afterward, George Taylor oversaw the operations of the business. In addition, he married Samuel’s widow, Ann, who had six children during her marriage to Samuel Savage: Samuel III, Anna, Martha, Ruth, and Mary. Two additional children were born to Ann during her marriage to George Taylor. While Taylor continued running the business, he also participated with the militia by accepting a captain’s commission with the Chester County militia during 1747. During 1752, Samuel III succumbed. After his death, the other share holders in the business edged George Taylor out of Warwick Furnace. At that point, Taylor formed a partnership with Samuel Flower, and they entered into a new venture by leasing Durham Furnace in the northern sector of Bucks County, south of Easton, Pennsylvania. The Durham Furnace Company was owned by a Tory, Joseph Galloway. Taylor, after relocating in Bucks County, also became involved with nearby Northampton County. During 1761, he was appointed as justice of the peace in Bucks County, followed by a similar appointment in Northampton County during 1764, and at the latter he held the position until 1775. He was also elected to the colonial legislature in 1764 and remained in that capacity until 1770. The Taylors acquired a tract in the vicinity of Easton about 1763. Taylor’s wife died during 1768. All the while, the relations existing between the colonies and Britain continued to deteriorate. Taylor’s sentiments, although he was a moderate, weighed in with the Patriots. Although he retained the family property, Taylor, during the year of his wife’s death, built a home on a tract that he had acquired during 1767. It was about 15 miles outside of Easton. By about 1776, the property, which for some time had been leased as a farm, was sold. Although George never remarried after the death of his wife, Ann, he did have a relationship with his housekeeper, Naomi Smith, and from that relationship, five children were born. During 1774, the same year the Americans convened the First Continental Congress, Taylor was appointed to the Northampton Committee of Correspondence, and during the following year, he attended the Provincial Convention. Also in 1775, Taylor was appointed to the Committee of Safety and was made colonel of the militia for Bucks and Northampton counties. By the following year, 1776, Taylor unexpectedly became a member of Congress. Members of Congress from Pennsylvania who did not support independence, except John Dickinson, were replaced. Taylor was selected by Pennsylvania as a replacement and arrived to take his seat during July. The other replacements were George Ross, George Clymer, Doctor Benjamin Rush and James Smith. All signed the parchment document of the Declaration of Independence on 2 August. On 24 January 1777 while Congress was in Baltimore due to the British threat against Philadelphia, it appointed George Walton and George Taylor as a two-man committee with instruction for either or both to travel to the “back country” near the Susquehanna River to meet with the Indians. Congress appropriated $1,000 for the men to buy presents for the Indians. Their instructions directed them to explain to the Indians that “it is altogether improper for them to kindle a George Taylor (Biographical Sketches council fire at that place, as of the Signers of the Declaration of they have already done the Independence, Benson J. Lossing, 1854) same at Albany, where, by

their commissioners, they hold their councils, and communicate every matter of importance to their good friends the Six Nations, and their allies, of which these tribes are a part ... and they are, at the same time, to signify to the said Indians, that this Congress have an entire confidence, that the same peaceable and friendly conduct will be observed by them, which they have hitherto regarded.” After a treaty was consummated, Congress declined to ratify it by a resolution of 26 February 1777: “Resolved, That the Treaty said to be entered into at Easton the 30th day of Jany, 1777, between George Walton and George Taylor Esqrs in behalf of the United States, and certain Indians pretending to be a Deputation from the Six Indian Nations, be disapproved of, as no Powers did exist in either of the Partys to enable them to engage in such Treaty.” On that same day, Congress, thanks to General George Washington’s victories at Trenton and Princeton, New Jersey, adjourned and agreed to convene at Philadelphia on 12 March. By that time Taylor’s health had become poor; however, he did not immediately depart from public life. During March of 1777, Taylor was elected to the Supreme Executive Assembly of the state of Pennsylvania, a position he accepted, but the combination of ill health and an extremely strained financial situation aborted his time in the assembly. After serving only six weeks, he retired. Nonetheless, he continued to contribute to the cause, including financially. His operations at Durham Furnace maintained a steady flow of cannon as well as cannonballs and other types of ammunition, including grapeshot, in support of the Continental Army and Navy with compensation for services remaining inadequate. Taylor sustained a grievous setback during 1778, when the state of Pennsylvania canceled his long-standing lease held by the Tory Joseph Galloway and confiscated the entire property. Undaunted, Taylor sprinted across the Delaware River and leased a new iron works, Greenwich Furnace, in Greenwich Township, New Jersey. From there he continued to provide artillery and ammunition to the United States Armed Forces until his death. Taylor returned to Easton during 1780 and at that time he leased a property, but he did not purchase a home. His health by that time had begun to slip even further. George Taylor died the following year on 23 February 1781. He was initially interred on the grounds of the German Evangelical Lutheran Church in Easton, but later, his remains were re-interred in the Easton Cemetery. In George’s last will and testament, his son James Taylor, a lawyer, was eliminated because he had died during 1772. However, James’ five children, the grandchildren (George, Thomas, James, Ann and Mary) of George, were included in the will. George’s daughter, if alive, was not mentioned in his will. George also provided for his housekeeper, Naomi Smith, and her five children, each fathered by George Taylor, despite never having married Naomi. The five children were: Sarah, Rebecca, Naomi, Elizabeth and Edward. Others included in the will were Robert Levers, who received George’s “Silver mounted double barreled gun,” which was to be inscribed: “The Gift of George Taylor Esquire,” and Robert Lettis, Jr., who was to receive George’s “neat Silver mounted Small Sword which is to be thus engraved, In Memory of George Taylor Esquire.” George also included a Robert Traill, who was to receive “One Pair of Pistols.” The will was signed and witnessed on 6 January 1781. In conjunction, Elizabeth Gordon Taylor, the widow of James and the daughter of Lewis Gordon, was the mother of George Taylor’s grandchildren; however, she was not mentioned in the George’s will.

Ten Broeck, Brigadier General Abraham Abraham Ten Broeck, the son of Dirck and Margarita Cuyler Ten Broeck, was born on 13 May 1734 in Albany, New York. Abraham’s father was a prominent citizen of Albany and held several posts, including recorder, and he served as mayor of the town from 1746 to 1748. Abraham received a fine education (at an unknown time he became a lawyer) and while still rather young, he was placed under the guidance

437 of his brother-in-law, Philip Livingston (later, brigadier general and signer of Declaration of Independence) to instruct him in the ways of the mercantile business. Philip Livingston married Abraham’s sister, Christina, during 1740. Abraham’s father succumbed during 1751 and soon after, at about age seventeen, Abraham traveled to England to expand his knowledge of the mercantile business. Following a stay of about two years, Abraham returned to America and resided with his mother on the family estate. Meanwhile, the combination of the family’s wealth and Abraham’s acquired business skills streamlined his progress as a merchant and catapulted him to a position of prominence in Albany. Abraham’s enterprises, which began with a store along the waterfront, soon included more land, warehouses and a lumber yard. During 1759, Abraham, a resident of the third ward in Albany, was elected to the city council. The following year, he was elected to the Provincial Assembly and served in that capacity as a representative of Rensselaerswyck until 1760. He was re-elected and served there until the assembly was terminated during 1775. In the meantime, during 1763, Abraham married Elizabeth Van Rensselaer, a daughter of Stephen and Elizabeth Groesbeck Van Rennselaer and a sister of Stephen Van Rensselaer II. Abraham and Elizabeth had the following children, excluding four sons (unnamed) who died in infancy: Dirck (b. 1765, married Cornelia Stuyvesant; Elizabeth (1) (b. 1765, d. 1767); Elizabeth (2) (b. 1772, married Rensselaer Schuyler, the son of General Philip and Catherine Van Rensselaer Schuyler); Margarita (b. 1776) and Maria Van Rensselaer (b. 1779). Each one of their children was baptized in the Albany Dutch Reformed Church. In addition to having become a prosperous merchant and prominent politician, Abraham Ten Broeck had also been in the military since the 1750s. Tragedy struck the family during 1769. Colonel Stephen Van Rensselaer II (Rensselaerswyck regiment), Ten Broeck’s brother-in-law, died prematurely at age 27, on 19 October 1769, leaving his wife, Catherine Livingston Rensselaer (daughter of Philip and Catherine Van Brugh Livingston) and three small children: Stephen (married Margarita Schuyler and afterward, Cornelia Paterson, daughter of New Jersey Governor William Paterson), Philip (married Anne de Peyster Van Courtlandt, the daughter of General Philip Van Courtlandt); and Elizabeth (married John Bradstreet Schuyler, the son of General Philip and Catherine Van Rensselaer Schuyler and later, John Bleecker). Ten Broeck was named co-administrator of Rensselaerswyck Manor and carried out those duties until the heir, Stephen Rensselaer III reached maturity during 1784 and later rose to the rank of brigadier general. On 21 March 1775, the Committee of Safety and Correspondence of Albany convened a meeting at Richard Cartwright’s Inn and elected delegates to the Provincial Congress scheduled to meet in New York on 20 April. Ten Broeck was elected along with Colonel Philip Schuyler, Abraham Yates, Jr., Colonel Peter R. Livingston and Walter Livingston. On 1 May 1775, in Albany, hearing the clanging of a bell and a drummer’s rat-a-tat-tat, people gathered in large numbers at Market House, where a consensus was taken regarding support for Massachusetts under threat by the British since the clashes at Lexington and Concord during the previous month. The citizens gave their approval. In conjunction, a committee of Abraham Ten Broeck (Albany Chron- safety was then formed and Ten Broeck was elected to it. icles, Cuyler Reynolds, 1906)

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That year, Ten Broeck was commissioned as a colonel of the Albany County militia. During the following year, 1776, when a convention met to establish a government for the state of New York, Ten Broeck served as president. In 1777, during the campaign against the invasion of British General John Burgoyne, Colonel Ten Broeck participated. His force was at Fort Edward during July; however, by the 25th, Burgoyne was establishing his headquarters at Fort Edward. The Americans had retreated and General Philip Schuyler later received a courtmartial, but he was acquitted of any wrongdoing. After General Horatio Gates (Schuyler’s successor) arrived, Colonel Ten Broeck, back at Albany, returned to Gates’ headquarters to participate in a council of war, but Gates did not invite General Schuyler. Afterward, Ten Broeck’s command took an active part at Saratoga during September–October in the contests which brought about the surrender of Burgoyne’s army. On 28 June 1778, Colonel Ten Broeck was commissioned as a brigadier general of militia in command of the forces of Dutchess and Ulster counties. General Ten Broeck became the mayor of Albany during 1779, when he was appointed by Governor George Clinton as successor to Mayor John Barclay, who had died. General Ten Broeck served as mayor from 9 April 1779 until 26 June 1783. He resigned his commission as brigadier general on 26 March 1781. Subsequently, upon the death of Mayor Abraham Yates during 1796, Ten Broeck was appointed mayor by Governor John Jay and served from 15 October 1796 until 31 December 1798. General Ten Broeck served in the state Senate (1780–1783), while simultaneously serving (1781–178) as a judge of the Court of Common Pleas (1781–1794). Outside of politics, the military and the judiciary, General Ten Broeck also was the first president of the Albany Bank (1792–1798). On 10 September 1798, Jeremias Van Rensselaer succeeded General Ten Broeck as president of the bank. General Abraham Ten Broeck succumbed on 19 January 1810. His wife Elizabeth survived him and lived until July 1813.

Thomas, Major General John John Thomas, the son of John and Lydia Waterman Thomas, was born in 1724. His ancestors arrived in the colonies about 1621 and settled in Marshfield, just after the first pilgrims who had arrived during the previous year, but little information about the early family has survived. John’s mother was the daughter of Joseph and Sarah Snow Waterman of Mansfield, Massachusetts. In addition to John, the Thomases had five other children: Zerviah (1714), Ann (1717), Anthony (1719), Sarah (1726) and Kesiah (1730). John took up the study of medicine and became a surgeon. When hostilities broke out with France, he served in the conflict and participated with the rank of colonel in the campaign that secured Montreal on 8 September 1760. After the French and Indian War, he returned to his medical practice, terminating his military service. Later, when relations between the colonies and Britain began to deteriorate due to the policies of the king and Parliament, John Thomas became one of the conspicuous opponents. During 1775, prior to the clashes at Lexington and Concord, Thomas formed a company of militia. The Provincial Congress appointed him as a brigadier general on 9 February. In June 1775, the Provisional Congress approved the rank of lieutenant general and appointed John Thomas to that post. Subsequent to the fighting at Lexington, General Artemus Ward, the commander-in-chief, was headquartered at Cambridge, and General Thomas was deployed with his forces in the vicinity of Roxbury. In the meantime, Congress was applying various methods of confronting the British threat. It appointed four major generals during June of 1775, with General George Washington having been unanimously selected as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army. Several days after the appointment of the major generals, on 22 June, John

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Thomas, along with seven others, received a commission as a brigadier general in the Continental Army. After General Washington arrived at Cambridge during June 1775 and became aware of the discontent of the general officers from both Massachusetts and Connecticut, he was quite disturbed, and so informed Congress. Washington let it be known that he was unfamiliar with all of the appointed generals and that their actions disgusted him. He wrote of how General Spencer left camp without even letting Washington know of his reasons and he informed Congress that General Seth Pomeroy also departed without taking the time to speak with him. Nevertheless, Washington was greatly impressed with General John Thomas and so stated to Congress: “General Thomas is much esteemed ... I must join the general opinion, that he is in an able, good officer, and his resignation would be a public loss. The postponement of him [Thomas] to Pomeroy, and Heath, whom he has commanded, would make his continuance very difficult, and probably operate on his mind as the like circumstances did on that of Spencer.” Congress, on 19 July, made General Thomas the first brigadier, but sought no replacement to fill the vacancy due to Pomeroy’s refusal. By 23 July 1775, General Thomas’ brigade, along with that of General Spencer, were deployed on the right wing opposite Boston Neck in General Ward’s sector. Meanwhile, the British retained control of Boston; however, it became extremely hazardous for British foraging parties who were dispatched out of the city. Although the American forces were not quite prepared to launch an offensive to evict the British, they maintained the siege throughout the winter of 1777–1776. As spring approached, the Americans initiated a maneuver to tighten the lines and gain strategic high ground. On 4 March 1776, General Thomas moved to Dorchester Heights and secured it, providing the Americans with key high ground. The operation was executed without detection by the British. The vanguard was composed of about 800 troops and they were followed by a long column of wagons and yet more troops, the main body under Thomas. Troops were posted to protect the flanks, but the flanks were not tested, permitting the column to glide across the isthmus of Dorchester and across its open ground unimpeded. However, the British were somewhat distracted. Supporting artillery deployed at Roxbury and at Phipps’ Farm commenced a bombardment that kept the attention of the British while covering much of the noise of the advancing column. By 2200, General Thomas had secured the heights and his troops had completed the construction of two forts, one of which had a grand view of the British lines. By dawn the following day, General Thomas had succeeded in maneuvering about 2,000 troops within striking range of the British without sustaining any combat casualties. At dawn on the 7th, the British spotted the newly fortified positions, leaving General William Howe with two choices, thanks to the superlative actions of General Thomas on the previous night. The British were faced with the choices of taking the high ground to evict Thomas’ force or abandoning Boston. While the British contemplated which action to take, the Americans continued to prepare for an anticipated attack, one equal or more tenacious than that of Breed’s Hill. The British seemed to signal their intent on the 7th, but American reaction was somewhat premature. On the following day, the British sent out a flag of truce and made it known that General Howe intended to abandon Boston. A letter, signed by the selectmen of Boston, was carried by the party operating under the truce flag. Nonetheless, General Washington gave no formal answer to the message. On that same day, General Thomas, in a letter to his wife, mentioned that it appeared as if things would go well. He also explained his exhaustion from being employed for the past week through the nights as well as the days, preventing him from getting much sleep. He assured his wife that their son was safe. He had run away from their home, but made it past the sentries and reached his father’s quarters. Meanwhile, on the 6th of March, Congress delegated General

Thomas as the successor to Brigadier General David Wooster. It resolved “that Brigadier General Thomas be appointed to command the forces in Canada, and that General Washington be directed to order him immediately to repair to that province. And it is resolved: That Brigadier General Thomas be promoted to the rank of a Major General, in the army of the United Colonies, and a commission be sent to him accordingly.” Congress also directed the president of Congress to “acquaint General Washington by express, of this arrangement.” In conjunction, General Philip Schuyler was informed “that the Congress judge it necessary he should remain at Albany to make the proper arrangements respecting the army destined for Canada, and therefore that he establish his head quarters at Albany until further orders.” Major General Charles Lee had been chosen by Congress for the post on 17 February through 1 March, but he never served in the department. After receiving command of the Canadian expeditionary force, General Thomas received a letter from John Adams congratulating him on his promotion and mentioning the mixed feelings of the people of Massachusetts, who were proud of his promotion yet reluctant to lose his service in Massachusetts and at Roxbury. Adams informed General Thomas that he would be receiving excellent advice from Benjamin Franklin, Charles Carroll of Carrollton and Samuel Chase, commissioners who were en route to Canada. Adams also informed Thomas of the great support which he could depend upon from General Schuyler at Albany, who would be responsible for forwarding supplies to the Canadian expeditionary force. General Thomas arrived in Canada on 1 May to assume command of the remnant army, which never fully recovered from the pummeling it took at Quebec City on 31 December of the previous year and lacked comforts in the harsh Canadian winter. Upon General Thomas’ arrival in Canada, the force numbered about 1900 men. However, fewer than 1000 were able bodied, and of those several hundred were entitled to discharge and refused any duty. The illnesses that permeated the entire command included smallpox, which affected a large number. Thomas’ forces were also scattered at different posts, making it impossible for him to field more than 300 men. Another ominous sign was the approach of spring. With the ice on the rivers beginning to break up, it became apparent that the Royal Navy would be able to navigate the waterways. Other complications included the shortage of gunpowder, but in addition, the Americans’ provisions had dwindled down, leaving only a six-day surplus. After considering all options, General Thomas, during a council of war on 5 May, decided that a withdrawal was necessary to preserve his army. Thomas ordered that the sick troops should be moved to Three Rivers and that the artillery be transported further up the river to more tenable positions. Later that day, Thomas became aware that British navy had begun to move. By the following day, while the Americans were evacuating the wounded and sick, five British warships had broken through the ice and were encroaching their positions. The British captured many of the wounded and a large amount of the remaining ammunition. Meanwhile, the Americans moved farther up the river. General Carleton, the commander of the British, is known to have treated all of the prisoners well. On 6 May, the British fortress at Quebec City was reinforced with the arrival of General John Burgoyne with a large complement of British regulars and Hessian troops under General Riedesel. The fresh British troops ensured the termination of the siege. General Thomas, lacking a sufficient force to meet the new threat, ordered a retreat and the Americans fell back about thirty miles. On the following day, 7 May, another grueling day unfolded and yet again, about thirty miles were covered. Thomas’ rear guard, composed of Pennsylvania troops, fought delaying actions, but the contingent under Colonel (later brigadier general) William Maxwell, was ordered to join the general retreat. General Thomas called another council of war that day. By that point, the situation had turned even more grave. The

439 officers agreed to retreat to the mouth of the Sorrel River. The wounded were moved quickly; however, Thomas was determined to hold a while longer, based on his assumption that reinforcements and supplies were imminent. On 2 June while the Americans were at the mouth of the Sorrel, not yet out of Quebec, tragedy struck. General John Thomas succumbed from smallpox. The disease had been so ravaging, that several days prior to his death, it caused him to lose his eyesight. After the death of General Thomas, command of the army temporarily passed to General William Thompson. Soon after, General Sullivan arrived with his reinforcements. That increased the Army to more than 4000 men. Nevertheless, by that time, the mission was lost. The Americans destroyed the ships on the Sorrel River and the St. Lawrence River and afterward burned their fortifications at Chambly and St. John’s. General Sullivan upon orders of General Schuyler, led the American expeditionary force out of Canada and toward Crown Point. Soon after Sullivan’s arrival back to Crown Point, General Schuyler was succeeded by General Horatio Gates. At that time, the Canadian campaign was terminated. General John Sullivan had been appointed on 31 May, two days prior to Thomas’ death. Another command change occurred on 17 June when Major General Horatio Gates was named commander of the Canadian Department; however, he never assumed command due to the withdrawal of the American force from Canada. General Sullivan retained the command until 2 July 1776. General John Thomas was survived by his wife, Hannah Thomas, the daughter of Nathaniel Thomas of Plymouth, and by one daughter and two sons. Hannah Thomas lived until 1819.

Thompson, Brigadier General Samuel Samuel Thompson, the son of James, Jr., and Reliance Hinckley Thompson, was born in Brunswick, Maine (at the time Maine was part of Massachusetts) on 22 March 1735. Samuel’s mother was the daughter of Deacon Samuel Hinckley. In addition to Samuel, James and Reliance had nine other children. James’ wife died during May 1751 when Samuel was sixteen years old. His father remarried during 1754, taking Lidia (Brown) Harris as his second wife. From that marriage six children were born. After the death of Lidia, James again remarried, taking Mary Higgins as his third wife during March 1764. Samuel’s father served as a selectman in Brunswick during the years 1748, 1752–1754, and 1757. Samuel’s father also operated an inn in Brunswick from 1761 until 1784. Samuel did not receive a formal education, but he possessed natural ability which served him well; however, he was not destined to be a well spoken orator. At about age sixteen, Samuel served a short time in the militia during 1751, in a company commanded by Captain John Getchell. He was in active service from 14 August until 14 September. In 1757, he again served under Captain Getchell in the “train band,” and that seems to be his only military service prior to the American Revolution. That year, Samuel married Abial Purinton, the daughter of Deacon Humphrey Purinton of Georgetown (later Bath), Maine, originally from Truro in Cape Cod. Samuel and Abial had seven children: Reliance (b. November 1758); Rachel (b. February 1761, died young); Rachel (2) (b. July 1763, married John Wilson); James (b. June 1765, married Mary Wilson); Humphrey (b. December 1767, married a woman named Mary, maiden name unavailable); Aaron (b. October 1769, died same month); Aaron (2) (b. November 1770, married Mary Cushing of Cape Elizabeth); Thomas Cheyney (b. July 1774, died unmarried); Samuel, Jr. (birth date unknown, became a school teacher, but never married prior to his death by downing); Thankful (birth date unknown, married William Wise of Saccarappa); and Elizabeth (birth date unknown, married John Mallett). Later, Abial was struck by insanity. At that time, there were no mental health clinics or hospitals to provide medical help. Samuel is known to have constructed a little cabin for her to occupy. Nevertheless,

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Samuel carried the family burden and cared for his stricken wife. His responsibilities grew with his entrance into politics and later as an officer during the Revolutionary War. During 1763, Samuel Thompson received a license to sell tea, and during 1772, he became a retailer. In 1774 he opened an inn. Although he lacked education, he was capable of handling condescension with quick wit and lightning-fast quips. While in the General Court, he handed a note to a lawyer and the lawyer passed it back, asking Samuel to read it, only to be told: “I wrote it for you to read, not to read it myself.” On another occasion, he stood within earshot of someone in conversation stating how it was a “pity” that Samuel was poorly educated, prompting Samuel to turn back towards the man and say: “If I have no education perhaps I can furnish some ideas to those who have.” And in yet another encounter, one of his peers in the court, in a flawed compliment, told Samuel that if he had had an education “he would have been a great man.” Samuel instantly quipped: “If I had your education I could put you in my pocket.” Samuel Thompson was also apparently blessed with foresight. While in the company of some citizens in Brunswick, he looked toward a tract and informed the others that the land “was intended by the God of nature for an institution of learning.” Subsequently, Bowdoin College was founded on that tract, in conjunction by a donation of the land to the college by Samuel Thompson. He served in local politics as a selectman in Brunswick beginning in 1768. He was re-elected during 1770 and 1771. Later, he became a representative of the three Provincial Congresses, which convened: first, at Salem, Massachusetts on 7 October and afterward at various places and dates until 10 December 1774; second, at Cambridge on 1 February 1775 and afterward at other places up to 29 May 1775; and third, at Watertown from 31 May 1775 to 19 July 1775. Meanwhile, during 1774 or 1775, Thompson was appointed a lieutenant colonel of militia and later promoted to colonel. During April 1775, Congress charged Thompson with apprehending Edward Parry and spreading the word that Parry was providing war supplies to the British. Afterward, Parry was seized at Bath by Thompson and his contingent of twenty men. Parry, the king’s mast agent, was forced to post bond and face a penalty of £2000 if he left town. Later Parry was taken to the Provincial Congress. Parry was never trusted during the Revolution or after. During 1800, he actually constructed a fortification known as Fort Anglesea in Portsmouth to defend himself from his townsmen. Meanwhile, on 8 February 1776, the Massachusetts House of Representatives commissioned Thompson as brigadier general of militia (Cumberland County). At the time of his promotion, he was a member and chairman of the Cumberland County Committee of Safety. The same year, he was elected to the General Court (legislature). Thompson had, during November 1774, been elected captain of the militia company of Brunswick. Robert Dunning was appointed as lieutenant and Thomas Thompson served as ensign. General Thompson’s activity was confined to the region, primarily defenses and dealing with Loyalists. General Thompson relocated to Topsham about 1783 and operated a ferry that crossed the Androscoggin between Topsham and Brunswick until 1796. At Topsham, General Thompson resided in a two-story home near the end of Elm Street and the terminus of a subsequent railroad track. His home later burned and his personal papers were lost in the fire. Thompson also established a sawmill, but after it was completed, a storm caused unruly waters to destroy it; however he built a new one. Thompson also operated a tavern and a store in the town. He again served in the General Court in 1784–1788 and 1790–1794. During 1788, Thompson was a delegate to the Massachusetts state constitutional convention that ratified the U.S. Constitution on 6 February 1788; however, General Thompson, an anti– Federalist, opposed ratification. Maine was not involved with the

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ratification process as a state, as it did not attain statehood until 1820, when it became the twenty-third state to join the union. He was again was returned to the General Court for a term that ended in 1797. During 1797, General Samuel Thompson died. He was interred in an “old burying ground” in Ferry Point. General Thompson had earlier planned the cemetery at Ferry’s Point and at the time remarked: “I can go there by land or water.” When the railroad was being built, those interred in the cemetery were extricated and re-interred at the Riverview Cemetery. General Thompson’s coffin was easily identified by its brass plate. He was interred where his son Humphrey had been buried upon his death. No stone marks the site of the general’s grave, but there was a stone identifying Humphrey’s gravesite, and both are together. In 1903, the Maine Sons of the American Revolution did erect a marker in honor of General Thompson. General Thompson’s wife was alive at the time of Samuel’s death. Administrators were appointed to handle the estate. Samuel, Jr., a minor, chose John Merrill of Topsham as his guardian. Scarce information regarding General Thompson’s private life was preserved; however, what is known indicates that he had many tribulations that weighed upon him in addition to the trials of being a general officer during the Revolutionary War. General Thompson’s wife, Abial, had gone insane and it is thought that she actually killed one of their adopted children, a boy, with a “pair of steelyards when the child was about five or six years old.” The Thompsons had another child that was an imbecile. General Thompson was known to be quite portly and a man of strong opinions and determination. He was described as a devoted Christian who believed wholeheartedly in “God’s great plan.” Once while en route to the General Court, he paused to pick up a new pair of boots, but when they did not fit him as he expected, he expressed his displeasure, while the storekeeper, a man named Nichols, aware of Thompson’s beliefs, retorted by saying: “It is all right in the great plan.” General Thompson, snapped back, saying, “The great plan has nothing to do with these boots.” It had also been said that if America’s struggle for independence had failed, “Samuel Thompson would have been the first rebel in Cumberland County to be hung. He dared to be free.” Subsequently, the War Department, in honor of General Thompson, named Battery Thompson of Fort McKinley in Portland Harbor in his honor.

Thompson, Brigadier General William William Thompson was born about 1725 in Ireland. After immigrating to America, he settled in the vicinity of Carlisle, Pennsylvania, where another Irishman and Patriot leader, John Armstrong, had settled. Like Armstrong, William also became a surveyor. William later acquired a farm he called “Soldier’s Retreat.” On 29 March 1752, William married Catherine Ross, the sister of George Ross (signer of the Declaration of Independence) and the daughter of the Rev. George and Catherine van Gezel Ross of Lancaster (formerly of Delaware). William and Catherine had seven children: George of Pittsburgh (1752); Catherine (1753); Juliana (1755); William Allen of Chestnut Hill (1780); Mary (married her cousin, George Read); Robert; and Elizabeth. William Thompson served under John Armstrong during the expedition against the Indians at Kittanning that were aligned with the French during the French and Indian War. He was a captain of militia (mounted) and was among the officers on the expedition who were given silver medals from the government in Philadelphia for their service during the campaign. Later, during 1758, Lt. Governor William Denny awarded him a commission as captain of light horse. Subsequent to the capture of Quebec City, it became certain that Britain had prevailed in the French and Indian War, but the war did not officially terminate until 1763. As an officer in the French and Indian War, Thompson was one of those entitled to a grant of land authorized by King George III in appreciation of their service.

During July 1770, Thompson acquired a tract from Benjamin Tate. On Tuesday, 12 July 1774, a group of freeholders from several counties converged on Carlisle and steps were taken to oppose the closing of Boston Harbor. A series of resolves were passed, including: “That the inhabitants of this county will contribute to the relief of their suffering brethren in Boston at any time when they shall receive intimation that such relief will be seasonable.” The committee selected to execute the resolves included John Armstrong (later general), James Wilson (signer, Declaration of Independence), William Irvine (later general), Colonel Robert Magaw, and William Thompson. That same year, William surveyed a 3,000 acre tract along the Salt Lake River that was to be divided among him and others in his group. In 1775, when the lines had already been clearly drawn between the Patriots and the British, Thompson traveled to Richmond to complete the business and acquire the deed, but he was informed that it would be required of him to first vow a pledge of loyalty to the king. He refused. Like his brother-in-law, Thompson had become fully devoted to the American cause. Following the clashes at Lexington and Concord in June 1775, pursuant to the orders of Congress on 14 June 1775 regarding the raising of ten rifle companies (six from Pennsylvania, two from Virginia and two from Maryland), Thompson was appointed colonel of the Pennsylvania battalion. William Thompson’s commission, dated 25 June 1775, “Colonel of Battalion of Rifle Men Rais’d in the Province of Pennsylvania,” was later placed on a wall of the public library in Carlisle. The Pennsylvania contingent was the first unit raised by the direction of Congress. It moved expeditiously to reach General George Washington and arrived at Cambridge on 14 August. The unit under Colonel Thompson faced a British landing party at Lachmere’s Point on 10 November of 1775 and succeeded in repelling the Redcoats. During the winter of 1776, on 1 March, Colonel Thompson was promoted by Congress to the rank of brigadier general. That day Congress appointed five other brigadiers: John Armstrong, Andrew Lewis, James Moore, William Alexander (Earl of Stirling) and Robert Howe. Armstrong was sent to South Carolina, while General Lewis and General Robert Howe were ordered to Virginia, and General Moore to North Carolina. Shortly thereafter, on the 19 March, Thompson succeeded General Charles Lee as commander of the troops in New York. In the meantime, the Canadian expedition had failed, beginning with the unsuccessful attack against Quebec City on 31 December which brought with it the death of Major General Richard Montgomery and the wounding of Colonel (later major general) Benedict Arnold. During April 1776, General Thompson was directed to move to Canada to bolster the forces of General John Thomas, who had been struck by smallpox. On 4 June, command was transferred to General John Sullivan. On the 8th, General Sullivan ordered an attack against British-held Three Rivers, which ended terribly for the Americans. Brigadier General Thompson and Colonel Anthony Wayne led the assault. General Thompson was captured and later, during August, released on parole. He repaired to Philadelphia, but his exchange did not occur until 1780. Initially, the Americans and British were working on an exchange that specified William Franklin (former royal governor of New Jersey and son of Benjamin Franklin) for General Thompson, however, that never occurred. Instead, Thompson was exchanged for General Riedesel, a Hessian, during October 1780. Riedesel, after spending some time in New York at Albany, was transferred to Virginia, pursuant to orders of Congress directing that German prisoners be sent there. During November 1779 he received permission to go to New York, where he remained until exchanged. Afterward, Riedesel and his family departed for Canada and did not participate at Yorktown. General William Thompson succumbed at Carlisle during the year following his exchange on 3 September 1781; he did not live to witness the surrender of Cornwallis the following month. He was survived by

441 his wife and seven children. His wife, Catherine, lived until 1808. On 27 July 1784, Catherine Thompson and three other executors of his will, Colonel Robert Magaw, George Thompson and Robert Thompson, sold the property to Thomas Duncan. Afterward, it was re-acquired by Catherine Thompson, and she retained it until 1791.

Thornton, Matthew (Signer of the Declaration of Independence) Matthew Thornton was born in Ireland about 1714, a few years before his parents immigrated to America. Matthew’s father was James Thornton; the maiden name of his mother, Elizabeth, is thought to have been Jenkins. The Thornton families trace back to England, but some relocated in Scotland and afterward, during the reign of King Charles I, some of the Thorntons, Presbyterians, fled Scotland and resettled in Northern Ireland to escape persecution. There is no direct evidence, but it is thought that James Thornton and his family were part of a convoy of about five ships transporting about 120 families that entered Boston Harbor during early August 1718, and from there, James Thornton and about twenty other families during the fall moved by ship to Falmouth (later Portsmouth), Maine. However, the families remained aboard the ship until spring of the following year and then established their residences in Wiscasset, Maine, which at the time was part of Massachusetts. After several years in Wiscasset, they relocated in the vicinity of Worchester, Massachusetts. In addition to Matthew, James and Elizabeth had other children: William, who moved to Schenectady; Agnes; Hannah; James; Samuel; Ester; and Andrew. Matthew received his education from local schools and afterward began to study medicine. Apparently he excelled in his medical studies, and by 1740, he was able to establish a practice in the town of Londonderry (present-day Derry Village), Maine. That year war broke out between Britain and France; in the colonies it was known as King George’s War. Matthew Thornton participated beginning about 1745 and acted as a surgeon for the colonial troops during the campaign that successfully undertook the capture of the French stronghold in Louisbourg, Nova Scotia. When he returned to New Hampshire, Thornton was appointed as a colonel of New Hampshire militia by the royal governor, John Wentworth, who also appointed him as a justice of the peace. Matthew’s father, James, succumbed during November 1754. He was interred in a grave beside one of his daughters, Hannah Thornton Wallace, in East Derry, New Hampshire, at the Forest Hills Cemetery. During the French and Indian War, Thornton was elected in 1758 to the colonial legislature as a representative of Londonderry. He remained in the legislature for seventeen years, intermixing his medical practice with politics. His politics were soon viewed condescendingly by the governor, John Wentworth, and along with his displeasure, Wentworth became dismayed with Thornton’s growing popularity. Thornton remained single until he reached his forties, when he took Hannah Jack (the daughter of Andrew and Mary Morison Jack) of Chester, New Hampshire, as his wife about 1760. At the time, Hannah was only about eighteen years old and Matthew was nearing fifty. Matthew and Hannah had five children and of those, one, Andrew, died young. The others were James, Matthew, Mary and Hannah. All the while, Thornton maintained his position in the assembly and continued his service there through the tumultuous period that included the Stamp Act and the other acts of Parliament that continued to widen the chasm between Britain and the colonies. Governor John Wentworth also appointed Thornton to the Court of Common Pleas for Hillsborough County in 1771 through April 1775; at times he served as chief justice. Also in 1771, the governor appointed Thornton as a justice of the peace. He was reappointed during 1774. Serving in that capacity, Thornton attended His Majesty’s Court of General Sessions of the Peace (October 1771–April 1775). He attended the Second Provincial

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Congress at Exeter on the 25 January 1775 and the Third Provincial Congress on 25 April. On 2 May, Thornton was chosen as president pro tem of the Provincial Congress. Shortly thereafter, on 17 May, at the Fourth Provincial Congress, he was chosen as president of the congress. Later, on 31 May 1775, Thornton, as a representative of Londonderry, attended a meeting of the Massachusetts Provincial Congress held in Watertown about a month after the clashes with the British at Lexington and Concord. As president of the Provincial Congress, Thornton, on 31 May, penned a letter to Congress expressing support for independence: “Long has America mourned to find those she wishes to revere, adopting one plan after another to strip her of the blessings of freedom, deaf to all her pleas for justice.... In spite of the gathering storm, we yet resolved, if possible, to avoid the retreat of the injured — an appeal to God by the sword; but at length plain and pressing facts constrain us to believe that our enemies mean to deny us every other; though to our view, the thought is shaded deep in horrors....” During 1775, when Thornton ended his service in the colonial legislature, he became a member of the Provincial Assembly and the constitutional convention, serving as president of both bodies. By 1775, the ill feelings that had grown between the governor and Thornton were terminated when Governor Wentworth and his wife Frances were compelled to depart America, making Wentworth the final royal governor of New Hampshire. During November 1775, the American provincial government appointed Thornton colonel of the Londonderry Regiment, which he already commanded under authority of the royal government, which ceased to exist. Colonel Stephen Holland was also reappointed as colonel under the Provincial Congress, which at the time was assembled at Exeter. Thornton held his commission as colonel until he retired from the service during November 1779 at about age sixty-five. There was no reprieve from unending business during December 1775. On the 21st, Thornton was in attendance at the Provincial Congress at Exeter and was again elected as president. Five days later, he was put on a committee to create a plan for the government of New Hampshire to deal with the British hostilities. On the 28th, Thornton, as a member of the Committee of Safety, was appointed as chair of a committee to establish a state constitution. The committee completed its work and presented the draft on the new constitution on 5 January 1776. It was adopted that day. Meanwhile, during 1775, subsequent to the departure of Governor Wentworth, soon after the skirmishes at Lexington and Concord, Thornton had been charged as the president of the committee of safety to pen an address to the citizens regarding the situation. He wrote, in part: The horrors and distresses of a civil war which of late we only had in contemplation, we now find ourselves obliged to realize. Painful, beyond expression, have been those scenes of blood and devastation which the barbarous cruelties of British troops have placed before our eyes. Duty to God, to ourselves, to posterity-enforced by the cries of slaughtered innocents, have urged us to take up arms in our own defence. Such a day as this was never before known either to us or our fathers. We would therefore recommend to the Colony at large to cultivate that Christian union, harmony and tender affection which constitute the only foundation upon which our invaluable privileges can rest with any security or our public measures be pursued with the least prospect of success.

During early January 1776, Thornton was elected speaker of the House of Representatives (New Hampshire), but a conflict had occurred, as he had also been chosen as second councilor, behind Meshech Weare. Consequently, a new speaker was chosen on 8 January. However, on the following day, 9 January 1776, after the laws were modified, Matthew was reappointed as speaker. As the whirlwind of political activity continued in New Hampshire, Thornton, in addition to his other duties, was appointed as the second justice of the Superior

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Court of Judicature on 10 January 1776. Two days later, he took the oath of office. He served on the court with Chief Justice Meshech Weare, Leverett Hubbard and John Wentworth (son of Mark Hunting Wentworth and cousin of ousted governor John Wentworth). Of the entire complement of judges, only Hubbard was an attorney. Thornton had not been a member of the Continental Congress when the Declaration of Independence was adopted during July 1776. In fact, on the day after its adoption, 5 July, he was appointed to the Committee of Safety, charged with operating the government of New Hampshire. Earlier, during April 1776, Josiah Bartlett, John Langdon and William Whipple were elected by the House of Representatives to be New Hampshire’s delegates to the Continental Congress. Langdon, a solid Patriot, had to resign from Congress to accept a position as agent of prizes for New Hampshire. As a member of Congress, Langdon was not eligible to take the post. His resignation during the latter part of June 1776 provided the vacancy that Matthew Thornton filled. He was elected on 12 September and departed New Hampshire on 15 October, but the trip was harrowing due in great part to the British Army. Thornton related that he could not easily cross the North (Hudson) River because of the Redcoats, and that he had to modify his route and cross at Peekskill. He eventually arrived in the city on 3 November and on the following day, he signed his name to the parchment Declaration of Independence, which placed him on the roll of those who pledged their fortunes, lives and sacred honor for the cause of independence. Thornton was described as a man who rarely smiled, and with piercing eyes, but he was also known for having a great sense of humor and a natural propensity for telling interesting stories. He remained in Congress only for about one year. He retired from Congress to concentrate on his position as a Superior Court judge and his medical practice. During 1779, Thornton and his family moved from Londonderry to Exeter to live on a farm he had purchased from Jonathan Norris during December 1778. In 1780 Thornton retired from the medical field, but retained his position as judge for another two years. After retiring he moved to a farm in Merrimack that he acquired by purchase. The land had been owned by a Loyalist, Edward Goldstone Lutwyche. Lutwyche sided with the British and his estate lands along the Merrimack River were confiscated. Thornton was tapped by the people of Bedford and Merrimack during 1783 to represent them in the legislature. In 1784, Thornton began a two-year term in the state Senate. Toward the latter part of 1785, he was selected as a member of the council, but he also was appointed as a justice of the peace and of the quorum (for the entire state); he retained the positions for life. After his service in the Senate, Thornton moved back into semi-retirement. Around that time his wife, Hannah, died. She was interred at Thornton’s Ferry Cemetery near the Thornton home in Merrimack. Their son Andrew died shortly thereafter during April 1787. While in retirement, Thornton was engaged in some farming, but he also acquired a ferry (Lutwyche’s), which became known as Thornton’s Ferry, which crossed the Merrimack River. Matthew Thornton succumbed on 24 June 1803, while visiting his daughter, Hannah Thornton McGaw, who at the time was residing in Newburyport, Massachusetts. He was interred in the Thornton’s Ferry Cemetery, alongside of his wife, Hannah. A state historical marker along Highway 3, in the village of Thornton’s Ferry, Merrimack, New Hampshire, honors his memory and notes that the family home is on the opposite side of the highway from the grave site. Matthew Thornton was survived by his four children: James (married Mary Parker), Matthew (married Fanny Curtis), Mary (married Silas Betton), and Hannah (married John McGaw). James S. Thompson, the great-grandson of Matthew Thornton, was a commander in the U.S. Navy and the executive officer aboard Admiral David Farragut’s flagship during the Civil War when Farragut en-

tered Mobile Bay, and he was also the executive officer aboard the Kearsarge during the sea battle with the CSS Alabama. During Thornton’s later years he suffered from a form of palsy of the vocal chords, which caused him discomfort and curtailed his speaking in public. In addition to being a doctor, a soldier, a legislator and a judge, Matthew also was known for his writing. He penned various essays and other articles, including one piece titled Paradise Lost; or the Origin of the Evil called Sin.

Titcomb, Major General Jonathan Jonathan Titcomb, the son of Josiah and Martha Rolf (Rolfe) Titcomb, was born in Newbury, Massachusetts, on 12 September 1727. Information regarding his early life was scarce and no evidence was discovered regarding his service, if any, during the French and Indian War; however, many members of the Titcomb families did participate, and it is probable that Jonathan served in the militia during that time. On 9 May 1751, Jonathan married Mary Dole. Subsequently, on 6 September 1774, Mary died. Jonathan afterward remarried, taking Sarah Steadiman as his second wife. Jonathan and Sarah had three children: Mary, Paul and Benaiah. Aside from his natural grief, Jonathan was able to continue his life after the death of his first wife, and he remained aligned to the Patriots’ cause as the nation was sliding toward open rebellion. During 1774, Jonathan Titcomb was appointed to the Committee of Safety. In 1776, just after Boston was abandoned by the British, Titcomb was appointed to the initial General Court. At some point, he was appointed as a colonel in the militia. Colonel Titcomb participated in various actions in the region, including having a contingent of his brigade involved with a raid into Rhode Island during 1777, which succeeded in capturing British General Richard Prescott at Newport. During 1778, General Titcomb and General Solomon Lovell, both from Massachusetts, led their respective commands during the illfated campaign to regain Newport, Rhode Island, which had been held by the British since 8 December 1776. The Americans were forced to retreat to the mainland by 30 August 1778, in great part due to the absence of a French fleet that was supposed to support the expedition, led by General John Sullivan. General Titcomb was later elevated to the rank of major general, along with Jonathan Warner, after being selected by the Massachusetts House in conjunction with the state’s constitution, on 20 June 1781. After the war, General Titcomb was involved in public affairs. In October 1789, he was among the men who greeted President Washington when he arrived in Newbury from Boston. At about the same time, General Titcomb received a presidential appointment as the first naval officer of the district. He retained the position until 1812. General Jonathan Titcomb lived in retirement until his death on 10 March 1817. He was interred in the Old Hill Burying Ground in the town of Newburyport. He was buried alongside of his first wife, and the grave stones contain simple epitaphs, which are barely visible after standing for centuries. They state: “Sacred to the memory of Gen. Jonathan Titcomb who departed this life March 10th, 1817 aged 88.” The cemetery was established in Newbury during 1729, but later, during 1764, it became part of Newburyport, which was formed from Newbury during 1764.

Trevett, Captain John (U.S. Marine) John Trevett, the son of Eleazar and Mary Church Trevett, was born during 1747 in Newport, Rhode Island. Details on his early life are unavailable, but it is thought that John spent time at sea on merchant ships. In November 1775, while British-held Boston was under siege by militia and the Continental Army, John sailed from Providence to Philadelphia aboard the sloop Catea (or Katy), commanded by Abraham Whipple. After the vessel arrived in Philadelphia, its name was

443 changed to Providence. At the time, the recently established Naval Committee was in the process of raising the Continental Navy. John was commissioned as a midshipman aboard the Columbus (formerly, the Sally). The Columbus was one of the first five warships commissioned in the Continental Navy. During the early part of the year, a fleet commanded by Esek Hopkins embarked to engage the British. Hopkins, the brother of Stephen Hopkins (signer of the Declaration of Independence), a member of Congress and of the Naval Committee, possessed secret orders with some options. He was to engage the British either in Virginia or the Carolinas and if neither was feasible, he was to sail to the Bahamas to engage the British. After passing Cape Henlopen (Delaware Bay), Hopkins decided to sail to the Bahamas to attack New Providence. The fleet departed in the winter weather of February 1776, but the tropical weather in the Bahamas, later had an effect of the sailors and Marines who participated. By the time the fleet was en route back, many had become ill from fever and smallpox. On the way to the Bahamas, Midshipman Trevett was commissioned a first lieutenant in the Marines. When the fleet arrived in the vicinity of the harbor at Nassau, the silence of the guns of the two British forts created some trepidation. Prior to the arrival of the fleet, the authorities at Nassau had been informed that an American fleet might attack, but the British at New York, despite being aware of the movement of the fleet, were unsure of the objective. Meanwhile, Governor Montford Browne had been advised to remove the munitions, but he did not disturb the magazines. On 3 March the fleet stood at the harbor but received no artillery fire. Nevertheless, the Marines, bolstered by seamen, landed at the rear door to the island and received no opposition; however, Commodore Hopkins neglected to seal the two harbor entrances. Both forts fell without resistance and the militia failed to rally. The fleet stood by while the land troops attended to the business of occupying Nassau and confiscating the munitions on the following day, but in the meantime, some of the island’s ammunition was saved by getting it aboard a vessel that easily sailed through the uncovered port exit at the opposite end of the island and carried the cargo to Florida. While on the island, Lieutenant Trevett was one of the marines who detained and held Montford Browne. The amphibious landing by the Marines was the first in the history of the Marine Corps. After they took the first fort, the British ensign was lowered and replaced by the American flag, the first time the American flag was unfurled upon foreign soil. The landing was precedent setting and every succeeding amphibious landing by the Marines had identical success. No enemy force has ever pushed a Marine landing force back to the sea. The fleet returned to the United States during April; however, the following year Trevett would return to Nassau. After arriving back in America, Lieutenant Trevett was transferred to the Andrew Doria, commanded by Captain Nicholas Biddle. On 19 May, Trevett arrived at the ship, which at the time had a complement of only 12 Marines under Lieutenant Isaac Craig. In addition to Trevett, 17 other Marines bolstered the command. Shortly after the Andrew Doria and the Cabot embarked, the HMS Cerberus intercepted them. The two American vessels split up and the Cerberus pursued the Andrew Doria, but by the following day, the British abandoned the chase and the two ships rejoined. On the 29th, two British transports were seized and each of the vessels was transporting a company of Scottish troops. After the capture, the Americans disarmed the British and placed all British officers aboard the Cabot. The plan was upset when five British warships intercepted the Americans returning to Providence. On the Oxford, which was one of the prizes, Trevett was aboard as the prize-master’s mate. The British prisoners retook the Oxford and sailed toward Virginia to join with other British forces. On 20 June, the Oxford arrived at the Virginia Capes. The crew was confident they would encounter forces of Gov-

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ernor Dunmore. The British inquired about the location of the governor and immediately received information on his location and how to reach him. The British were jubilant, but they were unaware that the information was erroneous and the location was actually where elements of the Virginia navy were posted. The Oxford proceeded up the James River and soon encountered two Virginia naval vessels. The Oxford had troops, but no arms and all of the captured British officers had been transferred to the Cabot. A company of Virginians marched the British captives to Richmond, while Trevett and the other Marine with him, Lieutenant John McDougal, accompanied the Virginians. Once the column reached Williamsburg, Trevett and McDougal separated from it. After receiving some financial aid, the pair departed for Providence. Back in Rhode Island, after a stop in Philadelphia, Trevett and McDougal reported back to the Andrew Doria. The ship embarked on a new cruise accompanied by the Columbus, and after seizing four ships, Trevett sailed back to Providence aboard one of the prizes. Afterward, Lieutenant Trevett embarked aboard the brigantine Hampden as the ship’s Marine officer, but a mishap occurred and her Marine complement transferred to the Providence commanded by Captain Hoysted Hacker. On 12–13 November 1776, the Mellish, a merchant ship, was seized with a cargo that included about 10,000 uniforms intended for the British, but instead, the Continental Army received them. Following the conclusion of the cruise, Lieutenant Trevett took a leave of absence. On 8 December 1776, a British naval force under Sir Peter Parker arrived at Newport. The fleet included four brigades, two British and two Hessian. The American defenses at Castle Hill were abandoned upon the approach of the British. The troops landed and occupied the colonial base. Afterward, the British established a post known as Green End Fort in the southwest sector of Rhode Island between Middleton and Newport. The British invasion caused many families to depart their homes and Trevett’s family was included. After getting his family to safety, Trevett reported back to duty aboard the Providence. During February 1777, the Providence was able to break out and safely evade the blocking force. After the ship got to the open seas it captured a British transport and it was Trevett who took the prize into New Bedford, Massachusetts. Later, during May 1777, Captain John Peck Rathburn assumed command of the sloop Providence. He worked to fit the vessel out for sea, and at about the same time Trevett learned that his brother, Constant Church Trevett, was seized by the British when they captured the merchant ship he was aboard as it sailed from the West Indies to America. Lt. Trevett was able to get a British captain to be offered in a prisoner exchange, but the exchange never occurred. His brother died on a British prison ship in New York. About June 1777, Lt. Trevett was promoted to the rank of captain of Marines. That November the Providence, in port since the previous August, embarked from New Bedford en route to the Carolinas. The cruise was uneventful for several weeks, but during December while off Charleston, a British privateer was spotted and engaged. The privateer demanded surrender and that the colors be struck. Captain Rathburn responded immediately by ordering a broadside. The battle continued from just after midnight until after dawn. During the daylight hours, a British officer fired his weapon from close range. The action aggravated Lieutenants Trevett and Molten, who quickly returned fire. The lieutenant aboard the privateer was liquidated. Soon after, a boarding party bolted upon the privateer and lowered its colors. The prize was taken to Georgetown. Captain Rathburn, while in South Carolina, pondered another visit to the Bahamas to seize the HMS Mary, and despite the great odds, he chose to initiate the risky plan. On 27 January 1778, the Providence sailed for New Providence. The plan was soon in jeopardy; several British warships spotted the Providence and gave chase. Captain Rathburn ordered the crew to dump items into the sea to lessen the weight

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and pick up speed. The directive included tossing provisions and water overboard. After sunset, the Providence’s sails were dropped and every light was extinguished while the British searched in the darkness. One of the British ships passed by, but never noticed the silent prey. After the danger passed and the British ships vanished into the darkness, Rathburn resumed the mission. He reached Abaco, where the crew built a ladder with which to scale the walls of the fort. Rathburn’s crew concealed all its guns and from Abaco, the Providence proceeded to New Providence under the cover of darkness. The landing party went ashore in two separate trips because the troops under Captain Trevett and Lt. Molten could not fit in one boat. Afterward, the 28 troops approached the fort without detection. At that time, Trevett recalled from the previous invasion that there might still be a hole in the fence. He was right. While the force held in place, Trevett squeezed through the obstacle and shortly thereafter, he heard a sentinel call out “All is well,” followed by two responses from guards aboard two vessels. Trevett took note of the sequence of the signals, then returned to his Marines and together they moved through the obstacles one by one. Within a short time, as the Marines prepared to launch the attack, the signals again rang out, “All is well.” As soon as the sentry at the fort moved back inside, the Marines climbed the ladder and took the fort in an instant without firing a shot. The garrison consisted of one man. He informed Trevett that the other fort, Montagu, was manned by only two sentries. Nevertheless, Fort Montagu was at the other end of the island. In the meantime, a Marine replaced the sentry, and when “All is well” rang out, the Marine responded and the ruse worked perfectly, leaving the Marines to continue their work undisturbed. In the meantime, several Marines set out for Fort Nassau and duplicated the first capture. The one-man garrison was captured without firing a shot. The operation went so smoothly that the guards never fired a distress shot, which would have signaled about 500 militia to assemble at the sound of the first cannon shot. Captain Trevett directed Lt. Molten to inform the guards at Fort Montagu that Fort Nassau was being held by 230 Americans. Meanwhile, at Fort Nassau, Trevett redirected the guns of the fort to be pointed toward the main streets in Nassau and against British ships in the harbor. In the meantime, there was still great danger facing the Marines. About one-half hour after taking the fort, a Marine called out: “All is well” and it was answered by another Marine, but the silence was deafening for a while until the British sentry responded with “All is well.” The stress eased as the Marines knew their ruse worked. Nevertheless, Trevett had another problem. Dawn was approaching and he needed food for his Marines. He dispatched a messenger to the home of a known American sympathizer, James Gould. Soon after, Gould arrived at the fort. Trevett told him that he needed food for his 34 officers. Trevett also informed Gould that the fleet arrived to take the vessel Mary, and he added that no harm would come to the private citizens or their homes. Gould was also told that Trevett’s force was composed of 200 men, but his problem was that he needed breakfast for his 34 officers. Afterward four American sailors were rescued. The sailors and a midshipman from the Providence moved to the dock, climbed into a boat and rowed out to the Mary. Trevett noticed they were not permitted to board, so he called out from his position with a few choice words and a threat. Trevett’s boldness again succeeded. The party boarded and the ship surrendered without a shot being fired. Afterward, Trevett sent small parties to seize the other four ships in the harbor. By noon, the British, already aware of the Stars and Stripes flying over both of their forts, were greeted with the arrival of the Providence, which had been out at Hog Island. In the meantime, a British privateer was approaching. Captain Rathburn and Trevett conferred and afterward, the American flags were lowered and the British ensign was hoisted to lure the privateer, Gayton, into

a trap. People onshore tried to warn the ship, but the commander, Captain William Chambers, thought he was merely being greeted. However, men in a rowboat reached the privateer and gave him the warning. Captain Trevett modified his strategy to deal with the new crisis, including the fact that the citizens became aware of the smaller number of Marines and seaman on the island. Trevett ordered Lt. Molten at Fort Montagu to destroy the ammunition and to disable the guns, then speed back to Fort Nassau. Meanwhile, the militia was making plans to attack. Trevett remained confident that the situation was under control. He decided not to call for reinforcements from the Providence. While the townspeople and militia fretted, Trevett relaxed and made preparations for dinner, provided by prominent women of the island. The Marines enjoyed a dinner of turtle meat served to them on china. By dawn of 29 January 1778, the Stars and Stripes still fluttered in the breeze while Captain Rathburn was preparing to depart with his prizes. All the while, crowds were gathering, still undecided about whether to launch an attack. One in the crowd spotted Trevett and remembered him from when the Marines invaded during March of 1776 and yelled: “Thare is that Dam Bucherer Come Again that Carred away Governor Browne.” Suddenly, Trevett had all eyes upon him. By then hundreds of people were close to the fort. Trevett defied the odds once again. He descended the ladder to speak with a delegation that arrived. Trevett directed the delegation to instruct the crowd to return to their homes and he instructed them to have supplies (for all four vessels) carried to Fort Nassau. Afterward, Trevett moved up the ladder and waited for a decision. About an hour later, he became impatient. The ladder was again put in place and Trevett, by himself, descended and walked directly through the mob, to the amazement of the people. Rather than seize Trevett, the lone Marine in the contingent, they actually opened a path for him to pass though to reach Government House. The crowd was unaware that Trevett left orders that if he was halted that the guns were to commence firing. The crowd became more aggravated, but the Marines still dominated the situation. As Trevett approached the Government House, he was met by a representative and was told his demands had been accepted. By about sunset, the provisions had been loaded aboard the ships. And still, Trevett has not had any resistance. On the night of the 29th–30th, the Marines remained at Fort Nassau, but their numbers were so slim that the Marines had to give the illusion of having a larger force. When a Marine sentry was relieved, he actually only moved to another post, and throughout the night, the ruse continued. On the 30th, Captain Rathburn informed Trevett that the Providence was prepared to sail the following day, but he would need three pilots. Trevett’s ingenuity soon prompted him to develop a plan, another ruse to acquire the needed pilots. Trevett announced that he would hold an auction for 27 barrels of rice. Later, Trevett was having lunch with Gould, when a Marine arrived to inform Trevett that men aboard the privateer landed at Fort Nassau. Later that day, Gould was taking his family from the island, and as he passed the fort, he and Trevett spoke momentarily. Gould told Trevett he did not expect to see him in the future due to the imminent attack. Captain Trevett responded with a smile, telling Gould that if he came by in the morning, they would see each other and the Marines would still be in control of Fort Nassau. While the attack was moving toward action, the Marines observed the canon being redirected. Trevett responded without firing. He directed one of his Marines to ascend the flag pole upon his signal and to nail the flag to the staff, a signal of a fight to the death. Simultaneously, Captain Trevett dispatched a message to Governor John Gambier. About one-half hour after the flag was nailed to the staff, and Governor Gambier had read Trevett’s message, the hills around the fort were suddenly abandoned. Later, after dark, the privateer moved to attack the Providence while the crew slept. The scheme failed when the Gayton privateer ran aground.

445 By sunrise on the 31st, the Marines had destroyed or disabled the fort’s military equipment and the ammunition and arms were safely aboard the Providence, but Captain Trevett had one last task, his auction. At about 0800, with the wharf becoming crowded, Trevett, standing near the 27 barrels of rice, stated that those barrels not sold would be dumped into the harbor. All the while, his Marines continued to look for the three pilots. To keep the crowd distracted, Trevett began to give some rice to the gathered children. Shortly thereafter, the three pilots had been corralled and informed that they had volunteered to pilot the ships through the bay. By that time, the auction that never began was closed and Trevett distributed the rice to the people. Trevett, at about 1000, was still ashore waiting for a boat while most of his diminutive conquering force was back aboard the Providence. A member of Captain Chambers’ crew approached Trevett and extended an invitation to share some punch with Chambers at a pub, with a guarantee of no “treachery.” Trevett gave the messenger his response, telling him to inform Chambers that he should take his privateer out in the bay and “take the sloop Providence, then I would have some punch.” Afterward, he boarded the boat, returned to the Providence and the Americans departed after having again taken New Providence without firing a shot. During the return voyage, Captain Trevett commanded the Mary. Subsequently, the Eastern Naval Board ruled that the Mary was a merchant ship, depriving the crew of its prize money. Captain Trevett traveled to York, Pennsylvania, on behalf of the crew to present their case to Congress. Congress declined taking the side of the crew. In the meantime, a British fleet attacked New Bedford while Trevett was away and the Mary was destroyed, which caused also the loss of the cargo. Upon his return, Captain Trevett was informed of more distressing news. Trevett, the man responsible for the successful second invasion of New Providence and a Marine officer with a sterling record, was informed that he had lost his command. The Eastern Naval Board, despite his honorable and unblemished record, had chosen to dismiss Trevett from the service. William Vernon, a member of the board was delegated to select a captain of Marines to replace Trevett; however, there is no record of who was selected. During February 1780, Trevett was aboard the privateer Rattlesnake when British warships intercepted it off New Jersey. Trevett was among those who made it to the beach before the ship burned. He was able to get back to Rhode Island, and that May he boarded the frigate Trumbull, but only as a volunteer. During that cruise, on 1 June, the Trumbull engaged the British Watt and sustained casualties. Trevett lost his right eye and received a wound in the foot. Afterward, he arrived back at his temporary home in East Greenwich on 23 June. Later, he served upon the Deane, and during that cruise, after seizing a prize, other British ships intercepted the prize, the brigantine Elizabeth, and Trevett was aboard. He was transported to St. John’s, Newfoundland. While in Newfoundland, Trevett persuaded a British officer to have him sent to the West Indies. En route the ship was captured by the French and Trevett gained his freedom when the French took him to France. In France, Trevett declined serving with John Paul Jones, but later he went aboard a prize ship and participated in two cruises. Afterward, he headed for Amsterdam and from there he returned to the States on 28 May 1782. Captain Trevett’s wife, Elizabeth, died on 22 January 1823. Trevett, having become completely blind about 1819, died on 3 November 1823, at age 76.

Trumbull, Governor Jonathan Jonathan Trumbull, the son of Joseph Trumbull, was born in Lebanon, Connecticut, on 12 October 1710. Jonathan received an excellent education that included graduation from Harvard during 1727. After graduation, Jonathan studied theology under the Rev. Solomon Williams and received his license to preach. He was offered a position

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as a minister in Colchester, Connecticut, but problems developed when unexpectedly, his older brother, a partner with his father in the mercantile business, had taken a voyage to England (1732). The vessel was lost without a trace. Jonathan’s father deeply grieved and was unable, due to his age, to continue the business unless Jonathan replaced his older brother. He succeeded in persuading Jonathan to decline position of clergyman in Colchester. Jonathan afterward settled the affairs of his brother, and as time passed, he eventually commenced his Jonathan Trumbull (Our Countrymen, own mercantile business. or Brief Memoirs of Eminent AmeriAbout 1733, Jonathan was cans, Benson J. Lossing, 1855) elected to the General Assembly, then after a short while, he was elected speaker of the House. During December 1735, Jonathan married Faith Robinson, the daughter of the Rev. John and Hannah Wiswall Robinson. They had six children: Faith (married General Jedediah Huntington); Mary (married Colonel William Williams, signer of the Declaration of Independence); Jonathan, Jr., (b. March 1740, married Eunice Backus, daughter of Ebenezer Backus, later governor of Connecticut); David; Joseph (b. March 1737, married Amelia Dyer; served as commissary general of Continental Army, d. 23 July 1778); and John (b. June 1756, became adjutant and quartermaster general, with rank of colonel, Continental Army). Jonathan Trumbull became a member of the council and from there, during 1766, he was elected lieutenant governor of the colony of Connecticut and became chief justice of the Superior Court. While he was lieutenant governor, the situation in the colonies was becoming turbulent due to the Stamp Act of 1765. The governor, William Pitkin (1766–1769) and other members of the council took an oath of allegiance to Britain, essentially agreeing that Britain had the right to tax the colonies, but Trumbull declined, his first obvious break with the Crown. He also refused to be present when the others took the oath. By that time, it became apparent that Trumbull had aligned himself with the Patriots who were dissatisfied with the policies of the crown and Parliament, an unusual position to be taken by a member of the royal government. During 1769, Governor Pitkin died and the colonists elected Trumbull as governor. The choice, although unknown at the time, was precedent setting. Trumbull became the only royal governor to become a Patriot and a rock-solid leader in the fight for independence. During a vote in the council on what course to take, Governor Trumbull dared to defy Britain by casting his vote to “resist by force of arms.” From the beginning, when relations with Britain first began to deteriorate, Trumbull’s actions were both bold and daring, but more importantly, he also possessed a powerful natural ability to lead. In addition to handling the responsibilities of governor, he also continued to attend the legislative sessions and maintain attendance in council. As the various states established committees of correspondence, Trumbull initiated his communication network with the other American governors and maintained a steady correspondence with General George Washington after the latter was appointed commanderin-chief. During May 1775, the month following the opening of hostilities at Lexington and Concord, Congress called upon Governor

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Trumbull: “Resolved, That the Governor of Connecticut be requested immediately to send a strong reinforcement to the garrisons of Crown Point and Ticonderoga, and that so many of the cannon and other stores be retained, as may be necessary for the immediate defence of those posts, until further orders from this Congress, and that the provincial Convention of New York be informed of this resolve, and desired to furnish those troops with provisions and other necessary stores, and to take effectual care that a sufficient number of Batteaus be immediately provided for the lakes.” On 1 June 1775, Congress requested that Governor Trumbull appoint a commander of the forces at Ticonderoga and Crown Point. Later that month, subsequent to the capture of Governor Philip Skene of New York, Congress ordered that the governor be transported to Connecticut and “confined on his parole, not to go out of the bounds prescribed to him by Govr. Trumbull.” Governor Trumbull’s sons joined the military; the youngest, John, rose to the rank of colonel. The governor also had two sons-in-law involved in the conflict, General Jedediah Huntington and William Williams, a veteran of the French and Indian War and a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Jedediah was married to Faith, and Mary was the wife of William. Governor Trumbull (changed from Trumble during 1765) and Jedediah each sustained a great loss during 1775. Jedediah’s wife, Faith, visited her husband and witnessed the Battle of Bunker Hill ( June 1775), but the scenes of the battle brought about mental illness. Later, Jedediah, unable to return home, arranged for Faith to be brought to Massachusetts. She died in Dedham on 24 November 1775. The governor and his wife, also named Faith, despite their deep sadness, managed to cope. The Trumbull mansion literally became the center of activity in Connecticut during the war and became known as the “War Office.” General Washington had much to do with keeping the center active. He was constantly requesting support from Trumbull and referred to the governor as “brother.” Meanwhile, the governor dubbed himself a rebel, declaring that he was “the only rebel Executive among thirteen governors in the Colonies.” On 6 June 1776, Governor Trumbull issued a proclamation composed of more than 1,300 words, sometimes referred to as the Connecticut Declaration of Independence. It read in part: In this distressing Dilemma, having no Alternative but absolute Slavery, or successful Resistance; this, and the United American Colonies, have been constrained by the over-ruling Laws of Self-Preservation, to take up Arms for the Defence of all that is sacred and dear to Freemen, and make their solemn Appeal to Heaven for the Justice of their Cause, and resist Force by Force. GOD ALMIGHTY has been pleased, of his infinite Mercy, to succeed our Attempts, and give us many Instances of signal Success and Deliverance; but the Wrath of the King is still increasing, and not content with before employing all the Force which can be sent from his own Kingdom to execute his cruel Purposes, has procured, and is sending all the Mercenaries he can obtain from foreign Countries, to assist in extirpating the Rights of America, and with their’s, almost all the Liberty remaining among Mankind.

On 7 November 1776, the governor issued a proclamation prohibiting the export of many provisions from the state without first acquiring a permit from him. Items on the list included bread, flour, Indian corn, pork, salt, and cloth that could be used for military uniforms. On 28 November, Congress again relied on Trumbull and requested that he “order twenty cannon, carrying shot of eighteen pounds weight, to be cast at Salisbury iron works, and transported to Ticonderoga, with all possible expedition.” On 18 January 1777, Congress directed Governor Trumbull to raise a force for the Continental Army and resolved “that 100,000 dollars be sent to Governor Trumbull, for the purpose of recruiting the continental army, in the state of Connecticut.” Congress had great confidence in the trustworthiness and competence of Governor Trumbull on all

matters. Subsequent to the confinement of New Jersey’s royal governor, William Franklin (son of Benjamin Franklin), Congress, on 22 April 1777, directed that Franklin be transported to Connecticut and be placed under confinement by Trumbull and prohibited “the use of pen, ink, and paper, or the access of any person or persons.” Franklin was delivered to Governor Trumbull of the Fourth of July 1776, the day Congress declared independence. Governor Trumbull actively participated in running the government and oversaw operations against the British when they raided the state. During May 1777, the Connecticut Assembly adopted the title “His Excellency” for the governor; however Governor Trumbull was not aware of the action, nor was he impressed. He tolerated the title, but it aggravated him to the point that during the following year, Trumbull addressed the assembly with the following: “An act of this Assembly made and passed this time twelve months ordered the stile of His Excellency to be given the Governor of this State. This savouring too much of High Titles, and not beneficial, may it not honorably be repealed? It passed without previous knowledge, expectation or desire. Asking pardon from you and from my successors, I do sincerely request its repeal. It is Honor and Happiness enough to meet the Approbation of Heaven, of my conscience, and of my Brethren.” Governor Trumbull continued to remain solidly in support of raising and supplying troops for both the state militia and the Continental Army. During 1778, Governor Trumbull received a message from General Washington in an attempt to get food for his army, but at the time, the Continental currency had been greatly devalued and farmers were unwilling to risk selling their crops to the army; however, the governor responded that he would accumulate what he could in an effort to ease the strain. The governor’s son, Joseph, died while at Lebanon in 1778 “from a fatal illness brought on by the cares, anxieties and fatigues of his office,” commissary general. Two years later, Governor Trumbull sustained yet another tragedy when his wife, Faith, died on 29 May 1780, terminating their forty-five year marriage. Faith Trumbull had been feeble for several years prior to her death. The words inscribed on her tombstone were: “Sacred to the memory of Madam Faith Trumbull, the amiable lady of Gov. Trumbull. Born at Duxbury, Mass., A.D. 1718. Happy and beloved in her connubial state, she lived a virtuous, charitable and Christian life at Lebanon, in Connecticut, and died lamented by numerous friends, A.D. 1780, aged 62 years.” Later that year, Connecticut had new temporary occupants with the arrival of the French. Governor Trumbull’s son, David, along with Jeremiah Wadsworth and Jedediah Elderkin, was assigned the task of providing barracks at Colchester and at Lebanon for the troops (Hussars of Du de Lauzun’s Legion). During November 1780, the governor’s son, John, (formerly adjutant general) having been in England studying art, was arrested for treason soon after word of the execution of John Andre reached London. John’s arrest was instigated by Benjamin Thompson (later Count Rumford). The news of the arrest caused Governor Trumbull excessive trepidation, as the worst was expected, but others in England intervened and he was released after being held captive for about seven months. While the Continental Army was pressing against Lord Charles Cornwallis in Virginia during 1781, a British force under Benedict Arnold was raiding Connecticut, causing great harm. During September, Arnold’s forces struck New London, where the harbor was defended by only one battery, known as Fort Trumbull. The British burned about one hundred and twenty-five buildings and attacked Fort Griswold across the harbor at Groton. British Colonel Eyre, with a large force, demanded surrender of the fort. Colonel William Ledyard, commanding about 125–150 troops, replied: “We will not surrender, let the consequences be what they may.” For about one hour, the American militia inflicted heavy casualties upon the British, but eventually the enemy was able to penetrate. Colonel Ledyard surrendered

447 and offered Eyre his sword, which the British officer accepted, then plunged into Ledyard’s chest. The British let wounded Americans in a wagon run down a hill, causing more barbarous consequences. The village of Groton was also burned. Governor Trumbull was at Hartford when the atrocities occurred. He requested some help from the French fleet, but it had already sailed. Governor Trumbull also dispatched General Joseph Spencer to the scene. The situation in Connecticut had become grave and the towns were full of widows and children of those slain. During the following month, Governor Trumbull received a message from his son John, who was at Yorktown with General Washington. The letter delivered the news that British General Cornwallis had surrendered and General Nathanael Greene had made great progress in the South. Governor Trumbull crammed his jubilance into one of his diminutive diary entries as follows: “Friday, October 26th. About 7 o’clo. in the eveg recd the hand Bill from D. Govr Bower, of the surrender of Ld Cornwallis & his army—9000 men, seamen included—quantity of Warlike Stores— one 40 gun ship —1 frigate — about one hundred Transports. Praised be the Lord of Hosts.” Despite the governor’s constant service to his state during the war, he saw his popularity dwindle. During 1780, he received less than a majority of vote, 3,598, while other candidates received a total of 3,668. Nevertheless, pursuant to the laws of Connecticut, the General Assembly elected him governor. In 1782, he was elected by the citizens and then during 1783, once again, he failed to gain a majority. Nevertheless, the assembly elected his as governor. Governor Trumbull decided that his time in public service had come to an end. He declined running for any additional office. During 1783 in his address to the Connecticut Assembly, he stated: A few days will bring me to the anniversary of my birth; seventy-three years of my life will then be completed and next May fifty-one years will have passed since I was first honored with the confidence of the people in a public character. During this period, in different capacities, it has been my lot to be called to public service almost without interruption. Fourteen years I have had the honor to fill the chief seat of Government. With what carefulness, with what zeal and attention to your welfare, I have discharged the duties of my several stations, some few of you, of equal age with myself, can witness for me from the beginning. During the latter period, none of you are ignorant of the manner in which my public life has been occupied! The watchful cares and solicitude of an eight years’ distressing and unusual war have also fallen to my share, and have employed many anxious moments of my latest time, which have been cheerfully devoted to the welfare of my country. Happy am I to find that all these cares, anxieties, and solicitudes are amply compensated by the noble prospect which now opens to my fellow-citizens, of a happy establishment (if we are but wise to improve the precious opportunity) in, peace, tranquillity, and national independence. With sincere and lively gratitude to Almighty God, our great protector and deliverer, and most hearty congratulations to all our citizens, I felicitate you, Gentlemen, the other freemen, and all the good people of the State, in this glorious prospect.... I think it my duty to retire from the busy concerns of public affairs: that at the evening of my days I may sweeten their decline by devoting myself with less avocation and more attention to the duties of religion, the service of my God, and preparation for a future and happier state of existence, in which pleasing employment I shall not cease to remember my country, and to make it my ardent prayer that Heaven will not fail to bless her with her choicest favors. At this conspicuous moment, therefore, of my country’s happiness, when she has just reached the goal of her wishes, and obtained the object for which she has so long contended, and so nobly struggled, I have to request the favor from you, Gentlemen, and through you, from all the freemen of the State, that, after May next, I may be excused from any further service in public life and that from this time I may be no longer considered as an object of your suffrages for any public employment in the State.

Governor Jonathan Trumbull retired on 21 May 1784 and was succeeded by Matthew Griswold; however, he had little time to enjoy the

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independence which had been won. He died in August 1785, but there is some uncertainty over the date. The inscription on his gravestone states 9 August and his memoirs state 17 August. Nevertheless, he died from the effects of a pernicious fever. Governor Trumbull was interred in the family tomb in Lebanon, Connecticut. His tomb was inscribed with an eloquent description of the governor’s devotion to the nation that ended: “Full of years and honors, rich in benevolence, and firm in the faith and hopes of Christianity, he died August 9, 1786.” The date of Trumbull’s birth also varies with different sources; the date listed in this biography was taken from a book written about Governor Trumbull’s great-great-grandson, Jonathan Trumbull.

Tupper, Brigadier General Benjamin Benjamin Tupper, the son of Thomas and Remember Perry Tupper, was born on 11 March 1738 in Stoughton, Massachusetts. Benjamin was a descendant of Thomas Tupper, who immigrated to America from Sandwich, England, during the early 1600s and initially settled in Saugus (Lynn), Massachusetts. Benjamin’s maternal ancestor was Ezra Perry, also of Sandwich. While Benjamin was still young, his father died. He was sent to Dorchester to become an apprentice for a tanner operating there. About 1754, Benjamin was residing in Easton on the farm belonging to Joshua Howard. Not long after he settled in Easton, the French and Indian War erupted and he entered the military as an enlisted man with the rank of private in a company commanded by Captain Nathaniel Perry, who was also Benjamin’s uncle. Benjamin, however, was not destined to forever be a company clerk in what was known as the Eastern Army. He was promoted to corporal during 1757 and in 1759 attained the coveted rank of sergeant. Following the close of hostilities, Benjamin returned to Easton and began teaching at a school in the town. The next year, he married Hulda White of Bridgewater. While residing at Easton, Benjamin and Hulda had their first child, Anselm, born in October 1763, but the rest of the children were born after the family moved to Chesterfield: Minerva (married Colonel Ichabod Nye); Rosanna (married Governor Winthrop Sargent of Ohio; Sophia; Benjamin (called by title of colonel); Edward White Tupper (called by the title general); and a daughter (name unknown) born prior to the family’s relocation to Marietta, Ohio, but died young. By the 1770s, the mood among the colonists in Massachusetts was becoming more somber due to the pressure applied by the British. Nevertheless, the gloom did not penetrate into the spirit of those who saw independence as a means of terminating what many perceived as oppression. During April 1775, the path to reconciliation was shattered when skirmishes erupted at Lexington and Concord on the 19th. Although no one was able to identify who fired the first shot, remembered as “the shot heard round the world,” there was no turning back. The British were forced back into Boston and the Patriots from every colony were rallying around the Patriots in Massachusetts. Benjamin Tupper, a veteran of the French and Indian War, was appointed major (April 1775) in a regiment at Roxbury commanded by Colonel John Fellows. Major Tupper participated in the Battle of Bunker Hill on 17 June. By the following month, he was engaged in harassment raids against British positions, including Castle Island, where Tupper’s contingent succeeded in impeding shipping in the harbor by destroying the lighthouse. When the British initiated work to repair the lighthouse, Tupper struck again and destroyed it, while killing four of the enemy and capturing 54. Major Tupper’s leadership was duly noted by General George Washington, who gave praise in general orders. Thomas Jefferson noted the raid as “an instance of the adventurous genius and intrepidity of New Englanders.” Word of the attack also reached London, but there were no ceremonial thanks from Parliament. The news of the destruction of the lighthouse was received as a calamity. The remainder of the summer of 1775 was equally active. Tupper led a party to Martha’s

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Vineyard to seize two vessels in August, and the following month, he ventured into the midst of the enemy by leading a raid on Governor’s Island. During November 1775, Tupper was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel. During 1776, yet again, Tupper was a seagoing soldier; his contingent manned a flotilla of gunboats that operated on the Hudson River. His gunboats remained active and participated in the fighting near Fort Washington. On 1 January 1776, Tupper was attached to Colonel (later brigadier general) Jacob Bailey’s regiment (21st Continental Regiment) in the northern department under General Horatio Gates. Lt. Colonel Tupper was transferred to the 2nd Massachusetts Regiment on 1 November 1776. He was elevated to the rank of colonel by July 1777 and given command of the 11th Continental Regiment. After British General John Burgoyne surrendered his army in the Saratoga Campaign of October 1777, Colonel Tupper was directed to join with General Washington’s main body near Philadelphia. Tupper’s regiment arrived in time to endure the wretched winter at Valley Forge. During the following June (1778), the British abandoned Philadelphia and the Continental Army gave chase, which ignited a major confrontation at the Battle of Monmouth, New Jersey. During the night of the 28–29 June, the British absconded from their positions and continued their retreat toward New York, leaving Washington’s plan to mount a new attack suspended. The clash at Monmouth became the final major battle in the northern states. Colonel Tupper was not wounded during the fighting, but his horse was shot from under him. During September 1778, he was appointed as inspector in General John Paterson’s brigade. Subsequently, Colonel Tupper served as an aide to General Washington, but in addition, he was sent to West Point during 1780 to oversee an operation dealing with the installation of a chain which was to stretch from one side of the Hudson to the other to prevent the passage of British warships. On 1 January 1781, Colonel Tupper transferred to the 6th Massachusetts Regiment and remained its commander until June 1783. That September, Congress awarded Colonel Tupper the rank of brevet brigadier general. After the war, General Tupper was elected to the Massachusetts legislature. He was also appointed as a justice of the peace. General Tupper was also among a group of officers, including General Rufus King, who were set upon opening up the territory west of the Ohio (Northwest Territory). During June 1785, General Tupper accepted the post of surveyor of the Northwest Territory, succeeding General Rufus Putnam, who relinquished the position. In conjunction, through the efforts of Putnam and Tupper, a convention was called and a group of other veterans, each with an interest in the new territory, convened in Boston during early March 1786. The call to attend went out to the officers who during 1783 petitioned Congress to authorize settlements in Ohio. On 3 March 1786, the delegates (eleven men) who had been convening at the Bunch of Grapes Tavern in Boston organized the Ohio Company of Associates. The delegates elected General Rufus Putnam as president and Winthrop Sargent was designated clerk. The company was formed primarily to raise funds in Continental certificates, which were to be used only for purchasing land in Ohio upon which a settlement could be established. That same year, in Massachusetts, General Tupper was involved in quashing Shay’s Rebellion (1786–1787). By early 1788, General Tupper began moving his family to Ohio. Others who made the journey to become the initial settlers in present-day Ohio included his son-in-law, Ichabod Nye, and the families of Colonel Nathaniel Cushing and Major Nathan Goodale. The party arrived during August of 1798 and established what became Marietta, Ohio. (See also, Varnum, Major General James Mitchell, and Putnam, Brigadier General Rufus.) General Tupper was appointed as a judge of Common Pleas Court

of the territory. Major Goodale was later captured by Indians on 1 March 1793 and he was never heard from again. Goodale had been the initial commandant in what was known as the Farmer’s Castle. General Benjamin Tupper succumbed on 7 June 1792. His wife, Hulda, lived until 1812. Initially, General Tupper was interred under a tree in a burial area between Third and Fourth Streets (where his son Anselm was later interred) and afterward they were re-interred in the Mound Cemetery (originally known as Marie Antoinette Square at some point after 1800). A notation in the journal of the Rev. Manasseh Cutler (director of the Ohio Company) supports that General Tupper was the inventor of the “screw propeller.” The entry on 15 August 1788, mentioned that Cuter had mentioned an idea about “constructing a machine to work in the head or stern of a boat instead of oars.” Cutler, Tupper and some others experimented. The journal states: “Assisted by a number of people, we went to work, and constructed a machine in the form of a screw with short blades, and placed it in the stem of the boat, which we turned with a crank. It succeeded to admiration and I think it a very useful discovery.”

Twiggs, Major General John John Twiggs was born in Maryland on 5 June 1750 and later moved to Augusta, Georgia, with others, including the family of John Emanuel, who later became his father-in-law. John’s family established residence in St. Paul’s Parish (later Richmond County). John became a millwright, but his destiny changed with the eruption of the American Revolution. He served in the militia as a lieutenant, and in June 1774 he was promoted to captain. John married Ruth Emanuel, the daughter of John Emanuel and the brother of David Emanuel, who became governor of Georgia. John and Ruth, according to General Twiggs’ last will and testament, had the following children: Abraham, George, Levi, David Emanuel, Abr (probably Abraham), and Sarah. As the war progressed, John was elevated to the rank of colonel. The British seized Savannah, Georgia, on 28 December 1778 to deliver a severe blow to the Patriots. On 29 January 1777, British General Augustine Prevost seized Augusta, delivering yet another serious blow to the greatly outnumbered Patriots in Georgia. Prevost, anticipating permanent control of the city and the return of the colony, renamed Fort Augusta, calling it Fort Cornwallis to honor General Lord Charles Cornwallis. The Patriots refused capitulation and continued their resistance. One of the leaders who was undaunted by the seizures and convinced that victory would still emerge was Colonel Twiggs. After the Patriots had been scattered, Twiggs was relentless in his opposition. He joined with other forces under Colonels Benjamin Few and William Few. Together they pounced at every opportunity. On 3 March the Battle of Briar Creek was fought and the Georgia militia was left stranded on the field. Upon the approach of the British, General John Ashe from North Carolina said to Colonel Elbert, “Sir, you had better advance and engage them.” Elbert’s force of Georgians numbered slightly more than 100 men. The contingent was surrounded, but Ashe had fled with the North Carolina militia, guaranteeing British domination of Augusta. On 28 June 1779, at Hickory Hill, Georgia, Twiggs engaged a contingent of forty grenadiers and the British troops were either killed or captured. Following the surrender of Charleston on 12 May 1780, Colonel Twiggs continued to concentrate on striking at every opportunity. He cooperated with the forces under Elijah Clark, John Dooly and others. Near Ninety Six at Blackstock’s Plantation, the British under Lt. Colonel Banastre Tarleton attacked General Sumter’s positions on 20 November 1780. A furious contest erupted and during the fighting General Sumter received a serious wound. At one point, the Georgia militia faltered, but following the wounding of Sumter, Colonel Twiggs assumed command and the Patriots fared well. Both sides,

449 however, claimed victory. Tarleton’s force sustained at least fifty killed, while the forces under Sumter and Twiggs sustained fewer than ten casualties, including three killed. Tarleton, infuriated by his inability to vanquish the Patriots, prepared to launch a heavy assault on the following day; however, Colonel Twiggs had a better strategy. He ordered the troops to intensify the camp fires as a ruse, then under the cover of darkness, he led his force back to Georgia. On the 21st, Tarleton discovered that his foe had vanished. Subsequently, during August 1781, Colonel Twiggs participated in the disastrous defeat of General Horatio Gates at Camden. Gates had little confidence in the militia and he wasted their combined talents, but in addition, he rejected their advice prior to the encounter at Camden, where he fought without artillery. The battle cost Gates his military career. Twiggs performed admirably, and during the course of the tenacious contest, he was wounded. Nevertheless, he was quickly back in the field and remained active for the duration. General Nathanael Greene arrived later that same year as successor to Gates. Colonel Twiggs participated under General Greene and focused on Loyalists operating in the vicinity of Big Shoals on the Oconee River, an area consumed with Loyalist activity. Meanwhile, Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown during October 1781. Afterward, the Patriots concentrated on ridding the Carolinas of the remaining enemy forces. The British got squeezed into Charleston, but they did not abandon it until December 1782. General Twiggs was appointed as a justice of the peace for Burke County earlier that year. After the war, during November 1783, General Twiggs was appointed to a commission — composed of himself, Andrew Burns, Elijah Clarke, William Glascock and Edward Telfair — charged with negotiating a treaty at Augusta with the Creek Indians. A treaty was consummated and through it, Georgia acquired a vast amount of territory which included present-day Washington and Franklin Counties. General Twiggs also served in the Georgia Senate during 1791 as a representative of Richmond County. Another of General Twiggs’ interests was education. He was instrumental in founding the University of Georgia in Athens and for a while served as a trustee. He contributed funds for the construction of the chapel built on the grounds of the university. General Twiggs established a plantation (Good Hope) in Richmond County on land that stretched across the state line into Aiken County, South Carolina. General Twiggs lived there for the remainder of his life. Problems developed in Georgia when a group that included Elijah Clark established a settlement in Cherokee territory southwest of the Oconee River. General Twiggs was appointed by Governor John Mathews to seek a solution, but Clark and the others refused to abandon their settlement (Clark attempted to establish a separate republic of Georgia known as Trans-Ocanee). Although Twiggs’ efforts to bring the sides together failed, the scheme was eventually foiled through the joint actions of the federal government and the state of Georgia. During the crisis, the term of Governor Mathews expired on 6 November 1795 and the office was to vacant until 2 January 1796. A move was made to persuade General Twiggs to assume the office; however, Twiggs, who had been the highest ranking major general in the state since his promotion during 1791, conferred with General James Jackson and they concurred that the offer should be rejected. General John Twiggs died during 1816 and was interred on the grounds of his plantation in the family cemetery. One of General Twiggs’ sons, Levi, joined the United States Marines during the War of 1812 on 13 November 1813. It was a pivotal time for the Marine Corps. While serving aboard the United States ship President, commanded by Stephen Decatur, Levi, although only a lieutenant, received command of the Marine detachment. On 15 January 1815, the President was overwhelmed by three British frigates. During the sea battle, Twiggs’ 56-man detachment fired 5,000 rounds against the enemy before the Americans were compelled to surrender. After his

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parole, he returned to service and later participated in a Florida expedition against the Seminole Indians. He was killed in the Mexican War while leading his command during the Marines’ attack against Chapultepec. A bullet struck him in the heart during the charge, but the Marines did seize the palace and hoist the Stars and Stripes. The battle is memorialized in the first line of the “Marines’ Hymn.” Another of General Twiggs’ sons, David Emanuel, also entered the military, serving in the War of 1812 and the Mexican War. During the latter he participated in the invasion of Vera Cruz under General Winfield Scott, in what became the initial amphibious invasion launched by the United States Army. Colonel Twiggs led three brigades. Following the close of the Mexican War, David received command of the Western Department, which he retained until 1857, prior to assuming command of the Department of Texas. At the outbreak of the Civil War, Colonel Twiggs was second in command in the army, with only Winfield Scott above him. He did become a general, but not in the U.S. Army. Twiggs, during the initial stages of the war, surrendered the entire Department of Texas to U.S. Colonel (later Confederate brigadier general) Ben McCulloch. Twiggs was dismissed from the U.S. Army on 1 March 1861. Confederate Major General David Twiggs died of natural causes at his home in Georgia on 15 July 1862.

Tyler, Brigadier General John John Tyler, the son of James and Hannah Safford Tyler, was born in Preston, Connecticut, on 29 December 1721. In addition to John (also listed), his parents had the following children: Moses (b. February 1707); James (b. December 1708); Hannah (b. October 1711); Mary (twin of Mehitable, b. September 1714); Mehitable (twin of Mary, b. September 1714); Joseph (b. November 1717); Samuel (b. February 1719) and John (b. December 1721). After the death of John’s mother, John’s father married Sara Jewett. John married Mary Spaulding (or Spalding) Coit, the daughter of Thomas and Marcy (or Mary) Welch Spaulding, also from Connecticut, on 14 December 1742. Mary was the widow of Joseph Coit. Mary had two children (Elizabeth and Mary) from her first marriage. John and Mary had the following children: Mehitable (b. October 1748); James (b. May 1746, d. September 1750); John (1) (b. (April 1748, d. May 1752); Abigail (b. July 1750, married Captain Nathaniel Lord); Olive (b. March 1752); John (2) (b. July 1755); and Lydia (b. October 1758). John Tyler’s first military service began when the Connecticut assembly appointed him as a lieutenant of William Preston’s 3rd Company (known as the train band). Tyler’s commission, signed by Governor Roger Wolcott, was dated 30 October 1752. He was appointed by the assembly as the second lieutenant in 1775 in a company that was part of an expeditionary force being raised against the French at Crown Point, urged by Governor William Shirley of Massachusetts. During the following year, Tyler was promoted to the rank of captain and was part of an additional 2,500-man force ordered raised by Connecticut. From 1756 through 1764, Tyler held the rank of lieutenant, lieutenantcaptain and captain while he participated in campaigns against the French and the hostile Indians. Each of those commissions was issued by Governor Thomas Fitch. During 1756, Tyler was also elected to the assembly, and from that point until the outbreak of war, he served during 1758, 1759, 1763, 1767, 1770, 1773, 1774 and 1775. In 1764, Tyler served with Colonel Israel Putnam and held the rank of lieutenant colonel. In addition, he was appointed as a justice of the peace in the county of New London in 1773, a post which he held for five years. The experience gained by Captain Tyler during the hostilities with the French proved valuable when war with Britain broke out following the clashes at Lexington and Concord on 19 April 1775. Less than one month later, on 1 May 1775, Tyler was commissioned as lieutenant colonel of the 6th Connecticut Regiment and received his commission from yet another governor, Jonathan Trumbull. Governor Trumbull was the only royal governor

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to remain loyal to the American cause. In addition to his responsibility with the 6th Regiment, Tyler also held a commission as captain of the 2nd Company, composed of troops from Hartford, New London and Middlesex counties. Initially Tyler remained at New London, but on 17 June, the day of the Battle of Bunker Hill, his contingent was ordered to the American encampment at Boston, where it was attached to General Joseph Spencer’s brigade. When the Continental Army was reorganized in January 1776 while the siege of Boston was ongoing, Lt. Colonel Tyler was appointed colonel of the Continental 10th Regiment. On 17 March 1776, the British abandoned Boston and embarked for New York. General George Washington directed some troops to remain at Boston while he led the army into New York. Spencer’s brigade participated in the New York campaigns of 1776. In June 1777, Brigadier General Gurdon Saltonstall, commander of the 3rd Connecticut Brigade, was appointed as port collector at New London and Tyler succeeded him. Tyler led the brigade during various times of danger in the state, and he served under General John Sullivan during the ill-fated campaign of July–August 1778, in which the Americans tried to evict the British from Newport. During 1779, Colonel Tyler was deployed during one alarm at New Haven, along the east coast, and at other times at Groton and the vicinity of New London. At the close of hostilities, when the army was disbanded, the troops were due compensation, but they were not paid by either the federal government or the state of Connecticut. Although it is not officially recorded, it is generally believed (through tradition) that General Tyler paid his troops out of his own funds. At the close of his service, General Tyler returned to his home in Preston (later Griswold) and resumed his private life. During 1783, he again was elected to the assembly, then later after serving that term, he was elected during 1787. General Tyler succumbed in Preston (later Griswold) on 29 July 1804. His wife, Mary, died on 11 November 1801.

Vail, Brigadier General Edward Edward Vail was born about 1717 and at an undetermined time, prior to the French and Indian War, he arrived in North Carolina. During the French and Indian war, Vail served as a captain in the Chowan County militia. He served under Colonel (later brigadier general) Hugh Waddell and participated when Waddell defeated the Cherokee Indians near Fort Dobbs in 1760. He served in the North Carolina General Assembly from the early 1750s until the early 1760s, then for a while in the 1770s, prior to the outbreak of the American Revolution. Vail, with the rank of colonel, also participated in support of the royal governor, William Tryon, against the Regulators, a group organized against corruption in government. The Regulators were defeated at the Battle of Alamance during May 1761 and of those captured, some were hanged. Tryon’s troops were seasoned while the Regulators were disorganized and lacked weapons. Vail was not an exception when the Americans in North Carolina and in the other colonies began to consider opposition to the Crown and Parliament when the incessant taxation and other restrictive legislation was becoming too great a burden on the colonies. Vail was among those who formed the foundation of resistance in the state. During September 1774, he was among those chosen for the initial Committee of Safety for North Carolina. The others chosen were John Ashe (later general), Richard Caswell (later general and governor), Cornelius Harnett, John Harvey, Joseph Hewes (signer of the Declaration of Independence), William Hooper (signer of the Declaration of Independence), Robert Howe (later general), and William Samuel Johnson. On 9 December 1775, Vail participated in the Battle of Great Bridge with General Woodford of Virginia in the contest that ended Lord Dunmore’s efforts to regain Virginia for the Crown. The defenses and reserves also prohibited the Loyalists from lunging from Virginia into North Carolina. Brigadier generals were appointed on 4 April: Ed-

ward Vail (Edenton district); Allen Jones (Halifax district); John Ashe (Wilmington); Griffith Rutherford (Salisbury); Thomas Person (Hillsborough) and William Bryan (New Bern). Just prior to the appointment of brigadier generals, the Americans under Colonel James Moore inflicted a severe defeat upon the Loyalists at Moore’s Creek Bridge, preventing the Highlanders from moving to Cape Fear to link with a British fleet. The Patriots so soundly defeated the Loyalists that they were unable to raise organized resistance for several years. General Vail remained active in the militia. He died on 5 June 1777. He had married Mary Benners; however, after her death, he remarried, taking Susanna Beasley as his second wife. Vail’s son, Edward, Jr., was with the Continental Army during October 1777 at the Battle of Germantown. Captain Edward Vail received a court-martial on charges of cowardice and disobeying orders in the face of the enemy. The court-martial was held at White Marsh (present-day Whitemarsh), Pennsylvania, on 2 December 1777. The following was published in the North Carolina Gazette on 20 February 1778: “By order of his Excellency Genl. Washington, Capt. Vail of the second North Carolina battalion, charged with Cowardice, at the battle of Germantown, was tried, found guilty of that crime, and sentenced therefor to be cashiered; and to have his crime, name, place of abode, and punishment, published in the newspapers in and about the camp, and of that particular state from which he came; and that it should be deemed scandalous for any officer to associate with him. This sentence was approved by his Excellency the Commander in Chief; and in pursuance thereof is transmitted to the printers for publication.”

Van Cortlandt, Brigadier General Philip Philip, the son of Pierre and Joanna Livingston Van Cortlandt, was born on 1 September 1749 in New York at the family residence on Stone Street. Philip’s father was the lieutenant governor of New York (1777) and a staunch Patriot. Three of Pierre’s brothers, Abraham, John and Philip, each died as young adults. His older brother, Stephen, died during 1756, leaving Pierre the responsibility of Cortland Manor. Pierre and Joanna, in addition to Philip, had the following children: Catherine (married Abraham Van Wyck); Cornelia (married Gerard G. Beekman); Ann (married Philip Van Rensselaer); Gilbert; and Pierre (married Catherine Clinton, daughter of General [and governor] George Clinton and afterward, Ann Stevenson). Joanna, Philip’s mother, was the daughter of Gilbert Livingston. Pierre tended to slide sharply to the Patriots’ cause as the relations between Britain and the colonies deteriorated. Philip received an excellent education, initially on the manor grounds in a building built for use by a local teacher. At age fifteen, he attended Coldenham Academy and then graduated from King’s College (later, Columbia) during 1759. After graduation, Philip pursued a career as a surveyor; however, he also was engaged in the milling business and operated a small store. During that period, Philip’s father, Pierre, was a member of the Colonial Assembly (1768–1775). Governor William Tryon tried to Philip Van Courtlandt (Godchild of lure Pierre away from the Washington, Katherine Schuyler BaxAmerican cause by promising ter, 1897)

451 large tracts of land. Pierre totally rejected the bribe. In 1774, and when the offer was refused, Tryon left in a huff, boarded a ship and returned to New York. Prior to the encounter, but that same year, Tryon commissioned Philip Van Cortlandt as a major of militia in a regiment commanded by Colonel James Ver Planck. By the early 1770s, tension was building between the colonies and Britain due to a variety of tax legislation and other legislation that followed the Stamp Act of 1765. The British were taking precautions to control the situation, but instead the simmering fires of resistance were accelerated by the Intolerable Acts of 1774, which included the Boston Port Act and the Quartering Act. Philip, like his father, had been offered incentives to swing his allegiance to the British, but he too rejected any such action. After the clashes at Lexington and Concord on April 19 1775, Philip Van Cortlandt was elected to the state convention as a representative of the County of Westchester. Van Cortlandt was requested to accept a commission as lieutenant colonel with the Canadian expeditionary force in the 4th New York Battalion. He accepted and received his commission on 18 June 1775. Soon after, Van Cortlandt departed for Albany, but at the time of his departure, the family was suffering from sickness. His two brothers, Gilbert and Stephen, were both near death from sore throats. Gilbert, fifteen years old, died within a few days after Philip left the estate. The trek to Albany was less than effortless. At Newtown, Long Island, he mustered a company that was commanded by Captain Abraham Riker, but the troops abandoned the trip to Albany because they were not going to receive clothing and supplies. Van Cortlandt offered to personally pay the expenses, and suddenly the troops were enthusiastically awaiting the march. The troops arrived at Albany without weapons and accommodations, creating more problems and compelling Van Cortlandt to pay from his funds, but he also got a loan from a family friend to pay each of the men (about 350 troops) $1 each. Afterward, he was informed that 181 of the troops had absconded and the remainder were nearly in flight. Soon the deserters returned and the crisis was ended. By that time, Van Cortlandt had apparently caught the sickness of his brothers, but he moved out from Albany to Ticonderoga, where he came to the doorway of death, ending his participation in the Canadian expedition. General Philip Schuyler arranged for Van Cortlandt to be taken to his home in Albany for recuperation under the guidance of Mrs. Schuyler. Van Cortlandt did not participate in the Canadian operation, which ended in failure. After the Battle of Long Island (August 1776), Van Cortlandt, having again been struck by fever, was en route from Skenesborough on a trip south to recuperate. He paused at General George Washington’s headquarters near Kingsbridge while the British were landing at Throg’s Neck. Despite his sickness, he stayed for a while and acted as an aide to Washington. Van Cortlandt stopped at a tavern in Rhinebeck and although the inn keeper nearly killed Van Cortlandt, he did succeed in ending his “ague.” Van Cortlandt was given a portion of port wine that contained bitter herbs. After drinking the wine, Van Cortlandt noted that the combination was so powerful, “it deprived me of understanding for ten minutes, which much alarmed my friend, Mr. Bell and also the landlord, fearing I would never recover; but thank God I did recover and have not been troubled with ague since.” Having fully recovered, Van Cortlandt returned to duty at Skenesborough. Shortly thereafter, Van Cortlandt was greeted by a dispatch from Washington, which informed him he was commissioned by Washington as colonel of the 2nd New York Regiment. Colonel Van Cortlandt’s commission was dated 30 November (Washington possessed blank commissions that were signed by John Hancock and provided by Congress). The promotion caused a little problem for Van Cortlandt. He was in Skenesborough, New York, and his regiment was in Pennsylvania with General Washington. Colonel Van Courtlandt set out immediately to join the army, and while passing through New Jersey,

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he barely escaped capture at Pluckemin. He was assisted by friends and he was able to reach the home of his sister, Catherine (Mrs. Abraham Van Wyck). Finally, on Christmas Eve, 1776, Van Cortlandt arrived in Pennsylvania, but he did not hook up with his regiment until after the Battle of Princeton on 3 January 1777. At that time Washington ordered Van Cortlandt to repair to Fishkill to prepare his regiment for action during the following spring. Later that year, Colonel Van Cortlandt’s regiment participated in the Saratoga Campaign, in which General Burgoyne surrendered his army to the Americans during October 1777. Afterward, Colonel Van Cortlandt was ordered south to join Washington, who was under pressure by the British who had seized Philadelphia. During the following year, while the Americans broke camp to pursue the British after they abandoned Philadelphia, Colonel Van Cortlandt was informed by General Edward Hand that the regiment was moving but Van Cortlandt had been designated as commander of the camp at Valley Forge. Van Cortlandt protested, but to no avail. Meanwhile, the Indians were ravaging parts of New York, prompting Governor George Clinton to request that General Washington release the 2nd Regiment to permit Van Cortlandt to repair to New York to protect the frontier. The regiment headed back to New York and spent the remainder of the year into spring of 1779 on frontier duty. Colonel Van Cortlandt participated in the campaign led by General John Sullivan that culminated in the defeat of the Indians at the Battle of Newton (August 1779). Subsequent to the end of the mission, Colonel Van Cortlandt’s regiment moved to Morristown, New Jersey, where the Continental Army had established winter quarters (1779–1780). During that period, Colonel Van Cortlandt was assigned as one of the officers for General Benedict Arnold’s court-martial. Arnold got off with a reprimand from General Washington; however, Van Cortlandt was adamantly opposed to Arnold’s actions and noted in his memoirs: “If all the court had known Arnold’s conduct as well as myself, how he and his Brigade Major had robbed merchants in Montreal, he would have been dismissed from serving any longer in our army.” In spring 1780, Colonel Van Cortlandt again returned to the frontier and stayed for a while at Fort Edward until relived by Colonel Seth Warner. After being relieved, he repaired to West Point. During July 1780, Colonel Van Cortlandt was appointed commander of a regiment selected to serve with Lafayette, who commanded two brigades, one under General Edward Hand and the other under General Enoch Poor. Van Cortlandt served in Hand’s brigade, along with Colonel (later major general) Walter Stewart of Pennsylvania and Colonel Matthias Ogden of New Jersey. Lafayette’s division was deployed at Tappan on the west bank of the Hudson River. No major confrontations with the enemy occurred during the deployment. During November 1780, the division was broken up in conjunction with Lafayette’s orders to head south to Virginia. Van Courtlandt received orders, after returning to Albany, to move to Schenectady. During December 1780, the New York Line was reorganized, reducing the five regiments to two regiments. The state troops that had been under General Joseph Spencer came under the command of Colonel Van Cortlandt. He was ordered to Fort Schuyler, where he remained until relieved by Lt. Colonel Cochran. After his departure, the fort was accidentally destroyed by fire. Consequently, Colonel Van Cortlandt was again ordered to the fort to retrieve the artillery and other usable equipment. Afterward, he received orders directly from General Washington to move to Virginia and join with Lafayette. Washington, while meeting with Van Cortlandt, gave him precise instructions on the route of movement, and he directed Van Cortlandt to keep him informed of progress. Van Cortlandt followed the circuitous route, arrived in Philadelphia, and from there went to the Head of the Elk, where the boats were abandoned. From there, the regiment marched to Baltimore and afterward, from Fells Point, they moved by

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water to the James River near Williamsburg. Subsequent to the surrender of British General Charles Cornwallis, Colonel Van Cortlandt assumed command of a division composed of New Jersey and New York troops for the return march to New York. En route, about 1,700 British troops, including Hessian soldiers, captured at Yorktown, were dropped off at Fredericksburg. The New Jersey contingents halted in that state while Van Cortlandt returned to New York and made camp at Pompton, where winter quarters were established for the New York brigade. At the time of their arrival the troops were in terrible condition and lacked supplies and proper clothing. On 30 September 1783, Colonel Van Cortlandt was awarded the brevet rank of brigadier general by Congress. Later, he served in the state assembly and the Senate. He was a representative of Westchester in Congress from 1793 until 1809. General Philip Van Cortlandt succumbed on 5 November 1831 and was interred in the family cemetery near the Cortland Manor house. Later, he was re-interred in the Hillside Cemetery in Peekskill. General Philip Van Cortlandt never married. He and his sister, Catherine, refurbished the manor after the war. Cortlandt Manor was restored and the village is open to the public.

Van Rensselaer, Brigadier General Robert Robert Van Rensselaer, the son of John ( Johannes) and Angelica Livingston Van Rensselaer, was born in Rensselaer, New York, on 16 December 1740, at what was known as Fort Crailo, a fortified stone home established in 1642. Robert was named after his mother’s father, Robert Livingston. John and Angelica, in addition to Robert, had the following children: Catherine (b. 1734, married Philip Schuyler, later major general); Jeremias (b. 1738, married Judith Bayard); Hendrick Johannes (b. October 1742, married Rachael Douw, daughter of his cousin Volkert Douw); and James (b. 1747, married Catherine Van Cortlandt and later Elsie Schuyler Bogert, the widow of Doctor Nicholas Bogert). Robert was raised in the Manor House at Claverlack. During 1765, Robert married Cornelia Rutsen, the daughter of Colonel Jacob and Alida Livingston Rutsen. Robert and Alida had the following children: John (b. 1766, married Angelica Van Rensselaer, the daughter of Colonel Henry and Rachael Douw Van Rensselaer, died in early adulthood); Jacob Rutsen (b. 1767, married Cornelia de Peyster, a daughter of Pierre de Peyster); Jerimias (b. 1769, married Sybil Adeline Kane of Albany, a daughter of John and Sybil Kent Kane); Alida (birth date unknown, married Elisha Kane); Catherine (b. about 1770, married Colonel Arent Schuyler of Bellville, New Jersey); Angelica (b. about 1785, married the Rev. Thomas Yardley How); Henry (b. November 1775, married Catharine D. Hoffman); and James (b. December 1783, married Susan de Lancey Cullen, a daughter of Charles Cullen). Robert Van Rensselaer was staunchly on the side of the Patriots, and as the colonists began to openly discuss resistance and opposition to the Crown and Parliament, he was among the leaders of the region. He was commissioned as colonel of the 8th Regiment of militia (Albany) on 20 October 1775. In addition, Van Rensselaer was elected to the New York Provincial Congress of 1775; he remained a representative of the Eastern Manor, composed of Claverack and Green Bush, until 1777. During 1777, Colonel Van Rennselaer also participated in the fighting at Fort Ticonderoga while serving under orders of his brother-inlaw, General Philip Schuyler. That year, Ticonderoga was abandoned by orders from General Arthur St. Clair. Schuyler received a courtmartial and was relieved by General Horatio Gates, but at the courtmartial, he was acquitted of any wrongdoing. Colonel Van Rensselaer also participated in the Saratoga Campaign under General Gates, in which British General John Burgoyne surrendered his army (October) and thereby canceled any possibility of pressing forward to Albany en route to link up with General Henry Clinton, who had been advancing from New York City. The following year, on 16 June 1780, Colo-

nel Van Rensselaer was promoted to the rank of brigadier general in conjunction with command of the 2nd Brigade (Albany County militia). During 1780, a force of Loyalists, led by Sir John Johnson, launched a raid against the Mohawk Valley, but his force was repelled at Middle Fort on 15 October 1780. Undaunted, Johnston moved to reduce Fort Keyser at Palantine (Stone Arabia). His troops numbered more than 1,000 men and the garrison was defended by only 120 troops under Colonel John Brown. The commanding officer was aware that Colonel Van Rensselaer was en route with reinforcements. Brown exited the fort and attacked, but Van Rensselaer failed to strike Johnson’s rear as expected. The militia under Brown was overwhelmed and the force sustained more than 30 percent fatalities. Afterward, Johnson advanced toward Klock’s Field, with Van Rensselaer giving chase. Meanwhile, Johnson paused near Fort Plain and established an ambush outside of Utica along the Mohawk River. Van Rensselaer marched into the trap but repulsed Johnson’s attacks. Inexplicably, Van Rensselaer, after gaining momentum, never issued an order to counterattack. He paid no official price for his actions and was later acquitted of any wrongdoing, but due to his friendship with Johnson prior to the war, accusations continued to be lodged that he purposely permitted Johnson to escape destruction. Afterward, the Patriots constructed Fort Willett at St. Johnsville (Montgomery County) slightly below Fort Plain (originally called Fort Rensselaer). After the war, Colonel Robert Van Rensselaer returned to his private life. He died at Claverack on 11 September 1802 and was interred in the grounds next to the Claverack church. His wife, Cornelia, predeceased him. She died on 31 January 1790.

Van Schaick, Brigadier General Gosen (Gozen) Gosen Van Schaick, known as “Goose,” was born to Sybrant and Alida Roseboom Van Schaick in Albany, New York, in January 1736 and was baptized on 5 September that year. Gosen’s father was mayor of Albany from 1756 until 28 September 1761. His mother was the daughter of Myndert and Maria Vinhagen Roseboom. In addition to Gosen, Sybrant and Alida had the following children: Maria (baptized August 1738); Rykie (baptized January 1741, married Pieter Winne Douw); Myndert (baptized July 1743); Catharina (Catherine, baptized September 1745, married General Peter Gansevoort); Maria (2) (baptized July 1747, married Philip Conyn or Conine); and Myndert (2) (baptized May 1751). Gosen first served in the French and Indian War as a lieutenant in a company commanded by Captain (later major general) Philip Schuyler. He participated in the campaign against Crown Point during 1756, including the victory of the British over the French and Indians at Sabbath Day Point. During 1758, with the rank of captain, Van Schaick participated in the campaign against Fort Frontenac (Kingston, Ontario) and Fort Niagara (Western New York, vicinity of Buffalo). He was severely wounded during the contest at Fort Carillion (later Fort Ticonderoga) during July 1758. He was shot in the cheek; the wound never completely healed and later became the cause of his death when it became cancerous. Sir George Augustus Viscount Howe was killed during that same contest. Subsequently, during 1759, Van Schaick was again raised in rank when he became major (commissioned by Lt. Colonel James DeLancey) of a New York regiment. Two years later, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel in a regiment commanded by Colonel Michael Thodey. Following the close of hostilities, Van Schaick returned to his private life. On 15 November 1770, Gosen married Maria Ten Broeck, the daughter of John T. and Eliza Oothout Ten Broeck of New Brunswick, New Jersey. The wedding ceremony took place in New York City. Gosen and Maria had the following children: Johannes (b. January 1774, married Margaret Bleecker); Sybrant (b. May 1776, lost at sea); Tobias (b. December 1779, married Jane Staats); Myndert (b. September 1782); Elizabeth (b. June 1786, died young) and Abraham (b. July 1787).

453 As war with Britain was in the beginning stages, Van Schaick was appointed as colonel of the 2nd New York Regiment. On 30 June 1775, the Provincial Congress authorized the raising of four regiments. Colonel Van Schaick received command of the 2nd Regiment. Colonels Alexander McDougall, James Clinton and James Holmes received command of the 1st, 3rd and 4th, respectively. On 22 November, Colonel Van Schaick became commander of the Continental 1st New York Regiment and General Philip Schuyler appointed him as commander of Fort George. Colonel Van Schaick’s battalion was dispatched into the Cherry Valley to protect the settlers from Indian raids. Meanwhile, on 18 July 1775, a resolution was passed by the legislature in Albany: “Resolved, That the Declaration of Independence be published and declared in this City to-morrow at Eleven O’ Clock at this place, and that Colonel Van Schaick be requested to order the Continental Troops in this City to Appear under Arms at the place aforesaid; and, further, that the Captains of the Several Militia Company in this city be requested to Warn the Persons belonging to their respective Companies, to appear at the place aforesaid, and for the purpose aforesaid.” During October 1776, Van Schaick was directed by General Schuyler to move to Johnstown and assume command of troops who were being mustered in Tryon County (those not affiliated with the command of General Nicholas Herkimer). At about the same time, Colonel Van Schaick was directed to dispatch a contingent of about 200 troops to Sacandaga, where they were to deploy under protection of a breastwork. Simultaneously, he dispatched several scouting parties with instructions to execute reconnaissance missions north of their positions. Van Schaick’s command was deployed at Saratoga by April 1777. He returned to Albany during June 1777, when he was ordered by General Schuyler to lead a contingent under Captain Willey and another group from the commands of Colonels Tupper and Wessen. The force moved into the Cherry Valley to protect the settlers from Indian raids. Later, during mid–July, Schuyler ordered Van Schaick to return to Albany. Van Schaick again assumed command at Albany and of the troops in Tryon County. Following the successful Saratoga Campaign, in which General John Burgoyne surrendered his army to General Horatio Gates, Colonel Van Schaick was ordered to join with General George Washington in Pennsylvania. After the Continental Army initiated pursuit of the British when they abandoned Philadelphia ( June 1778), Van Schaick participated at the Battle of Monmouth on 28 June 1778. He was attached to Lord Sterling’s command and acted as brigadier general. Colonel Van Schaick was heavily engaged and fought on foot, not upon his horse. During the contest, he was occasionally spotted taking a break and smoking his pipe with an expression on his face that displayed “great apparent satisfaction.” During the following year, Colonel Van Schaick was ordered to garrison Fort Schuyler. While there, during April 1779, he was informed that General Washington had selected him to lead an expedition against the Indians. He led a specially selected contingent of 558 troops on a 155-mile march. The troops were drawn from his regiment and from the regiment of his brother-in-law, Colonel Peter Gansevoort. The column departed Fort Schuyler at Utica, moved up the Mohawk River to Wood Creek, and from there traveled down Oneida Lake and reached the objective, villages of the Onondagas, in just over five days. The operation was a total success. The strongholds were destroyed and some prisoners were seized. Van Schaick’s force sustained no casualties. The operation unfolded in conjunction with the major expedition of General John Sullivan, who devastated the Indians of the Six Nations at the Battle of Newton (Battle of Chemung) on 29 August 1779. General Washington, in a letter to Governor George Clinton regarding the operation, remarked: “The enterprise of Colo. Van Schaick merits my approbation and thanks, and does great honor to him and all the Officers & men engaged in it.” Following the completion of the mission, Van Schaick was ordered to Albany, where he assumed

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command. Shortly thereafter, Fort Schuyler came under threat and Van Schaick requested permission to depart Albany and return to Fort Schuyler. Permission was granted if the threat materialized, but Van Schaick did not have to leave Albany. Meanwhile, a force under Sir William Johnson invaded the Mohawk Valley during the summer of 1780. At the time, Van Schaick’s regiment was at Fort Herkimer and did not intercept the Loyalists. The threat was handled by Brigadier General Robert Rensselaer. During October 1783, Van Schaick was awarded the brevet rank of brigadier general by Congress. Subsequent to the close of hostilities, General Van Schaick returned to his estate. Earlier in life, General Van Schaick was a prosperous merchant, but when he resumed his personal life, he spent his time operating his estate in Albany. He chose to remain out of politics and continued to be a member of the North Dutch Reformed Church. Nevertheless, the wound he sustained during the French and Indian War accelerated a decline in his health. The wound, which disfigured his face, had become cancerous. The disease took his life on the Fourth of July 1789. General Van Schaick’s widow, Maria, survived him for about forty years. She died in Albany during 1829.

Varnum, Major General James Mitchell James Varnum, the son of Samuel and Hannah Mitchel Varnum, was born in Dracutt (later Dracut), Massachusetts, on 17 December 1748. He was one of twelve children. The others were: Mary (b. about 1739–1740, d. 1746); James (1) (b. December 1741, d. about 1746– 1747); Hannah (b. November 1744); Samuel (b. February 1746–1747); Joseph Bradley (b. January 1750–1751, later major general, Massachusetts militia); Hannah (2) (b. February 1753); Mary (2) (b. May 1755); Abiah (b. February 1757); Abigail (b. October 1759); Daniel (b. February 1762); and Martha (b. February 1765). James’ mother was Samuel’s second wife. His first spouse, Mary Prime, succumbed at an early age. James was educated in Dracutt and attended Harvard, but he left school two years before graduation. He taught school in his hometown for a while before entering Rhode Island College (later, Brown University) during May 1768. He graduated the following year with honors in the college’s first graduating class. He also became skilled in Latin and was able to use it fluently. Subsequent to his graduation, he began to teach at a classical school, but later, he switched from teaching to the study of law in the firm of Oliver Arnold, the Rhode Island attorney general. James married Martha (Patty) Child, the daughter of Cromel Child of Warren, Rhode Island, on 2 February 1770. During the following year, James was admitted to the bar and moved to Greenwich, Rhode Island, where he established his law practice. James Varnum was known as an excellent lawyer, but he also studied subjects in the science of war with a thirst for knowledge regarding the military. His thirst for knowledge included some unusual traits. He would delay his meals until he finished reading a book that cornered his interests. With regard to his preparations for court cases, he would frequently study while in bed, leaving an impression with others that he had the ability to merely appear in court without preparation and still exhibit a splendid defense. While he was building his legal practice, it was his intent to also build a fine home for his wife. Construction on his estate in East Greenwich began during 1773, but the project collided with the unraveling events leading up to a break with the mother country. Consequently, the mansion was not finished until about 1777 or 1778. During October 1774, Varnum became the colonel of the Kentish Guards and of a militia unit. The Guards was an infantry contingent that included Nathanael Greene, who served as a private. Greene was not immediately accepted due to a limp, which troubled him; however, Varnum, another of the men responsible for the founding of the unit, demanded that Greene be accepted. Varnum prevailed. Immediately upon hearing word of the skirmishes

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at Lexington and Concord, the Kentish Guards formed and advanced toward Boston, but fresh news that the British retired to Boston was delivered to them by a dispatch before they exited Rhode Island, ending the march; however, Varnum’s regiment participated at the Battle of Bunker Hill on 17 June 1775. Shortly after the clashes at Lexington and Concord, the General Assembly authorized a Rhode Island brigade; its commander was to be Brigadier General Nathanael Greene, who at the time was a member of the assembly. The Brigade of Observation was to be composed of three regiments, and of those, James Varnum was appointed colonel of the regiment drawn from Kent and Kings Counties, designated the 1st Rhode Island Regiment. By August 1775, Varnum’s regiment was absorbed into the Continental Army and designated the 12th Continental Foot. In the meantime, the 1st Rhode Island Regiment moved out from Rhode Island to join with the Continental Army in Massachusetts. Colonel Varnum arrived at Roxbury on the outskirts of Boston on 8 June, less than two weeks prior to the Battle of Bunker Hill (Breed’s Hill) and joined his force with the brigade under Greene. Varnum’s regiment remained in the vicinity of Boston and participated in the siege for its duration. On 1 January 1776, when the Continental Army was reorganized, Rhode Island’s regiments were cut from three to two. The regiments of Colonels Varnum and Daniel Hitchcock essentially remained unchanged and became the 9th and 11th Continental Regiments, while the regiment of Colonel Thomas Church was eliminated. The regiments came under the command of Brigadier General Nathanael Greene. The British finally were compelled to evacuate Boston on 17 March 1776. With the departure of the British, General George Washington directed contingents of the Continental Army to redeploy in New York. Colonel Varnum’s regiment remained in Massachusetts until 1 April, when it departed for Providence, Rhode Island, and from there was ordered to New York City. It sailed from New London, Connecticut, and debarked on 17 April. In late April, the 1st and 2nd Rhode Island (9th and 11th Continental Regiments) under Varnum and Daniel Hitchcock redeployed at Brooklyn on the opposite side of the East River and established defensive positions in the high ground, known as Brooklyn Heights, in anticipation of a British invasion. Meanwhile, the brigade commander was engaged in strengthening his positions. On 1 June, a large contingent of Varnum’s regiment was ordered to deploy at Fort Fox, named after Major Daniel Fox, one of three posts established in the heights, the others being Fort Putnam and Fort Greene. The remainder of Varnum’s regiment was deployed between Fort Fox and Fort Greene. On 16 June, Greene again adjusted his lines, adding one company to Fort Fox and deploying the remaining two companies at Oblong Redoubt (later Fort Cummings). And yet again the defensive lines were adjusted on 8 July when Colonel Varnum was directed to repair to Fort Defiance near Buttermilk Channel (Red Hook, in the southern sector of Brooklyn). While the Americans engaged the British on Long Island, Varnum’s force remained at Fort Defiance, but on 30 August the regiments of VarJames Varnum (Appleton’s Cyclopedia num and Hitchcock moved back across the river to New of American Biography, Vol. 6, 1889)

York City. Varnum’s regiment participated in the Battle of Harlem Heights and then retired to Fort Lee, across the Hudson in New Jersey. Meanwhile, Brigadier General Greene was promoted to major general on 9 August and the brigade reverted to Colonel John Nixon, who was promoted to brigadier general. Varnum moved to Fort Washington (Manhattan) on the 13th, and from there, on 16 October, Varnum’s regiment was at East Chester en route to block a British force that had debarked at the mouth of Long Island Sound in the vicinity of Throg’s Neck. Soon the Battle of White Plains erupted and Varnum’s regiment participated in that contest. By early December, Colonel Varnum was reassigned new duties by General George Washington as many of the Rhode Island troops’ enlistment terms were ending. Colonel Varnum was dispatched to Rhode Island for recruiting duty. Soon after arriving back in his state, on 12 December 1776, the assembly promoted him to brigadier general of militia and brigadier of the Rhode Island state brigade (attached to Continental Army). With his newly appointed rank, Varnum relinquished his commission regarding the regiment. On 21 February 1777, Varnum was one of ten officers promoted to the rank of brigadier general. On 11 May 1777, the two Rhode Island regiments were ordered to Peekskill, New York, which was part of the Middle Department under the jurisdiction of Major General Israel Putnam. The regiment was in place by 23 May and shortly thereafter, during early June, General Varnum arrived at camp. In less than two weeks, pursuant to a request for reinforcements from General Washington, General Varnum’s brigade was part of the contingent that repaired to Middleton, New Jersey. Varnum’s brigade participated in action against the British in the vicinity of New Brunswick and performed with distinction. Afterward, the Rhode Islanders were ordered back to the Highlands to garrison Fort Montgomery, a post along the Hudson, which helped block the path to Albany. After the regiment arrived at the fort, General Putnam, on 20 August, directed General Varnum to initiate a mission in the vicinity of Kings Bridge. The operation proved successful and the brigade was able to seize some prisoners. After concluding the mission, General Varnum received new orders. General Putnam informed Varnum that his brigade was one of the contingents requested by Washington, who at the time (23 September) was at Pottsgrove, Pennsylvania, following the failure to block the British from seizing Philadelphia and prior to the Battle of Germantown. The Continental Army at the time was preparing to establish winter quarters. Two units, the 4th and 8th Connecticut Regiments, were attached to General Varnum’s brigade for the trek to join with Washington. When the force arrived at the Delaware River at Coryell’s Ferry near Trenton on 7 October, new orders arrived directing part of the brigade (1st and 2nd Rhode Island Regiments) to be diverted to south Jersey to deploy at Fort Mercer, near British-held Philadelphia, but on the Jersey side of the Delaware River. Varnum’s task was to relieve the Maryland troops there under Lt. Colonel Samuel Smith. He assumed responsibility for Fort Mercer, Red Bank, New Jersey, and Fort Mifflin on Mud Island (present day Philadelphia). The Marylanders had been awaiting a relief force since 18 October. Initially, Varnum sent Lt. Colonel Giles Russell (4th Connecticut) to Fort Mercer, but he became ill and was relieved. On the 21st of October a huge force of Hessian troops under Count Donop attacked undermanned Fort Mercer, commanded by Colonel Christopher Greene, and the defiant defenders rejected an ultimatum to surrender and repelled the attack. The enemy commander, Count Donop, was mortally wounded. Meanwhile, the defenses of Fort Mifflin under Major Thayer raised equal resistance against attacks (16–20 November) until finally, the walls of the fort collapsed, compelling Thayer to abandon the position on 20 November. The remnant force used the darkness to board boats. With muffled oars, they rowed past the British armada in the river and safely reached the Jersey bank of the river.

455 From the Jersey shoreline, the Rhode Island brigade moved northward toward Mount Holly. After joining with General Nathanael Greene’s division, the unit crossed the Delaware to hook up with General Washington at White Marsh (Whitemarsh) outside Philadelphia on 29 November. From there it was a short distance to Valley Forge, on the opposite bank of the Schuylkill River. The encampments of the Continental Army following the battle of Germantown were not totally quiet; both sides harassed the other but no major battles erupted. The British returned to Philadelphia while the Americans settled down for a harsh winter at Valley Forge. General Varnum’s brigade reached camp on 19 December. General Varnum established his quarters at the residence of David Stephens, which was near the quarters of General Washington. Varnum’s brigade was posted at Star Redoubt to dominate the river and the land approach to the encampment. Nevertheless, the British made no moves to reduce the army while it was at Valley Forge. In turn, the Americans discussed but declined risking a direct attack to dislodge the British in the city. Varnum’s brigade was considered part of the second line of defense with responsibility for guarding a bridge, built by General Sullivan, that spanned the Schuylkill River. Varnum was among the angered general officers who became frustrated due to the lack of meat and even bread for the troops. At times, soup was even considered a luxury. To make General Washington’s dilemma more deplorable, while he was struggling to keep the army together, a band of officers and politicians in Congress were engaged in a dastardly act intent on ruining Washington and tearing him from command. The conspiracy—known as the “Conway Cabal”— failed thanks to loyal officers and congressmen. General Varnum was among the loyal officers. In a letter to General Nathanael Greene dated 1 February, he stated: “You have often heard me say, and, I assure you, I feel happy in the truth of it, that next to God Almighty, and my country, I revere General Washington and nothing fills me with so much indignation as the villany of some who dare speak disrespectfully of him.” In another letter (16 February) to Greene, regarding the desperate situation in camp, Varnum stated: “In all human probability the army must dissolve.” Nevertheless, the army survived the brutal winter at Valley Forge, and with a new sense of confidence, it was prepared to engage the British in what was expected to be a more equal contest, due in great part to the contributions of Baron von Steuben’s ability to drill the troops and instill confidence within their ranks. During spring of 1778, General Varnum departed ahead of his brigade and returned to Rhode Island to receive authorization to recruit a battalion of Negroes for service in the Continental Army. The Rhode Island assembly affirmed his idea and enacted legislation that authorized “absolute freedom to every slave who should enter the service and pass muster.” General Varnum later rejoined his brigade and participated in the Battle of Monmouth on 28 June 1778, which erupted while the British were en route from Philadelphia to New York, after abandoning their hold on the rebel capital. Varnum’s brigade was unable to withstand the British pressure and was driven from the field, but at day’s end, the Americans held the field and the British continued to retreat. General Varnum afterward did participate in the defense of the state and the battle against the British at Newport in August 1778. On 14 December 1778, Congress received a letter dated 29 November from General Varnum in which he requested permission to resign, but the request got no immediate response. The letter was transferred to the Board of War. During the following March on the 5th, Congress received another letter from Varnum in which he requested to be dismissed from the army. After consideration, Congress accepted his resignation. After the war, General Varnum returned to Rhode Island and resumed his career in law. That year (1779), he accepted a commission as major general in the Rhode Island militia. General John

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Stark returned to Providence to assume command as successor to Varnum. And although Varnum resigned from the Continental Army, his many friendships extended well beyond his military service. His home was a frequent resting place for many, including General Washington and General Greene as well as Lafayette and other French officers. While practicing law, Varnum was noted for his dress code in court. During that period it was normal for attorneys to dress with extravagance. In one work, The Memoirs of the Rhode Island Bar by Wilkins Updyke, Varnum was described as appearing in a cockled hat and wearing a “brich-colored coat trimmed with gold lace, buck skin and small clothes, with gold lace knee bands, silk stockings and boots.” And it further described him as having “large eyebrows, nose straight and rather broad, teeth perfectly white, and a profuse head of hair, short on the forehead, turned up some and deeply powdered and clubbed.” Varnum was served in the Continental Congress from May 1780 to May 1782 and again during 1786. General Varnum chaired a congressional committee in March 1781 charged with investigating the conduct of Captain John Paul Jones. Jones was cleared of any wrongdoing, and in addition, the committee recommended that Jones be officially thanked by Congress for his “distinguished” service. The resolution was unanimously passed. General James Varnum became one of the initial founders of the Society of the Cincinnati on 17 December 1783. He served as vice president of the Rhode Island branch. Subsequent to the demise of General Nathanael Greene (19 June 1786), General Varnum succeeded him as president and retained the presidency until his death. The Society met on an annual basis. General Varnum presided over his initial meeting at the Rhode Island state house on the Fourth of July 1787, just a few months prior to the adoption of the U.S. Constitution in Philadelphia on 17 September. General Varnum was a proponent of the Constitution. On 13 July 1787, Congress established the Northwest Ordinance to create the Northwest Territory, essentially, the territory northwest of the Ohio River. On 29 August, Varnum was named as a director of the Ohio Company. Congress appointed General Arthur St. Clair as the initial governor of the territory on 14 October 1787 and Varnum was appointed as one of the federal judges. During spring, 1788, General Varnum, accompanied by only one other man, Griffen Greene, departed Rhode Island on horseback. After arriving at Baltimore, Maryland, they headed west toward the Ohio. After an arduous trek, the pair arrived at Marietta, at the convergence of the Muskingum and Ohio Rivers, on 5 June 1788. The settlers at Marietta held a grand celebration on the Fourth of July two days after the directors — with a quorum composed of Generals Rufus Putnam, James M. Varnum and Samuel H. Parsons of the Ohio Company—changed the name of the town from Adelphia to Marietta. At the time, Governor St. Clair had not yet reached Marietta, placing Judge Varnum in the spotlight as the celebrity to speak during the Fourth of July gala. Apparently, his speech was a huge success, so much so that the Ohio Company later published the entire text. Patriotism abounded and for the time became contagious among the garrison under Brigadier General Josiah Harmar and civilians alike. The celebration was also witnessed by many Indians; however, they seemed to be most impressed by Colonel Ebenezer Sproat, with his authoritative appearance and what the Indians described as “his piercing eyes.” The Indians reportedly coined a phrase that still sticks with Ohioans: they dubbed Colonel Sproat “Hetuck,” or “Buck-eye.” Nevertheless, General Varnum’s optimism and positive outlook for the territory camouflaged his internal turmoil. The general was suffering severely from tuberculosis and the long journey was not particularly beneficial to his health, which had been steadily deteriorating. All the while, he continued to contribute to his country. Despite his suffering, he attended court and assisted the governor and Judge Parsons in creating the laws of the Territory until he was no longer capable. He succumbed prematurely, but not unexpectedly, on 10 January

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1789. General James Mitchell Varnum was initially interred near Fort Harmar, established during 1785 at Marietta, but later, his remains were re-interred at the Oak Grove Cemetery in Marietta. General James and Martha Varnum had no children. In his last will and testament (dated 28 October 1782), Varnum left his entire estate to his wife. His religious beliefs were probably kept extremely private, with the exception of his family, and it was thought by many that he lacked a sincere belief in God and was possibly agnostic; however, to the person with whom his beliefs were most often conveyed, he clarified it toward the end of his life in a letter, dated 18 December, to Martha: My dearest and most amiable friend: I now write you from my sick chamber, and perhaps it will be the last letter that you will receive from me. My lungs are so far affected, that it is impossible for me to recover but by exchange of air and a warmer climate.... I cannot however but indulge the hope, that I shall again embrace my lovely friend in this world, and that we may glide smoothly down the tide of time for a few years, and enjoy together the more substantial happiness and satisfaction as we have had already the desirable pleasures of life. It is now almost nineteen years since Heaven connected us by the tenderest and the most sacred ties, and it is the same length of time that our friendship has been increased by every rational and endearing motive; it is now stronger than death, and I am firmly persuaded will follow us into an existence of never ending felicity. But my lovely friend the gloomy moment will arrive when we must part; and should it arrive during our present separation, my last and only reluctant thoughts will be employed about my dearest Martha. Life, my dearest friend, is but a bubble, it soon bursts, and is remitted to eternity.... I know therefore but one source from whence can be derived complete consolation in a dying hour, and that is the Divine system contained in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. There, life and immortality are brought to light; there, we are taught our existence is to be eternal.”

General Varnum was the brother of General Joseph Varnum, major general of the Massachusetts militia. Joseph served as an officer with the rank of captain during the Revolution and in 1787 attained the rank of colonel, which he held until 1802, when he received the rank of brigadier. In 1805, General Joseph B. Varnum was promoted to the rank of major general. General James Varnum’s wife, Martha, lived until age 88. She succumbed 10 October 1837.

Vose, Brigadier General Joseph Joseph, the son of Elijah and Sarah Bent Vose, was born in Milton, Massachusetts, on 26 November and baptized on 3 December 1738. In addition to Joseph, his parents had the following children: Mary (1) (b. September 1730); Mary (2) (b. March 1733); Ann (b. April 1736); Pegge (b. June 1740); Moses (b. February 1742); Elijah (b. February 1744); Militiah (b. February 1747); and Bill (b. January 1751). In 1741, Joseph married Sarah Howe of Dorchester. Their children were: Sarah (b. July 1762); Margaret (b. November 1768); Dorothy (twin of Nancy, b. November 1765); Nancy (twin of Dorothy, b. November 1765); Solomon (b. February 1768); Naomi (b. October 1769); Joseph (b. October 1771); Isaac (b. October 1773); Elijah (b. June 1775); Elizabeth Eliot (b. October 1782); and Josiah (b. August 1784). Joseph Vose was appointed colonel of militia (Milton district) during November 1774. On 19 May 1775, he was appointed as major in the Continental Army under General Heath, the latter a major general of militia (in June 1775, Heath was appointed brigadier general of Continental Army). On 1 July of that same year, Vose was commissioned as a lieutenant colonel. He led a contingent on 21 July to Nantasket and seized “1,000 bushels of barley, all the hay, &c.— went to LightHouse Island; took away the lamps, oil, some gunpowder, the boats, &c. and burnt the wooden pans of the light-house.” During the mission, the contingent encountered an armed schooner bolstered by several boats. Two of the men under Colonel Vose were wounded during the exchange, but the mission succeeded and in the process, Vose destroyed the lighthouse.

During the following year, on 1 January 1776, in conjunction with the reorganization of the Continental Army, Lt. Colonel Vose was attached to the 24th Continental Regiment, commanded by Colonel (later brigadier general) John Greaton. Vose participated in various actions around Boston. After the British abandoned Boston, the regiment participated in the end of the Canadian Campaign, during the retreat from Canada. On 1 January 1777, Lt. Colonel Vose was promoted to the rank of colonel with command of the 1st Massachusetts Regiment. His regiment joined with General George Washington in New Jersey during spring of 1777 and remained with Washington during the defense of Philadelphia and beyond at Valley Forge for the winter of 1777–1778. Colonel Vose participated in the Battle of Monmouth ( June 1778). Afterward, General Washington dispatched the brigades of Generals Varnum and Glover to Rhode Island to support the Rhode Island Campaign (summer 1778) under General John Sullivan. Afterward, Colonel Vose served under Lafayette and participated in the siege of Yorktown. Colonel Vose was deployed at West Point during an accidental fire that erupted at the north redoubt in February 1780. His actions played a key part in getting the fire extinguished and by so doing saving lives. The fire at the quartermaster’s barrack caused the loss of “6 marques, 26 horseman’s tents, 80 common tents, 900 knapsacks, 250 narrow axes, and a number of other articles.” Later, Colonel Vose was awarded the brevet rank of brigadier general by Congress on 30 September 1783. At the close of hostilities, all regiments of the Continental Army, except the 16th Massachusetts Regiment, were disbanded. Colonel Henry Jackson was retained as its commander. Colonel Vose was attached to General Glover’s brigade at Valley Forge; however, the lists detailing the various commanders lacked some of the officers — those that were at outposts, including Gulph Mills, Reading, Lancaster, and other locations. Vose’s name was among the missing, as were Colonels Timothy Bigelow of Worchester, Edward Wigglesworth of Newburyport, William Shepard of Westfield, John Crane of Braintree and Boston, and Henry Jackson of Boston. Colonels Shepard, Crane and Jackson, along with Vose, were attached to Glover’s command. At Valley Forge National Park, a bronze tablet stands in memory of General Glover’s brigade and identifies Washington’s “right Bank of the left wing of the outer line of Washington’s intrenchments.” Colonel Vose’s brothers Bill, Moses and Thomas also served in the military during the war. Following his retirement from the army, General Joseph Vose returned to his home and resumed his private life. He died on 22 May 1816.

Waddell, Brigadier General Hugh Hugh Waddell, the son of Hugh and Isabella Brown Waddell, was born in Lisburn, County Down, Ireland, about 1734. Hugh’s ancestors emigrated from Scotland and resettled in Northern Ireland. About 1742, Hugh’s father was involved in a duel and his opponent was killed. Afterward, the family immigrated to America. Later, the elder Hugh returned to Ireland. About 1753, the younger Hugh arrived back in America at North Carolina. He was a member of Colonel

Hugh Waddell (Biographical Sketch of Hugh Waddell, Alfred M. Waddell, 1890)

457 James Innes’ regiment that moved into Virginia during spring of 1754. By 1756, Hugh Waddell was raised to the rank of captain. That year he was involved with constructing Fort Dobbs, named after the governor of North Carolina. The fort was in the vicinity of Bogue Banks (Carteret County), but that fort was never totally completed. A second Fort Dobbs was built during 1756 at Statesville. Captain Waddell was elected to the General Assembly during 1757 and was named a magistrate (Rowan County). In 1762, he was appointed as a justice of the peace. Meanwhile, during May 1758, Waddell was promoted to the rank of major. He participated in the General Forbes’ campaign against Fort Duquesne during 1758. Major Waddell, during that campaign, disguised himself as an Indian. Family tradition relates how Major Waddell’s dog accompanied him on the trek and that his dog was the first to enter the Fort Duquesne after the French abandoned it. During February 1760, a Cherokee war party attacked the fort and its defenders included Hugh Waddell’s rangers. By that time, Waddell had been promoted to the rank of colonel. The English were prepared and the Indians were repelled by heavy fire. Between the years 1760 and 1765, Colonel Waddell served in the field during various campaigns against hostile Indians, and he also served in the assembly. In 1762 he married Mary Haynes, a daughter of Captain Roger Haynes. Hugh and Mary had three children, Haynes, Hugh and John. The ceremony took place at Castle Haynes, slightly less than ten miles northeast of Wilmington. In addition, Hugh was involved with a mercantile business, John Burgwin and Company. Hugh’s wife and John Burgwin’s wife (Margaret Haynes Burgin) were sisters. During 1764, Hugh served as a justice of the Inferior Court of New Hanover County. That same year, Brunswick County was carved out of Bladen and New Hanover counties. During the following year, Waddell was appointed colonel of the Brunswick County militia. He took a voyage to England in 1768. In 1771, Waddell was promoted to the rank of brigadier general. During that same year, the Regulators, a group opposed to the corrupt government in North Carolina, reached an agreement with Sheriff Griffith Rutherford (Rowan County) and others regarding exorbitant fees, but Governor William Tryon invalidated the agreement. The Regulators were moving against an encampment of General Waddell, but militia under Rutherford reached Waddell in time to warn him of the large force of insurrectionists, permitting Waddell to break camp. Later, troops loyal to Governor Tryon quashed the Regulators at the Battle of Alamance. Many of the Regulators later became leaders in the American Revolution. Nevertheless, 1771 was the termination of Waddell’s service in the military. He had accumulated various tracts of land and had several different residences, but his primary home was at Bellefont (Bladen County) just below Elizabethtown. During 1772, General Waddell was preparing to take another voyage to England; however, he became ill, supposedly a result of sleeping with damp sheets. The illness remained with him and took his life on 9 April, 1773. General Hugh Waddell, having died prior to the outbreak of the Revolution, is rarely thought of as one of the leading Patriots of the American Revolution, but at the time of his death, he had been aligned with the Patriots and through his former service with George Washington and other future leaders, it is thought that he would have been commissioned in the Continental Army. General Waddell was interred at Castle Haynes. He was survived by his wife, Mary and his three sons. The children were sent to England to receive their educations. The oldest son, Haynes, while on a hunting trip in the Fens of Lincolnshire, came down with sickness. En route to his home in North Carolina (1784), he was still suffering from the illness and died at sea. General Waddell’s son John married Sarah Nash, the daughter of General Francis Nash (killed at Battle of Germantown, October, 1777).

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Wadsworth, Major General James James (3), the son of James (2) and Abigail Penfield Wadsworth, was born on 6 July in Durham, Connecticut. James’ grandfather, Colonel James (1) Wadsworth, was the initial justice of the peace in Durham and was appointed commander (colonel) of the first company of volunteers, known as the 10th Regiment. James (1) served as speaker of the House and was an assistant justice of the Superior Court from 1725 until his death in 1752. James (3) was assured of an excellent education as a member of a prominent family. He graduated from Yale during 1748. In 1753, just prior to the outbreak of the French and Indian War, James entered the militia with the rank of lieutenant. He participated in the Ticonderoga Campaign during 1758 and during the following year was promoted to the rank of captain. In the meantime, during 1756, he was appointed town clerk, succeeding his paternal grandfather, Colonel James Wadsworth. James held the position from 1753 until 1786. During 1757, James married Katherine Guernsey, the daughter of Ebenezer and Rhoda Guernsey. Their two daughters, Abigail and Catherine, both died in childhood. In 1759, James was elected to the general assembly. He remained in that capacity until 1785. For two years, he served alongside his father and later, during 1784, James was elected speaker of the house. He was also elected as a justice of the peace during 1762. During the 1770s, although his ancestors were from England, James Wadsworth was solidly aligned with the Patriots. His responsibilities on the local level continued to expand while the relations between the colonies and Britain were deteriorating. During 1775, Wadsworth became a member of the New Haven County Court, where he remained until 1778 and rose to become the presiding justice. As the colonists were preparing for a prolonged conflict with the British, Wadsworth was also appointed to the Committee of Safety and commissioned as colonel of the 10th Regiment (militia). In addition, a committee including Wadsworth, Erastus Wolcott and others was formed to devise ways of providing for the families of the officers and men from Durham who had become prisoners of war. The 10th Regiment moved to Boston in January 1776. Colonel Wadsworth, during June, was raised to the rank of brigadier general with orders to lead a recently raised battalion to New York to reinforce General George Washington. The following year, he was appointed on the committee charged with redefining the Connecticut laws dealing with the militia. Following the death of Major General David Wooster on 2 May, Wadsworth was appointed as 2nd major general as successor to Wooster. General Wooster, advanced in age, was killed near Ridgefield while engaged against a force under Governor William Tryon of New York. General Wadsworth continued in his capacity as major general and focused upon the defense of the coastal towns until his resignation during May 1779. He was ordered by the Committee of Safety in April to inspect the militia at New Haven, and using his discretion, he was directed to dismiss parts of the force or the entire unit. Subsequent to his service in the army, General Wadsworth served in the Continental Congress from 1783 to 1786. He also served on the executive council of the state of Connecticut from 1786 until 1788. Other commitments included his service as comptroller of the state. Later, after the adoption of the U.S. Constitution, General Wadsworth was a member of the state convention at Hartford that ratified the Constitution on 9 January 1788 to become the fifth state in the Union; however, General Wadsworth was adamantly opposed to the Constitution due to his fear of the loss of state’s rights. He took the floor to voice his opinion during the debate. After its passage, General Wadsworth remained defiantly opposed and refused to take an oath in support of the Constitution. Apparently, the office of governor was proposed to the general, but holding his grounds, he declined the opportunity and insisted his loyalty had to remain with the state, not a

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federal government. The general assembly overlooked his defiance and appointed Wadsworth to “settle the accounts between the State of New York and the State of Connecticut, and to receive the balance which may be due this state (Connecticut) on such settlement.” In addition to his legislative and military skills, General Wadsworth possessed some talent as a topographer. He drew a map of New Haven during 1748 that was published during 1806. General James Wadsworth succumbed on 22 September, 1817 in Durham. His widow, Katherine, died the following year on 13 December.

Wadsworth, Brigadier General Peleg Peleg (2) Wadsworth, the son of Deacon Peleg (1) and Susanna Sampson Wadsworth, was born in Duxbury on 25 April 1745. Peleg was a descendant of Christopher Wadsworth, who sailed from England aboard the vessel Lion and arrived in America during September 1632. Christopher, a Puritan, is known to have experienced a problem with the weather. On one occasion a severe storm struck and a bolt of lightning hit the barn and set it afire, destroying all of his recently gathered hay. The following year, Christopher, again having placed all his hay in the barn, glanced at the sky and determined that another nasty storm was approaching. He set the hay on fire and said that he “meant to get ahead of the Almighty this time.” Christopher married Grace Cole and they had four children, one of whom, Deacon John, was Peleg’s grandfather. Deacon John married Abigail Andrews and they had eleven children, including Peleg (1); Zilpha (died in infancy); Sephas; Jeptha; Zilpha (2); Uriah; Ira, Welthea; Dura and Lucy. When Peleg was a boy, he frequently prayed to God “not to let anything hurt him as he was going along [to school] or the whole day, that God would help him to learn his Lesson well — that he might [become] a great & a good Man.” Peleg received an excellent education, including Harvard, from where he graduated with the class of 1769. He became a teacher in Plymouth. In a book he later wrote (while in Congress at Philadelphia) for his children, Peleg Wadsworth mentioned that there were twenty students in his class. He had given each student a “little Gun with a Belt & tin Bayonet,” and each student got two drums. He also became a merchant, but in addition, he was appointed as town clerk of Durham, a post he held from 1756 until 1786. During the 1770s, while the British were implementing additional burdens upon the colonies, particularly Massachusetts, Wadsworth became a prominent leader among the Patriots. In 1772, Peleg married Elizabeth Bartlett, whom he met while teaching school. When he proposed to Elizabeth, he said if she was willing and would help him at the store, they could raise enough money to buy a fine home in the country so they wouldn’t have to rent. Shortly after their marriage, Peleg and Elizabeth moved to Kingston, Massachusetts. Their children were: Alexander (b. 1774, died the following year at his father’s camp in Dorchester); Charles Lee (b. 1776); Zilpah (b. 1778, married Stephen Longfellow and became the mother of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow); Elizabeth or Betsey (b. 1779, sometimes called “little girl E”); Jack ( John, b. 1781); Lucia (b. 1783); Harry (b. 1785, killed at sea, along with the entire crew of volunteers when the Intrepid, a fire ship, exploded off Tripoli on 4 September 1804 during the Barbary wars); George (b. 1788); Alexander Scammel (b. 1790, became commodore in the U.S. Navy); Samuel (b. 1791) and Peleg (3) (b. 1793, became a general in the Maine militia). During the early days of the war, Wadsworth entered the military with the rank of captain in the Roxbury militia (Minute Men) and was selected as an aide to General Artemus Ward. He was involved as an engineer under General John Thomas in establishing defenses at Dorchester in 1776. While Wadsworth was in Massachusetts, Elizabeth and their son traveled to Massachusetts, but before they reached camp, a storm hit and Mrs. Wadsworth stopped at a home and asked if they could stay there and rest. While there, their son, Alexander be-

came extremely ill and none of the doctors were able to cure him. Alexander died while at the home of the doctor who had taken him and his mother in as guests. Toward the end, General Wadsworth remained with his son for about a week. The young boy was carried to his grave by troops in Captain Wadsworth’s company. During the summer of 1776, Wadsworth participated in the Battle of Long Island. In 1777 he was commissioned as a brigadier general of militia. General Wadsworth participated in the Rhode Island Campaign of 1778 under General John Sullivan. In 1795, General Wadsworth wrote a book for his children and told the story of Peleg Wadsworth (Story a boy named P, who later became General About a Little Good Boy, P, detailing a series of events in an auto- Peleg Wadsworth, 1905) biography. Regarding the Rhode Island campaign, he wrote: “It would be very wicked to fight with the Enemy & kill them, if they were good Men & would not come to kill us; but if they will come to kill all the good folks & all their wives & the little Children too, you know we must kill them or else they will kill us; that is the reason it is not wicked to kill them.” During 1779, the Marine Committee had awarded Commodore Dudley Saltonstall command of the frigate Warren with orders to move to Maine to destroy a British supply depot (Fort George) at Bagaduce (Castine). However, the expedition was executed without consultation with either the political leaders or the Continental Army. Almost twenty vessels, including privateers and ships of the Massachusetts navy, participated. The ground forces, including a contingent of Continental Marines, were aboard transports when the flotilla sailed from Townsend, Maine, for Penobscot on 19 July 1779. The British garrison was stunned when the fleet was spotted, but Saltonstall’s indecision created problems well before any landing occurred. The ground forces were controlled by Generals Lovell and Wadsworth. Problems developed when the generals requested that Saltonstall destroy the British ships in the harbor and he hesitated. Nevertheless, on the night of the 28th, the Marines landed and seized a British battery. On the following day, several thousand troops were prepared to land after receiving a naval bombardment to support the landing, but Saltonstall refused to bombard the enemy positions. Meanwhile, the troops landed, but Saltonstall never eliminated the British guns and the landing force never received the signal from Saltonstall to attack. Nevertheless, by that time, the Americans were poised for the final thrust to gain the fort, and the British commander was aware of the imminent assault and prepared to hoist a white flag. Afterward, Saltonstall ordered the land forces to establish defensive positions. Time passed without progress until finally, on 13 August, the stalemate began to come to a conclusion, but it was not favorable to the Patriots. A British fleet was detected by one of the American patrol ships. The ground troops remained stranded and Saltonstall still took no action. Meanwhile, the British armada, composed of four frigates, one ship of the line and two sloops, pinned the fleet, leaving it trapped. Saltonstall, after getting the troops back aboard the ships, offered no resistance. He ordered all ships to shore, where they were self-destroyed. The troops moved ashore, but the path leading to American lines ran about 100 miles through the wilderness. Some of the smaller vessels were able to escape with British warships in pursuit. Nearly the entire fleet was either destroyed or seized by the British. The troops began straggling into Boston during September 1779; however, many

459 did not make it back. The retreat was difficult and the men had no food. Some were compelled to eat herbs, seaweed and dogs. General Wadsworth knew the route and had no trouble finding his way back; however, it remained a treacherous journey. Along the way, the troops encountered others who were lost. General Solomon Lovell got lost en route, but he did not perish. He was discovered in the woods by friendly Indians who cared for him and guided him back toward Boston. Captain Saltonstall received a court-martial and was dismissed from the service. Lt. Colonel Paul Revere, commander of the artillery contingent (Continental Army), also received a court-martial, but he was acquitted of any wrongdoing. Generals Lovell and Wadsworth each received a court-martial (not by the Marine Committee, as they were in the service of Massachusetts, not the Continental Army), but both were acquitted of wrongdoing. In 1780, General Wadsworth was appointed as adjutant-general of Massachusetts. During the winter 1780–1781, General Wadsworth was less concerned about a British attack on the east coast of Maine. The soldiers, except for one, Hickey, returned to their homes and General Wadsworth acquired a home in Thomaston for the winter, but only his wife and five year old son and his daughter Elizabeth went there. His oldest daughter, Zilpah, remained in Plymouth with his mother-in-law. On 18 February 1781, a Loyalist raiding party, moving by privateer, sailed across Penobscot Bay and landed at a point from where the men succeeded in approaching General Wadsworth’s home. At the time, the troops had gone home and the area was being hit by a severe snow storm. The Loyalists shot out the windows and broke down the door. Shots were fired while the enemy was moving through the house. General Wadsworth returned fire from inside his bedroom, and three of the intruders were hit by his fire before he was shot in the arm and no longer able to resist. The Loyalists inflicted no harm to his wife and children, but General Wadsworth was initially under the impression that his son, a five year old, was killed during the raid. Wadsworth was carried away and imprisoned at Fort George in Castine. Later, the British permitted his wife to visit him, and they provided transportation as well as a guarantee that no harm would come to her. Meanwhile, the British sent an elderly “crusty” looking man, Barnabus Cunningham, to attempt to care for General Wadsworth, but the British were unaware that Cunningham and his wife were ardent Patriots. Wadsworth was studying the cell to discover an escape route and focused on a ceiling panel, but his efforts to loosen it became fruitless. Hinting to Cunningham, General Wadsworth explained that he wanted to become a carpenter but lacked the tools. Cunningham explained the ceiling panel and where it led, and then he detailed where all the sentries were posted throughout the barracks. Wadsworth then inquired of his chances to escape: “Then you think I might have difficulty in dodging the sentries, thick as blueberries in August, if I should take a walk some dark night, Friend Barnabas?” And Cunningham replied: “Indeed, sir, you would, but better to be shot, than to die like a rat in its hole. It is high time you stirred yourself, General, if you can use your arm.” Afterward, Cunningham returned to deliver lunch and a pie to the general and remarked with a grin: “General, my wife would be a second Molly Stark or Betsey Ross, if she knew how. She’s heard that you came from Duxbury way, that’s where her mother came from—so she’s baked you one of them Cape Cod cranberry cobblers. Her eyesight is troubling her some, so be keerful when you eat it, there may be some bullets mixed with the berries.” To Wadsworth’s delight, the luscious looking pie also contained a giblet, a small tool with which Wadsworth could bore holes in the plank in the ceiling. Soon after, General Wadsworth was greeted by the company of another captive, Major Benjamin Burton. Together, they planned an escape and executed the scheme on the 18 July 1781 during a tumultuous storm. The pounding rain and the crackling of thunder muffled their movement as they exited the through the ceiling panel and followed the

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route charted by Cunningham. They evaded the guards and waded into a moat, then headed into the woods. Within about a half hour, the British discovered the escape. Marines were dispatched to scour the area, but to no avail. Nevertheless, the two fugitives got separated and Wadsworth became concerned for Burton’s safety, but initially he was afraid to call out. When he became more confident and began to hum “Yankee Doodle Dandy” as a signal, to his surprise, to his rear, he discovered Major Burton laughing at the sight of a general humming the tune and half dancing to the melody. The pair snatched a bateau, then fought the rough waters to row to the opposite bank of the Penobscot River and from there, they reached safety in Belfast at the home of Tolford Durham. General Wadsworth hurried to rejoin his family. He intercepted Elizabeth while she was on her way to Plymouth to see her mother. After the war, in 1784, General Wadsworth relocated in Portsmouth, Maine, where he established a store and engaged in surveying. Later, during 1792, he served in the state Senate. He served in Congress from 2 December 1793 until 3 March 1807. At the time of his election, he became the first representative from that sector of Massachusetts, which later became Maine. Following his service in Congress, Wadsworth moved to Oxford County, Maine, where he took advantage of a large trac he received in thanks for his military service. It was there that he incorporated the town of Hiram. Afterward, Wadsworth was promoted to the rank of major general of Maine militia. General Peleg Wadsworth died in Hiram, Maine (Oxford County), on 18 November 1829. He was described as “well proportioned, with a military air. And who carries himself so truly, that many thought him tall. His dress, a light scarlet coat, buff small clothes and vest, full ruffles over the hands, white stockings, shoes with silver buckles, white cravat bow in front, hair well powdered and tied behind in a club, so called.” The description failed to include his three cornered hat. General Wadsworth’s epitaph, inscribed on his gravestone, read: “He was a Patriot, Philanthropist and Christian.” General Wadsworth’s daughter was at the family residence in 1818 when her son of about eleven years old began to question her about heroes. He had been reading about Ulysses and others when he said: “Mother, if I only knew a real hero, I should be so happy. Horatius and Aeneas lived so long ago. Are there no heroes now?” His mother smiled and told the youngster that one was living in their house. He bellowed: “Mother, do you, can you, mean my very own grandpa?” And she replied: “Yes, dear lad, Peleg Wadsworth, gentleman, scholar and hero, my father and your grandfather.” Afterward, Zilpah told her son the story as if he didn’t know the man. That very night, the boy went to sleep and had a “queer dream.” He dreamed “that from one side of his big four-poster mahogany bed advanced a long line of old world heroes, as far as he could see into the dim corners of the room. They came with trumpet and alarum. The foremost one like a herald bore a shining feather and lo, it was a pen. Each hero as he passed, said ‘Write about me....’” That young boy was Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, later a renowned poet of the nineteenth century.

Walbridge, Brigadier General Ebenezer Ebenezer Walbridge, the son of Ebenezer and Mary Durkee Walbridge, was born on 1 January 1738. Ebenezer was a descendant of Henry and Anna Walbridge, who earlier immigrated to America, but beyond that the family descended from Sir William de Walbridge, who participated in the Fourth Crusade. The elder Ebenezer and Mary’s other children were: Mary (b. March 1732); Margaret (b. January 1734, d. June 1736); Susanna (b. May 1736); Rhoda (b. July 1741); Henry (birth date unknown, killed at Battle of Bennington, 16 August 1777); Anna (b. November 1746, d. February 1752); Gustavus (b. August 1750, d. December 1751); Hezekiah (b. November 1751, d. December 17751); Elizabeth (b. 1752); and Gustavus (2) (b. October 1755).

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Ebenezer later became a carpenter. He joined the militia during the French and Indian War and after the close of hostilities married (1762) Elizabeth Stebbins, the daughter of Joseph Stebbins. They had the following children: Henry (b. August 1762, married Mary Hopkins); Gustavus (twin of Rodolphus, b. October 1763, married Clara Dewey and afterward Rhoda Rutenber); Rodolphus (twin of Gustavus, b. October 1763); Susanna (b. September 1765, d. 1820); Rodolphus (2) (b. March 1767, married Polly Demming); Sarah (1) (b. December 1768, d. May 1770); Stebbins (b. August 1770, married Betsey Denlo); Sarah (2) (b. December 1771, d. June 1781); Betsey (b. October 1773, married Chauncey Hopkins); and Ebenezer (b. October 1779, married Sally Morgan and then Martha Woodward). About 1765, Ebenezer and his family settled in Bennington, Vermont. When hostilities ignited the American Revolution, he was appointed as a lieutenant in the Vermont unit known as the Green Mountain Boys, commanded by Seth Warner. He participated in the Canadian Campaign of 1775–1776. In March of 1776 at Quebec, Ebenezer Walbridge was a lieutenant in the company commanded by Captain Gideon Brownson. At that time, Walbridge was adjutant of the regiment. He participated in the Battle of Bennington in August 1777. Ebenezer’s brother Henry also fought at Bennington and although it was a spectacular victory for General John Stark, Henry became one of the American fatalities. The defeat of the British at Bennington increased the American chances of complete victory over General John Burgoyne during the Saratoga Campaign. General Benjamin Lincoln’s force was a participant in the campaign, but not actively. Lincoln’s command was held in reserve. General Lincoln dispatched Walbridge with a contingent of about 500 troops to Skenesborough as a diversion, and also to Fort Ann and Fort Edward to distract Burgoyne. Meanwhile, General Burgoyne sustained two defeats at Saratoga during September and October 1777. Burgoyne, having been prevented from retreating back to Canada and essentially surrounded while his supplies and food had dwindled, was compelled to surrender his entire army on 17 October 1777. The following year, Walbridge was appointed lieutenant colonel in the Bennington Regiment, then later, during 1780, he succeeded Colonel Samuel Herrick as commander. In the meantime, Colonel Walbridge, during 1778, had been elected to the General Assembly as a representative of Bennington. He was again sent to the assembly during 1780. Colonel Walbridge also commanded a militia regiment during 1781. It was during October 1781 the town of Castleton was threatened, and to defend it from Barry St. Leger, Colonel Walbridge arrived there to bolster the defenses. The anticipated attack from Canada was never launched. It was St. Leger who sustained the defeat at Bennington. Later, during 1782, trouble was brewing between New York and Vermont due to both states claiming a sector called the “Western Union.” Colonel Walbridge led his force to meet the threat and the New York troops withdrew. A fight was avoided. Colonel Walbridge was later commissioned a brigadier general in the Vermont militia. Following the close of hostilities, General Walbridge became a member of the Governor’s Council and served there from 1786 until 1795. After resuming his private life, he also established the first paper mill in Vermont. It became operational in Bennington during 1784. General Ebenezer Walbridge died during October 1819. He was interred in the old burying ground at Bennington. His grave was inscribed: “In memory of General Ebenezer Walbridge.... He was an affectionate husband, and indulgent father, and a friend to all mankind. He died in the full belief of a glorious resurrection in and through the atonement of Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Walton, George (Signer of the Declaration of Independence) George Walton’s birth date and birth place are uncertain. Most sources pace his birth either in Prince Edward County or Frederick

County, Virginia; however, the museum in the George Walton home in Augusta, Georgia, asserts that he most probably was born in Cumberland, County, Virginia. Dates in vary, including 1740, 1741 and 1749. Based on the claim that George was thought to be the youngest signer and later modified to be the youngest signer from Georgia or the youngest of the original signers, it would appear that the latter part of the 1740s would be more likely. George was the son of George Walton (Biographical Sketches Robert and Mary (also known of the Signers of the Declaration of Inas Sally) Hughes Walton. dependence, Benson J. Lossing, 1854) Robert and Mary Walton had three other children: John, Sally and Robert. George’s father, Robert, was the son of Robert and Frances Walton, who arrived in America aboard the vessel Welcome with the Quakers under William Penn on 3 October 1682. Robert and his wife Frances had four children, including George’s father, Robert (2), the oldest. George, the brother of Robert and the uncle of George (signer), married Martha Hughes, the sister of his brother’s wife Mary Hughes. The parents of George and his siblings died early, leaving the children as orphans. George, the youngest of the four, it is certain, was taken into the family of his uncle George and aunt Martha. His uncle arranged for him to become an apprentice to a carpenter, a man who is remembered from handed down stories as one who refused to provide his apprentice with a candle to read at night. And yet other handed down stories tell of the carpenter’s kindness in assisting George with his pursuits because of George’s diligence in carrying out his tasks. Nevertheless, the inconveniences, if they occurred, did not impede George’s thirst for knowledge, nor detract him from acquiring skills of the mind. Information regarding the education of George is uncertain, but with some common education, combined with self-education, he consumed sufficient knowledge to steer him away from construction and toward the law. During 1769, George Walton relinquished being a Virginian and headed south for Savannah, Georgia. Once there, he focused on studying law, and after about five years of association with a lawyer, Henry Yonge (Young), in Savannah, he was admitted to the bar. His elevation from carpenter to attorney during 1774 coincided with his entry into politics. His personal opposition to the policies of the king and of Parliament placed him staunchly in the midst of the field of Patriots. George’s activities against British policies were vociferous, as he maneuvered to instill confidence in the rebels, some too timid to rise up against the Loyalists. While George continued to inspire the Patriots in Savannah, others, like Doctor Lyman Hall, were rallying the Patriots in St. John’s Parish. During July and August 1774, Patriots held meetings in Savannah, at the “liberty pole” at Tondee’s Tavern; however, Tory influence in the colony was great and there were no large numbers of Patriots in attendance. Those who showed up represented only a few parishes. The gatherings continued into the following year. Walton had been appointed to the Committee of Correspondence. At the time, the sole parish that leaned toward independence was St. John’s. The Patriots of St. John’s attempted to secede from Georgia and become annexed to South Carolina, but the plan was rejected by South Carolina. By 1775, Georgia showed no signs of movement to break from Britain, but St. John’s Parish held firmly, and during March of that

461 year elected Hall to attend Congress. He was admitted as a non-voting member. Congress’ attitude toward Georgia had already soured and it prohibited commerce with the colony, except for St. John’s Parish. Soon the Patriots were able to overcome the reluctance to join with the other colonies. A meeting held in July was a pivotal step. During September, the provisional government selected George Walton and two others, Lyman Hall and Button Gwinnett, as delegates to the Second Continental Congress. They took their respective seats on 12 September 1775. In the meantime, a drastic change among the Patriots was beginning to unfold. On 11 December 1775, Walton was elected president of the Georgia Council of Safety, and by the following month, he was centered in the action to oust the royal governor, James Wright. The Council of Safety issued arrest warrants for Wright and the royal council on 18 January 1776. However, the governor and some of the council members ignored the conditions of their parole and fled to a British warship, the HMS Scarborough, on 11 February of that year. On 2 February, Walton again was elected to the Continental Congress by the Provincial Congress. He supported independence and voted for its adoption and signed the parchment Declaration of Independence. When the British threatened Philadelphia later that year, Congress abandoned the city and resumed business in Baltimore, leaving George Walton, George Clymer and Robert Morris to remain in the city to manage Congress’ business. Contact among the three members at that time was futile and Morris seemed to carry the brunt of the charge. Meanwhile, General George Washington scored a huge victory over the Hessian forces at Trenton during the latter part of December and afterward, another win at Princeton during January 1777 to relieve the pressure and permit Congress to return to Philadelphia. During January 1777, Congress was in session in Baltimore and directed Clymer, Morris and Walton on 14 January to acquire several tons of steel and nails for use by General Philip Schuyler in the Northern Department. Shortly thereafter, on 24 January, Congress directed George Walton and George Taylor to travel to the area near the Susquehanna River at Easton, Pennsylvania, to meet with the Iroquois (Six Nations). The congressional delegation was appropriated $1,000 to purchase presents for the Indians and to inform them that “it is altogether improper for them to kindle a council fire at that place, as they have already done the same at Albany, where, by their commissioners, they hold their councils, and communicate every matter of importance to their good friends the Six Nations, and their allies, of which these tribes are a part ... and they are, at the same time, to signify to the said Indians, that this Congress have an entire confidence, that the same peaceable and friendly conduct will be observed by them, which they have hitherto regarded.” Walton and Taylor succeeded in consummating a treaty with the Six Nations; however, on 26 February 1777, Congress declined the treaty by resolving “that the Treaty said to be entered into at Easton the 30th day of Jany, 1777, between George Walton and George Taylor Esqrs in behalf of the United States, and certain Indians pretending to be a Deputation from the Six Indian Nations, be disapproved of, as no Powers did exist in either of the Partys to enable them to engage in such Treaty.” Shortly after Congress rejected the treaty, Taylor departed Congress, but George Walton remained. On 8 May 1777, Walton was appointed to the Board of Treasury. On 6 October he was named to the Committee of Indian Affairs. Walton remained in Congress until 1781, but he also devoted much time to his home state, disregarding the great distance to travel back and forth and the disruption caused by the British. George had married Dorothy Camber and they had two children, Thomas (b. about 1783) and George (b. 1786). During 1778, Walton, commissioned as a colonel in the Georgia militia, was absent from Congress while performing his military responsibilities. While participating in the defense of Savannah during November–December 1778, as the British pressed for control of the southern colonies, he was wounded in the leg, knocked from his horse

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and captured when the city fell on 29 December to the forces of British Colonel Archibald Campbell. Colonel George Walton was among the nearly 500 men who were seized. Two days later, Augusta fell to the Redcoats. The British, aware of Walton’s position with the rebels as not only an officer, but also one who signed the Declaration of Independence, considered him a special prize. The British demanded that the Americans exchange a brigadier general in return for the release of George Walton, but no such agreement was reached. Walton was confined under fair conditions for nine months. While in captivity at Sunbury, he was provided good care by British doctors, which aided in recovery from his wound. He was finally exchanged during September 1779 for a British naval captain. The captivity failed to douse the fighting spirit of Walton and apparently caused him to be more defiant in his duties. During his captivity, the political factions in Georgia continued to wrestle for power. During March of 1779, while the British controlled Savannah, one faction (conservatives) installed James Mark Prevost as lieutenant governor and acting governor, infuriating the faction to which George Walton was associated, because they held no general election. The group aligned with George Walton installed him as governor during November 1779 and he remained in that position until January 1780, when the legitimately elected legislature, on 4 January 1780, elected Richard Howley, also an anti-conservative, as governor. In October 1779, the Americans attempted to retake Savannah, but the plan failed and after 34 days it was aborted. Count Pulaski was killed during the operation. George Walton was re-elected ( January 1780) to Congress and served through 1781. During that final year in Congress, Walton had a particularly high interest in his liberty after having been held by the British, and he was chosen on 2 July 1781 as a member of the committee to prepare the festivities for the Fourth of July celebration in Philadelphia. After the British abandoned Savannah in 1782, Walton moved back into the city to attempt to regain his financial stability and reconstruct his personal life. At the time, the financial conditions of the people and the government in the state of Georgia were deplorable. Although Walton terminated his congressional career, he continued in public life to become the chief justice of the Georgia Supreme Court during 1783, a position he held until 1789. In the meantime, he was a delegate to the Constitutional Convention held in Philadelphia; however, he attended no sessions, yet during the following year, he participated in the Georgia state constitutional convention. Later, during 1789, he again became governor, serving from 7 January until 9 November. Walton resumed his judiciary career in 1790 when he was appointed as a justice of the state Superior Court. He served in that capacity until 1795 and afterward, following a lapse of a few years, he again was appointed to the Superior Court during 1799 and remained on the bench until 1804. He was a presidential elector during 1789 and served as a U.S. Senator from 1795–1796. Following his service in the U.S. Senate, Walton retired to private life except when he served on the bench. George and his wife Dorothy never acquired great wealth or huge properties, but they lived comfortably within their means. The Waltons moved from Savannah to Augusta, Georgia, about 1790 and resided at Meadow Garden, which, according to the George Walton House Museum, had been built prior to his arrival. From there in the northern sector of the city, Walton and his wife moved to the western fringe of Augusta, where he built a residence on College Hill. According to the museum, prior to his death, Walton and his wife moved back to Meadow Garden, a four-room farm house, and it was there that he succumbed on 4 February, 1804 due to complications from gout. George Walton’s funeral procession was well attended. The procession departed Meadow Garden and proceeded to the Rosney Cemetery, where he was interred. He was later re-interred in the Signer’s Monument in Augusta.

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Throughout his life, George Walton was known as a faithful patriot, devoted husband and a fine father. He had other interests unrelated to politics, including being a founder of Richmond Academy in Augusta and of Franklin College (subsequently the University of Georgia) in Athens. George was survived by his wife, Dorothy, and his son George, who had married Sally Minge Walker. George and Dorothy’s other son, Thomas Camber Walton, died at about age 21 in December 1780, just as he was beginning a career in law. The premature death of Thomas severely affected his father, and it is thought that the shock might have accelerated his demise. Dorothy, only about fourteen years old at the time of their wedding during the 1770s, lived until 1833. The younger George devoted much time to his father while he was ill.

Ward, Brigadier General Andrew Andrew (3) Ward, the son of Andrew (1) and Elizabeth Fowler Ward, was born in Guilford, Connecticut, on 19 November 1727. Andrew’s mother was the daughter of Abraham and Mary Hubbard Fowler. Andrew (1) and Elizabeth, in addition to Andrew, had the following children: Andrew (2) (b. November 1722, d. September 1723); Elizabeth (b. November 1730, married Timothy Norton); Abigail (b. April 1731); Jacob (twin of Mary, b. January 1736, died in infancy); Mary (twin of Jacob, b. January 1736). Precise information regarding the youth of General Andrew Ward was unavailable. During 1750, Andrew married his cousin Diana Hubbard, the daughter of Lt. Daniel and Diana Ward (Andrew’s aunt) Hubbard. Andrew and Diana had the following children: Roxana (b. January 1751); Diana (September 1752); Deborah (b. 1756, d. December 1780); Mary (b. October 1764 d. 1788); Andrew (4) (b. March 1767, died in infancy) and Andrew (5) (no birth information available, but it is thought that he was born after the death of Andrew 4). Andrew Ward joined the military and served during the French and Indian War, including participation at Louisbourg. Initially, he held the rank of a lieutenant, but he was later promoted to captain. Ward, while at Louisbourg, purchased two silver spoons, the word “Louisbourg” engraved in Old English lettering on the back of each. The spoons were for his two daughters, Roxana and Diana, and the family treasures were handed down through the generations. Afterward, Ward saw service at Charleston, Vermont, at Post No. 4 along the upper Connecticut River. After the hostilities came to a close, Ward and a small group created a canoe from a huge tree trunk and ventured onto the Connecticut River in their craft, which carried them down to Long Island Sound, and from there they maneuvered close to shore until they reached a small river that threaded the terrain for about five miles to Guilford. The tree-trunk mariners successfully completed the journey and literally arrived within a few yards of Ward’s home. After arriving home, Ward pursued farming; however, his instincts as a soldier were sharpened after word of the clashes at Lexington and Concord reached him. He suspended his life as a farmer and re-entered the military. On 1 May 1775, Ward was commissioned as a lieutenant colonel of the 1st Connecticut Regiment (Continental Army). Colonel Ward retained the command until 20 December 1775. He assumed command of a state regiment 14 May 1776. He served at various places in New York during the year, including Burdett’s Ferry, Fort Constitution, and the Manor of Fordham, in Westchester County. Colonel Ward participated at the Battle of Trenton (26 December, 1776); however, he missed the Battle of Princeton on 3 January 1777. He was one of the officers designated to remain at the empty camp as rear guard and to ensure the fires kept burning greatly to fool the British, who were unaware of General George Washington’s movement. When General Lord Charles Cornwallis prepared to launch an attack on the encampment, he discovered that it was vacant. Washington’s ruse succeeded and the British were vanquished at Princeton. Colonel Ward retained his command until the following May. After-

ward, the enlistments of many of the men in Ward’s command had expired, and they had not been paid. Consequently, many returned to their families. His unit was disbanded during March of 1777. In April, Colonel Ward participated in the actions against the invasion of Connecticut by Governor William Tryon of New York when he ravaged several towns, including Danbury and New Haven. General Ward led his militia to Danbury and from there to New Haven. Meanwhile, his wife, Diana, became worried. She mounted a horse and rode from her farm to meet with her husband. On her ride back to her home, she was accompanied by a six-man contingent of Loyalists who walked alongside of her horse, three on each side, but no harm came to her. One of the men was her brother, Levi Hubbard, and another was her son-in-law, Eli Foster. On 5 June 1777, Colonel Ward was commissioned by Governor Jonathan Trumbull as a brigadier general of the 2nd Brigade (Connecticut militia). Subsequently Colonel Ward served along the Hudson during the Saratoga Campaign and afterward, he was among those ordered to bolster Washington. Ward’s command spent the wretched winter at Valley Forge. Following service at Valley Forge for the remainder of the war, General Ward’s service was confined to Connecticut. Subsequent to the close of hostilities, General Ward, similar to many others who had served during the war, found his fortune gone and his farm destroyed. At the time he possessed only some worthless Continental currency, which was saved and handed down. A few treasures were recovered; however, when some dolls and some other toys, buried by his two daughters to prevent the British from seizing them, were discovered unscathed on Sandy Hill, a short distance from the family home. General Andrew Ward succumbed on 29 January 1799. The date of his wife’s death is unknown. General Ward, during his career, served as a justice of the peace in Guilford and in the legislature. He was also a member of the Calvinist denomination, but subsequent to the marriage of his daughter Roxana to Eli Foote, Ward’s family became Episcopalians. Eli died prematurely of yellow fever and afterward, his youngest child, the tenth, was born. General Ward, along with his daughter, raised his grandchildren on his estate known as Nutplains, but to the family’s children it was known as Castle Ward.

Ward, Artemas Artemus Ward was born into the family of Lieutenant (later colonel) Nahum and Martha Ward on 26 November 1727. Artemus was the fifth of six children. The others were: Nahum; Benjamin (died in infancy); Persis; Ithamar; and Martha. The Wards resided on a farm in a recently established town, Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, and according to Charles Martyn, a great-grandson of Artemus and author of his biography, Nahum Ward was a very prominent farmer in the town. Their home stood off the Connecticut Road, known later as the Great Road. Artemus was the great-grandson of William Ward, one of the founders of Sudbury and Marlboro. His mother, a cousin of his father, was the daughter of Captain Daniel and Elizabeth Kerley How. Artemus’ father had lived through the tumultuous times during ongoing conflicts with the Indians. His father’s brother, Elisha, had been killed or captured during that period and never heard from again. Artemus received an excellent education, including fundamentals from the Rev. Job Cushing. He attended Harvard when he was sixteen years old and graduated in 1748. Following completion of his education, Artemus moved to Groton, Massachusetts, to teach school, but while residing with the Rev. Caleb Trowbridge, he became seriously interested in the minister’s oldest daughter, Sarah, whom he courted and later married on 31 July 1750. After their marriage, Artemus and Sarah resided in the “Yellow House,” also known as the “First Sumner House” in Shrewsbury, which had been purchased by Artemus’ father during April 1750. Artemus established a general store, which carried a variety of items, including a staple of the period, rum. Artemus and Sarah

463 had eight children: Ithamar (4/24/1752), Nahum (8/11/1754), Thomas Walter (8/10/1758), Martha (3/28/1760), Artemus (1/9/1776), Maria (12/12/1764), Henry Dana (2/26/1768) and Elisha (date of birth not available). During March 1751, Artemus Ward was appointed tax assessor, and that June, he was appointed justice of the peace. By the following year, Ward’s responsibilities increased when he was made town clerk and even more so when he became a selectman, serving the first of twenty terms during 1752. On 7 May 1754, Ward’s father succumbed. Artemus and his brother Elisha were named executors. By the following year, the conflict with France was getting underway when Ward was appointed major of the 3rd Regiment (Middlesex and Worcester counties) on 28 January, and also captain of the 1st Company of Shrewsbury. Ward elevated his political participation during 1757 when he was elected to the General Court on 16 May. The French captured Fort William Henry in August 1757, and Ward, a major in the militia, was among the volunteers who trekked toward Fort Edward (New York) to support it against an attack by the French; however, while the militia from Massachusetts was en route, the British commander at the fort halted the reinforcements as it had been determined that the French were not going to attack. The French returned to Montreal. Ward returned to the General Court. In January 1758, Ward began to form a contingent as part of Colonel William Williams’ regiment for the offensive about to be launched against French-held Ticonderoga. The English army, which included Williams’ regiment, was composed of about 15,000 men under General Abercrombie. Some — like Captain Charles Lee, Major Israel Putnam, Captain John Stark, and Ward—would later become major leaders in the Continental Army. The expedition failed to extricate the French, but subsequently, the English prevailed at Louisbourg and the Treaty of Paris, signed on 10 February 1763, terminated French control on the continent. Ward had returned to his home having served heroically, but his health suffered. Upon his return he was promoted to lieutenant colonel and during 1760 to colonel of an expeditionary regiment. Poor health compelled Ward to relinquish command of the regiment and confine his activity to the militia and as commissary of musters. Later, during January 1762, he was appointed a judge of the Worcester County Court (Common Pleas), of which Timothy Ruggles was chief justice. In addition, he was appointed as a justice of the peace of the quorum. After the British victory over the French, the king combined with Parliament began to impose a series of taxes on the colonies to pay the cost of the war, but the policies were not well received. By 1765, Ward, who had not been overly annoyed by the acts of Parliament, became intensely opposed to the Stamp Act and was appointed to a committee to present the sentiments of the colonists to Governor Francis Bernard. Ward’s actions were noticed by the governor, who within days after the end of the spring session of the court, withdrew Ward’s commission as colonel. In May 1768, Ward was elected to the council, but Governor Bernard objected and vetoed his election. During September, Ward was appointed to the committee of Artemus Ward (The Life of Artemus convention which convened Ward, Charles Martyn A. Ward, 1921) during September and ignored

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orders by the governor to disperse. British troops arrived from Halifax on 30 September 1768 and others followed to bolster the governor, who had been concerned with the situation. The situation only worsened after the arrival of the British regulars. On 5 March 1770, civilians taunting British troops were fired upon in an incident that became known as the Boston Massacre. On 30 May, a new general court convened and Ward was elected (3rd time) to the council. During 1773, the Bostonians reacted to another of the king’s policies and Patriots dressed as Mohawk Indians dumped the cargo of tea into the harbor. Word of the “Boston Tea Party” arrived back in England during the latter part of January 1774, and the British signaled their indignation by closing the port of Boston by a legislative act that passed both houses (Commons and Lords) and was signed by the king within a period of two weeks. The colonists received word of the Boston Port Act when two merchant ships arrived on 10 May and delivered copies. The Bostonians were also less than infatuated with the arrival of British General Thomas Gage on the 13th to enforce the punitive act and to succeed Governor Thomas Hutchinson. On 4 February 1774, General Gage had informed King George III that he was prepared to go to the colonies: “I am willing to go back at a day’s notice, if coercive measures are adopted. They will be lions while we are lambs, but if we take the resolute part, they will undoubtedly prove very meek. Four regiments in Boston will be sufficient to prevent any disturbance.” One day after receiving the news about the Port Act, the Patriots sent a rider, Paul Revere, on a journey at least as important as one which he would later initiate, but less well known. Revere sped to New York and Philadelphia to solicit help from the other colonists, proclaiming the extraordinary news at each town he passed, which prompted many other riders to take to the highway to spread the word even deeper into the country. The mission succeeded and word spread down into the southern colonies as well, causing a ripple effect that continued to build as the Patriots began to galvanize as a solid group of dissenters who intended to resist the British tactics and rally around the Bostonians. On 1 June, 1774, the British closed the port, but by then, Patriots in every colony had been alerted. General Gage, on 26 May, directed the general court, in its second day of session, to convene at Salem rather than at Boston. On 17 June, the general court urged the Bostonians to boycott goods from Britain, and it selected representatives to represent Massachusetts at the First Continental Congress. General Gage, after being informed of the action, adjourned the general court, the final provincial court of Massachusetts. His aide arrived at the building and found its doors locked. Gage reinstated the court in Boston in August under a new act, but the citizens ignored it. The Patriots in Massachusetts formed a Committee of Safety and held its initial meeting during early November 1774, and the Provincial Congress met again on 23 November 1774. Artemus Ward served on four separate committees. Soon after, on 2 February 1775, the 2nd Provincial Congress convened in Cambridge, with Ward attending as the sole representative of Shrewsbury. On 6 February, a handbill distributed by Tories began to circulate, warning the Patriots that their leaders would be seized. On 9 February, the Provincial Congress selected general officers, re-electing those chosen by the First Provincial Congress: Jedediah Preble, Artemus Ward, Seth Pomeroy, John Thomas and William Heath. Preble did not accept his appointment, making Ward the commander-in-chief of the Massachusetts forces. Shortly thereafter, John Whitcomb was appointed as a general officer. Meanwhile, the Patriots smuggled two cannon into the colony from Holland and held them near Salem; however, according to Ward, there was no one who could be trusted that was familiar with artillery. By April 1, 1775, Gage assembled several thousand British troops in Boston to suppress an anticipated rebellion, while he prepared to enforce the recently enacted Coercive Acts, also known in the colonies as the Intolerable Acts.

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On 13 April, the Provincial Congress authorized raising six artillery companies. It adjourned the following day, but Ward had little time of leisure. On the 19th of April, the British clashed with the Patriots at Lexington and Concord, and word quickly spread throughout the colonies. Congress prepared to confront the British, and the various colonies also took steps to oppose the mother country. At the time of the clashes, Ward was bedridden, but on the following morning, he disregarded his sickness and rode to Boston, passing numerous groups of militia along the way. Upon his arrival at Cambridge, Ward assumed command on the field and called a council of war. On 10 May 1775, some urged a retreat from Cambridge, but Ward and his allied officers rejected the idea and chose to strengthen their lines. In Massachusetts, on 19 May 1775, the assembly appointed Ward as brigadier general and commander-in-chief of the Massachusetts troops. The Continental Congress, in Philadelphia in June 1775, appointed George Washington as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army. Meanwhile, Ward retained his command until the arrival of Washington at Cambridge. On 16 June, Congress authorized the ranks of major general and brigadier general, but the members were unable to readily agree on specific numbers. Following discussion and debate, Congress agreed to four major generals and eight brigadiers. Also on 16 June, General Ward dispatched a contingent to the Charleston peninsula with orders to occupy the ground which overlooked the British positions in Boston. Bunker Hill was the objective, however; Colonel William Prescott fortified Breed’s Hill, just under Bunker Hill. General Ward also directed General Israel Putnam’s Connecticut contingent and Major Samuel Gridley’s artillery regiment to bolster the defenses. Nonetheless, General Ward did not take field command during the Battle of Bunker Hill. On 17 June, Congress appointed General Ward as major general, the first with the rank. It placed him second in command under George Washington. By 23 July 1775, General George Washington began to organize the army. He created three divisions and six brigades. Major General Ward’s sector included the terrain opposite Boston Neck (right or southern wing), and it was held by the brigades of Generals Spencer and Thomas. For a while, messages were exchanged between the American and British lines, but on 21 February 1776, Ward ordered all such communications to cease. The British at Boston were unable to break the siege, which compelled them to abandon the city on 17 March 1776. On the following day, Washington entered the city. By that time, Washington had dispatched forces under General Heath from Massachusetts into New York. General Ward remained in Boston with five regiments to maintain control. During the following month, on the 4th, General Ward was appointed commander of the Eastern Department. Shortly thereafter, on 23 April 1776, Congress accepted the resignation of General Ward; however, at the request of General Washington, Ward continued to serve. In the meantime, Ward had been appointed chief justice of the Court of Common Pleas (Worcester County) on 17 October 1775. On 30 May 1776, he was re-elected to the council, but it convened at Watertown, making it difficult for him to attend. Subsequently, during November 1776, the council reconvened in Boston and Ward, his health improved, did attend. Since General Washington’s move from Massachusetts into New York, General Ward had been in command of the New England fleet, known as “Washington’s Fleet.” On 18 June, the diminutive naval force increased its victories on the sea by capturing a British transport. The fleet continued operations until early 1777, when it was disbanded and its soldiers, sailors and Marines were transferred into the Continental services. In the meantime, during November 1776, Congress took action to compensate General Ward for his service. On 7 November, Congress passed the following resolution: “Whereas, the late Major General Ward, since his resignation of his trust, has continued in com-

mand, in the eastern department, at the request of the commander in chief, and still continues therein at the request of Congress; it is, therefore Ordered, That he receive the pay of a major general, commanding in a separate department, from the 26th day of April last, being the time of his resignation, and until a suitable person shall be appointed to take the said command in his stead, or it shall be otherwise ordered by Congress.” On 20 March 1777, Congress appointed General William Heath as commanding officer of the Eastern Department to succeed General Artemus Ward. On 1 May, Ward, along with Generals Palmer and Preble, were appointed as a “secret committee” and directed by council to move to Providence to meet with the governor to discuss a possible offensive to oust the British from Rhode Island. Subsequently, during November 1779, Ward was elected as a delegate to the Continental Congress, which he served during 1780 and 1781. All the while, Ward’s health continued to deteriorate. During 1781, Ward was among those who supported the Articles of Confederation, and his name was attached as a signer on the list published in the Journals of the Continental Congress on 1 March 1781. On 14 June 1781, Ward voted to elect Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and Henry Laurens as representatives to negotiate peace with Britain. That vote was his last in Congress, as on 13 June, Ward received a leave of absence. The state again re-elected him to Congress on 22 June while he was on his way back to Massachusetts; however, poor health compelled him to decline. On 4 September 1781, Ward returned to the bench (Worcester County) for the first time under the new state constitution. During 1782, on 29 May, Ward returned to Boston as a member of the Massachusetts House. Governor John Hancock, on 25 June, appointed Ward as judge of Probate of Wills (Worcester County), but he declined, declaring his thanks, but noting that holding his seat in the House and the judgeship simultaneously was not possible due to the constitution’s standards. Ward was again elected as a Shrewsbury member of the House during 1785 and 1786. By that time there was much discontent among the populace against the state government. Ward, as speaker of the House and chief justice of the Court of Common Pleas (Worcester County), was a lucrative target of the angry citizens in an uprising called Shay’s Rebellion. On 5 September 1786, Ward arrived at court and was confronted by citizens who blocked entrance to the court. At one point a bayonet pierced Ward’s robe, but he was unharmed. On 26 December 1786, the insurrectionists blocked the court in Springfield, which caused more problems. At Ward’s suggestion, an army commanded by General Benjamin Lincoln, composed of about 4,000 troops, was formed. Lincoln moved to Worcester and on 22 January was joined by militia, but there was no opposition. Lincoln then moved to Springfield, where the rebels were dispersed, ending the uprising. During 1788, Ward was elected as one of the state councilors on 4 June. Following failure to get elected to Congress, he did gain a seat during early October 1791. He arrived to take his seat on 22 October, a couple of days before the opening session. In Congress, Ward was aligned with the Federalists. During February 1792, he became incapacitated and unable to attend sessions for a while. He terminated his service in Congress on 3 March 1793. In December 1797, Ward retired from the bench. During November 1799, Artemus Ward suffered a stroke, but he survived, then suffered yet another stroke during the following March. By the latter part of October 1800, he was unable to speak and he could not consume food. He succumbed on the 28 October 1800. He was interred on 31 October 1800. Artemus’s wife, Sarah, had succumbed on 13 December 1788. The home acquired by Ward during 1789 has been preserved. It is at Concord Road and Route 20 (East Main Street) in Shrewsbury.

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Warner, Major General Jonathan

Warren, Brigadier General James

Jonathan Warner, the son of Jonathan and Bathsheba Allis Warner, was born on 14 July 1741 at Hardwick, Massachusetts. Jonathan’s mother was the daughter of Ichabod Allis of Hatfield. In addition to Jonathan, his parents had the following children: Daniel (b. December 1734); Mary (b. February 1736–1737, married Zurishaddai Doty); Bathsheba (b. October or November 1738, d. December 1740); Lydia (b. November 1740, married Doctor Challis Safford and later Jones Fay of Bennington); Sarah (b. November 1742, married Thomas Wheeler and then Captain Elijah Warner); Bathsheba (2) (b. July 1746, married Eliakim Spooner); Lucy (b. May 1748, married Asa Hatch); Rhoda (b. March 1752, d. September 1753); and Rhoda (2) (b. November 1754, married Robert McIntyre and later Jonathan Lynde). The elder Jonathan owned a tavern and operated a store; however, he also invested in real estate. Son Jonathan married Hannah Mandell, the daughter of Paul Mandell, during February 1766. Jonathan and Hannah had the following children: Susanna (b. July 1767, married Captain Artemus Howe and afterward Governor Moses Robinson); Bathsheba (b. March 1759, married Luke Brown); Hannah (b. February 1771, married Pelatiah Hitchcock); Betsey (b. March 1773, died August 1778); Joseph Warren (b. July 1775, died August 1777); Fanny (b. September 1778, married John A. Parker); Jonathan (b. June 1781); Harriet (b. January 1783, married Alexander Holton of Vermont); Alma (b. May 1785); Mary White (b. March 1787, married Mr. Bradley); Louisa (b. about 1790, baptized May 1790, married Eliphaz Jones); and William Augustus (baptized June 1795). Upon the death of his father, Jonathan Warner inherited the home and businesses. He continued to operate the family store and the tavern, but he was also involved with the growing movement of the Patriots and local affairs. During 1770, he became town treasurer, a position his father held from 1744 through 1762. Jonathan held the post until 1777 and again from 1779 to 1780. During 1774, he was appointed as a lieutenant of South Company (militia) and later, on 22 September 1774, he was named captain of the company. The same day, a company of Minute Men was established and Warner was appointed its commander with the rank of captain. During the following month, Captain Warner was made a colonel. Subsequently, during February 1776, Colonel Warner was commissioned as a brigadier general (militia) by the General Court of Massachusetts. During 1779, General Warner was a delegate to the state constitutional convention, which was held at Cambridge during September. After the adoption of the state’s constitution during 1781, in conjunction with the reorganization of the militia, Brigadier General Warner in June was promoted to major general, along with Jonathan Titcomb. General Warner’s service during the Revolutionary War was confined to Massachusetts. After the war, General Warner remained a major general and was involved in the suppression of Shay’s Rebellion (1786–1787). Meanwhile, he was elected to the House of Representatives during 1777, which he also served in 1780, 1785, 1798 and 1799. He was a member of the state Senate in 1781–1785 and 1791–1796. Although Warner was involved with the military as well as state government, he was also active in local affairs. He chaired the annual town meetings during 1779 and 1780. During May 1799, General Warner became a justice of the Court of Common Pleas, a post he held until he died. General Warner retired from the service during 1789 and later, while in Vermont at Craftsbury on business matters, he died on 7 January 1803. His widow, Hannah, continued to reside on the family property in Hardwick until her health compelled her to move in with her youngest daughter, Louisa. Hannah Warner died during August 1839.

James Warren, the son of Colonel James and Penelope Winslow Warren, was born in Plymouth, Massachusetts, on 28 September, 1726. He was a descendant of Richard Warren, one of the original colonists who arrived in America during 1620 on the Mayflower. The elder James and Penelope, in addition to James, had the following children: Ann (b. July 1728); Sarah (b. May 1730, married her cousin, William Beaver); Winslow (b. May 1733, died young) and Josiah (b. March 1735–1736, died April 1736). James received a fine education, including graduating from Harvard in 1745 with a bachelor’s degree. He received his master’s degree during 1748. Subsequent to his graduation, James became a merchant, and soon the business prospered. During 1754, James married into another prominent family when he wed Mercy, or Marcia as she often referred to herself, Otis. Mercy was the daughter of James and Mercy Allyne Otis and the sister of James Otis, a prominent politician and orator of the period. James and Mercy had the following children: James (b. 18 October 1757); Winslow (b. March 1759); Charles (14 April 1762); Henry (b. 21 March 1764) and George (b. 20 September 1766). In addition to being a successful businessman, James was also involved in public service. He became the sheriff of Plymouth County during 1755 and retained the position until 1775. Subsequent to the death of his father, James inherited the estate. By the 1770s, James Warren was a staunch Patriot and a prominent leader who had been a member of the General Court since 1766. His service in the General Court terminated during 1774, when it was dissolved. In the meantime, he had also been appointed to the Committee of Correspondence during 1772. During 1775, the year the nation erupted into open hostilities at Lexington and Concord on 19 April, Warren was the president of the Provincial Congress. During that time constant communication streamed between him and John Adams. Many of the original letters were preserved. On 20 May, 1776, Adams stated: “Every Post and every Day rolls in upon us Independence like a Torrent.” In the meantime, Warren became the paymaster for the Continental Army on 16 June 1775, by act of Congress. The resolution included the stipulation that his salary was to be $100 per month and named four other staff positions, including Horatio Gates’ appointment as adjutant general, Stephen Moylan’s appointment as commissary of musters and Joseph Trumbull’s appointment as commissary general. Warren was commissioned as a major general in the Massachusetts militia and later, during 1777, he also was appointed to the navy board (New England states) established by Congress. On 7 May 1777, John Adams, in a letter to General Warren, informed him of his appointment: “You will have the building and fitting of all ships, the appointment of officers, the establishment of arsenals and magazines, which will take up your whole time; but it will be honorable to be so capitally concerned in laying a foundation of a great navy. The profit to you will be nothing; but the honor and the virtue the greater. I almost envy you this employment.” During 1781, General Warren purchased the Governor Hutchinson House (previously, it had been the house of General Winslow). General Warren declined becoming the lieutenant governor of Massachusetts during 1780, although he had been elected to the office when John Hancock was elected governor. He later turned down an appointment as a justice on the state Supreme Court. General Warren’s wife, Mercy, was an accomplished writer and lived an eventful life. She was in frequent correspondence with many of the prominent leaders of the time, including Samuel Adams, Thomas Jefferson, John Dickinson, Elbridge Gerry, Henry Knox, and sometimes General George Washington. The Warrens and the Washingtons became close friends. Nevertheless, some of the prominent men of the period were less than friends and one such man was Thomas Paine. Mercy Warren called the writings of Tomas Paine “blasphemous and without principle.”

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Mercy and James Warren were both staunch anti–Federalists. Their political leanings left them out of the circles in Plymouth, which at the time was pro–Federalist. General Warren’s final public action occurred when he was a presidential elector and cast his vote for Thomas Jefferson. Mercy had been very close to her brother, James, one of the orators who fueled the fires of independence before he was badly beaten and sustained head injuries that irreparably damaged his mental faculties. Mercy continued to care for him, but tragedy struck during 1783. James Otis, who had been among the great orators of the Patriots’ cause, yet too ill to realize his incitements had been culminated by independence, was struck by lightning and killed, causing immense grief for Mercy. In a letter to her son, she wrote: “The great soul of this superior Man was instantaneously set free by a shaft of lightning set free from a thraldom in which the love of his Country and of mankind had involved him. We cannot but behold with wonder & astonishment the flaming car commissioned to waft from the world one of the greatest yet most unhappy of men.” In 1785, Mercy and General Warren sustained another personal loss. Their son Charles received a warning from doctors that he showed symptoms of consumption. He took a voyage to improve his health, without results. A second trip also proved fruitless. Afterward, Charles again ventured forth on a voyage to Europe, departing the States during August. He died alone in Cadiz, in the company only of his attendant. Mercy also had a deep affection for her son Winslow, who spent much time in Europe. He returned to America during the spring of 1791, but he went to Boston rather than to his home. Winslow set out to join the expedition under General (governor) Arthur St. Clair that was undertaken to subdue the Indians in the west. Mercy never again saw her son. He was killed on 4 November 1791 when St. Clair’s army sustained a devastating defeat. During 1800, the Warrens yet again sustained the loss of a child, George. George’s health failed while he was living in Maine. Mercy wrote to her brother, stating: “Rightly my dear brother have you denominated me your afflicted sister. The waves have rolled in upon me — the billows have repeatedly broken over me: yet I am not sunk down. I have been broken by sickness bent down by sorrow, yet here I stand — and may I stand cheerfully humbly and gratefully rejoicing in the present existence so long as I can in any degree be useful to my diminished circle of domestic friends.” During November 1808, General Warren wrote in a letter: “I do not expect ever to recover more health. The season of the year is against it; my age is against it. I have had a long life, and have enjoyed a thousand blessings. I have uniformly endeavored to do my duty; I think I have generally done it, and wherein I have erred, I shall be forgiven. If death should make its approach this day, I should not be alarmed.” A few days later, on 27 November, 1808, General James Warren died. His wife, Mercy survived him. She retained all of her faculties until she died, following a short illness, on 19 October 1814. Her son James had cared for her during her final days. James had served in the Continental Navy aboard the Bonhomme Richard, commanded by Captain John Paul Jones. James was badly injured during a sea battle and his leg had to be amputated. He never fully recovered from the trauma. Mercy was interred in the Warren cemetery plot alongside her husband in Plymouth. It is thought that James was also interred there with his parents, but no stone designates his grave.

Warren, Major General Joseph Joseph (3) Warren, the son of Joseph (2) and Mary Stevens Warren, was born on 11 June 1741 in Roxbury, Massachusetts. Joseph (2) and Mary, in addition to Joseph, had the following children: John (doctor, surgeon), Samuel, and Ebenezer. Joseph was a descendant of Peter Warren (his great-great-grandfather), who arrived in America during the 1650s. Peter’ son Joseph (1) constructed a home in Roxbury during 1720 and his son, Joseph (2), was born there and later became the

father of General Joseph Warren. Joseph’s mother was the daughter of Doctor Samuel Stevens. The general’s father was a farmer, but he was involved in local affairs. Nevertheless, he is remembered more for his introduction of a particular fruit, the “Warren russet” apple, to the region. During October 1755, Joseph (2) was high up on a ladder selecting fruit from a tree when he fell to the ground and shortly thereafter died. At the time, Joseph (3) was about fourteen years old. The following was published in the Boston News Letter (Roxbury) on 25 October: “On Wednesday last, a sorrowful accident happened here. Joseph Warren (Pictorial Field As Mr. Joseph Warren, of this Book of the Revolution, Benson J. town, was gathering apples from Lossing, 1860) a tree, standing upon a ladder considerable distance from the ground, he fell from thence, broke his neck, and expired in a few minutes. He was esteemed a man of good understanding; industrious, upright, honest, and faithful; a serious, exemplary Christian.” He was survived by his wife and four sons. Joseph and John both became doctors, with the latter becoming a surgeon in the Continental Army. Samuel remained with his mother to oversee the estate while Ebenezer moved to Foxboro. Meanwhile, Joseph graduated from Harvard during 1759. He began a teaching career as master of Roxbury grammar school; however, he also initiated the study of medicine under Doctor James Lloyd. Joseph completed his education and began to practice medicine during 1764, and as his practice grew, he became more acquainted with some of the more prominent men in Boston, such as John Adams who became one of his patients. On 6 September 1764, Joseph married Elizabeth Hooton, who had inherited a large fortune. Elizabeth was the daughter of Richard Hooton. Joseph and Elizabeth had the following children: Elizabeth (b. 1765, married General Arnold Welles); Joseph (b. 1768, graduated Harvard during 1786, d. suddenly during April, 1790); and Mary (married a Mr. Lyman and later Judge Richard E. Newcomb). During the following year, Parliament passed the Stamp Act, legislation that became a spark that ignited immense dissension in the colonies. Its unintended consequences included the emergence of innumerable vocal opponents who had previously been loyal British subjects. Doctor Warren was among that new breed of Patriots. Warren’s opposition went beyond spoken words. The Boston Gazette began to publish his incendiary opinion pieces, which incensed the royal government while earning him new friends among the Patriots, including another firebrand, Samuel Adams. Later, Parliament rescinded the Stamp Act due to the overwhelming opposition in the colonies; however, new and equally oppressive measures, known as the Townshend Acts, only fueled the fire. Doctor Warren resorted to new opinion pieces and signed his articles “The True Patriot.” Massachusetts Royal Governor Francis Bernard instantly became a powder keg on the brink of exploding. He sought severe measures against the Gazette and attempted to imprison its owners on charges of publishing seditious material. Governor Bernard pressed his case with the council, but to his dismay, the grand jury declined taking action against the paper. Undaunted, Bernard communicated with the secretary of state to the colonies, Lord Hillsborough, urging the arrest of the owners of the Gazette on charges of treason. Nevertheless, the two men, Messrs. Edes and Gill, were not charged with treason. During 1769, Governor Bernard was called back to England.

467 In 1768 the British seized a ship owned by John Hancock, the sloop Liberty, on charges of failure to pay the duties on the cargo of spirits. The citizens who witnessed the boarding party in action erupted in a riot that succeeded in freeing the vessel. The troops involved were ordered to leave Boston by Governor Bernard. They were transported to Castle William. Doctor Warren was one of the men appointed to a committee charged with taking the grievances regarding seizures, pressing of Americans into the Royal Navy, and tax laws. Nonetheless, the tactics of the British continued into the term of Governor Hutchinson, successor to Bernard. The antagonism on both sides led to violence in the Boston Massacre on 5 March 1770. Soon after, Doctor Warren, an attendee at every town meeting since October 1768, was appointed to the Boston Committee of Safety. In 1772, Doctor Warren was appointed as one of the initial members of the Committee of Correspondence. He retained his close relationship with Samuel Adams and other leading Patriots. Doctor Warren’s life changed dramatically during 1773 when his wife, Elizabeth, died at age twenty-six on 28 April, leaving responsibility for raising their four children solely on Joseph. Despite his grievous loss, Doctor Warren cared for his children while remaining staunchly on the side of the Patriots in the quest for independence. During August 1774, Sam Adams departed for Philadelphia to take his seat in the First Continental Congress. Doctor Warren succeeded him as the leader of the Patriots in Boston. That September, Doctor Warren attended the convention at Milton, and while there he took the floor and read a piece authored by himself. The articles in the piece were adopted unanimously and became known as the “Suffolk Resolves.” The resolves included a declaration “that a king who violates the chartered rights of his people forfeits their allegiance.” Warren’s razor-sharp words, after adoption by the convention, catapulted Massachusetts into open insurrection. During October 1774, Doctor Warren became chairman of the Committee of Safety. In March 1775, he spoke at a gathering at the Old South Church about “the Baleful Influence of Standing Armies in Time of Peace.” The crowd that gathered included about forty British officers People were shoulder to shoulder, prompting Warren to take a circuitous route to the pulpit. When he saw the crowd, he sidestepped it and procured a ladder and ascended it to make an unusual entrance through a window to the rear of the pulpit. Doctor Warren delivered his message directly over the heads of some of the British officers who intentionally sat on the steps of the pulpit to annoy and harass Warren while he was speaking. Nevertheless, peace had been nearing its end. On 18 April 1775, Doctor Warren dispatched William Dawes, Doctor Samuel Prescott and Paul Revere to sound the alarm that the British were on the advance. Warren is thought to have conferred with General William Heath on the following day, prior to attending his patients. When word of the clashes at Lexington and Concord reached him, Doctor Warren, in a flash, was en route to the sound of the guns, while his waiting patients were left to the care of his assistant, William Eustis. During the fighting that day, Doctor Warren was wounded. He sustained a musket shot, and “a pin was struck from his head.” Undaunted, Doctor Warren ignored his wound and concentrated during the succeeding weeks on bolstering the American defenses. On 31 May, Doctor Warren was elected president of the Provincial Congress (chief executive of the state) and shortly thereafter, on 14 May, he was appointed major general of militia, second in rank to General Artemus Ward. On 16 June 1775, General Warren presided at the Provincial Congress. The next morning, General Warren conferred with the Committee of Safety in Cambridge at General Ward’s headquarters. That same day, he was informed of the British aggression at Charlestown. Consequently, General Warren departed for Bunker Hill, where on the previous night, the Americans established defenses on Breed’s Hill, just under Bunker Hill. On 17 June at Bunker Hill, General Warren fought only as a volunteer. He participated in the fight-

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ing and when the Patriots’ ammunition had been expended, he was involved in maintaining a disciplined withdrawal. General Warren, near Prescott’s redoubt, one of the last to exit the defenses, was hit in the head by a musket ball. General Joseph Warren died instantly. He was initially interred in the crypt of George R. Minot (granary burying ground), but during 1825, his remains and those of his wife were re-interred in the Warren family tomb at St. Paul’s church in Boston, but later, yet again, General Warren’s remains and those of his wife were extricated and re-interred at Forrest Hills Cemetery. General Warren’s premature death at age thirty-four, coupled with the earlier death of his wife, Elizabeth, during 1772, left their four children orphans. They were taken into the home of General Warren’s brother, Doctor John Warren. At the time of his demise, General Warren was engaged to Mercy Scollay. The children were not the benefactors of any physical means of providing for their care and education. During 31 January 1777, a motion offered by Sam Adams resulted in a resolution by which Congress agreed that General Warren’s oldest son ( Joseph) “should be educated at the expense of the United States.” Later, during 1778, another old friend, Benedict Arnold, who had spent time with General Warren at Cambridge, entered the picture. He communicated with Mercy Scollay and donated $500 for the children’s education. Others who gave support in aiding the Warren children included John Hancock and Elbridge Gerry. Benedict Arnold also pressed Congress for its support for the children’s welfare and succeeded in getting Congress to provide the amount of half-pay of a major general, effective on the date of their father’s death, to cover the cost of their education and other things. The money was to continue until the youngest child attained adulthood. On 8 April 1777, Congress had voted to erect a statue in Boston in honor of General Warren. Not uncharacteristically, the congressional monument never came to fruition. However, during 1874, the Masons (King Solomon’s Lodge) provided the land and paid for a monument. In 1823, the Bunker Hill Monument Association was established and through the organization, the nation received a permanent memorial to that Battle of Bunker Hill on 17 June 1777, now operated by the National Parks Department.

Washington, General George (Commander in Chief, Continental Army; First U.S. President) George Washington was born on 22 February 1732. His parents, Augustine and his second wife, Mary Ball Washington, resided at their plantation at Pope’s Creek in the vicinity of Bridge’s Creek (Westmoreland County), Virginia. Augustine was a descendant of John Washington, who arrived in the colonies from England during 1657. Prior to George’s birth, his father and his first wife, Jane Butler Washington, had three children: Lawrence, Augustine, Jr., and Jane. After wife and mother Jane died in 1729, Augustine married Mary in 1731. From that marriage, George became the oldest of six children. The others were Betty, Samuel, John Augustine, Charles, and Mildred. When George was about three years old, the family moved to Little Hunting Creek Plantation, later known as Mount Vernon, on the Potomac River and later, the George Washington (Pictorial Field family again moved to yet an- Book of the Revolution, Benson J. Lossother plantation, Ferry Farm, ing, 1860)

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along the Rappahannock in the vicinity of Fredericksburg. George lived during most of his youth at the latter. George did not have the advantage of college education, either in the colonies or England, but apparently, he did receive a fine local education and in addition learned the profession of a surveyor. However, both of his older step-brothers, Lawrence and Augustine, had been sent to England to complete their educations. There are few facts pertaining to George as a boy. Some of the handed-down tales, including the story of George and the cherry tree, where he is remembered as having told the truth to his father about chopping it down, and another well known tale regarding his ability to throw a silver dollar across the Potomac River, have no authentic source. Nevertheless, those and similar tales regarding his honesty and feats of strength were at least in line with the character he exemplified throughout his life. George’s father succumbed during 1743, when George was eleven years old. His father’s estate was inherited primarily by George’s older step-brothers. From the remainder of the estate, Mary Washington was able to maintain the family. George is known to have greatly assisted his mother on the plantation, but he also began to become closer to his older brother, Lawrence, who lived at Mount Vernon. During 1746, a British warship arrived near Mount Vernon and through the relationship between George’s brother, Lawrence, and Admiral Edward Vernon, George was offered a midshipman’s warrant; however, George’s mother overruled the admiral and George, convincing him that the navy was not a career to be pursued by him. After declining the opportunity to join the British navy, George initiated his abilities as a surveyor for Lord Fairfax. About two years later, he did embark on his first sea voyage, which as it turned out was also his last. He traveled with his brother, Lawrence, to the West Indies, a trip urged by Lawrence’s doctor. Nonetheless, after they returned home, Lawrence had not made a recovery and died in 1748. George, despite his youth, had been named executor of the will and guardian of Lawrence’s only child. Before long, Lawrence’s wife and the child died. George at that time inherited Mount Vernon, which had been named in honor of Admiral Edward Vernon, with whom Lawrence had earlier served. By the following year, the Ohio Company, organized by a group of Virginians during 1748, received a grant for about six hundred thousand acres of land in the Upper Ohio Valley along the east bank of the Ohio River; however, at the same time the organizers were preparing to build a road from Cumberland, Maryland to the Monongahela River at Pittsburg (Pittsburgh), the French were claiming the same territory, acting upon their claims to the territory west of the Alleghany (Allegheny) Mountains. In reaction to the French activity, Governor Robert Dinwiddie sent a party to inform the French they had to cease and desist. On 31 October 1753, George Washington led a small party from Williamsburg to where the French were operating near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. En route, Washington, while at Fredericksburg, persuaded Jacob Vanbraam (a fencing master and French interpreter), who spoke French to make the journey, and Washington also convinced another man, John Davidson, to go along as interpreter to communicate with the Indians. Nevertheless, the Virginians never met the French commander. The men were halted at Fort LeBoeuf (Waterford, Pennsylvania). Afterward, Washington led the party back to Virginia, but the entire party nearly drowned while crossing the Monongahela River. Large pieces of ice were spotted as the raft came down the river, and as Washington attempted to use his “setting pole” to halt the raft, he was thrown into the freezing cold water. The raft became uncontrollable, forcing the others to jump into the river and swim to a nearby island. Washington stated later that his life was saved only because of grabbing a raft log. By the following morning the river had frozen solid and the men were able to walk across the river and get their horses. They encountered some friendly Indians who showed

them the bodies of seven white people who had been killed by a band of French Ottowa Indians. The beleaguered party finally arrived back in Virginia during January 1754. The following spring, George Washington, with the rank of major, and another officer, Adam Stephen (later general), returned to the Ohio Valley with their combined forces. En route, Washington was informed that the French had captured a party under Captain Trent from the Ohio Company while they were engaged in constructing a fort at the Forks of the Ohio (Pittsburgh). Trent’s capture is remembered as the first hostile act of the French and Indian War. On 28 May 1754, the Virginians engaged and defeated a French force. After the firefight, Washington did not move against Fort Duquesne; rather he retired to Great Meadows (Uniontown, Pennsylvania) and the French prisoners were brought along. Afterward, the Virginians built Fort Necessity, a circular stockade. Reinforcements under Colonel Joshua Fry were en route, but Fry succumbed on 31 May. Afterward, George Washington assumed command of the regiment. Later other reinforcements (British troops) arrived, raising the force at Fort Necessity to about 400 men. The British-Virginian force began to construct a road, but a massive French-Indian unit arrived and the British abandoned the project and returned to Fort Necessity, arriving there on 1 July with the French in pursuit. On 3 July, the French arrived at the gates of the fort and deployed in the high ground that encircled the fort. Despite a nasty storm, the two sides fought throughout the day, but Washington was not able to draw the French into making a frontal attack. By midnight, the two sides negotiated a settlement in which the fort would be surrendered on the 4th of July. On the following day, Washington and his force, all having retained their arms, exited the fort and returned to Virginia. The French kept some of the artillery, and after they occupied the fort, it was burned. The encounter at Fort Necessity was the first time that George Washington surrendered to the enemy; however, it was also the only time he ever surrendered to an enemy force during his entire military career. The British moved to retaliate. During April 1755, a force led by General Edward Braddock departed Virginia to attack French-held Fort Duquesne. On 9 July, the English vanguard under Braddock was ambushed and had difficulty discovering the enemy’s concealed positions. Meanwhile, the main body crossed the Monongahela at about 1300 and it too was stuck hard. The British remained in a strict formation rather than spreading out, making themselves easy targets. The colonists requested permission to break ranks to improve their positions for returning fire, but Braddock refused. Other English troops in the rear continued to move up, only to come under the same whirlwind of fire, and simultaneously, the confusion increased. The lopsided fight continued for hours, but still the British failed to abandon their European formation. Officers continued to be slain and every mounted officer except George Washington was either slain or wounded. Braddock had five horses shot from under him before he was mortally wounded. Washington had two horses shot from under him and he was hit four times. Despite four bullet holes in his uniform, Washington was unscathed. The British lost 900 (killed or wounded) out of their force of 1,400, while the French-Indian force sustained about sixty casualties. Later, George Washington stated in a letter to his brother: “By the all-powerful dispensation of Providence, I have been protected beyond all human probability or expectation; for I had four bullets through my coat, and two horses shot under me, and escaped unhurt, although death was leveling my companions on every side of me.” Doctor Craik, who was at the battle, related that fifteen years later, an Indian chief who had been at the battle traveled to the forks of the Kenhawa and Ohio rivers to find Washington. The chief stated at the time that he selected Washington as a target and “fired at him no less than fifteen rounds” with his rifle. He had also instructed his braves to fire at Washington, but none hit the mark. The chief believed that “the

469 Great Spirit protected the young hero,” and he ceased firing at Washington. About one month after the battle, the Rev. Samuel Davies stated: “I can not but hope Providence has hitherto preserved him in so signal a manner, for some importance to his country.” After the failed campaign of General Braddock, the Indians mounted repeated raids. Meanwhile, on 14 August, 1755, Governor Dinwiddie appointed George Washington as colonel of the Virginia regiment and commander-in-chief of Virginia’s troops. Upon his arrival back in Virginia during mid–September, Washington established his headquarters at Winchester. The following year, Washington requested funds to construct a series of forts across the frontier. In 1758 the British prepared for another major expedition under General James Abercrombie (commander-in-chief of the Colonial Army), the successor of Lord Loudoun. At about the same time, Washington requested and the Virginia legislature established a chaplaincy for its regiments, however, the act was not carried out. There is no record of appointed chaplains until 1776. Meanwhile, during July, Abercrombie attacked Ticonderoga and was repulsed. He was recalled and replaced by General Jeffrey Amherst. During September 1758, Washington participated in the campaign against Fort Duquesne led by General Forbes. The French abandoned the fort without a fight, and the British seized it during November 1758. Following the termination of the campaign, Washington returned to Virginia. On 6 January 1759, George Washington married Martha Dandridge Custis. George and Martha had no children; however, Martha had a son, John Parke Custis, from her previous marriage to Colonel Daniel Custis. Martha and her first husband had four children, but the two eldest, Daniel and Fanny, died young, and the fourth, Martha, died at age sixteen. However, the third, John Parke, survived to adulthood. Shortly after his marriage to Martha, George entered politics. He was elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses. Upon his arrival to take his seat, the speaker, Mr. John Robinson, gave a speech thanking Washington for his heroism while serving on the frontier. Washington, taken aback by the reception, moved to say thank you, but was unable to speak any words. The speaker, while grinning broadly, extricated Washington from his dilemma by proclaiming: “Mr. Washington, sit down. Your modesty equals your valor and that surpasses the power of any language I possess.” The British finally prevailed in the French and Indian War when the French surrendered to General Amherst at Montreal on 8 September 1760. The French commander, Governor Vaudreuil, the governor of New Canada, signed for the French. The British granted benevolent terms, including no imprisonment and guarantees that Roman Catholicism could be exercised by the citizens without interference by the British. The capture of Montreal ended France’s domination in Canada and terminated France’s power in North America. One of the French diplomats, Count de Vergennes, discounted the British victory, implying that it was temporary and that Great Britain was destined to be burdened with an impossible task, for with the omission of France, the colonists at their will would turn against her: “They will no longer need her protection. She will call on them to contribute toward supporting the burdens they have helped to bring on her, and they will answer by striking for independence.” After that war, the Crown and Parliament began to enact legislation to pay the cost of the late conflict. The colonists reacted with vehement opposition during 1765 to the Stamp Act and other legislation that followed. The relations between the colonies and Britain continued to deteriorate. In Virginia on 26 May 1774, Governor Dunmore ( John Murray, Earl of Dunmore) dissolved the House of Burgesses, but the representatives ignored him and moved to a new location, at that time concluding that an attack by the British on one colony would be considered an attack against all. Washington, in a subsequent letter stated: “I shall not undertake to say where the line between Great Britain and the colonies should be drawn, but I am clearly of opinion that one

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ought to be drawn, and our rights clearly ascertained. I could wish, I own, that the dispute had been left for posterity to determine, but the crisis is arrived when we must assert our rights, or submit to every imposition that can be heaped upon us, til custom shall make us tame and abject slaves.” On 1 August, 1774, George Washington, along with Patrick Henry and Peyton Randolph, was selected as a delegate to the First Continental Congress, set to convene in Philadelphia that September. Earlier in the year, Britain had passed legislation referred to as the Intolerable Acts that included the Boston Port bill, which closed Boston’s port in retaliation for the Boston Tea Party, launched by the Sons of Liberty during December 1773 to destroy the tea cargoes of several vessels in the harbor. After the Congress adjourned and the delegates returned to their homes, Patrick Henry was asked whom he believed was “the greatest man in Congress,” and he responded: “If you speak of eloquence, Mr. Rutledge of South Carolina is by far the greatest orator, but if you speak of solid information and sound judgment, Colonel Washington is unquestionably the greatest man on that floor.” On 19 April 1775, open hostilities erupted at Lexington and Concord. The Continental Congress moved quickly, and on 15 June, George Washington was unanimously appointed as commanderin-chief of the Continental Army; he accepted two days later. Washington was nominated by John Adams, and his nomination caught Congress by surprise. At the time, John Hancock, the president of Congress, was considering the post for himself. Adams was aware that the army was composed primarily of New England troops and wanted a Virginian in command, and he wanted to go ahead with a vote in Congress before other options arose. Washington departed Philadelphia on 23 June and later, on 3 July, he assumed command of the army at Cambridge, Massachusetts. In the meantime, the Battle of Bunker Hill had been fought on 17 June and the British gained the field after the Patriots expended all of their ammunition, but at high cost. The Americans maintained the siege of Boston until 17 March 1776, when the British evacuated the city. On 1 January 1776, General Washington reorganized the Continental Army. He received information on 25 February that pointed to an imminent abandonment of Boston by the British. He was informed that the British had taken over every vessel in the harbor for their use. After the city was abandoned, General Washington left some troops in Boston, while the main body of the Continental Army moved to New York to defend it. On 2 July 1776, two days before Congress proclaimed the Declaration of Independence, a force of about 10,000 British and Hessian troop landed on Staten Island. By the end of the month, the force numbered 30,000 troops. The two sides battled each other tenaciously during the summer at various places, including Long Island and White Plains. The British retained New York and drove the Continental Army through New Jersey into Pennsylvania by the latter part of the year, but Washington remained too cunning and avoided a major confrontation to save his battered forces. The army safely evacuated New York thanks to General John Glover’s Marblehead Regiment, composed primarily of skilled seamen. That regiment again saved the army when it handled the boats that ferried them to Pennsylvania. At the time Washington was fleeing the Red Coats, Congress had been preparing to evacuate Philadelphia. Meanwhile, the British occupied Trenton, New Jersey. While Congress was safely in Baltimore and the Hessian troops in Trenton were celebrating Christmas, General Washington was spending Christmas planning an attack to seize Trenton. On Christmas night, Glover’s regiment, undaunted by a raging blizzard and unruly currents that were carrying large pieces of floating ice downstream, carried the army back across the Delaware River to the Jersey shore. On the following morning, 26 December, Trenton fell and the victory ended the threat against Philadelphia. British General Cornwallis, embarrassed by the loss of Trenton, moved to surprise Washington, but the American

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general outwitted the British by abandoning his camp without dousing the fires. While the British thrust found an empty camp, Washington had closed against the British and soundly defeated them at the Battle of Princeton on 3 January 1777. Cornwallis retired toward New Brunswick, while the Americans had their morale boosted by the double victory. Nevertheless, the British still planned to take the capital and capture the rebel leaders to terminate the insurrection. During June 1777, on the 23rd, General William Howe embarked from Sandy Hook with a force that exceeded 15,000 troops, en route to Philadelphia by way of the Chesapeake Bay. The British movement was observed, and although General Washington was not certain the target was Philadelphia rather than Charleston, he sped reinforcements to defend the capital. During September 1777, the Battle of Brandywine erupted, and afterward during October, the Battle of Germantown was fought on the 4th. At the latter, the Patriots had the victory until friendly fire created huge problems and caused them to retreat. General William Howe gave pursuit, but yet again, Washington did not take the bait to engage in a major confrontation. The British moved back to Philadelphia while General Washington established winter quarters at Valley Forge. During this time, General Washington’s detractors within Congress and the military schemed to oust him. The conspiracy, known as the Conway Cabal, worked to replace Washington with General Horatio Gates, but the plot was foiled when Washington was informed of the conspiracy by General Alexander (Lord Stirling) and others. Washington’s allies, including loyal generals and members of Congress, derailed the plot. In the meantime, Major General Thomas Conway was promoted to major general and afterward, he was appointed to the Board of War. General Conway was later wounded in a duel by one of Washington’s allies, General John Cadwalader, and Conway, believing he was dying, apologized to Washington for his part in the conspiracy. Meanwhile, Philadelphia remained under the control of the British, but they were unable to easily exit the city on foraging missions and they were not able to dominate the Delaware River. Consequently, the city was evacuated during June of 1778. While the Americans were sustaining severe hardships during a wretched winter, there were some bright spots, particularly after the arrival of Baron von Steuben, who drilled the troops and transformed the men into a formidable foe, more likely to equal or exceed the abilities of their foe, the British regulars and the Hessian mercenaries. During their training, von Steuben also instilled the value of the bayonet into the minds of the troops, a skill that bolstered the new discipline and confidence that would soon be tested. On 18 June 1778, there was celebration within the ranks as elements of the Continental Army entered Philadelphia, while General Clinton’s Red Coats marched northward through New Jersey toward New York. Clinton’s baggage train alone stretched for about twelve miles. Washington broke camp at Valley Forge while a contingent was dispatched to intercept the British column. The command was given to General Charles Lee, but he declined and it went to Lafayette. Later, prior to the confrontation, Lee changed his mind and requested command. On the 28th, the day began strangely. General Lee was reluctant to attack at the Battle of Monmouth and he restricted Lafayette. Another peculiarity was that Lee, against orders, called for a retreat, causing immense confusion in the ranks. Meanwhile, after Washington arrived at the front and observed the spectacle, he railed against Lee and rallied the troops; however, at about the same time, the most astonishing incident of the day occurred when the American and British lines formed to fire. General Washington found himself in between the two firing lines but inexplicably was unscathed. The combat continued at a feverish pace and both sides continued to clobber each other. The battle officially was a draw; however, at the end of the day, General Wash-

ington was preparing to finish off the British on the following day, but the British used darkness to abandon their positions and resume the march to New York, leaving the field to the Americans. The Battle of Monmouth was the final major encounter in the northern states. By November General Washington established winter quarters. The army deployed on both sides of the Hudson River at West Point and quartered at Danbury, Connecticut, while others spent the winter farther south, including in Maryland and Virginia. In addition, the artillery units deployed in New Jersey. In 1779, the heavy fighting had switched to the South, but the north was less than tranquil. During July, General Anthony Wayne led a stunning attack against British-held Stony Point, New York, though impregnable by the British, but Wayne’s force, using bayonets, stormed the post, seized it and on the following day, 16 July, destroyed the fortification. General Washington informed Congress of the victory and Congress soon awarded a gold medal to General Wayne. Later the British returned and rebuilt the post, but General Henry Clinton again failed to get General Washington to engage in a major confrontation, prompting Clinton to return New York to figure a new strategy to draw Washington into a position from which the American army could be destroyed. Meanwhile General Washington expected the American ministers in France to persuade King Louis XVI to send French forces to bolster his army. During December 1779, Washington arrived at Morristown, New Jersey, from West Point. A French fleet had been expected at Sandy Point, but it did not arrive. The operations in the north were then suspended for the winter of 1779–1780. However, the situation in the South was still quite tumultuous. The British had seized Savannah during the latter part of December 1778, and as 1779 was coming to a close, the British were in motion to move against Charleston. During 1780, the cause sustained several devastating blows for General Washington, including the fall of Charleston on 12 May, which included the surrender of General Benjamin Lincoln’s entire army and militia as well as a Continental naval squadron. Shortly thereafter General Gates replaced General Lincoln, but he was defeated at the Battle of Camden, South Carolina, on 16 August, leaving only scattered militia to prevent Cornwallis from controlling the Carolinas. Washington’s choice to succeed Lincoln, was General Nathanael Greene, but Congress ignored his nomination and selected Gates. At the battle of Camden, Gates was at the head of the retreating forces that ran toward North Carolina. Afterward, Congress finally selected Greene to neutralize Cornwallis. Washington, however, sustained an equally severe blow when the treason of Benedict Arnold was discovered. Arnold was conspiring with the British to surrender West Point. Nevertheless, General Washington remained confident. The plot was discovered on 24 September when British major John Andre was caught in civilian clothes. Arnold escaped, but Andre was hanged. A French fleet arrived at Newport during July, but a British naval blockade kept it pinned in port. General Washington conferred with the French to decide upon an attack against General Clinton’s forces in New York, but it was determined that the attack was not feasible. Meanwhile, under General Nathanael Greene, the situation in the South was turning more positive. General Daniel Morgan pummeled the British at Cowpens on 17 January 1781. Later, another major clash occurred at the Battle of Guilford Court House. The Americans under General Greene retired, but they managed to stall Cornwallis’ progress. After the battle Cornwallis departed the Carolinas for Virginia, leaving some forces behind. While Cornwallis was moving toward Virginia, other British forces under General Philips and Benedict Arnold had already been ravaging the state. While Lafayette and other forces were engaged against the British, General Washington pulled another ruse against the British and it pointed to the demise of Cornwallis. On 14 August 1781, General Washington was informed of the imminent arrival of another French fleet. Without detection by the British,

471 General Washington abandoned his positions and marched to Philadelphia, where he was met by Comte Rochambeau. Afterward, the French transported Washington’s force to Virginia and once there, the French troops bolstered the Americans. Meanwhile, General Lord Charles Cornwallis was trapped at Yorktown and no reinforcements could be brought to Yorktown due to the French naval blockade. With no options left, General Cornwallis surrendered on 17 October, 1781. At 1000, suddenly the French and Americans spotted a white flag that was hoisted over the British positions and surrender negotiations began. On the following day, General Washington chose not to attend the surrender ceremony and sent others, including Colonel John Laurens. The British were offered harsh terms during the negotiations, which continued until nearly midnight (17th–18th). When a British officer inquired about the terms, Colonel Laurens responded: “You seem to forget, sir, that I was a capitulant at Charleston, where General Lincoln’s gallant garrison was refused any other terms than marching out with colors cased and drums not beating a German or British march.” The siege officially ended on the 19th when 8,000 British troops walked out of the British positions with their colors encased and their band playing “The World Turned Upside Down.” Washington’s conquest over Cornwallis eliminated any further thoughts of a British victory over the colonies. On the 19th, General Washington studied the surrender papers and paused, then he added one sentence: “Done in the trenches before Yorktown in Virginia October 19th, 1781.” He affixed his signature on the document before handing it to Rochambeau and de Barras (representative for Count de Grasse for the French Navy). Despite all the stress and pressure during the siege, General Washington seemed to have kept his sense of humor. At one point, he observed the chaplain, Israel Evans, who had been nearly buried in debris after a cannonball struck close to him. Washington then spoke to the chaplain and told him to keep his “tattered hat” as a family souvenir. On the day after the surrender, General Washington issued a general order that closed with the following words: “Divine service shall be performed tomorrow, in the different brigades and divisions. The commander-in-chief recommends that all the troops that are not upon duty, do assist at it with a serious deportment and the sensibility of heart which the recollection of the surprising and particular interposition of providence in our favor claims.” In appreciation of the victory, Congress issued a proclamation dedicating 13 December as a day of prayer and fasting due to the “signal and manifest favor of Divine Providence in behalf of our country.” On 24 October 1781, having failed to convince the French to launch an attack against British-held New York, Washington prepared to move from Virginia to resume his New York Campaign. The French fleet, under Francois-Joseph Paul de Grasse, sailed for the West Indies; however the fleet under Comte de Rochambeau remained at Yorktown for the winter of 1781–1782. Meanwhile, after sending some units to the Department of the South to bolster General Nathanael Greene, General Washington repaired to New York, pausing at Philadelphia on 27 November. During the following year, Washington established his headquarters in April at Newburgh. While there, General Washington introduced a badge of merit for several troops who performed above and beyond the call of duty. The badge was known as the Purple Heart and was the forerunner of the Medal of Honor. Meanwhile, in England on 22 February 1782, (coincidentally, George Washington’s birthday), Parliament was confronted with a motion put forth to the king by British General Conway, which called for an end to the “further prosecution of the war in the United States.” The motion failed by only one vote. Nevertheless, with the failure to have vanquished General Washington and the humiliation of Cornwallis’ defeat, the merchants in England were building pressure to bring the hostilities to a close. In September 1782, Comte de Rochambeau departed Virginia and sailed to join with General Washington. In the meantime, General Greene had the British corralled in Charleston,

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but finally, they evacuated the city on 12 December, one month after a preliminary peace agreement was established by the American ministers and the British. Before the year ended, on Christmas Day, General Washington initiated a new effort at Newburgh when he directed that a chapel be built with the capacity to hold a brigade. The chapel was completed on 15 February, and on that day, Washington remarked: “The new building being so far finished as to admit troops to attend public worship therein, after tomorrow it is directed that divine services should be performed therein every Sunday by the several chaplains of the New Windsor cantonment in rotation.” During April 1783, jubilation became rampant at Newburgh when word arrived that the war had ended. General Washington first spread the word when he spoke at the chapel (Temple of Virtue). During his talk, he stated: “The chaplains, with the several brigades, render thanks to almighty God for all His mercies, particularly for his overruling the wrath of His own glory, and causing the rage of war to cease among the nations.” On 24 September, Congress ordered General Washington to decrease the army “as he shall deem proper and expedient.” General Washington retained 600 troops to guard West Point and other posts. The remainder of the Continental Army was disbanded, leaving one infantry regiment and one artillery battalion. Although Congress mandated the move, it was well known that despite the end of the fighting, the British still retained large numbers of troops on American soil. On 2 November 1783, at Rocky Hill, New Jersey, General Washington issued his farewell speech, but he did not speak to the troops. On 4 December 1783, General Washington took leave of the officers of the Continental Army. He arrived at Annapolis, Maryland, on 23 December and officially resigned his commission. His address to Congress stated in part: “Mr. President: The great events on which my resignation depended, having at length taken place, I have now the honor of offering my sincere congratulations to Congress, and of presenting myself before them, to surrender into their hands the trust committed to me, and to claim the indulgence of retiring from the service of my country....” After leaving Annapolis, General Washington returned to Mount Vernon, intent on remaining in retirement. At Mount Vernon, General Washington focused on his plantation, which had suffered greatly due to his long absence; however, he also had other interests. He was president of the Potomac Company, which devoted its time to increasing navigation on the Potomac River. During 1785, Maryland and Virginia discussed the border, which was the Virginia shoreline of the Potomac, not the middle of the river. An agreement was reached between the two states to improve navigation on the river and to find a way to construct a canal or series of canals to connect the interior of the country with the sea. The agreement was deemed invalid due to restrictions under the Articles of Confederation, which prevented one state from signing a treaty of any kind with another state without authorization of Congress. During the following year, the Annapolis Convention was held, but Washington was not a delegate. It was thought that every state would send delegates, but only a few did, and it was concluded that a Constitutional Convention was needed to either modify the Articles of Confederation or establish a new government. The convention was scheduled to convene in Philadelphia during 1787. The Constitutional Convention opened sessions during May of 1787. Following months of discussions and debates, the U.S. Constitution was adopted on 17 September 1787. General Washington, a proponent of a strong and effective federal constitution, was president of the Convention. Afterward, he was among those who sought ratification, but in Virginia, tenacious resistance was mounted by some, including Patrick Henry. Nevertheless, Washington and other proponents, including James Madison, prevailed. Following ratification by nine states, the Constitution became effective. Virginia ratified it on 25 June 1788, to become the tenth state to join the Union.

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In 1789, George Washington was elected unanimously as the first president of the United States. He was inaugurated on 30 April and served for two terms; both times the vote was unanimous. John Adams served as his vice president, which gave control of the White House to the Federalists. After Washington’s first inauguration on 7 August, Congress established the Department of War. President Washington appointed General Henry Knox as the initial secretary of war. After Congress established the Treasury Department on 2 September 1789, Washington appointed Alexander Hamilton as the first secretary of the treasury. In addition, Thomas Jefferson became secretary of state. Although James Madison was not named to a cabinet position, he was considered to be one of President Washington’s key advisors. On 8 January 1790, President Washington gave his initial address to Congress, and his words included some advice for the future of the nation: “To be prepared for war is one of the most effectual means of preserving peace.” In July, Congress resolved to move the seat of government from New York to Philadelphia. Congress afterward continued to convene in Philadelphia beyond the two terms of President Washington. The government moved to the new federal capital in Washington, D.C., during 1800. Meanwhile, President Washington authorized in August 1790 the acquisition of ten boats with which to deal with smugglers. The small fleet was the forerunner of the U.S. Coast Guard. Alexander Hamilton conceived the idea and is remembered as the “Father of the Coast Guard.” The fleet was initially known as the Revenue Marines and also as the Revenue Cutter Service until 1848, when it officially became the U.S. Coast Guard. Although President Washington was unanimously elected, he was not guaranteed an easy term, particularly with Congress, where some members caused controversy between the powers of the executive branch and those of Congress, a problem that persists to the present day. Nevertheless, President Washington held his ground with regard to presidential powers. He also began to have differences with Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, leaders of the emerging Democratic-Republican party, which was anti–Federalist. Despite the controversies and partisanship, Washington’s record is known not to have affected his judgment when making presidential decisions. Toward the end of his first term, Washington again was looking forward to returning to private life, but he was persuaded to serve a second term. At the time, the country was still unable to quiet the various spots still raided by hostile Indians, and there had been some serious setbacks in the Northwest Territory, where the army sustained severe losses; however, finally, General Anthony Wayne led an army to retaliate against the Indians who had defeated General Arthur St. Clair during 1791. A devastating loss was inflicted upon the Indians during 1794 at the Battle of Fallen Timbers in Ohio. That year, the Jay Treaty was consummated with Britain, but it had heavy opposition from the followers of Jefferson and others, but finally the treaty was ratified by Congress during 1795. It did not avert war, rather it merely postponed it. The treaty did not include any acknowledgment or solution to the major problem of American seamen still being impressed into the Royal Navy. Other problems for the president included ongoing harassment by the Barbary pirates, and the Spanish in Florida continued to incite the Indians. In addition, the Whiskey Rebellion erupted in western Pennsylvania, but it was settled peacefully. The biggest and most dangerous crises of Washington’s terms in office were the ongoing conflicts in Europe, but Washington’s fortitude prevented America from entering the war on the side of France against Britain. America remained neutral. During 1797, on 4 March, John Adams succeeded President Washington, who returned to Mount Vernon; however, as tensions grew due to actions by the French, President Adams requested George Washington to return to service as commander-in-chief. Reluctantly, he accepted. He was appointed to the post on 2 July 1798, but the conflict,

known as the Quasi War with France, was confined to the sea and Washington never took the field. On 12 December 1798, President George Washington became extremely ill while he was riding across his farms. After he returned to his home, he came down with a sore throat and from that it became difficult for him to breathe. Two days later, while he was still suffering immensely, doctors attempted to give him treatment, but to no avail. He died at about 2200 on the 14. On 18 December 1798, President Washington was interred in the family crypt at Mount Vernon. Shortly thereafter, on 26 December, General Henry “Harry Light Horse Lee,” designated by Congress to give the eulogy of President Washington, said Washington was “first in war, first in poeace, first in the hearts of his countrymen.... He was second to none in the humble and endearing scenes of private life.” General Washington’s wife, Martha, survived him. His step-son, John Parke Custis, died from fever during the Yorktown Campaign, while he was serving as aide-de-camp to Washington. John’s two surviving children (George Washington Parke Custis and Eleanor) were afterward adopted by George and Martha. Mrs. Washington died on 22 May 1802. She was interred at Mount Vernon with her husband. After the death of General Washington, every item within his home at Mount Vernon was itemized and appraised. The total amount of the inventory amounted to $57,209.04, including “cash on hand $254.70.” The items varied from simple candlesticks and books to portraits, furniture and gifts as well as jewelry. The books included history, poetry, classics and biographies. A couple of the minor items were a picture of the Virgin Mary and another of St. John. The books included Don Quixote and An Antidote to Deism. General Washington was also a fan of St. Patrick. During 1778, on 17 March, General Anthony Wayne and Commodore John Barry, both members of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick, were celebrating. General Washington at the time proclaimed: “I too, am a lover of St. Patrick.” Afterward, Washington authorized distribution of extra grog as a friendly gesture to the Irish in response to the ones responsible for constructing a “stuffed Paddy.”

Waterbury, Brigadier General David David Waterbury, the son of John and Susanna Newkirk Waterbury, was born on 22 February 1722 or 1723 in Stamford, Connecticut. In addition to David, John and Susanna had the following children: Hannah (b. April 1712); John (b. December 1718); Sarah (b. February 1719 or 1720); Peter (b. November 1726); Isaac (b. 1728); Elizabeth (b. 1730); and Sylvanus (b. September 1735). David joined the military during 1755 and served during the French and Indian War in several campaigns, including Sir William Johnson’s against Ticonderoga and Lake George (1755) and the ill-fated campaign of General James Abercrombie against Ticonderoga during 1758, after which Abercrombie was recalled to Britain and succeeded by General Jeffrey Amherst, who brought about the surrender of the French and the end of the war. David married Mary Maltby on 15 May 1758. They had two children, William (b. October 1765) and Molly (b. January 1769). Later, as the relations between Britain and the colonies began to rapidly deteriorate, David was steadfastly aligned with the Patriots’ cause. On 1 May 1775, David Waterbury was commissioned as colonel of the 5th Connecticut Regiment, a command he held until 13 December, 1775. Colonel Waterbury participated in the Canadian Campaign of 1775. On 3 January 1776, Congress ordered Colonel Nathaniel Heard to move from New Jersey with about 500–600 men to the western sector of Queen’s County (Long Island), New York, and in the same resolution, Colonel Waterbury was directed to lead an identical amount of troops to the eastern sector. Once in place, the two contingents were ordered to confer and coordinate their respective movements to sweep the county to disarm all persons known to have objected to sending

473 representatives to the convention (New York). The principal targets were Captain Benjamin Whitehead, Charles Arden, Joseph French, Esqr., Johannes Polhemus of Newtown, Nathaniel Moore, and John Moore. On 10 January 1776, Congress discerned that the distance separating the force of Waterbury from that of Heard was too much to retain contact and cooperation. Consequently, Congress directed Lord Stirling to dispatch troops to bolster Heard, and Stirling was ordered to send a dispatch to Colonel Waterbury to inform his that his part in the operation was canceled. Colonel Waterbury returned to Connecticut. In June 1776, Colonel Waterbury was promoted to the rank of brigadier general by the Connecticut General Assembly. He had been a member of the assembly from 1774 through 1776. Once commissioned, General Waterbury commanded part of the Connecticut 1st Division, while General James Wadsworth commanded the other half. General Waterbury was ordered to Skenesborough, New York, and at the same time, in anticipation of an attack from Canada, a ship-building operation was ongoing to prepare to meet the British fleet on Lake Champlain. On 16 August 1776, colonial shore batteries commenced fire on British warships and struck the HMS Rose and the HMS Phoenix. During the night of the 16th, troops actually boarded the Phoenix, but she escaped unharmed, then with the Rose returned to Staten Island. Trouble began in the American command when Commodore Jacobus Wynkoop claimed command of the region and refused to take orders from General Benedict Arnold. General Horatio Gates intervened, had Wynkoop arrested over the objections of Arnold, and dispatched General Waterbury as Wynkoop’s successor. Meanwhile, the British continued to prepare for the invasion. The clash occurred on 11 October and is remembered as the Battle of Lake Champlain. Arnold’s makeshift fleet battled heroically under the circumstances, but the British fire power greatly overpowered that which the Americans could mount. The fleet, including gunboats and transports, numbered more than 200 vessels. Arnold’s small fleet was composed of three schooners, two sloops, several galleys and eight gunboats. Arnold struck the first blow; however, return fire forced the Americans to retire expeditiously. The massive British line spread across the lake, and in the meantime, troops had been landed to capture the American seamen if they reached shore. Astonishingly, the diminutive American fleet continued to match the British blow for blow. The encounter, expected to be over within a short while, continued unabated. At sundown, Arnold’s armada was still afloat and the crews were inflated with enthusiasm due to their actions up to that point. A war council was held, and after assessing the damages including the losses (about eighty men out of the force of about 500), a decision is made to retire. Under cover of darkness, the badgered flotilla crept past the British fleet and reached Schuyler’s Island. Soon after they escaped detection and evaded further destruction, the British discovered the absence of their foe. Meanwhile, the Washington, commanded by General Waterbury, had been thrashed with severe damage, causing Waterbury to surrender. In addition, two gondolas had been sunk, leaving only thirteen vessels afloat, and barely. Undaunted on the following day, absent the services of General Waterbury, the Americans again engaged the British fleet and yet again, they fared well, pounding the British with effective fire, but the odds got worse as the slug-fest continued. Arnold’s ship, the Congress, was reduced to floating boards and the other vessels fared no better. Arnold ordered the ships to be run ashore and self-destroyed. The Marines were the first to debark and afterward, under cover of the Marines, the crews followed. Arnold and Waterbury successfully delayed the 13,000-man force under Sir Guy Carleton. The British were able to occupy Crown Point, but the makeshift navy had prevented an advance against Ticonderoga. Carleton instead returned to Canada. General Waterbury remained ruffled because he was unable to obtain a commission in the Continental Army, despite

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leading a regiment during the Canadian Campaign of the previous year. He contacted Eliphalet Dyer, who tried to obtain a blank commission. The incident ignited a furor and a congressional investigation was launched into the distribution of blank commissions held by General Philip Schuyler and those distributed by the New York Committee of Safety during 1775. One officer, General James Wilkinson, who was not present at the battle, claimed that General Waterbury struck the colors without offering any resistance, but that statement was invalidated by General Arnold, who spoke of Waterbury’s leadership under fire and how his surrender was inevitable under the circumstances. The British were ecstatic with the capture of General Waterbury; however, he was luckier than some other general officers and was rather quickly exchanged. During the summer of 1781, General Waterbury received command of a brigade and joined with the main body of the Continental Army under General Washington, then served under the commander-inchief for the duration. Also in 1781, General Waterbury was elected as a selectman in Stamford. Subsequent to the close of hostilities, General Waterbury retired to his farm in Stamford. Later he was elected to the General Assembly and served there during 1783 and again in 1794 and 1795. General David Waterbury succumbed on 29 June 1801. His widow, Mary, survived him and lived until 1810. Some early 20th Century sources listed General Waterbury as having married Mary Holly (daughter of John Holly) during the 1730s; however, that marriage could not be verified through other sources, including the Stamford Historical Society.

Watts, Brigadier General Frederick Frederick Watts is thought to have been born in either Ireland or Wales during 1719. While still in Europe, Frederick married Jane Murray, a niece of David Murray (marquis of Tullibardine, Scotland). Frederick and his family arrived in America about 1760 and initially resided in Chester County, Pennsylvania, but afterward, they moved westward and settled along the Juniata River in Cumberland County near its convergence with the Susquehanna River. Frederick and Jane had the following children: Margery, Catharine, Margaret (married George Smiley), Elizabeth (married Thomas Hulings), Mary, Sarah, and David (married Juliana Miller, the daughter of General Henry Miller). Frederick Watts had no allegiance to Britain, but he was an enthusiastic proponent of the Patriots’ cause. During 1776, he was selected as one of eight delegates from Cumberland County at the Pennsylvania state convention. During that same year, a military convention was held in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and Watts was also named as a delegate for that gathering, held on 4 July, the same day the Declaration of Independence was officially proclaimed about fifty miles away in Philadelphia. During the following month, Watts was appointed lieutenant colonel in the Pennsylvania wing of the Flying Camp, a unit organized for the purpose of being prepared to move on a moment’s notice wherever needed. Lt. Colonel Watts commanded the 1st Battalion in the Flying Camp, and his unit was among those reinforcements requested by General Washington, who was under pressure in New York. Watts’ battalion was at Fort Washington (Manhattan) when it capitulated on 16 November 1776. General Nathanael Greene initially thought that the fort could hold, but the English proved too powerful. General Washington was in a position in New Jersey from where he observed the tenacious fighting prior to the fort’s capitulation. Lt. Colonel Watts was seized, but within a short time, he was exchanged. In April 1778, he was appointed as a justice of the peace (Cumberland County), then during the following year, he was elected to the Pennsylvania assembly. In the meantime, he remained active in the militia. During 1780, Watts was appointed as a sub-lieutenant of Cumberland County. Afterward, during May 1782, he was commissioned as a brigadier general of militia, and he remained active in the field. General

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Watts spent his time along the frontier engaging roaming Loyalists, and in particular, his force was responsible for clearing the region of hostile Indians to maintain the safety of the settlers. In addition to his military responsibilities, General Watts re-entered the political field. He was appointed as a member of the Supreme Executive Council during October 1787 and retained the position until the adoption of the state’s constitution during 1790; the new constitution mandated that the council be abolished. Following the termination of the council, General Frederick Watts retired to his private life on his farm, where he lived until his death on 3 October 1795. General Watts and his wife, Jane, were interred in the family cemetery plot on their farm. Jane Watts’ death date is unknown.

Wayne, Brigadier General Anthony Anthony Wayne, the son of Isaac and Elizabeth Iddings Wayne, was born in Easttown Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania, on 1 January 1745. Anthony’s grandfather, also named Anthony, had departed England for Ireland upon the death of King Charles II and the succession of his brother James. He fought as an officer in the army of William of Orange (Protestants) against King James (Catholics) at the Battle of Boyne (Ireland), in which William prevailed. His grandfather immigrated to America and arrived in Philadelphia during 1722. Later, during 1724, he decided upon Chester County, outside of Philadelphia, for the family’s permanent residence. He acquired about 1,600 acres in the vicinity of Paoli. At the time the elder Anthony’s family included his wife and four sons, the youngest being was the general’s father, Isaac. Upon the death of his father, Isaac inherited about 500 acres and it was on that farm that Anthony, the future general, was born. Isaac and his wife, Elizabeth, the daughter of Richard and Margaret Phillips Iddings, had a son, William, prior to the birth of Anthony, but he died in infancy. Anthony also had two sisters, Hannah and Anne. Anthony attended a school that was under his uncle, Gilbert (Or Gabriel) during a period in Pennsylvania when the frontier was awash with violence with hostile Indians and the French. Often the students, under the encouragement of Anthony, would construct redoubts and choose opposing sides to imitate the frontiersmen, to the consternation of Anthony’s uncle. Anthony had become extremely interested in the military at the expense of his studies, prompting his uncle to write to Anthony’s father (1759) to inform him that if Anthony did not focus on his books, he would be dismissed. After being sternly warned by his father, Anthony spent the desired time on his studies and in less than two years completed them. Afterward, he attended the Academy in Philadelphia where he studied for two years, with a particular interest in the sciences. After leaving school, Anthony Wayne ventured into the wilderness of Pennsylvania “using his compass and chain” in surveying projects, while simultaneously increasing his knowledge of astronomy and civil engineering. His path crossed with that of Benjamin Franklin, and from the relationship, during March 1765, Wayne was sent to Nova Scotia on behalf of Franklin and his associates in land speculation to survey a tract of 100,000 acres at St. John’s River, which was to be a settlement for immigrants. Anthony acted as resident manager for about two years, before the endeavor collided with the differences between the American colonists and Britain. During 1767, the year he returned from Nova Scotia, Anthony married Mary (nicknamed Polly) Penrose, the daughter of Bartholomew Penrose of Philadelphia. In 1774, Anthony’s father died, and that year, Anthony was elected as a representative of Chester County to the Pennsylvania assembly, which met in Philadelphia in October. At a meeting in Chester on 20 December 1774, Anthony Wayne was appointed as chair of the Committee of Safety. In that capacity, he frequently instructed youth in military drill. During the following year, on 30 June,

Wayne was appointed to the Pennsylvania Committee of Safety (Colonial Committee of Safety) with Benjamin Franklin and John Dickinson. The committee formed a provincial navy to defend the river in the event hostilities erupted. Wayne was involved heavily with providing the men who composed the crews of the vessels. In the minutes of the meeting on 15 July 1775, he was officially noted as Colonel Wayne. By that time, the clashes at Lexington and Concord had Anthony Wayne (Pictorial Field Book occurred (April 19) and the of the Revolution, Benson J. Lossing, Battle of Bunker Hill ( June 1860) 17) ended with the British being confined to Boston. General George Washington assumed command of the Continental Army at Cambridge during early July. Congress continued with the struggle to raise an army and fund the war. On 9 December 1775, it authorized Pennsylvania to raise four additional regiments. Wayne was appointed unanimously on 3 January 1776 by the Pennsylvania Committee of Safety, chaired by Benjamin Franklin, as colonel of the 4th Battalion. After choosing Wayne, the committee selected the commanders for the remaining three battalions: John Shea (3rd Battalion), Arthur St. Clair (2nd Battalion), and Robert Magaw (3rd Battalion) and their commissions in the Continental Army became effective that day. On 20 February 1776, Colonel Wayne was directed by Congress to lead his regiment to New York, and from there to Canada; however, by that time, the Canadian expeditionary force had been defeated at Quebec City on 31 December 1775, with the loss of the commander, Major General Richard Montgomery. Nonetheless, the remnant force, plagued by lack of proper clothing and supplies and punished severely by the Canadian winter, maintained a siege of the city. The campaign was further complicated due to the lack of artillery capable of reducing the walls of Quebec City, and the troops were devastated by a smallpox epidemic. Wayne’s regiment arrived in Canada well after the failed battle for the city. General Washington ordered reinforcements under General John Sullivan to repair to Canada on 25 April 1776. Wayne’s regiment was part of the six battalion force. Sullivan arrived at Sorel on 2 June, the point that General John Thomas had reached during the retreat. On that same day, General Thomas died of smallpox. Meanwhile, prior to Sullivan’s arrival, Colonel Arthur St. Clair had moved to attack a British position at Three Rivers thought to be manned by about 800 troops. Sullivan dispatched General Thompson with a stronger force than that of St. Clair to intercept him and combine the forces. On the night of 6 June, Thompson linked up with St. Clair at Nicolet, and on the following night the Americans crossed the river to assault the position; however, they landed at a point nearly ten miles from the objective. In addition, the estimate of the force had been incorrect. The position was held by several thousand British troops and several warships had also moved down to Three Rivers en route to Montreal. After an exhausting march by a circuitous route, the Americans arrived at a stretch of ground lying between the St. Lawrence and St. Maurice Rivers near the village of Three Rivers. To avoid the warships they entered some woods that instead was swampland that greatly impeded the attack. Finally, four contingents — those of Colonels William Maxwell, Arthur St. Clair, William Irvine and Anthony Wayne—initiated an attack. The British were able to withstand the pressure and push the

475 Americans back. Three of the attacking columns emerged from the knee-deep swamp and were driven back before they could support Colonel Wayne, who alone then faced the overwhelming enemy force with his small command of slightly more than 200 men. After a while Wayne fell back and was joined by the reserves, but still, they were able to hold for a short time. Wayne ordered a retreat and one by one, the units retired until the field was held by Wayne, 6 officers and 20 riflemen. The British were stymied for about one hour while the main force made its way through the swamp. Wayne pulled back and met the command, and from that point marched overland toward Sorel. General William Thompson and Colonel Irvine were both among the 200 men who were captured. Colonels Wayne and Arthur St. Clair had been wounded. In response to a request from Benedict Arnold, trapped at Montreal, Wayne moved to reinforce him, but in the meantime, Arnold broke out. Wayne then moved to Chambly. The Americans retired toward Crown Point via St. John’s and Isle aux Nois and arrived there after a arduous journey on 2 July. The total number of the expeditionary force had reached 10,000 men, but upon arrival at Crown Point, Sullivan had about 5,000, and of those, one-half were in hospitals. Crown Point was abandoned on the 7 July 1776 and the forces moved to Ticonderoga, except for the sick, who were transported to Fort George. Colonel Wayne was not one of the officers who opposed the abandonment of Crown Point. In October 1776, the British under Sir Guy Carleton defeated the Americans under General Arnold at the Battle of Lake Champlain (7 October), but afterward, the British soon returned to Canada. At that time, the Continental Army was being greatly pressured in New Jersey after having been pushed from New York. Once Carleton retired, reinforcements were sent from the Northern Department to bolster Washington. Colonel Wayne’s regiment remained in New York and Wayne was placed in command at Ticonderoga on 18 November. The situation at Ticonderoga was desperate. On the 4 December, Colonel Wayne described the conditions in a letter to the Pennsylvania Committee of Safety: “The wretched conditions they are now in for want of almost every necessary of the convenience of life, except flour and bad beef, is shocking to humanity and beggars all description. We have neither beds nor bedding for our sick to lay on, or under, other than their own clothing; no medicine or regimen suitable for them; the dead and dying laying mingled together in our hospital, or rather house of carnage, is no uncommon sight.” To add to the tribulations, Wayne’s battalion neared the expiration date of the troops’ enlistments. On 19 January, a rifle company attached to Wayne’s battalion plotted to forcibly leave the post on the 20th due to the expiration of the enlistment period. Colonel Wayne moved toward the unit to block passage of the armed band and ordered a sergeant to speak for the company, and one did, but with an attitude that was not particularly pleasing to Wayne. Colonel Wayne resorted to an iron persuader. He not so gently pushed a pistol against the man’s chest, while the company, poised to break out of the fort, fell into a period of mesmerization at the sight. The sergeant by that time was on his knees begging that his life be spared. The mutiny was succinctly terminated. On the following day, 21 February 1777, Congress commissioned Wayne as a brigadier general. He Shortly thereafter, General Wayne was ordered to repair to Washington’s headquarters at Morristown, New Jersey. Arriving during mid–May, Wayne was placed in command of the Pennsylvania Line, composed of eight regiments (about 1,700 troops). The contingent was one of five divisions under Washington and Wayne’s responsibility was actually equivalent to that of a major general. Meanwhile, it became apparent that British General William Howe was in the process of moving against Philadelphia. Washington dispatched General Wayne in advance to mobilize the militia to augment the Continental Army. Wayne, after an absence of nearly two years, re-

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turned to Pennsylvania, but not on a leisurely furlough, rather, to defend Philadelphia. The British in the meantime moved into the Chesapeake and were in motion. General John Armstrong, with the militia, was at Pyle’s Ford, while Wayne — with his Pennsylvania Line, a Virginia regiment and Proctor’s artillery—was at Chadd’s Ford, backed up by reserves from General Nathanael Greene’s division, the brigades of Generals George Weedon and Peter Muhlenberg. Initially, Wayne’s command burst across the ford and was ferociously attacking the British as they approached, but one half of General Howe’s force was directed to take a circuitous route. It arrived unscathed and undetected in the rear of the American lines, changing the course of the battle. Wayne was able to steadfastly hold his ground from about 1400 to 1800 before retiring due to the British encroachment upon his lines from the rear. Despite being forced to retire, Wayne’s actions unfolded without flaw to ensure he was not encircled and captured. The American retreat toward Chester was disciplined. Nevertheless, the British were able to seize Philadelphia, subsequent to the evacuation of Congress. On 12 September, the day after the battle ended, General Washington moved to Germantown (present-day Philadelphia). On the 16th, the two sides clashed again at the Warren Tavern along the Lancaster Road, but nature took the day when a terrible storm struck and ended the fighting. The rain destroyed the greater part of the Americans’ ammunition, which was not properly protected. Later, the British launched a bayonet attack against Wayne’s encampment near Paoli while most of the troops were asleep. At the time, Wayne was anticipating the arrival of militia and confidently expected his pickets to signal the alarm, but the British roused no alarms and it was the Redcoats that arrived. Wayne was able to handle the crisis while ordering his main body to retreat. The British showed no mercy toward the bedridden troops and some others who were not able to get out of the camp. The bayonets were unleashed, and the incident has been remembered as the “Paoli Massacre.” Wayne’s second in command, Colonel Richard Humpton, was among those who implied that Wayne was negligent at Paoli. General Wayne insisted upon a court-martial and instead, it was determined that Humpton ignored Wayne’s initial order to retire and did not obey until the 3rd order. The court found that the blame was primarily with Humpton. General Wayne was cleared of any negligence, and the court noted the General Wayne was “not guilty of the charge exhibited against him, but that he, on the night of the 20th of September last, did every duty that could be expected from an active, brave and vigilant officer, under the orders which he then had.” On 4 October, General Wayne’s command participated at the Battle of Germantown. It and a force under General Sullivan had plowed into the British camp and were in the process of routing the enemy when friendly fire struck a contingent of General Greene and some of Wayne’s troops. Confusion in the fog caused the problem and a retreat ensued, with the British on the verge of being vanquished, able to rally and initiate pursuit. The Redcoats won the day, but the Americans fared well until the friendly fire created chaos. Consequently, Washington’s force became more confident. General Wayne was able to regroup his scattered force and cover the retreat, which impeded the advance of the British. The enemy aborted the chase at White Marsh Church, slightly north of Germantown. On 11 December, Washington broke camp at White Marsh and established winter headquarters beyond the Schuylkill River at a defendable position, Valley Forge. The British returned to Philadelphia. General Washington, in a letter to Congress, noted: “Our troops [at Germantown] retreated at the instant when victory was declaring herself in our favor. The tumult, disorder, and even despair, which it seems had taken place in the British army, were scarcely to be paralleled; and it is said that so strongly did the ideas of retreat prevail, that Chester was fixed on for their rendezvous.”

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At Valley Forge, during the harsh winter of 1777–1778, the Continental Army underwent severe hardships, including lack of proper clothing and at times a scarcity of food. During February, General Wayne moved to Delaware. However, the foraging expedition became complicated and Wayne’s force had to be extricated by Commodore John Barry, who led a contingent of boats that slipped past the British posts on the Delaware River at Philadelphia and arrived at Wilmington on 19 February. Wayne’s contingent was safely ferried to Salem, New Jersey. Once there, Wayne initiated a cattle drive and his troops gathered about 1,000 head of cattle. Nevertheless, his problems increased because the British army was standing between his cattle and Valley Forge. The Americans evaded the British by driving the cattle on the New Jersey side of the river beyond Philadelphia to the vicinity of Burlington, ferrying them across the river and moving on to Valley Forge. All the while, the British hold on Philadelphia was becoming more untenable as spring approached, since they were unable to totally dominate the Delaware River to assure reinforcements and supplies. On 18 June 1778, the British under General Clinton evacuated Philadelphia. The Americans gave chase and General Wayne’s unit participated in the major clash at Monmouth, New Jersey, on 28 June, in what became the final major battle in the northern states. At one point in the battle, while Wayne was in pursuit of a British contingent, he was ordered to pull back by General Charles Lee, an act that exasperated Wayne. During the following year, 1779, General Wayne was greatly disappointed when Major General Arthur St. Clair (having been cleared of wrongdoing at Ticonderoga earlier) requested and got command of the Pennsylvania Line, easing out Wayne, who resented St. Clair’s previous experience and did not want to serve under him; nor did he want to revert to a brigade commander. Wayne remained in the service, but he took a leave of absence in February 1779. His request to serve in the light corps or as a volunteer with Washington was quickly considered and Washington formed the light corps with Wayne in command. Later that year, General Wayne led one of the most spectacular raids of the conflict. On 15–16 July 1779, his force advanced undetected by the British to Stony Point, about ten miles below West Point. The British believed their positions were invulnerable. Nevertheless, the Americans took the post by bayonet attack. General Wayne sustained a minor wound to the head, but he remained in command. Following the victory, General Wayne, on the morning of June 16, forwarded a message to General Washington: “The fort and garrison with Col. Johnson are ours.” Congress was afterward informed by Washington that the victors gained the colors of the garrison and of the British 17th Regiment. Congress gave General Wayne a gold medal “for his brave, prudent and soldierly conduct in the spirited and well conducted attack of Stoney Point.” Two days later, a contingent of General Wayne’s command launched an attack against a British-held blockhouse at Bull’s Ferry (20–21 July) outside of Hoboken, but it was repelled by the defending Loyalists. The light corps was disbanded on 31 December 1779. On 1 January 1780, General Wayne once again was faced with mutinous troops, a contingent of Pennsylvania that was marching upon Princeton. Wayne was able to calm the situation and end the crisis. Subsequently, during June of 1781, General Wayne arrived in Virginia to bolster General Lafayette against the British. By 10 June, the two forces linked up and were further reinforced by troops under General Von Steuben. It was during that period that General Wayne came to be known as “Mad Anthony.” An Irishman known as Jemy or the Commodore, harmless but with some mental problems, was sometimes utilized by General Wayne as a spy. Jemy had a knack also for becoming inebriated and causing a ruckus. He appeared at the jail just prior to the Yorktown campaign and the sergeant asked who sent him. Jemy responded, “The general.” Afterward, Jemy inquired: “Is the general

mad or in fun?” And the sergeant responded that “the general was very much displeased.” That prompted Jemy to say: “Anthony is mad. Farewell to you. Clear the coast for the Commodore, mad Anthony’s friend.” From that exchange, the term “Mad Anthony” spread far and wide from camp to camp, and the name stuck. In the meantime, General Washington was en route to Virginia. Soon after, the army under Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown on October 19, 1781. Nonetheless, on 2 September, while General Wayne and a party was moving toward Lafayette’s camp, a sentry on alert for a British attempt to escape mistook the riders for the enemy. He fired and wounded General Wayne, requiring the general to recuperate for about two weeks. Following the capitulation of Cornwallis, various other British strong points still existed farther south. General Wayne arrived in Georgia on 19 January 1782 to rid the state of the Redcoats. On the 28th, his force seized British supplies at an outpost near Altamaha. The provisions were expected in Savannah. Other encounters included a skirmish outside Savannah on 21 May. During June of 1782, on the night of the 22nd–23rd, Wayne’s position was surprised by a force of several hundred Creeks under Chief Guristerisgo (Chief Emistesigo), but Wayne’s troops quickly recovered despite the darkness and drove the Indians off with a tenacious bayonet attack. Afterward, General Wayne struck a decisive blow against a force under British General Alured Clarke near Savannah just before they abandoned the city for Charleston. Following the evacuation, General Wayne joined with General Nathanael Greene. Fort Prevost in Savannah, formerly Fort Savannah, was renamed Fort Wayne. The British flight to Charleston brought only temporary sanctuary. They evacuated Charleston during December of that year. Despite his extraordinary ability in the field, General Wayne had not been promoted to major general during the conflict, due to the congressional system of the time which authorized only two major generals from Pennsylvania. Thomas Mifflin and Arthur St. Clair received the rank. In autumn 1783, after the war, Congress awarded General Wayne the rank of brevet major general at the request of the Pennsylvania Committee of Safety. General Wayne received an estate from the government in Georgia for his contributions in the war effort; however, the estate was in need of heavy finances to make it operable. Wayne’s attempt to acquire funds led to a transaction with people in Holland and the bills, once back in Holland were refused, causing grief for Wayne, who entered the deal with legitimacy. He returned to Pennsylvania to salvage his property there. During 1783, he became a member of the Board of Censors, which oversaw the actions of the state government. He was elected to the state assembly in 1784 and was made a delegate in 1787 to the state convention that ratified the federal constitution. In 1790, although it was imminent that he would no longer be able to hold his Georgia estate, the Georgians felt otherwise and elected him to Congress. Nonetheless, on 3 January 1791 when he was to be seated, his opponent made an objection and it was decided that Wayne was not eligible to sit in Congress. Similarly to his disappointment when General St. Clair outranked him and took command of the Pennsylvania Line, Wayne fell into the command of the light corps and with the loss of his seat, rather than being a Congressman, he was back in the saddle: a military saddle. General Wayne was appointed as commander in the United States Army and ordered west, where the British remained as antagonists, refusing to abandon territory and instigating the Indians, which essentially was carrying on the war that was supposed to have ended. General Washington had sent a large force composed of 320 regulars, 1,453 militia and several field artillery pieces, led by General Josiah Harmar, on a campaign into the Northwest Territory to deal with the Indians. The column reached the Indian lands, and on 17 October 1790, the troops burned the villages at present-day Fort Wayne, Indiana. However, the campaign failed and sustained high casualties, slightly more than 100 killed and about 111 wounded.

477 General Arthur St. Clair, governor of the territory and the officer who replaced Anthony Wayne as commander of the Pennsylvania Line during the last war, led another expeditionary force to retaliate for the previous losses and to quash the Indian raids. St. Clair’s force numbered about 1,400 troops, primarily unseasoned and with six-month enlistments. The Indians had apparently shadowed St. Clair’s column and gathered intelligence on the encampment, which was established in present-day Recovery (Mercer County), Ohio. On 4 November 1791, the day after the column paused, they were stunned in an attack by warriors under Chief Little Turtle at 0930. The camp was devastated and the troops were mauled as the Indians inflicted catastrophic casualties on St. Clair’s force, in what became the worst defeat in the history of the United States Army. The survivors fled, but the camp still contained the bodies of 630 troops. It was reported that of the entire force, only about 50 men had escaped being wounded. General Richard Butler, second in command to St. Clair, was killed during the lopsided battle. The victory was a great sign for the Indians, and it surely increased the jubilation of the British, who had promoted the Indians’ aggression. But for the settlers in the region and the entire frontier, including Tennessee and Kentucky, where the Indians had also continued their destructive attacks, a new aura of fear gripped the settlements that were not near a fortified army post. Following the disastrous defeat of St. Clair, Congress, which literally dissolved the armed forces at the end of the Revolution, was pressed into rebuilding what it dismembered. It authorized an army of 5,000 men during 1792, but still, it needed a firm, confident leader. No political influence could be involved. After having to pass by Henry “Lighthorse Harry” Lee due to complications of his rank with regard to other officers with seniority, General Wayne was considered, but initially, an old nemesis of his who continued to reject his prior military successes attempted to derail him. Even Washington had second thoughts, but as Jemy once coined the phrase, Mad Anthony Wayne was appointed commander of the army by Washington during April 1792. After strong discussions, he was affirmed by Congress. In an attempt to forestall full-fledged war and end the hostilities, a two-man party, Colonel John Hardin and Major Alexander Truman, ventured into Indian country during spring of 1792 under a flag of truce to attempt to bring about a council. They were received by the Indians, but not to negotiate a council. Both men were murdered, and in a hard lesson which would be repeated throughout history, diplomacy would not work. Only force would eradicate the problem and bring peace to the frontier. Despite the horrific results of the effort to seek peace by diplomacy, the government, during the following year, again sent commissioners to parley with the Indians. The commissioners — Benjamin Lincoln, Beverley Randolph, and Timothy Pickering — were appointed during May 1793 with instructions to travel to Detroit and with the protection of the British secure a treaty. In the meantime, General Wayne had gone to Pittsburgh (Fort Pitt) the previous June and spent his time drilling the troops and overseeing their instructions with weaponry, including the bayonet. At the time, to build the army, the recruits were drawn from all sources, including jails and prisons. Nevertheless, Wayne was determined that his army would be well trained and disciplined to avoid a repeat of the campaigns of Josiah Harmar and Arthur St. Clair. At Fort Pitt, Wayne’s task was impeded by the never-ending rumors and tales of Indian atrocities that encouraged recruits to desert. To eliminate the problem, Wayne’ moved his training camp about 25 miles from Pittsburgh at Legionville along the Ohio River, and it was there that the intensive training began for both the men and the officers. The next year, General Wayne again moved the camp to the vicinity of Cincinnati (Fort Washington). All the while, peace feelers failed to bring about a treaty and the British continued to encourage the Indians and offer them false promises of support. To increase their preten-

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sions to align with the Indians, the British entered the United States and constructed a formidable fort in the vicinity of present-day Toledo, Ohio. Nonetheless, Wayne was unimpressed. He maintained his strict training and worked his troops constantly, and finally turned them into an army of fighters. Meanwhile, the Indians’ confidence was greatly inflated due to their belief that as many as 2,500 British and Loyalist troops would reinforce their numbers, which stood at about 2,000 when they converged on the Maumee River during spring of 1794. At that time, the Indians also received encouragement from the Spanish, as representatives arrived at their camp to imply that the Indians could depend upon Spanish help against the Americans. While the Indians were becoming anxious for yet another chance to defeat the Americans, General Wayne had departed Fort Washington in October of 1793 and advanced to the vicinity of present day Greenville, Ohio, and established winter quarters (Fort Greene) about six miles from Fort Jefferson and 80 miles from Cincinnati. Wayne then sent a contingent to the scene of General St. Clair’s defeat and constructed Fort Recovery. The activity was not uninterrupted, as the Indians raided the trains and harassed columns, but the troops were not intimidated and instead gained experience in the art of fighting Indians. And General Wayne maintained constant drilling throughout the winter. On 30 June 1794, Fort Recovery came under attack. The Indians pounced upon a contingent that had delivered supplies on the previous day and camped outside the walls. The troops sustained casualties, but they were able to enter the fort. From within the fort, the defenders received the dividends of the non-stop training insisted upon by Wayne. The effective fire inflicted punishment on the Indians, but they maintained the siege throughout the day into the following morning, to no avail. Wayne’s boys remained in control of the fort and at dawn on the 31st, the Indians and their British advisors retired, unable to duplicate the earlier victory over St. Clair. In the meantime, General Wayne was completing preparations to move out on the offensive. Several weeks after the failed attack on Fort Recovery, a large contingent of about 1,000 mounted Kentuckians under General Charles Scott rode into Wayne’s camp, adding the finishing touches to his plan. On 27 July, the force moved north straddled by experienced scouts that maneuvered in all directions, a strategy that camouflaged Wayne’s intended target and caused the Indians to convince themselves that the army was driving toward the head of the Maumee, when it was actually advancing to the convergence of the Maumee and Auglaise Rivers. During the march, General Wayne ordered a post (Fort Adams) built along the St. Mary’s River as a protective stockade for supply convoys. The force reached its objective on 8 August, but the Indian villages there had been deserted after being informed of Wayne’s approach by a deserter. Nevertheless, the villages and the crops were destroyed. In place of the crops, General Wayne established Fort Defiance (present-day Defiance, Ohio). About one week later, General Wayne initiated the advance, leaving the door open to peace but poised to destroy his enemy. The Indians, still bloated with confidence from the false promises of the British, who still manned the massive fort at the foot of the rapids, rejected the peace offers, but in an attempt at being cunning, Little Turtle requested a ten-day suspension, which he believed would allow time for his British reinforcements to arrive. General Wayne rejected the suspension. By the 18th, Wayne’s army reached Roche de Bout (vicinity of present-day Waterville, Ohio) and Wayne established Fort Deposit. While Wayne methodically carried out his preparations, including scrutinizing the land to bolster his battle plan, the Indians were gathered at Fallen Timbers and numbered somewhere between 1,500 to 2,000, but with no massive British force, only about 70 Canadians. On the 19 August 1794, a pivotal day in the life of General Wayne

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and the history of the nation, the column advanced down the river beginning at 0800, with a battalion of the mounted Kentuckians under Major Price acting as vanguard. At the time, their commander was battling the gout and required assistance to mount his horse, but the impediment did not prevent him from joining the battle. The vanguard was the first contingent to spot the enemy’s concealed positions amid the giant trees, earlier felled by a tornado. The Kentuckians charged and were hit by heavy fire. All the while, Wayne’s infantry drove forward, passing the horsemen who were pushed back into the advancing column. Unfazed by the seemingly invincible positions of the Indians, General Wayne sent General Charles Scott against the enemy’s left, while he ordered dragoons to pound the right. Simultaneously, he unleashed his infantry by signaling a bayonet attack. Suddenly, 900 glistening bayonets lunged into the maze of fallen trees, extricating the Indians, who became anxious to flee from the sway of the slashing blades and the sounds of the army’s beating drums. As they fled, they were cut down by the riflemen. Wayne’s training exercises had perfected the skills of the troops and they had learned to load and fire while giving chase, making the Indians’ flight more hazardous. Many fled to the British post (Fort Miami) expecting protection; however, the British, who had promised aid, offered no assistance and even refused to open their gates to permit entrance. The Indians were abandoned by the British and vanquished by General Wayne’s army. The victory terminated the large scale Indian attacks on the frontier and ended any future hopes of the Indians to drive out the Americans. It restored the morale in the United States Army and simultaneously quelled the nervousness of government leaders like Secretary of War Henry Knox, who repeatedly urge Wayne to be cautious rather than risk defeat. And it marked General Wayne as one of the finest drill instructors the army ever produced. In addition, the victory jolted the enthusiasm of the British, who believed until the arrival of Wayne that their domination of the fur trading in the area would continue without interruption. The victory also forestalled another conflict with the British, while convincing them to finally abandon their forts within the territory of the United States. After the battle, on 21 August, the British commander of the fort inquired of General Wayne’s encroachment of the post. Wayne responded that “the most full and satisfactory one was announced to you from muzzles of my small arms yesterday morning.” On the following day, Major Campbell implied that if the Americans continued to “approach my post in the threatening manner,” the British would be compelled to commence fire. General Wayne reacted by ordering every building in the vicinity of the fort destroyed, all under the watchful eyes of the garrison, which remained inside. The Indians gazed at the demolition of Alexander McKee’s trading post and at the garrison, which did not react. After removing all the buildings except those within the fort, without interference, General Wayne moved farther down the river and constructed Fort Recovery (present-day Toledo, Ohio). His force then moved up the Maumee Valley, destroying the Indian villages and their corn crops. The slow moving army arrived at the convergence of the St. Mary’s and St. Joseph’s rivers on 17 September. The army constructed a fort there and named it Fort Wayne (present-day Fort Wayne, Indiana) in honor of their commander. A celebration was held on 20 October 1794, when fifteen guns were fired. Colonel John F. Hamtramck moved into the post and assumed command. On 27 October, General Wayne, using boats constructed by his force, departed the fort and moved along the Maumee to Greenville, reaching it on 2 November. Wayne established his winter quarters at Greenville. During the following year, it became evident that Wayne’s actions had affected the British. They abandoned Fort Miami on 11 July 1795, and plans were in motion to abandon their other posts in the United States territory. On 3 August 1795, General Wayne consummated a treaty (Treaty of Greenville) with fifteen tribes and some other

separate Indian groups. The treaty came about from diplomacy, but it was subsequent to the Indians being thoroughly defeated in the field. The peace gained by General Wayne brought tranquility to the frontier for about fifteen years. As General Wayne moved from point to point, Wayne’s Legion carried the flag and unfurled it as they established new American forts between the Great Lakes and the Ohio River as well as along the Mississippi River. At the conclusion of the campaign, General Wayne returned to Pennsylvania and arrived in Philadelphia on 6 February 1796, accompanied by several troops of cavalry that met him outside the city to provide an honor guard. In addition to the nickname “Mad Anthony” coined by Jemy, General Wayne had been tagged with two new names. The Miami Indians had dubbed him “The Black Snake” because of the manner in which he maneuvered through the woods to reach their positions, and the Pottawattamies tagged him “The Tornado” due to his devastating attack against them at the Fallen Timbers. During July 1796, Wayne set out to accept the transfer of the British posts into the custody of the United States. He completed the task, and by November 1796, he embarked from Detroit flying the American flag in a sloop coincidentally named the Detroit. En route to Presque Isle (Erie), Pennsylvania, he was struck with a severe case of gout. On the following day, 18 November 1796, he was carried ashore at Presque Isle, but he never recovered. General Anthony Wayne, at the time the commander-in-chief of the United States Army, succumbed at about ten minutes after 0200 on 15 December 1796. In honor of his request “to lie under the shadow of the flag,” General Wayne was interred within the fort at the foot of the flagstaff. In 1809, through the efforts of the general’s son, Colonel Isaac Wayne, the remains of General Wayne were extricated and re-interred on the grounds of St. David’s Church in Radnor, Pennsylvania. The Society of the Cincinnati placed a monument there in his honor. During 1876, the original grave site of General Wayne in Fort Presque Isle was discovered. Several years later, the Pennsylvania legislature authorized $1,000 for the construction of a monument in honor of the general, and citizens contributed another $500. In addition to a stone, a scale model of a blockhouse was erected. It was composed of “squared oak logs” and was sixteen feet high by ten feet square, and atop that, it had an octagonal shaped second floor. In 1908, a large equestrian statue of General Anthony Wayne was erected in the Valley Forge Military Park.

Webb, Brigadier General Samuel Blanchley Samuel Webb, the son of Joseph and Mehetable Nut Webb, was born in Wethersfield, Connecticut, on 15 December 1753. He was a descendant of Richard Webb, who emigrated from England and initially settled in Cambridge prior to relocating in Hartford, Connecticut, during 1635. The group that settled in Cambridge was known as the Braintree Company. Joseph and Mehetable, in addition to Samuel, had the following children: Joseph (b. August 1749); Sarah (b. January 1752); John (b. January 1756, d. February 1756); Mehetible (b. January 1757); John (2) (b. February 1759) and Abigail (b. January 1761). Samuel’s father died during 1761–1762 at about age thirty-four. Afterward, Samuel’s mother remarried during 1763, becoming the wife of Silas Deane. Silas was a Yale graduate (class of 1758), and after becoming the step-father of young Samuel, oversaw his education. Samuel never attended college but likely had a quality education. Silas also utilized Samuel’s talents by making him his private secretary. As he grew into adulthood, Samuel became a proponent of the Patriots’ cause in the stance against the Crown. Just after the clashes at Lexington and Concord on 19 April 1775, Samuel Webb, in the absence of Captain John Chester, led the company from Wethersfield to Boston. On 1 May, he was appointed first lieutenant of the 2nd Connecticut Regiment. During the following

479 June, Webb participated in the Battle of Bunker Hill (Breed’s Hill) on the 17th and was wounded. Subsequently, Webb, with the rank of major, was appointed as aide-de-camp to General Israel Putnam, with whom he remained until the following year. Webb became a lieutenant colonel on 22 July. Then on 21 June 1776, at New York, General George Washington appointed Webb as his aide-de-camp, along with Richard Cary. Aaron Burr succeeded Webb as aide-de-camp to General Putnam. At the time, General Washington and the Continental Army in New York were anticipating enormous pressure from the British. Shortly thereafter, on 29 July, a British fleet arrived off New York. British General Sir William Howe, in command of a force of about 10,000 Redcoats, occupied Staten Island on 2 July. By the end of the month, the transports debarked more than 20,000 additional troops, including Hessian mercenaries. During July, Webb accompanied Colonel Joseph (later brigadier general) Reed on behalf of Washington to confer with a British party from the fleet that arrived on 14 July, under a peace flag. Reed and Webb declined a letter from Howe to Washington, which contained a request for reconciliation. On the 17th, another party arrived and again a message from Howe was rejected. On the 19th, General Howe arrived and both Reed and Webb met with him, and they agreed to take Howe’s adjutant general to meet with Washington on the 20th. Meanwhile, on 14 July, Colonel Webb made an entry into his journal that noted Washington’s refusal to accept the letter and that word was delivered to the British that all communications should be addressed to the Continental Congress. General Washington did confer with the British adjutant general, but essentially, nothing changed. During the following month, Colonel Webb is thought to have participated at the fighting in and around New York, including the tumultuous contest at the Battle of Long Island on 27 August, but there are no records to verify his participation. He participated in the Battle of White Plains (27 October 1776) and during the contest, while he found himself on open ground, British fire cut down his horse and he was wounded in the leg. The British maintained the pressure and Washington, aware that a major confrontation might destroy his army, avoided a direct contest. He retreated through New Jersey with the British on the heels of the columns, but through the ingenuity of Colonel John Glover’s seafaring infantry regiment, the Continental Army made it across the Delaware River into Pennsylvania. Colonel Glover again entered the picture when his Marblehead Regiment fought the turbulent waters of the Delaware during a tremendous storm and transported the army back across the Delaware, from where it stunned the Hessian troops and seized Trenton on 26 December. Colonel Webb carried word from Washington to General John Sullivan informing the latter to begin the attack. Sullivan responded by telling Webb that the muskets of his troops had become too wet and unusable, and Webb retorted: “In that case, you will use your bayonets.” Colonel Webb again was engaged at the successful Battle of Princeton on 3 January 1777. He was appointed on 11 January as colonel of one of the additional sixteen regiments of the ContiSamuel Webb (Reminiscences of nental Army. Colonel Webb was Gen. Samuel Webb, J. Watson given a furlough by Washington, and Webb, having come into a Webb, 1882)

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fortune through an inheritance, used his own finances to raise a regiment (3rd Connecticut). Webb’s unit became known as the “Decoy Regiment,” most likely because Webb’s troops wore British uniforms that had been captured at sea. Colonel Webb had permission from General Washington to operate in their Redcoats. The authorization from headquarters, 18 June 1777, said: “Col. Webb has his Excellency’s, General Washington’s Order’s, to appropriate so much of the Scarlet Clothing, taken from the Enemy at Sea, as will be sufficient to cloath one Regiment. The said Cloathing, to be set apart for his Regt.” The order was signed by General Thomas Mifflin, quartermaster general. The regiment operated along the Hudson River, where a spy for British General John Burgoyne surrendered himself at Fishkill and informed the Americans of his mission, regarding a message from Burgoyne that he was taking to General Henry Clinton. At the time, Burgoyne was on the advance from Canada and Clinton was on the advance from New York; however, the link-up never occurred. Burgoyne was halted and his force eliminated after Burgoyne surrendered to General Horatio Gates during October. Meanwhile, Clinton was not able to complete his advance to Albany. On 10 December 1777, Colonel Webb’s regiment launched a raid against British positions, but the British foiled the plan. A British fleet appeared to disrupt the operation and the regiment was captured. Colonel Webb was not exchanged until December 1780, and he actually gained his release during January 1781. Orders of 7 February 1781 directed Colonel Webb to rejoin his command. Meanwhile, during his period of parole, Colonel Webb married Eliza Bancker, the daughter of Richard Bancker. No children were born during the marriage. Eliza died on 10 November 1781 at age twenty-three from a lingering fever. Samuel, during 1792 (then a brigadier general), married Catherine Hogeboom, the daughter of Judge Stephen and Hillitjie Muller Hogeboom. Samuel and Catherine had the following children: Catherine Louisa (b. January 1792, d. April 1797); Maria (b. August 1793); Henry Livingston (b. February 1795); Stephen Hogeboom (b. September 1796); Walter Whimple (twin of Catherine Louisa [2], b. April 1798); Catherine Louisa (twin of Walter Wimple, b. April 1798, d. August 1798); Catherine Louisa (2) (b. December 1799); James Watson (b. February 1802, married Helen Lispenard); and Jane (b. January 1804). In May 1781, General Webb was instrumental in setting up a meeting at Wethersfield between Comte Rochambeau and General Washington (the two leaders had also met there during September 1780). The meeting was held at the Webb House, known also as Hospitality Hall. During that conference, the strategy was planned for the Virginia Campaign, which led to the capitulation of British General Lord Charles Cornwallis and his entire army at Yorktown during October 1781. Congressional action authorized reorganizing the army, and on 21 January 1783, Washington at Newburgh split the light infantry, which had been under Lafayette until he retired, into two regiments. Colonel Webb received command of one. He retired from the army on 3 June 1783, and on 30 September, Congress awarded him the brevet rank of brigadier general. After the war, General Webb settled at Claverack (Columbia County), where he lived in retirement until his death. A misunderstanding between General Webb and his friend, William Livingston, Jr., in 1786 led to a challenge by Webb. During the evening of 5 September, the two met at Powell’s Hook at the mouth of the Hudson. The seconds, Major Haskell for Livingston and D. Van Horne for Webb, handled the incidentals. Then, from a distance of ten paces, as the signal was given to fire, General Webb got off the first shot, but he missed his target. Livingston did not fire. He proclaimed that he never uttered the allegation against him, then he fired intentionally into the air. Afterward, both men shook hands and resumed their friendship. The seconds, Haskell and Van Horn, by a certificate, verified that the “affair had been honorably and satisfactorily settled.” A memorandum was

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enclosed in the certificate which stated: “A picture of the Virgin Mary (on copper) at Borson’s. Get it framed and present to Miss Wickham. Accept of the best of my small swords, in remembrance of your friend.” At George Washington’s inauguration as the nation’s first president on 30 April 1789, the Bible upon which Washington swore his oath was held by General Webb. He was one of the sixteen members (Revolutionary War officers, including George Washington) of the Society of the Cincinnati. General Samuel Webb died at his residence at Claverack on 3 December 1807.

Weedon, Brigadier General George George Weedon was born during 1734. As a young man he served in the French and Indian War, but for most of the conflict, his role centered around garrison duty. During that period, he attained the rank of captain-lieutenant. After the war, George operated a tavern in Fredericksburg, Virginia, which was at the time a favorite gathering place of Patriots. It was near George Washington’s mother’s residence. Other future leaders who frequented Weedon’s Sunrise Tavern included Doctor Hugh Mercer, who was persuaded by Washington to relocate there from Pennsylvania, and Fielding Lewis, a merchant who married Betty, the sister of George Washington. George Weedon became the brotherin-law of Mercer when the pair married sisters, Catherine and Isabella Gordon, respectively. The tavern was initially owned and operated by George’s father-in-law, but subsequent to his death, George acquired it from his mother-in-law during 1773. In 1775, the Virginia Convention authorized the raising of regiments and on 13 February, Congress resolved: “The convention of Virginia having recommended persons for field officers of the six batallions ordered to be raised in that colony, the Congress proceeded to an election, when, Patrick Henry, Esqr. was elected Colonel, of the first battalion.” Weedon was appointed lieutenant colonel of the 3rd Battalion, commanded by Hugh Mercer. The following colonels for Virginia were appointed that day: Patrick Henry (1st Battalion); William Woodford (2nd Battalion); Hugh Mercer (3rd Battalion); Adam Stephen (4th Battalion), William Peachy (5th Battalion) and Mordecai Buckner (6th Battalion). George Weedon participated in various battles in New York and during the retreat of the Continental Army as it fled across the Delaware River. On December 26, 1776, he participated in the Battle of Trenton; however, following the victory, he was assigned to guarding Hessian prisoners and was absent from the Battle of Princeton on 3 January 1776. After the death of General Mercer, Weedon was promoted to brigadier general on 21 February 1777, along with a series of other men at a time when Congress was emerged in difficulties with seniority. The dilemma was particularly confusing with regard to the Virginia Line. During the summer of 1777, Colonel Weedon participated in the defense of Philadelphia, including the Battle of Brandywine and the Battle of Germantown. Weedon’s brigade (2nd, 3rd and 4th Virginia) established winter quarters with General Washington at Valley Forge. Toward the end of 1775, Congress began to reconsider the ranking of the officers of the Virginia Line, which was to the dissatisfaction of General Weedon. On 19 March 1778, Congress resolved “that General Washington call in and cancel the commissions of Brigadiers Woodford, Muhlenberg, Scott and Weedon; and that new commissions be granted them; and that they rank in future agreeable to the following arrangement, Woodford, Muhlenberg, Scott, Weedon.” At that time, Congress accepted the resignation of General Weedon, but it was stipulated that if his services were required, he would be recalled, with his present rank. On 18 August, Congress received a letter (dated August 14) from General Weedon in which he requested that Congress “continue him in the line till he can take an active part again with propriety, declaring that he will, whenever that is the case, be ready and willing to

serve.” After consideration, Congress resolved “that Brigadier Weedon be permitted to retire; that he hold his present rank in the said armies, and that he be called into service whenever, from a change of circumstances, the inconveniences he now labours under can be removed; provided, that during the time of his being retired, he shall not be entitled to receive either pay or rations, and provided also, that unless he shall be called into, and remain in service during the war, he shall not be entitled to half pay.” He was not recalled to the Continental Army, but during 1781, he commanded a brigade of Virginia militia and participated in the Yorktown campaign in which General Charles Cornwallis was entrapped and compelled to surrender his entire army. After the war, General Weedon returned to civilian life at Fredericksburg. Upon the death of his brother-in-law, General Mercer, General Weedon was appointed by the court as guardian of Mercer’s children. General George Weedon died in Fredericksburg during 1793. His wife died during 1797. General Weedon had a home (Sentry Box) constructed, and later it was acquired by General Mercer. The structure still stands in Fredericksburg and has been designated a national historic site (1992).

West, Brigadier General William William West was born to John and Alice Sweet West in North Kingston, Rhode Island, about 1733. William saw service during the French and Indian War. About 1755, he married Eleanor (Elinor) West. They settled in Scituate, where William pursued farming on a large tract that he acquired and where he later established a tavern. In 1774 he acquired property that had been in the Hopkinson family on a tract known as the Oyster Shell Plain. It later became known as the West House. During 1775, William West was appointed as a brigadier general of militia; he ranked second under Esek Hopkins. On 22 December 1775, pursuant to the establishment of the Continental Navy, Esek Hopkins was appointed commander-in-chief of the fleet. His tenure was short lived. Hopkins had a successful cruise to the Bahamas during 1776, but by the following year, he was dismissed from the service. Meanwhile, during December, 1775, Governor Nicholas Cooke requested assistance from General Washington to bolster the defenses of Rhode Island. Cooke asked for a regiment, and he requested that General Charles Lee be ordered to Providence to assume command of the forces of the colony. The British had landed a force on Conanicut Island on the 10th and the inhabitants were being terrorized as the British ravaged the island and stole the citizens’ livestock. The colony’s Minute Men were also called to action and sped to Aquidneck to defend it. Colonel West was directed to assume command and was assisted by Lt. Colonel Christopher Lippitt. By February 1776, some were clamoring to tighten the reins on General West, who was accused of being too tough on the Loyalists. In turn General West dismissed the charges and declared that it was no more than a “Tory movement.” To further complicate the situation in Rhode Island, the assembly released some Loyalist leaders from confinement, including Colonel Wanton, who was detained during the previous December while Lee was in Providence. On 4 May 1776, the Rhode Island General Assembly adopted a declaration that broke allegiance with the king, who “instead of protecting, is endeavoring to destroy the good people of this Colony, and of all the United Colonies, by sending fleets and armies to America, to confiscate our property, and spread fire, sword and desolation throughout our country, in order to compel us to submit to the most debasing and detestable tyranny; whereby we are obliged by necessity, and it becomes our highest duty, to use every means With which God and nature have furnished us, in support or our invaluable rights and privileges, to oppose that power which is exerted only to our destruction.” Up until that point, the assemblies always concluded with the words, “God save he king.” When the assembly was terminating, God remained,

481 but the king was dumped unceremoniously as the assembly closed with the following: “God save the United Colonies.” William West and Christopher Potter were the two representatives of Scituate at the assembly and both were among Patriots who affixed their names to the proclaimed declaration of independence. Meanwhile, after the British abandoned Boston in March 1776, British warships operating in Narragansett Bay again began to threaten the coastal towns. General West’s primary responsibility was interrupting the communication between the fleet and the Loyalists on Aquidneck Island who were maintaining contact and supplying the British with provisions. General West became the nemesis of the Loyalists. He relentlessly pushed against them, showing no compassion. West and the legislature disagreed on how to handle the Loyalists, and the friction between him and the legislature escalated as time passed. Meanwhile, the British occupied Newport during December 1776, compelling the undermanned militia to abandon the town. Afterward, General West, at Bristol, focused on recruitment. During 1778, General West participated in the ill-fated campaign led by General John Sullivan that failed to retake Newport. Sullivan had anticipated support from a French fleet that did not arrive. Consequently, the force was compelled to retreat to the mainland during August 1778. West’s militia acted as a reserve force and aided in covering the retreat. Sullivan’s force evacuated just in time. On the following day, a British fleet carrying reinforcements arrived at Newport. On 5 May 1779, the assembly reorganized the militia of various counties into brigades. General West received command of the Providence Brigade, while Nathan Miller received command in Newport and Bristol Counties. Joseph Stanton was named commander of the Kings County Brigade. General James Varnum, who relinquished his Continental Army commission, was named major general of the Rhode Island militia. From May 1780 to May 1781, General West was deputy governor of Rhode Island. He succeeded Jabez Bowen; however, during 1781, West was replaced by Bowen. While serving as deputy governor, General West supported a group attempting to establish a settlement in Vermont. In August 1781, Colonel Joseph Nightingale and others received a grant of land in Vermont. Another in the group named the town “Random,” because it was a “random purchase.” In 1831 it became Brighton, Vermont. Rhode Island also awarded General West a tract in Vermont for his services during the war, but he never moved there. He had lost his fortune due to the war. The currency that he did possess was Continental, which held no value, and he was prohibited by the courts from using the Continental currency to settle his mortgage on his farm. Facing foreclosure and receiving no governmental assistance, he sold the property to relatives. After the war, General West was appointed as a justice of the state’s Supreme Court and served from 1787 through 1789. During that same period, General West, an advocate of state’s rights, became an opponent of the federal Constitution. Nonetheless, Rhode Island ratified the U.S. Constitution on 29 May 1790, in Providence, to become the final state of the original thirteen colonies to enter the union. General West never regained financial stability, placing him on that expanding list of Patriots who literally pledged their lives and fortunes to the cause of independence at great personal cost. In addition to his military career, General West served many years in the assembly and was frequently the moderator of town meetings. General William West died during 1816 and was interred in the family estate.

Whipple, Captain Abraham Abraham Whipple was born on 16 September 1733, in the vicinity of Providence, Rhode Island, at a place that later became the town of Lincoln. Prior to the French and Indian War, Abraham commanded a merchant ship that cruised between America and the West Indies. In 1759–1760, he commanded the Gamecock, a privateer. During that pe-

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riod, Captain Whipple seized more than twenty prizes. Several years prior to the outbreak of the Revolutionary War, on 9 June 1772, a British warship, the HMS Gaspee, pursued a vessel, the Hannah, off Warwick, Rhode Island. The Americans in the area awaited dusk and then moved to retaliate. Captain Whipple, leading a contingent of volunteers using the darkness as cover, rowed out to the Gaspee and set it afire. The British offered a reward of £600 in exchange for information on who destroyed their revenue cutter, but no information was provided. During June 1775, subsequent to the clashes at Lexington and Concord a couple months earlier, Rhode Island fitted out two armed ships. Captain Whipple received command of one. On 15 June, Captain Whipple seized a vessel (tenders of HMS Rose) on the Providence River. He was named commander of the Columbus (formerly Sally) on 22 December. The Columbus was one of the first five ships armed by Congress for service in the Continental Navy. During February 1776, the Columbus participated in the bloodless invasion and capture of New Providence in the Bahamas. On 13 June, Congress, after considering a report regarding complaints about Commodore Hopkins and others, resolved “that the Marine Committee be directed to inform Commodore Hopkins, Captain Saltonstall, and Captain Whipple, of the complaints lodged against them, and order them immediately to repair to Philadelphia, to answer for their conduct.” The complaints were lodged by disgruntled crewmen, but it didn’t affect Whipple’s career. On 10 October 1775, Whipple received command of the sloop Providence, which was at Providence, Rhode Island. During early 1777, Esek Hopkins boarded the Providence rather than risk his flagship in shallow waters when he attempted to seize or destroy the HMS Diamond, which had been grounded near Warwick Neck. The Diamond, however, survived and broke free during the night. After being blocked on the Connecticut River, Whipple finally got back to sea on 1 May 1778 and the vessel reached France on 26 May. When it arrived, the Providence brought a British merchant ship transporting a cargo of wine. The prize was seized while the Providence was en route to France. On 22 August, Whipple, at Brest, France, led a squadron including the frigate Boston and the sloop Ranger to America to deliver war material that was urgently needed. The ships seized two brigantines before reaching Portsmouth on 16 October. In June 1779, the frigate Providence departed Boston harbor on another cruise in search of British transports in the vicinity of the Newfoundland Banks. From there Whipple was directed to patrol the West Indies during the winter of 1779–1780. The squadron got caught in a deep fog on 18 July and for a while, the entire squadron was sailing blindly. Extreme caution was taken to ensure there were no collisions among the Providence, the ship Queen of France and the sloop Ranger. While vision was obscured the crewmen began to hear bells, although none of the American vessels was ringing bells. The suspense ended when the fog began to dissipate. The American ships were in the midst of a huge British convoy. The Queen of France was very close to a British ship; however, the British failed to notice that it was American. Consequently, while the British assumed the intruder was friendly, the merchant ship welcomed a boarding party and soon discovered their ship was captured. Whipple continued the ruse by staying with the convoy and picking off the ships one at a time without notice by the ships to their front. The operation succeeded without discovery throughout the day. As darkness was settling and the fog was lifting, Whipple’s three-ship squadron had become a thirteen-ship squadron. The Americans and their prizes dropped from the convoy and vanished into the night, while the Jamaican fleet continued minus ten ships. Of the ten captured ships, eight were safely taken to friendly ports, but two others were recaptured. Whipple’s squadron had in one day seized cargo (coffee, cotton, rum and sugar) worth about one million dollars. Upon their

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arrival back in Boston on 21 August, the crew received a large amount of compensation. On 23 November, Captain Whipple was directed to sail his squadron from Boston to Charleston and upon arrival, “persue the orders of the Commanding Officer at that place.” Whipple departed, but one of the vessels, the Deane, remained in port due to a shortage of crew members. While the squadron was en route, a British privateer, the Dolphin, was intercepted on 5 December and captured. The prize was taken to Charleston. The squadron arrived on the 19th, but it remained outside the Charleston bar until 23 December. The squadron afterward sustained heavy damage from storms. The Queen of France was so badly damaged, it was condemned during the early part of 1780; however, the Providence and Boston were repairable and the Ranger also survived the storms. Captain Whipple’s arrival in Charleston was untimely. The British had been preparing to invade, and the attack became imminent by mid–January 1780. General Benjamin Lincoln, on 17 January, directed Whipple to send two ships out on patrol to maintain a vigil and forewarn Charleston once a fleet was discovered. On the 21st, the Ranger and the Providence sailed, while the Boston remained in port. Two days later, a brigantine was spotted and Whipple ordered a pilot boat to meet it. The boat moved alongside and fed the crew erroneous information. The crew thought their vessel was moving into Tybee, the entrance to Savannah, which was controlled by the British, but instead it sailed into Charleston to be greeted by the Americans. The captured prize was renamed the General Lincoln and Captain Hoysted Hacker assumed command. The British fleet had departed New York during the latter part of December and sustained severe damage from storms en route. On 24 January 1780, the fleet began to rendezvous off Florida, south of its objective. Two days later, the American squadron spotted two sloops near Tybee lighthouse in the vicinity of the entrance to the Savannah River. Both vessels were captured. Soon after, on 29 January, the British detected the Providence and the Ranger. The American vessels moved back to Charleston, terminating their final cruise. By February, Captain Whipple’s squadron was trapped in Charleston harbor by the British fleet. The British closed the trap entirely by landing forces that initiated a siege of Charleston. On 14 April, Whipple, aboard the Providence, and the Boston moved to bombard the British positions being established near the Ashley and Cooper rivers, but British artillery compelled Whipple to withdraw. Afterward, the fleet was of no use to the defenders. By 6 May, Fort Moultrie fell. By 12 May the city fell and with it went the entire army under General Benjamin Lincoln and Whipple’s naval squadron. Following the loss of the squadron in Charleston, the only vessels in the Continental navy still afloat were the frigates Alliance, Confederacy and Deane. The Trumbull at the time was nearly complete. About five days after the fall of Charleston, Captain Whipple and his other captains — Hoysted Hacker, John Peck Rathburn, Samuel Tucker and Thomas Simpson — requested of British Admiral Arbuthnot that they receive paroles for themselves and all their Naval and Marine officers. Arbuthnot granted the petition, and within a short while, they sailed northward, but the seamen and Marines were held in Charleston until the following June, when they sailed north aboard three cartel ships. Subsequent to the close of hostilities, Captain Abraham Whipple returned to his home, a farm in Cranston. He later moved to Marietta, Ohio, and died there on 29 May 1819.

Whipple, William, Jr. (Signer of the Declaration of Independence) William Whipple, Jr., was born into the family of William and Mary Cutt Whipple at Kittery, Maine, on 14 January 1730. He was the oldest son and the second of five children. His brothers and sisters were

Mary, Hannah, Robert Cutt, and Joseph. William’s mother was the eldest daughter of Robert and Dorcas Hammond Cutt, also of Kittery. William’s father was originally from Ipswich, Massachusetts. His mother was a niece of John Cutts, the president of New Hampshire, and the granddaughter of Robert Cutts, Sr., who for a while lived in the West Indies after leaving England upon the death of Cromwell (the Protector). Upon the death of Mary’s father, she received a large inheritance that included the estate where she and William raised their family. Their farm was along the Piscataqua River. The younger William received his education locally and did not further his education in Europe or at any American colleges. He became a mariner and went to sea on a merchant ship. It appears his seafaring consisted primarily of voyages to the West Indies. Eventually he acquired his own ship and succeeded in becoming very prosperous. It has been suggested that William at some point engaged in the slave trade; however, no evidence of such activity has ever been discovered. William Whipple’s sailing days came to an end during 1759 when he was about twenty-nine years old. At that time, he arrived at Portsmouth and entered into a mercantile business with his brother Joseph. The business also prospered, but as hostilities with Britain became more imminent, Whipple abandoned his commercial ventures to focus on the Patriots’ cause. In the meantime, William married his cousin Catherine Moffat during 1767. They had only one child of record, William, who was born during 1772 and baptized in the Old North Church. The child William, however, died in April of the following year, delivering a tremendous blow to the family. Afterward, the Whipples adopted a niece, Mary Tufton Moffat, the daughter of Catherine and John Moffat. William and Mary raised her until she became an adult and married. Another of Mary Cutt Whipple’s sisters, Elizabeth, married Joseph Whipple, the brother of her husband. During January 1775, William Whipple was elected as a representative of Portsmouth at the Provincial Congress held at Exeter for the purpose of selecting delegates to the Continental Congress to be held in Philadelphia in May. By that time, Whipple had already been appointed to the New Hampshire provisional Committee of Safety and of the Portsmouth Committee of Safety. By the latter part of 1775, the Patriots established a government in New Hampshire, composed of a house of representatives and a council. In January 1776, Whipple was elected as one of the twelve councilmen and as a delegate to the Second Continental Congress, which placed him among that group of 56 men who pledged their fortunes, lives and sacred honor for the cause of liberty and independence from Britain. Shortly after his arrival at Congress, on 19 March 1776, he was appointed to two committees: “Resolved, That Mr. [William] Whipple be appointed a member of the Marine Committee, and of the Committee for receiving the applications and examining the qualifications of gentlemen who apply for offices in the continental service.” Whipple, from his first session, supported independence. He voted to adopt the Declaration of Independence and signed the parchment document. During the following year, 1777, on 13 March, he was appointed to a five-man committee charged with meeting with General Horatio Gates “to discuss the general state of affairs.” Whipple was named on 14 June to another committee directed to work with Captain John Paul Jones to assist in the selection of a lieutenant and the other officers to serve with Jones. The people of New Hampshire continued to re-elect Whipple until he retired from Congress during 1779. He was at times absent from Congress while performing his duties as a brigadier general in the New Hampshire militia. He also served on the Congressional Marine and commerce committees. He was a proponent of strong military action in place of diplomacy, and he was strongly in favor of penalizing Loyalists. On 17 July, the General Court of New Hampshire convened a threeday session in which it decided to divide the state militia into two

483 brigades under the command of General William Whipple and General John Stark. On the 19th, contingents of both forces under the overall command of Stark departed for New York on the northwestern frontier. During autumn 1777, General Whipple participated in the campaign which brought about the surrender of the British army under General John Burgoyne. Four regiments under his command participated in the battles of Saratoga, which was under the overall command of General Horatio Gates. William Whipple and Colonel (later brigadier general) James Wilkinson signed the Convention of Saratoga, and he was one of the officers responsible for marching the British captives from Saratoga to Massachusetts, where the troops were confined outside of Boston awaiting their parole to return to Britain. He also participated in the fighting ( July–September 1778) against the British in Rhode Island during the failed attempt to regain Newport. The French failed to provide the promised support and the British nearly caused the destruction of General John Sullivan’s forces. After the devastating defeat, General Whipple’s command returned to New Hampshire. He retired from the military and returned to Congress. On 10 November 1778, in response to a letter from General Nathanael Greene, Congress appointed Whipple to a three-man committee that included Gouverneur Morris and Nathaniel Scudder to superintend the quartermaster department. Whipple remained in Congress until September 1779. On 27 September, Congress resolved “that a member be added to the committee appointed to superintend the quarter master and commissary general departments, and that another be elected in the room of Mr. [William] Whipple, who is absent.” On the following day, Congress replaced Whipple and two others on the Marine Committee. The resolution: “Resolved, That three members be elected to the Marine Committee, in the room of Mr. [William] Whipple, Mr. [Samuel] Huntington, and Mr. [William] Fleming: the members chosen, Mr. [Woodbury] Langdon, for New Hampshire; Mr. [Jesse] Root, for Connecticut; Mr. [James] Mercer, for Virginia.” Subsequent to Whipple’s service in the Continental Congress, he continued to remain dedicated to the cause of independence. After departing Congress and returning to New Hampshire, Whipple noted in a letter dated 22 November 1779, that he was concerned with the outrageous prices of goods, such as about $100 for a cord of wood, and the valueless paper currency, but he seemed equally concerned with the “depreciation of morals as well as of paper money.” During January 1780, Whipple was appointed by Congress to the board of admiralty and although the navy was high on his priorities, he declined the appointment. In a letter to Nathan Peabody, dated 7 February, Whipple said he “was obliged, on the principle of self-preservation, to decline.” From 1780 through 1784, he served in the New Hampshire legislature, and during that time period, he was appointed president of the commission charged with arbitrating a land dispute in the Wyoming Valley. The commissioners (or William Whipple (Biographical Sketches judges) met in Trenton of the Signers of the Declaration of Inde- during early November 1782, but a full quorum pendence, Benson J. Lossing, 1854)

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was not attained until 18 November. The other commissioners included Welcome Arnold, David Brearly, Cyrus Griffin and William Churchill Houston. Following the sessions, the commissioners reported back to Congress on 3 January 1783 with a unanimous decision that Connecticut had no legitimate claim on the lands. In June 1782, Whipple, despite a lack of training in the law, was appointed to the New Hampshire Court of Judicature. The court was composed of a chief justice who was an attorney and four others. At that time in the United States, it was not uncommon for a non-lawyer to be appointed to the bench. Also in 1782, Whipple had been installed by Robert Morris, the superintendent of finance, as the receiver of finances for Congress in New Hampshire. That particular task was daunting and the post was unpopular. Nevertheless, Whipple performed diligently, but with little success, regarding the receiving of funds and forwarding to the treasury. During 1783 he moved to resign, but Morris persuaded him to remain. Nevertheless, during January 1784, subsequent to forwarding $3,000 to the treasury, Whipple again prepared to retire from the position, and finally, during July 1784, he resigned. His resignation occurred at about the same time that his health began to deteriorate because of heart trouble. Even slight exercise or even movement on the bench while offering a summary began to cause severe, debilitating pain. Nevertheless, during the latter part of 1784, under the state’s new constitution, Whipple became a justice of the peace, but there too, the stress on his heart problem continued to worsen until finally, he was compelled to step down during autumn of the following year. By that time he had become completely immobile and confined to his home. The unrelenting illness even prohibited him from lying in a prone position, leaving him to find some rest only while in his chair. The agony continued to drain William Whipple’s strength until he succumbed on 28 November 1785. An autopsy was performed in compliance with William’s request and it determined that his heart had been overtaken by ossification, which caused his many problems including lightheadedness and palpitations. General Whipple was interred at the Old North Cemetery, known at the time as the “north burying ground” in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The cemetery is connected to Union Cemetery.

Whitcomb, Brigadier General John John Whitcomb was born in Lancaster (in 1738, part of Lancaster became Bolton), Massachusetts, about 1713, and he was baptized during March 1715. He was a descendant of John Whetcomb, who emigrated from England about 1633 and became one of the initial proprietors of Dorchester, Massachusetts. John is known to have participated with militia forces while he was still young, and he accompanied parties that defended the settlements from marauding Indians. John married Mary Carter, the daughter of Samuel Carter, on 12 June 1735, and together they had three daughters. The first child, Abigail, was born in Lancaster in February 1738, and the last two were born in Bolton: Mary in January 1739 and Dorothy in April 1742. In the year following the birth of their third child, Mary died. John later remarried, taking Beckey Whitcomb as his second wife. Whitcomb served in the military during the King Georges War and was with the forces of Colonel Samuel Willard during the siege of Louisbourg in 1745. In 1758, Whitcomb, listed with the rank of lieutenant on the rolls of the Lancaster militia, served during a period of turbulence caused by Indian raids. He held various public offices in the town, then during 1748, he was elected to the Great and General Court, but he declined the position. Later he was elected as a representative (House) and retained the post for twenty years. In addition, during 1754, he became a justice of the peace. At the outbreak of the French and Indian War, Whitcomb returned to the military. With the rank of lieutenant colonel, he again served with

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Colonel Samuel Willard, Jr. Whitcomb’s regiment was part of the expeditionary force that executed the initial campaign against Crown Point, and afterward, he participated in the Battle of Lake George (September 1755). Subsequent to the death of Colonel Willard, Lt. Colonel Whitcomb was promoted to the rank of colonel and succeeded Willard as commander of the regiment. During 1758, Colonel Whitcomb participated in the Ticonderoga campaign. He led five regiments, composed of 18 companies of Massachusetts troops, during the invasion of Canada that year. After the war Colonel Whitcomb returned to Massachusetts and resumed his personal life. His brother, Asa, also served in the war. At Ticonderoga when Lord Howe was killed, Asa was a captain in Colonel Bagley’s regiment, the unit that initiated a charge against a French advance near Ticonderoga that led to the victory. Subsequent to the close of hostilities, Colonel Whitcomb, while in the House of Representatives during 1768, was one of ninety-two members who voted against rescinding a circular letter (sent by the assembly to the colonial assemblies) in defiance of the king’s order that it be rescinded. During 1765, in an effort to get the colonies to pay a high share of the costs of the late war, Parliament passed the Stamp Act, which became a spark that would not be extinguished. The colonists emphatically resisted and the act was repealed the following year; however, other legislation replaced it. Consequently, the relations between the mother country and the colonies continued to take a downward spiral. The situation continued to worsen. British troops arrived in Boston during 1768 against the wishes of the colonists, and they reacted by eventually forming the Sons of Liberty. During 1773, Colonel Whitcomb was elected to the Council, but again he declined a higher position, preferring to remain in the House. Meanwhile, tensions continued to mount and the colonists became more defiant, but the powder keg continued to smolder without erupting into a conflagration. Although there remained some chance of reconciliation, the various colonies continued to prepare for what some believed inevitable: open conflict and independence. During the latter part of 1774, the Provincial Congress selected five general officers, Jedediah Preble, Seth Pomeroy, Artemus Ward, William Heath and John Thomas. General Preble declined the appointment due to his advanced age. The Congress chose General Ward as the commander-in-chief. Later on 15 February 1775, Colonel Whitcomb was selected as brigadier general in place of General Preble. Within a short while, the precautionary measure of appointing the general officers proved valuable. The powder keg exploded on 19 April. The two sides clashed at Lexington and Concord without ever determining who fired the first shot. Colonel Whitcomb’s Minute Men regiment (Worcester County) participated that day, but some of the commanders and their troops were about thirty miles from the fight. Whitcomb led those who were nearby to the scene of action and sent dispatches to the absent commanders informing them of the situation. The remainder (greater part of the regiment) of the Minute Men under his command arrived on the following day. On 20 April, a council of war convened and General Whitcomb was in attendance. Early the following month, General Whitcomb was appointed along with Colonel Benjamin Lincoln as a muster-master, but Whitcomb declined the appointment and a few days later, on 9 May, the position was filled by Whitcomb’s brother, Colonel Asa Whitcomb. According to the Journal of the Provincial Congress, Colonel Whitcomb was appointed first major general on 31 May 1775. His commission was dated 21 June 1775 and was delivered by the president of the Provincial Congress. Joseph Warren was appointed as second major general. General Whitcomb accepted the rank, but with a caveat that it was to be only temporary due to his advancing years. Nevertheless, while holding the rank and responsibility, he did not shy away from the danger. On 5 June 1775, General Whitcomb was commissioned as brigadier

general of the Continental Army. General George Washington specified that he intended to place Whitcomb in command of the Massachusetts forces, but Whitcomb refused to accept the commission. When he returned it, General Whitcomb asked “to be excused on account of age and dissidence of not being able to answer the expectation of Congress.” On 17 June, General Whitcomb was deployed at Lechmere Point, a strategic position that the Patriots believed would be a primary objective of the British during the Battle of Bunker Hill; however, it was not brought under assault. Meanwhile, the defenders at Breed’s Hill doled out relentless fire that thinned the ranks of the British with devastating effect. Nevertheless, after expending all of their ammunition, the Patriots were compelled to abandon Breed’s Hill. The British finally gained the field, but they sustained severe casualties. That same month, when Congress identified the names of the selected general officers, Whitcomb’s name was not mentioned. The Battle of Bunker Hill was the final participation of General Whitcomb during the siege of Boston. During July, 1775, General Whitcomb was elected to the Council. He served in that capacity for four years and afterward, retired to private life. General John Whitcomb succumbed in Bolton on 17 November 1785.

White, Brigadier General Anthony Anthony White, the son of Anthony and Elizabeth Morris White, was born on 7 July 1750 at the family estate in the vicinity of New Brunswick, New Jersey. Anthony’s mother was the daughter of Lewis Morris (governor of New Jersey, but not the signer of Declaration of Independence). Anthony and Elizabeth, in addition to Anthony. had the following children: Joanna (b. November 1744, married Colonel John Bayard); Euphemia (b. 1746, married William Paterson, governor of New Jersey and Supreme Court justice ); and Isabella (birth date unknown, but mentioned in her father’s will). Anthony received his education from his father, but he was not pointed toward any profession and was expected only to become affluent through inheritance and the owner of large tracts of land. Following the outbreak of hostilities at Lexington and Concord during April 1775, Anthony, already aligned with the Patriots’ cause, leaned toward the military. That October, Anthony was appointed as an aide to General George Washington, who was in Massachusetts at the time trying to neutralize the British who controlled Boston. On 1 January 1776, the Continental Army was reorganized, and on the 18th, Anthony White was commissioned lieutenant colonel of the 3rd New Jersey. On 15 February 1777, he became lieutenant colonel of the 4th Continental Dragoons. Subsequently, on 10 December 1779, White became lieutenant colonel commandant of the 1st Continental Dragoons. He was promoted to the rank of colonel on 16 February 1780 and directed to assume command of the cavalry in the South. Shortly thereafter, on 6 May 1780, a contingent of Tarleton’s Legion was intercepted by Colonel White’s command, which had forded the Santee River on the 5th to get to the rear of the British lines. During 1781, Colonel Anthony White (Appleton’s Cyclopedia White was ordered to Virginia of American Biography, Vol. 6, 1889)

485 to bolster Lafayette. Subsequent to the surrender of British General Lord Charles Cornwallis at Yorktown, Colonel White returned to the Carolinas and his cavalry also participated in the final stages of the war in Georgia before returning to South Carolina to be among the forces that entered the city as the British were abandoning it during December 1782. At that time, his forces were in great need of supplies and provisions. Colonel White posted his personal bond and he was to be paid back by the officers of his brigade in South Carolina when the tobacco crops were harvested, but the crops failed and Colonel White was held personally responsible for the debt. He was compelled to relinquish some of his property. Colonel White remained in Charleston and it was there that he married Margaret Ellis, who was fifteen years old. Anthony and Margaret had one child, a daughter, Eliza Mary, who later married Thomas Moody. In spring 1784, Colonel White returned north and settled in New York. After his return, he was persuaded to join in a speculation scheme that was supposed to pay great dividends; however, several years later, he found himself in heavy debt due to the failure of the scheme and the absence of his partners’ commitment to pay their share of the losses. Colonel White, having inherited a fortune from his father, saw it dwindle when he settled the debts. By 1793, Colonel White moved to the town of his birth, New Brunswick, New Jersey. He held several positions within the state and was at some point appointed a brigadier general of militia. In 1794, President George Washington appointed White to the position of general of cavalry. Afterward, General White participated against hostile Indians in the Northwest Territory. Having already lost his inheritance, General White also found his wife’s fortune gone, which left him in a terrible financial state. He pleaded with Congress to cover his personal expenditures for his command during the war, but Congress rejected making any compensation payment. General Anthony White died on 10 February 1803. He was interred at Christ Church cemetery at New Brunswick.

Wilkinson, Major Brigadier General James James Wilkinson, the son of Joseph and Betty Heije Wilkinson, was born in Benedict, Maryland, during 1757. James’ father was a prosperous merchant, which enabled James to receive an excellent education. He studied medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and established a medical practice in Maryland; however, his career was interrupted with the outbreak of hostilities. He repaired to Massachusetts and joined the army at Cambridge. Captain James Wilkinson was attached in September 1775 to the expeditionary force of Colonel Benedict Arnold, which was preparing for the Canadian expedition, led by General Richard Montgomery. Wilkinson was a volunteer in the Pennsylvania Rifle Battalion (part of 1st Continental Regiment) commanded by Colonel (later general) William Thompson. While Wilkinson was initiating a friendship with Arnold, he also was befriended by another officer in the force, Captain Aaron Burr. During the ill-fated expeJames Wilkinson (Appleton’s Cyclopedia of American Biography, Vol. 6, dition, Wilkinson was promoted to the rank of captain. 1889)

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At that time he was attached to the 2nd Continental Regiment. Wilkinson had served on the staff of General Nathanael Greene from November 1775 until April 1776. Afterward, on 2 June, he was appointed to General Arnold’s staff as aide-de-camp, a position he held until 17 July. Three days later, on 20 July, Wilkinson became a brigade major, and in that capacity he became a member of General Horatio Gates’ staff on 13 December 1776. Wilkinson was present at the Battle of Princeton and was with General Hugh Mercer when he succumbed on 12 January 1777 at the Clark house. Wilkinson noted later: “Excited to brutality by the gallantry of his resistance, they stabbed him with their bayonets in seven different parts of his body and inflicted many blows on his head with the butt-ends of their muskets; nor did they cease their butchery until they believed him to be a crushed and mangled corpse.” Wilkinson was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel of Thomas Hartley’s Continental regiment on 12 January 1777. He was appointed as deputy adjutant-general of the Northern Department on 24 May. In the meantime, British General John Burgoyne was completing preparations for an invasion of New York. During June 1777, the British began their campaign which was intended to plow through Ticonderoga and steam roll through the opposition to reach Albany to link up with General Henry Clinton, who was simultaneously going to advance from New York. Colonel Wilkinson was a participant at the crucial First Battle of Saratoga on 19 September 1777. During the ferocious contest, General Horatio Gates remained in his headquarters, never entering the field of battle. However, he dispatched Wilkinson to order Benedict Arnold to retreat. Arnold ignored the order to retreat and instead ordered General Learned to launch an attack. Arnold’s strategy prevailed and Burgoyne sustained a defeat, but Gates retaliated. He omitted Arnold’s name from the battle report and Arnold was stripped of command. Later, while the two sides were about to ignite a second major battle, the Patriots came upon some luck. Colonel John Hardin, on a personal reconnaissance mission, crept into the British lines undiscovered and gathered intelligence regarding their defenses and the strength of the force. Hardin encountered Colonel Wilkinson and transferred the intelligence with a request that Wilkinson rush the information to General Gates. Wilkinson complied, but he neglected to tell Gates anything about Hardin having been the source of the intelligence, leaving the impression that it was himself who ventured on the midnight excursion. Afterward, at the Second Battle of Saratoga, again Gates remained in his headquarters. Arnold, forbidden to take the field again, ignored Gates. The British were thrashed and Burgoyne was later forced to surrender his entire army. A peculiar incident occurred during the campaign. In September, a dispute between Gates and Wilkinson erupted. Wilkinson challenged Gates to a duel. Colonel John Carter was Wilkinson’s second and Colonel Tadeusz Kosciuszko acted as second for Wilkinson. However, the duel never occurred. Gates is known to have said that firing at Wilkinson would have been “like firing at his own son.” Nevertheless, the incident brought Carter and Kosciuszko to the brink of violence, but their duel reached only cross words. No shots were fired. Meanwhile, General Gates dispatched Colonel Wilkinson to Philadelphia to inform Congress of the victory, but he intentionally failed to send a dispatch to inform General Washington. Wilkinson delivered the letter (dated 18 October) from Gates to Congress on 31 October and he also gave his version of event to Congress. Consequently, Congress, impressed by Wilkinson, promoted him to the rank of brigadier general on 6 November, 1777. Arnold and Colonel Daniel Morgan won the day, but Gates received a gold medal. Wilkinson arrived in Philadelphia eighteen days after he left Saratoga and the news of the victory was late. Nevertheless, a motion was made to have Congress award a sword to Wilkinson, prompting John Witherspoon to propose something else, suggesting: “I think ye’d better gie the lad a

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pair of spurs.” Witherspoon’s straight-faced sardonic humor caused the motion to vanish. Wilkinson did receive another reward. He was appointed secretary to the Board of War on 5 January 1778, which placed him in the company of another member, General Gates. During that time, the Conway Cabal was underway and Wilkinson was aligned with those who plotted to relieve General George Washington as commander-in-chief and replace him with Gates. General Wilkinson confided in Lord Stirling (General Alexander) and by revealing the secret movement, the plot was soon foiled. Lord Stirling, a loyal friend of Washington, relayed the information to his commander-in-chief. General Thomas Conway, the chief instigator, later believing he was on his death bed, apologized to Washington, but he lived. General Wilkinson immediately lost favor among his fellow officers. Nearly fifty officers demanded that Wilkinson be stripped of his commission. On 6 March, 1778, Congress received a letter of resignation from Brigadier General James Wilkinson, which stated in part: “To obviate any embarrassment which may result from this disposition, by the consequent resignation of officers of merit, I beg leave to relinquish my brevet (of brigadier,) as I wish to hold no commission unless I can wear it to the honour and advantage of my country. This conduct, however repugnant to fashionable ambition, I find consistent with those principles on which I early drew my sword in the present contest.” Congress accepted his resignation. On 31 March 1778, Wilkinson resigned his position as secretary to the Board of War. The resolution accepting his resignation also stated “that his letter be returned as improper to remain on the files of Congress.” That same year, James married Anne Biddle, the daughter of John and Sarah Owen Biddle of Philadelphia. The Biddle family was among the most prominent in the city. James and Anne had four children, but apparently, their first child died in infancy. The other three were John (died at about fourteen years old), James, and Joseph. On 24 July 1779, James Wilkinson was appointed as clothier general, a position he held until 27 March 1781. On that day, Congress received a letter from Wilkinson in which he requested permission to resign. Congress accepted. Subsequently, during 1782, General Wilkinson was appointed a brigadier general in the Pennsylvania militia. He moved to Lexington, Kentucky, and at the time, the Spanish controlled navigation on that part of the Mississippi River leading to New Orleans and the Gulf of Mexico, and the Spanish prohibited U.S. shipping. Wilkinson concluded that if he could arrange an agreement with the Spanish to grant him shipping rights, he would strike it rich. During 1787, his scheme, having been successful in part by bribing the Spanish commandant at Natchez with two thoroughbreds, the produce grown in Kentucky was about to head down the river. Meanwhile, Wilkinson traveled by land, heading to New Orleans to meet the flat-boat there. Prior to Wilkinson’s arrival, the flatboat arrived in New Orleans and as usual, it was confiscated by the Spaniards. Nevertheless, once Wilkinson arrived, he and the governor worked out yet another deal that cost Wilkinson about $2,000 per year as a pension to the governor to gain exclusive shipping rights. The flat-boat was instantly released. Wilkinson’s actions were against American policy and in fact, created more problems. The blockage of the Mississippi River prompted some Americans to consider separating from the United States government to form a separate republic aligned with the Spanish. The settlers combined their complaints of the river blockage and the inability of the government to protect the settlements from Indian attacks as the primary reasons for trying to separate western Kentucky from eastern Kentucky. With help and immense funding of Spanish gold, Wilkinson, by June of 1788, had garnered the support of a majority in the region for the proposed separation. The stage was set and a convention was scheduled for 28 July 1788, at which time a new constitution would be established for the new state of Kentucky; however,

complications developed when the Spanish representative, Diego Gardoqui, inserted a new condition. He demanded that east and west Kentucky be included in the secession movement. The Spanish sent dispatches to John Sevier, but Sevier in turn contacted Isaac Shelby and others, including Thomas Marshall and George Muter. Afterward, Wilkinson’s scheme was foiled and the secession never occurred. Wilkinson afterward lost his golden touch and his business adventures were badly stalled. During 1791, Wilkinson requested that Congress reinstate him to active service in the army. He was reinstated with the rank of lieutenant colonel commandant during December 1791. Colonel Wilkinson was ordered to join General Anthony Wayne in the Western Department. During 1790, the Virginia legislature appointed General Charles Scott as commander of the Kentucky militia. During the following year, Scott led an expedition to the Wabash River to attack the Indians who were responsible for raiding the settlements and villages. General Wilkinson led an expeditionary force into the region, but neither Scott nor Wilkinson was able to vanquish the foe. Afterward, during 1791, a major expedition under Governor (General) Arthur St. Clair moved against the Indians and his force was devastated in what became the worst defeat of the U.S. Army in history. Finally during 1794, General Anthony Wayne, with a seasoned and disciplined army, terminated the Indian hostilities when the army devastated the Indians at the Battle of Fallen Timbers on 20 October 1794. Despite his brush with treason, Wilkinson, while in the army, continued clandestine contact with the Spanish officials, boosting their enthusiasm with the effort to continuing the intrigue. It was subsequently discovered that Wilkinson received a pension from the Spanish during at least during 1800. The Spanish continued to cause problems for about ten years, but ultimately, the United States prevailed, while the interferences, including the incitement of Indians by the Spanish as well as the French and the British, failed. Wilkinson’s military service in the West was considered favorable. Consequently, on 5 March 1792, he was promoted to the rank of brigadier general. Upon the death of General Wayne on 15 December 1796, General Wilkinson became Wayne’s successor as the military governor of the Southwest Territory and supreme commander of the United States Army. On 20 December 1803, the United States assumed control of the Louisiana Territory. At the time, Napoleon controlled Louisiana, and he was at war with Britain. Napoleon, fearful of the land falling into the hands of the British, sold Louisiana to the United States. During 1805, Wilkinson was appointed governor of the Louisiana Territory in conjunction with the establishment of the Louisiana-Missouri Territory on 3 March 1805. That autumn, Wilkinson informed the government of a new scheme, by Aaron Burr, who intended to build yet another empire in the southwest. At the time of the disclosure, Wilkinson was well aware that the government was holding knowledge of the intrigue and later Burr implicated Wilkinson in the plot. Doubts still remain as to whether Wilkinson was the chief instigator. Wilkinson did receive a court-martial, on allegations of receiving money from the Spanish government and his relationship with the Aaron Burr conspiracy, but General Wilkinson was acquitted due to insufficient evidence against him. General Gansevoort presided as chair at Wilkinson’s court-martial which ended on Christmas Day, 1811. While returning to his home after the trial, Gansevoort became ill. He was able to reach his residence, but he never completely recovered. Burr, who was the man who killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel and who served as vice president under Thomas Jefferson (March 1801– 1805), was caught and arrested on charges of treason in Alabama on 17 January 1807. Burr was tried and acquitted; however, he was still to be tried for the killing of Alexander Hamilton. He escaped trial by fleeing the country. During the trial, General Wilkinson, appearing as a witness, arrived in the courtroom armed and in full uniform. The jury foreman, John

487 Randolph, directed the marshal to disarm Wilkinson, which infuriated the general. Afterward, Wilkinson challenged Randolph to a duel, but Randolph refused. His responded to the letter from Wilkinson (dated 24 December, 1807: “In you, sir, I recognize no right to hold me accountable for my public or private opinion of your character that would not subject me to an equal claim from Colonel Burr or Sergeant Dubbough. I cannot descend to your level. This is my final answer.” Randolph, of the belief that Wilkinson was a party to the treason, had no fear of a duel or of Wilkinson. General Wilkinson’s wife, Betty, succumbed in 1807. Afterward, James married Celeste Laveau Trudeau and they had several children, including twins. General Wilkinson was appointed as a major general on 2 March 1813 and ordered to the Northern Department. Wilkinson fared poorly during an incursion into Canada against Montreal, and friction arose between him and General Wade Hampton (father of Confederate General Wade Hampton). The difficulties led to a court of inquiry (1815) and again, Wilkinson was exonerated. General Wilkinson remained in the service, but he reverted to tactics he had used during the Revolutionary War, complaining about the commander-in-chief, the difference being, his present commander was the president, James Madison, and the conflict, although still against the British, was the War of 1812. Wilkinson’s actions caused him to be recalled to the capital. General Wilkinson was dismissed from the army on 15 June 1815. After his dismissal, General Wilkinson, influenced by new visions of adventure and wealth, traveled to Mexico in an effort to acquire land General James Wilkinson died while in Mexico on 28 December 1825.

Williams, Brigadier General Otho Holland Otho Williams, the son of Joseph and Priscilla Holland Williams, was born in Prince George’s County, Maryland, on 1 March 1749. The following year, the family moved to Frederick (later Washington) County. Joseph’s parents had six other children, but unfortunately the parents both died before any of their children reached their teenage years. Otho, the oldest, was able to attain employment in the clerk’s office in Frederick, where he remained until about 1767. He relocated to Baltimore, but later, during 1774, Otho returned to Frederick. By that time, he was about age twenty-five. In 1775, the deteriorating relations between Britain and the colonies had erupted into open hostilities in Massachusetts, and Maryland was one of the first colonies to raise troops under the direction of the Continental Congress. Otho Williams joined a rifle company that was raised in Frederick by Thomas Price and served as lieutenant under the captaincy of Price. Another independent rifle company from Maryland was raised by Thomas Cresap. Price’s company arrived in Cambridge and participated in the siege of British-held Boston. During January 1776, Captain Price was appointed major of Colonel William Smallwood’s Maryland regiment, and Lieutenant Williams became captain of Price’s company. Smallwood was promoted to colonel and given command of the regiment. On 27 June 1776, Williams was promoted to the rank of major and served in Colonel Hugh Stephenson’s Maryland-Virginia Regiment. That year, Major Otho Williams participated in the defense of New York. He was wounded and taken prisoner during the defense of Fort Washington in November. Initially, he was paroled, but the British cancelled parole and imprisoned him on charges of attempting to communicate with General George Washington. Despite his imprisonment, Williams was promoted to colonel of the 6th Maryland Regiment on 10 December 1776. Colonel Williams was not released from prison until January 1778, during a prisoner exchange. For a while, he shared a cell with Colonel Ethan Allen, but unlike Allen, Colonel Williams was not transported to England. By January of 1777, many of the American prisoners in New York had died due to the treatment they received. The situation had dete-

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riorated so much that General Howe released all American privates on parole. The officers were equally mistreated and Major Williams was among them. He had been confined on a hospital ship, but received little treatment if any and the British provided no food. On his fourth day of captivity, Williams and some others, each wounded, were put into a dirt cart and paraded through the city. Afterward, Williams and the others were taken to Long Island and confined in buildings that had roofs, but no walls, despite the frigid Otho Holland Williams (Pictorial winter conditions. Those offi- Field Book of the Revolution, Benson cers were offered an end to J. Lossing, 1860) their suffering if they would abandon the American cause and join with the British. They preferred the punishment rather than to betray their countrymen. Subsequent to his release, Colonel Otho Williams participated at the Battle of Monmouth during June of 1778 and afterward, he was transferred to the Southern Department, where he served as deputy adjutant under General Horatio Gates. Later, under General Nathanael Greene, Williams became adjutant general. Colonel Williams participated in the fighting at Guilford Court house (15 March 1781), Hobkirk Hill (25 April 1781) and Eutaw Springs (8 September, 1781). General Daniel Morgan, due to ill health, was forced to relinquish his command and return to Virginia during 1781. He was succeeded by Colonel Otho H. Williams. Near Eutaw Springs on 6 September, Colonel Williams’ force skirmished with a British contingent at Reedy Fork Creek. Williams led his troops across the creek near Weitzel’s Mills and remained in front of Cornwallis’ contingent. Nevertheless, two days later, Williams was again in close contact with his pursuers. At Eutaw Springs on 8 September, Colonels Williams and Campbell launched attacks that pierced the enemy lines in synchronization with Colonel Henry Lee’s cavalry, which pounded the left flank of the British lines and their rear. The powerful attacks did not immediately dislodge the British. Consequently, General Greene ordered disengagement and the Americans retired. During the battle the British delivered heavy punishment to the Americans, particularly the militia. However, the results of the punishing blows inflicted by the Americans became more visible on the following day when the British retired to Charleston after what became the final major battle of the war in South Carolina. On 9 May 1782, Congress promoted Colonel Williams to the rank of brigadier general. He remained in the army until 16 January 1783, when he resigned to accept the position as naval officer at Baltimore. The position was under the jurisdiction of the state of Maryland. During 1789, upon the establishment of the federal government, the state office of naval officer was eliminated. However, Williams was appointed to the new federal position of port collector (at Baltimore) by President George Washington. After General Williams relocated to Baltimore, following the conclusion of the war, he married Mary (Polly) Smith, the daughter of an affluent Baltimore merchant, William Smith (also a member of Continental Congress and U.S. Congress). Otho and Mary had five children: Otho, Jr., Robert, William Elie, Edward Greene, and Henry Lee. During 1789 his health began to fail, and for a period of time he was confined to his home. In 1792, General Otho Williams took a voyage to Barbados to recuperate, but his health still did not improve. While Otho was away,

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his son, Robert, about five years old, died at home. General Williams returned to Baltimore during May 1793. Never having fully recovered to good health since his confinement by the British at New York during the war, he succumbed on 15 July 1794 en route to Bath, Virginia (Berkeley Springs, Morgan County, West Virginia). General Otho H. Williams was interred at Riverview Cemetery in Williamsport, Maryland, the town which he founded.

Williams, William (Signer of the Declaration of Independence) William Williams, the son of Solomon and Mary Porter Williams, was born on 18 April 1731 in Lebanon, Connecticut. His great-grandfather, Robert Williams, emigrated from Wales about 1630 and settled in Massachusetts. Both his father and grandfather, Solomon and William respectively, were clergymen. William seemed destined to follow the family tradition of becoming a minister. He received a fine education as a young boy and when he was about age sixteen, his parents entered him in Harvard. William graduated four years later in 1751. His interest focused upon the classics, but also mathematics and science as well as mechanics and architecture. After graduation, William initiated his study of theology under the tutoring of his father, who at the time was pastor of the First Congregational Church in the town of Lebanon. About a year after graduation from Harvard he became town clerk, a position he held led for more than forty years (1752–1796). Later, in 1755, when hostilities with France were erupting, William Williams’ path to the life of a clergyman got diverted when he volunteered to serve with a relative, Colonel Ephraim Williams (founder of Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts). On 8 September 1755, at the Battle of Lake George, a large force of more than 1,000 troops under Colonel Ephraim Williams, including his own 3rd Massachusetts Regiment, was ambushed in the vicinity of Fort Hyman (subsequently Fort Edward) due to General William Johnson’s failure to protect his flanks. The column was able to recover, due in great part to the colonists’ experience against the Indians. The French commander, Baron Dieskau, wounded in the leg during the day, was captured and transported to Albany, where he died from his wounds. William Williams survived, but Ephraim was killed along with a Mohawk chief named Hendrick. After the expedition to Lake George, Williams returned to Connecticut and that year received a home and property from his father. He did not resume his theological studies; however, he retained his deep devotion to his Christian faith, and when his public life finally came to an end, Williams continued to attend church regularly. Williams resumed his position as the town clerk and began an endeavor to become a merchant by establishing a business in Lebanon. In addition, he became a member of assembly and speaker of the lower house (colonial legislature) (1755–76) followed later by his election as selectman during 1760, a position he retained until 1785. More public duties were added during 1781–1784, when he was a member of the state legislature. In the meantime, William had become friendly with the family of Governor Jonathan Trumbull, particularly the governor’s daughter, Mary. Mary was one of six children born to Jonathan and Faith Robinson Trumbull. During 1771, William married Mary and they established their residence near the governor’s mansion, which would soon become known also as “The War Office,” once war with Britain erupted. At the time of their wedding, Mary was about 25 years old, about fifteen years younger than her husband. William and Mary had three children, Solomon ( January 1772), Faith (September 1774), and William Trumbull (March 1779). William’s father-in-law stood apart from the other royal governors and aligned himself totally with the American cause against the ever-increasing pressures imposed by Great Britain.

Williams, who had served in the military during the French and Indian War, had apparently not been too impressed with the British officers with whom he served. He perceived their attitude to be condescending, and as the years passed, he became more disenchanted with the policies of Britain, prompting him to be a visible and effective leader among the Patriots. In 1773, he was appointed a colonel in the Connecticut militia and was named to the Committee of Safety. As the tension be- William Williams (Biographical Sketches tween Britain and the col- of the Signers of the Declaration of Inonies increased, Williams dependence, Benson J. Lossing, 1854) became more involved in politics. He was elected in 1775 to the Third Continental Congress, which catapulted him into the whirlwind of activity that preceded the debate regarding independence. Williams resigned his commission in the militia to fully concentrate on the affairs of Congress. That year, 1775, Williams was appointed probate judge (Windham district), a post he held until 1809. Williams’ sister-in-law, Faith Trumbull, had traveled to Massachusetts around the time of the Battle of Breed’s Hill to visit her husband, Jedidiah Huntington, who had at about the same time been commissioned colonel of a Connecticut regiment. The journey caused severe problems for Faith, who reacted terribly after viewing the effects of the battle. Faith literally became ill and lost her mind, then shortly thereafter she succumbed. Mary Trumbull Williams had earlier lost her brother David to drowning about 1772. Another member of the family was lost in 1778 when Colonel Joseph Trumbull, Williams’ brother-in-law and Mary’s brother, succumbed of natural causes on 23 July, shortly after resigning his position on the Board of War. In 1776, the same year he was engaged with the debate on independence in the Continental Congress, Williams was appointed judge of the Windham County court, a post he held until 1805. Although resigned from the militia to devote his time to his congressional responsibilities, he continued a close association with the military, which included conferring with officers who frequented his father-in-law’s War House. Williams supported independence throughout the discussions, and he voted to adopt the Declaration of Independence. He was one of the 56 signers of the parchment document. Williams was also among the many signers who contributed much of their personal fortunes to the cause. Toward the latter part of 1776, at Williams’ house in Connecticut, an incident occurred which has often been handed down. During a conversation with Messrs. William Hillhouse and Benjamin Huntington, both members of the Lebanon Council of Safety, the subject of repercussions if the British prevailed became a topic of conversation. Williams mentioned the possibility of himself being hanged if the cause was lost because he signed the Declaration of Independence. Huntington, a lawyer, interjected that he hoped that the Americans would prevail, but that he would face no harm from the “gallows” if the cause was lost because he had not written anything against the Crown and had not signed the Declaration. His remarks were immediately countered by Williams: “Then Sir, you should be hanged for not doing your duty.” Williams’ residence was often used by troops. In winter of 1781, William and his wife, Mary, relinquished their home to French officers

489 whose regiment was bivouacked in Lebanon. Meanwhile, back in Congress, where he served during 1776–1778, Williams was appointed to various committees, including the Board of War, and he was also instrumental in the committee charged with designing the Articles of Confederation; however, Williams did not sign the Articles. During that perilous period when the British were closing upon Philadelphia in 1777, Williams was nearly captured because he lingered too long in an attempt to ensure that Colonel Dyer escaped capture. The endeavor was successful and Williams made it to York, Pennsylvania, where Congress reconvened; he remained there throughout the winter. Williams was in Congress through 1778 and during 1783–1784. During the conflict, it was not unusual for Williams to be seen going from house-to-house in Lebanon in search of necessities, such as blankets for the troops and lead to be transformed into ammunition for their weapons. After the war, Williams focused upon all his other duties in his home state. His brother-in-law, Jonathan Trumbull, Jr., became governor of Connecticut during 1797 and served eleven terms. Another of his brothers-in-law, Thomas Trumbull, who was an aide to General Washington during the conflict, became a famous painter. Fortunately, for Williams, his health remained extraordinarily well through the tumultuous years of the Revolution and beyond, considering that it was rare for him to ever head for restful sleep until way after midnight. Finally, during 1804, he retired into private life, the same year that he declined re-election to the Connecticut Assembly. Tragedy struck the family during October 1810, when Solomon, the oldest son of William and Mary, died. Solomon’s death inflicted insurmountable grief upon his father, so deep that he never recovered from his loss. His health continued to deteriorate and in the process he went deaf. Despite his failing health, Williams never showed signs of feeling sorry for himself, neither for the deprivations incurred during the war nor for his loss of health. After he lost his hearing, which curtailed his appearances outside of his home, he devoted even more time to his prayers and meditation. Williams lost his ability even to speak for the last four days of his life; however, on 2 August 1811, the day of his death, Williams suddenly began to speak, calling for his deceased son and clearly asking Solomon to come to his bedside. Shortly thereafter, William Williams expired. His wife, Mary, survived him by many years, succumbing during 1831. He was interred in the Trumbull Cemetery outside of Lebanon. The epitaph on his tomb states that he was “a firm, steady, and ardent friend of his country, and in the darkest times risked his life and wealth for her defence.” Williams’ other children, Faith, who married John McClellan, and William Trumbull Williams, also survived their father.

Williamson, Brigadier General Andrew Andrew Williamson, born about 1730, was a native of England. His family immigrated to America when he was still young and settled in South Carolina in the vicinity of Ninety Six. He did not receive a formal education and was considered illiterate; however, he had an abundance of natural ability that offset his lack of education. The region had large herds of cattle scattered throughout South Carolina and they were kept in settlement dubbed Cow Pens. Andrew found employment by driving the cattle into pens where they were branded. While tending the cows, Andrew became familiar with the wilderness and the swamps and the experience transformed him into a skilled woodsman. His talents greatly aided him during various campaigns against hostile Indians, including a campaign under Colonel Montgomery during 1760 and during the following year under Colonel Grant. In the meantime, Andrew had acquired land upon which he built a plantation, known as Whitehall. At the outbreak of the American Revolution, Andrew was known as a reliable Patriot who possessed influence among the other settlers in the upper country region. He held the rank of major in the militia. He had married Eliza Tyler of Vir-

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ginia, which made him a brother-in-law of Le Roy Hammond and of Captain Winter, who married sisters of Eliza. Andrew and Eliza had the following children: Andrew, Jr., William, Mary Anne, and Elizabeth. During 1775, a contingent of Loyalists intercepted a wagon train that was transporting powder to the Cherokee to ensure good relations with the Indians during the hostilities. The Patriots immediately reacted in an effort to regain the powder and quash the Loyalist insurgency. A contingent under Major Andrew Williamson encountered the Loyalists; however, the latter greatly outnumbered Williamson’s command, forcing the Patriots to retire to his encampment at Cambridge. The Loyalists under Major Joseph Robinson and Captain Patrick Ferguson were able to compel a surrender on 22 November 1775 after several days of heated fighting. An agreement was reached, but upon arrival of the reinforcements, the commanders deemed the agreement invalid and vanquished the Loyalist force on 22 December 1775 in what became known as the Snow Campaign. The militia force, led by General Richard Richardson, numbered about 4,000 men. During the campaign many of the Loyalist leaders surrendered and some escaped; however, one of the ringleaders, Thomas Fletchall, fled, but due to his overweight problem he didn’t get too far and was caught trying to conceal himself in a hollow tree. The remainder of the enemy, despite entering Indian territory at Great Cane Break, was effectively defeated on the 22nd by a force under Colonel William Thompson, terminating Loyalist opposition in the state until spring of 1780. Major Williamson accompanied Richardson during the expedition, and once the powder was regained, Williamson was directed to transport the powder to the Cherokee. Later, intercepted dispatches alerted the South Carolinians that a British fleet under Peter Parker and General Henry Clinton was preparing to invade Charleston. The intelligence also contained information that the Loyalists and Indians aligned with the British were to support the attack. Williamson was ordered to call out the militia to meet the threat; however, many in the militia were fearful of the Indians. Williamson was able to raise only about 500 troops, but they were able to neutralize the Indians. Only one engagement erupted when a contingent under Major Downes encountered and defeated a band of Indians. The militia was jubilant at the news that at Charleston, Colonel William Moultrie turned back the British fleet. During the retirement, Captain Peter Parker’s pants were set on fire from the American artillery. Suddenly, the reluctant warriors were streaming into the ranks to complete the mission of terminating the ongoing Indian incursions. Williamson, with the rank of colonel and a force of about 2,000 men, initiated the campaign. As the column encroached Seneca, no scouts were out front, and the darkness aided the Indians, who had established an ambush. The column was raked with fire; however, Williamson, whose horse was shot from under him, was unhurt. He was able to get his force to pull back before heavy losses could be inflicted. The militia held in place until dawn and then attacked. The Indians were defeated and crops were destroyed. Afterward other villages were reduced. Williamson also directed that a fort be constructed near Seneca. Upon completion, it was named Fort Rutledge. Before the campaign was concluded, the Indians had lost great numbers of warriors and were no longer willing to continue hostilities. By October 1776, the Indians agreed to a treaty in which they relinquished territory in four counties (Anderson, Greenville, Oconee and Pickens). Subsequently, Colonel Williamson was promoted to brigadier general. He participated in the ill fated campaign of General Robert Howe, intended to prevent any British invasion of Georgia, but the Florida Campaign failed and many of the troops became ill. General Williamson was loudly blamed for conditions of the commissary and quartermaster departments.

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Meanwhile, the British under Colonel Archibald Campbell routed the Patriots at Savannah and seized the city during December 1778. During the campaign to regain Savannah, General Williamson participated under General Benjamin Lincoln; however, the British moved against Charleston, forcing Lincoln to reverse course and speed back to prevent the city from falling. Williamson’s command crossed the Ogechee River and cut a road through the wilderness that later became known as Rebel Road. During the forced march back to Charleston, Williamson was ordered to return; he arrived in time to participate at the Battle of Stono River. Subsequently, Williamson’s command (attached to General Isaac Huger’s division) participated in the siege of Savannah. The Americans, prodded by the French, were persuaded to attack prematurely and the British, informed by deserters of the pending attack, were prepared. The impatience led to a debacle. The Americans retreated to Charleston. On 12 May 1780, when the city fell, Williamson commanded several hundred men, but they remained uninvolved. Williamson also sought protection of the British, and although there is no verification, it was thought that Williamson also received a commission in the British army. On 5 July 1780, a contingent led by Colonel Isaac Hayne rode to the residence of Williamson and arrested him for treason. On 8 July the British dispatched a force that rescued Williamson, who became known as the “Benedict Arnold of the South.” The British executed Colonel Hayne on 4 August. General Williamson’s property was confiscated during 1782, but legislation passed during 1788, at the urging of General Nathanael Greene, restored his property. Subsequent to the close of hostilities, the details of General Williamson’s life seemed to vanish, leaving no specific information on his remaining days. Even the date of his death is unknown. Although he withheld support at times to increase the chances of defeat or to prevent success, General Williamson never opposed a contingent of Patriots in the field.

Williamson, Hugh (Framer of the U.S. Constitution) Hugh Williamson, the son of John and Mary Davison Williamson, was born in West Nottingham Township in Cheater County, Pennsylvania, but his parents were not born in the colonies. Hugh’s father was from Dublin, Ireland, and his mother was a native of County Derry. John and Mary immigrated to America about 1730. Hugh was educated in New London Cross Roads by the Rev. Francis Alison, who established an academy there. Following his studies under Allison, which included Latin, Hugh focused on the sciences and mathematics at the college of Philadelphia (University of Pennsylvania). He entered the college during 1753 and was among the first graduating class in 1757. Hugh, while a student, also taught at both the Latin and English schools. Hugh Williamson’s intention was to become a minister. After earning a bachelor’s degree, he traveled first to Shippensburg to settle his late father’s estate. Two years later he traveled to Connecticut and began to study for the ministry. He completed his theology courses in Connecticut, received a license to preach, and then returned to Philadelphia, where he was accepted as a member of the Presbytery of Philadelphia. Although Williamson preached as a Presbyterian minister for about two years, he was never ordained and nor assigned his own parish. Later, disputes within the Presbytery between the orthodox party and the more recent faction, followers of Whitefield or New Lights, combined with Williamson’s health having become poor, prompted him to leave the ministry. Afterward, the College of Philadelphia appointed Hugh as a professor of mathematics, a position he retained for several years, before his thirst for even more knowledge caused him to leave his position as professor to go abroad (1764) to engage in further studies, specifically, medicine. Williamson entered the University of Edinburgh and supplemented

his studies in London and afterward at Utrecht University (Netherlands), an institution with roots in the Middle Ages. Williamson received his medical degree at Utrecht and returned to America to establish his medical practice in Philadelphia. His dedication to and empathy for patients caused him some difficulties as he maintained the practice. After enduring failing health and an exhausting schedule for several years, he relocated to North Carolina to establish himself as a merchant. All the while he remained a student of philosophy and his experience in the field was highly regarded. On 3 June 1769, Williamson was on the committee chosen by the American Philosophical Society, of which he had become a member during the previous year, to study the path taken by Venus as it passed across the sun’s disk. On 9 November he was named to a committee charged studying the path of Mercury. Williamson authored the report of the committee’s findings on Venus. Also that year, Williamson studied the comet of 1769, recorded his findings, and developed his own theory. Many of his pieces on science were published and widely circulated, then examined by other scientists in America and Europe. The works were deemed impressive in America and across the sea. In the Netherlands, the scientific community, in conjunction with the University of Leyden, awarded Hugh an LL.D. degree. In 1772, apparently on business of an academy in Newark, Delaware, where he was a trustee, Williamson embarked on a fundraising tour of the West Indies. He took another voyage during the following year and visited Great Britain with stops in England, Ireland and Scotland. En route to Europe, Williamson was at Boston during December 1773 and observed the Sons of Liberty in action when they disguised themselves as Mohawk Indians and boarded several vessels to dump their respective tea cargoes into the harbor. After witnessing the Boston Tea Party, he sailed to Europe and while there, by either luck or through an American sympathizer, Williamson found himself in possession of a series of communications that contained some explosive correspondence, known as the Hutchinson-Oliver letters. The letters were from the Massachusetts royal governor, Thomas Hutchinson, to his lieutenant governor. Williamson had established a new friendship while in England, with Benjamin Franklin and he gave the letters to Franklin, who sent them to the colonies. The letters were published and created even more bad feelings and further antagonized the Americans. Following the conclusion of his prolonged trip to Europe, Williamson returned to America during March 1777, prepared to re-enter the medical field in support of the military, which was fully engulfed in combat; however, there were no positions open. Williamson could not, with integrity, take a position that would displace another, so he instead pursued his mercantile endeavors. He moved to Charleston accompanied by his brother. Once there, Williamson dispatched his brother to the West Indies, while he sought support to acquire a sloop. Once Hugh accomplished his mission and gained the vessel, it was loaded with cargo and sent to Baltimore, but en route, Williamson paused at Edenton, North Carolina. At the time, several earth-moving events were unfolding. In New York, the state capital was in jeopardy from a British invasion launched from Canada, while British General Henry Clinton was preparing to link his forces at New York with General John Burgoyne’s forces. Williamson’s cruise to Baltimore was aborted as another British army entered the Chesapeake, landed in Maryland at the Head of the Elk (Elkton) near Delaware, and prepared to take the capital city, Philadelphia. Hugh remained at Edenton, North Carolina, from where he conducted his mercantile business, but in addition, he also re-established his medical practice. Hugh’s decision to operate in North Carolina rather than Charleston in all probability spared him from capture. Charleston became imperiled during early 1780 when a massive British fleet arrived and initiated a siege. Meanwhile, other cities in other colonies galvanized to defend Charleston, and reinforcements were being raised to bolster the besieged

491 city. Nevertheless, Charleston fell on 12 May 1780 and with its collapse, an entire army under General Benjamin Lincoln was forced to capitulate. During April of 1780, North Carolina’s legislature authorized raising a force of 4,000 militia troops for three months service in South Carolina, and it authorized an additional 8,000 troops for subsequent service in South Carolina. Richard Caswell was placed in charge of the initial 4,000 troops and was commissioned as a major general. Caswell, after his appointment, selected Hugh Williamson as his surgeon-general. Williamson remained with the North Carolina forces and often was in the thick of the battles, including the catastrophic defeat sustained by General Horatio Gates inflicted by General Lord Charles Cornwallis on 16 August 1780. The defeat destroyed Gates’ military career. In the aftermath, Williamson entered British positions under a truce flag and received permission to treat the wounded that remained within their lines. The British made use of his skills as a doctor and requested his assistance in treating one of their general officers who had fallen ill. Later that year, the British had threatened Virginia and seized Portsmouth. One of the American contingents in response to the threat was deployed at the Dismal Swamp. The commander was especially concerned about the health of his force due to the horrid conditions in the area where he was posted. General Isaac Gregory requested the assistance of Hugh Williamson, and it was granted. Williamson’s activity in the camp focused on keeping the troops from becoming victims of disease. Hugh oversaw the sanitary conditions, the areas where the troops slept and even their diets. His medical skills paid high dividends to the command, which varied from about 500 troops to at times about 1,200 men. During those trying times in the swamp, about six months, only two troops succumbed to disease. Following his work in the field at the swamp, Williamson’s service in Virginia and the military were ended. Meanwhile, units in Virginia under Lafayette were bolstered with a massive force under General Washington and the French allies, which was transported from Philadelphia to the Virginia theater by a French fleet. The British under General Charles Cornwallis were trapped at Yorktown, unable to be evacuated and prevented by the French fleet from receiving reinforcements. On 17 October 1781, Cornwallis surrendered his entire force, which terminated the major fighting in the county; however skirmishing continued in various places. Williamson entered politics in 1782, when he was elected to the North Carolina Assembly as a representative of Edenton, but shortly thereafter, he was elected as a delegate to the Continental Congress, where he took his seat about June or July of that year and won re-election two times, serving continuously until 1785. In 1785, he was elected as a representative of Chowan County in the assembly. Flaws in the Articles of Confederation, under which the new nation’s government operated, were later exposed when Virginia and Maryland concluded an agreement (Mount Vernon Compact) to increase navigation along the Potomac and connect the interior to the sea via the river and a canal. The Articles prohibited one state making a treaty with another without authorization of Congress. Consequently, a convention was called to meet in Annapolis, Maryland, he following year. Representatives from each state were expected to attend, but only a few states sent delegates. North Carolina selected three delegates and two — Abner Nash and William Blount — never attended. The third, Hugh Williamson, traveled to Annapolis, but the convention had already ended. Nevertheless, Williamson was able to acquire notes on the proceeding and carry them back to North Carolina. At the convention it was concluded that a Constitutional Convention had to be called to either modify the Articles or form a new government. It was set for the next May in Philadelphia. Williamson was elected as a delegate to the convention subsequent to General Willie Jones declining the appointment. He arrived in June, the month after the convention opened. The delegates became mired

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in a stalemate over equal representation, a problem that was solved by a compromise. Each state would get two representatives in the U.S. Senate, ensuring equal representation. The number in the House of Representatives would be based on population. After the proposal was offered by the New Jersey delegation, the convention seemed to galvanize itself, leaving the best results for the nation as a whole the main priority. On 17 September 1787, the Constitution was adopted, effective upon ratification by nine states. Hugh Williamson, William Blount and Richard Dobbs Spaight signed the Constitution, while two other North Carolina delegates, Alexander Martin and William Richardson Davie, did not sign. Following a move supported by Williamson, to delay ratification in 1788 at Hillsborough, North Carolina scheduled a new state convention at Fayetteville during 1789, and Williamson was able to attend to lend his support to achieve ratification. In December 1788, the North Carolina Assembly elected Abishai Thomas and Hugh Williamson as agents with responsibility of overseeing the settling of accounts for North Carolina. Williamson was serving in the Continental Congress, but by that time, it was essentially standing in place, waiting for the new Congress to take effect. Williamson concentrated wholeheartedly in finalizing the accounts, but during the project, he discovered that North Carolina’s enthusiastic responses to the Continental Congress’ needs often resulted in raising troops rapidly without official authorization from Congress. The Patriotism of the government officials was commendable but the results difficult to document. Consequently, Williamson scoured state records and muster reports, which he intended to use to get Congress to fairly compensate his state for the North Carolina troops’ service. The project extended into 1790, when he resigned from the commission during December. Most of the other states waited for Congress to authorize the raising of troops, thereby assuring themselves of compensation. In the meantime, the state’s leaders met at Fayetteville and ratified the Constitution on 21 November 1789, to make North Carolina the twelfth state to join the union. Williamson was elected to the new Continental Congress, which convened on 3 March 1789. He arrived to take his seat during the following month. On 30 April 1789, General George Washington was inaugurated as the first president of the United States. As the new Congress convened, the old Congress that operated under the Articles of Confederation dissolved. On 9 March 1789, Williamson penned a letter to a colleague at home explaining how some of the representatives from the old Congress had returned home. Williamson continued to serve and was known for his quick retorts and silver tongue, which on occasion had a sharp edge bolstered by sardonic wit. He was also a master with the pen. He retained frequent communication with the governor of North Carolina to keep him abreast of the happenings in Congress, and he kept a journal. A sampling of his correspondence follows: “With whatever fidelity or abilities I may serve the State, the journals will show that I have not eaten the bread of idleness; Whatever inclination I may have had occasionally to borrow a holiday, I have it in my power to assure you that from the time I received the instructions of the State I have not been absent from the Chamber of Congress a single day at the usual time of meeting, lest the forming of a Congress should chance to be prevented, and the interests of the State suffer by such absence.” Williamson remained in Congress until 1793. Hugh married before he entered Congress, taking Maria Apthorpe as his wife during 1788. Mary was the daughter of Charles Ward Apthorpe of New York. Together, Hugh and Mary had two children, both sons, but just after the birth of their second child, Mary succumbed. The tragedy had a profound effect on Hugh, and the death of his wife was greatly responsible for his departure from Congress and public life. Upon retirement from Congress, Williamson settled in New York with his children and literally retired from public service, with the only exception being when he was a member of a committee of

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medical doctors that investigated the causes of a deadly epidemic of yellow fever that struck the city. Meanwhile, Williamson’s propensity for additional knowledge prompted him to take on another challenge. The quest was culminated during 1811, when he published his work “Climate,” which became an introduction to his two-volume work, the History of North Carolina, published in Philadelphia during 1812. Williamson’s venture as an author was not successful. His diligence was evident and his attempt to portray the history without bias was also evident, but major obstacles included inaccessibility to facts and records. Consequently, the work was not considered to be of any genuine value. Williamson was a member of the New York Historical Society. Another of his interests was his participation in the establishment of the Literary and Philosophical Society and yet another was his philanthropic activities. Williamson succumbed at about age 83 in New York City on 22 May 1819. He had no living heirs. Doctor Hugh Williamson, a preacher, doctor, scientist, soldier, legislator and author, was interred in New York at the cemetery of the Trinity Church.

Williamson, Brigadier General Matthias Matthias Williamson, the son of William and Margaret De Hart Williamson, was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey, about 1716. Margaret was the daughter of Captain Matthias De Hart. Subsequent to the death of William, Margaret married William Chetwood, the owner of a prominent inn. Matthias entered the military as early as 1740, when he served in the Elizabeth militia as a lieutenant. Matthias was a devout member of the Episcopal Church and served as a vestryman. Matthias married Susanna Halsted, the daughter of John and Susanna Blanchard Halsted. Matthias and Susanna had the following children: William (b. 1748); Matthias (b. 1751); Matthias Halstead (b. 1752); Jacob (b. 1754); Susanna (b. 1757); Benjamin (b. 1758, died in infancy); Benjamin (2) (b. 1761, died in infancy); Margretta (b. 1765) and Isaac Halstead (b. 1768, later governor). In 1757, Williamson became high sheriff of Essex County. He was appointed as one of the “quorum justices of the peace” in 1769. By that time, various acts passed by Parliament had caused a high degree of resentment in the colonies and many began to question their blind allegiance to Britain. Events continued to unfold that sounded more alarms. The Sons of Liberty, an organization vehemently opposed to the policies of the Crown, emerged. Other movements included the establishment of committees of correspondence to enable the colonies to communicate with each other. On 6 December 1774, Williamson was appointed to the committee of correspondence of Elizabeth. He was named a colonel of a light horse regiment on 27 October 1775. He continued in command of the regiment until September of the following year, when he was commissioned as a brigadier general (New Jersey militia) on the 26th. New Jersey was then raising four additional battalions to bolster General Washington while he was leading the Continental Army on its retreat through New Jersey to avoid destruction by the British. During October 1776, General Williamson was involved with some diversionary action at the Point on Staten Island, but nothing of consequence occurred. Afterward, during November, Williamson requested additional help at Elizabeth just after the loss of Fort Lee in New Jersey and Fort Washington in New York. Word was sent to Colonel Jacob Ford as follows: “Bring out all the Militia in your County immediately, and march them down to Elizabeth Town, and see that each man is furnished with a gun, and all his accoutrements, blanket, and four days’ provision, and when they arrive to join their respective companies and regiments.” In the meantime, the British continued to increase their momentum and militia under Williamson retreated. On 1 December 1776, General Washington, in a letter to Governor Livingston, stated: “I have not, including General Williamson’s Militia more than four thousand men. I wrote to General Williamson last,

and pressed him to exert himself; but I have reason to believe, he has the confidence of the people so much as could be wished.” General Williamson stated in a letter of 8 December: “Very few of the Counties of Essex and Bergen joined my command. [I] have it from good intelligence that many who bore the character of warm Whigs have been foremost in seeking protection from General [William] Howe and forsaking the American cause. Colonel Thomas of Essex County is with us but he has no command of men.... I can declare before God, I have worried myself to the heart in endeavoring to serve my country to the extent of my power.... Upon the whole, I am so entirely disabled from doing my duty in the brigade by my lameness that I have wrote to Governor Livingston to request his acceptance of my resignation.” Shortly thereafter, on 6 February 1777, General Williamson resigned his commission. Afterward, he served as quartermaster general of New Jersey. In 1778 a massive British force composed of about 5,000 troops under General Wilhelm von Knyphausen debarked at De Hart’s Point, within striking distance of Elizabeth, on 7 June. The main target was Morristown; however Patriot forces under Lafayette and General Elias Dayton intercepted the Redcoats, and a conflagration erupted at Connecticut Farms near Springfield. The settlement was destroyed, but the British were compelled to return to their ships prior to dusk on the 8th. General Williamson was captured but was later released. Subsequent to the close of hostilities, General Williamson resumed his private life. General Matthias Williamson died on 31 October 1807. The Williamson home, constructed during 1776 at the intersection of Pearl and Williamson Streets in Elizabeth, later became the St. Elizabeth’s Hospital. General Williamson’s son, Isaac Williamson became counselor and the governor of New Jersey.

Wilson, James (Signer of the Declaration of Independence) James Wilson, a native of Scotland, was born, according to some sources, on 14 September 1742 at Carskerdo, Scotland; however, other sources, including those from the nineteenth century, make no assertion of an exact date. The National Parks System identifies James Wilson’s date of birth as uncertain, but about 1741–1742. James’ parents were William and Alison Landale Wilson His family was engaged in farming, but they were not particularly affluent. James was educated in Edinburgh and following his elementary education, he attended several universities (St. Andrews, Glasgow and Edinburgh); however, he did not receive a degree. About 1765–1766, subsequent to the death of his father, James and one of his brothers, William, arrived in America in 1765 or 1766. Nevertheless, James, using effective letters of introduction to some prominent citizens, was able to acquire a position as a teacher of Latin at Philadelphia College, which later gave him an honorary degree. Within a short while James Wilson abandoned his teaching career and initiated the study of law, fortuitously, in the office of John Dickinson, a prominent attorney. After a period of intensive study, he was admitted to the bar during 1767. Within about a year he moved to reading, where he established his practice. During 1770, James relocated to Carlisle and remained there for about two years before returning to Philadelphia after a short period at Annapolis. About 1771, James married Rachael Bird, the youngest daughter of William Bird of Birdsboro, Berks County, Pennsylvania. Rachael’s father owned and operated an iron works. Upon his death during 1762, his estate consisted of large tracts of land in several townships. After the death of her father, Rachael’s mother, a widow with six children (Mark, Rebecca, Rachael, Mary, William and James), married Robert Patton. James and Rachael had six children, Mary (later Mary Wilson Hollingsworth), William, Bird, James, Charles and Emily. Since the beginning of his law practice, James Wilson concentrated on cases dealing with property. He had been successful in building a

493 solid clientele as well as developing a prosperous business. Although he was born in Scotland, Wilson quickly adapted to the colonies and found his sympathies to lean toward the cause of the Patriots, which apparently played a part in his appointment as a colonel of militia in Cumberland County, but he did not serve in the field. He was delegated responsibility for the safekeeping of the arms and ammunition retained in the magazines at Carlisle. During 1774, while still in Carlisle, Wilson became chairman of the committee of correspondence. That year he attended the Provincial Assembly, and he became more widely known in the colonies and back in Britain after he published his treatise, “Considerations on the Nature and Extent of the Legislative Authority of the British Parliament,” a powerful piece proclaiming that Britain had no authority to impose regulations on America. He stated that “all the members of the British Empire are distinct states, independent of each other, but connected together under the same sovereign, in right of the same Crown.” That pamphlet became the primary step that caused Wilson to be recognized as a rising leader within the Whigs. During the Provincial Assembly, Wilson and John Dickinson were nominated as delegates to the First Continental Congress, but opposition caused both to be passed over. It is thought that the rejection was instigated by Joseph Galloway, a Loyalist and nemesis of Dickinson. By 1775, Wilson’s political career bolted to a new level as he was elected to the Provincial Assembly, which in turn elected him that same year as a delegate to the Second Continental Congress. Wilson, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Willing were elected unanimously as new members to the delegation. They arrived at Congress on 3 May 1775. Wilson was named to various committees, including one that was appointed on 3 June 1775 to author a letter to the people of Jamaica. About two weeks later, on 17 June, Wilson was appointed to a committee delegated to investigate Indian affairs in New York. The resolution directed that “a committee of 5 (Patrick Henry, James Duane, Philip Schuyler, James Wilson, and Philip Livingston) be appointed to take into consideration the papers transmitted from the convention of New York relative to Indian affairs, and report what steps, in their opinion, are necessary to be taken for securing and preserving the friendship of the Indian Nations.” On 23 June, in conjunction with Congress’ authorization of issuing paper money, Wilson was appointed to the committee assigned the task of acquiring the engraving plates and contracting a printer. The other members were John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, James Duane and John Rutledge. In June of 1776, Wilson was among those who voted to postpone action on the resolution by Richard Henry Lee declaring independence, but when finally pressed to make a decision, James broke from his position to vote “yea,” making its vote unanimous. Wilson had supported independence, yet as the time neared for his decision, he had been reluctant, supposedly due to the sentiments of his constituents back in Carlisle. John Dickinson purposely missed the vote so as not to prevent the unanimous vote. On 2 August, Wilson signed the Declaration of Independence. On 14 October, Wilson, along with Richard Henry Lee and Samuel Huntington, was appointed by resolution to a James Wilson (Biographical Sketches committee charged with dealof the Signers of the Declaration of In- ing with the matter of “nedependence, Benson J. Lossing, 1854) groes taken by vessels of war,

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in the service of the United States.” In November 1776, Wilson was appointed to a committee charged with finding an expeditious way to get reinforcements to General George Washington. The committee recommended that the troops attached to the Pennsylvania battalions (Associators) be used to serve with the Continental Army until 10 March 1777. In the meantime, General William Howe was on the advance to gain Philadelphia and crush the rebels. General Washington defeated the Hessian force at Trenton during the latter part of December 1776 and afterward won a victory at Princeton during January 1777 to halt the British advance. Later, during March 1777, Wilson was appointed to a committee to investigate Portugal’s refused to permit U.S. ships to enter its ports, an obvious breach of neutrality. John Adams and Richard Henry Lee were also named to the committee. Wilson continued to be involved with varying aspects of congressional business. During early August 1777, he was appointed to a 5-man committee charged with investigating the circumstances of the Northern Department. Later that month, he was appointed to the committee delegated to investigate the state of South Carolina and Georgia. At one point during 1777, due to his opposition to the state constitution, he was recalled to Carlisle and scheduled to be replaced; however, no candidate was selected and instead, he was returned to complete his term. At the end of the term, Wilson chose not to return to Carlisle. Wilson had advance notice of the plan to oust him. In a letter dated 31 January 1777, Robert Morris informed Wilson of the pending action: “I am told our assembly do not intend you shall be in the new list of delegates. I am too busy to attend, or I would contest the matter warmly....” During September 1777, subsequent to the resignation of Jonathan B. Smith, the Pennsylvania assembly chose also not to reelect George Clymer and James Wilson as delegates to Congress. They were replaced by Joseph Reed, William Clingan and Doctor Samuel Duffield. Wilson by that time had switched his party politics to that of the conservatives, another link that caused him to be shunned and shut out of Congress. He spent the winter in Annapolis, Maryland, and then settled in the city of Philadelphia. Toward the latter part of 1777, political adversaries of General George Washington had conspired to oust Washington as the commander-inchief. The plot, which came to be known as the Conway Cabal, involved some in Congress working in collusion with Generals Thomas Conway, Thomas Mifflin and others. Wilson has been at times mentioned as being part of the group; however, at the time, he was not a member of Congress. Subsequently, President Washington would appoint James Wilson as a Supreme Court justice, which essentially validates that Wilson was not an adversary of Washington at any time. Meanwhile, he spent the winter of 1777–1778 in Annapolis and afterward, returned to Philadelphia, where he resumed his private practice. Wilson sustained a harrowing experience on 2 July 1778, when Congress had returned from York to Philadelphia. Wilson, having shown empathy to some of the Loyalists while the British occupied the city, came under attack by a mob that swarmed upon his residence at 3rd and Market Streets, known as Fort Wilson. The mob was about to penetrate the door, but at the last moment, troops arrived, not too many, but the mob was unaware of the small size. A cry, “the horse, the horse,” rang out as the troops darted around a corner of Chestnut Street, one block from Walnut. Without hesitation, the mob vanished, scattering in all directions. Wilson and those in his company were saved from harm and whisked away to a place of safety. During 1779, Sieur Gerard, the French minister, informed Congress by letter on 15 September that he would be departing for France within one week and that he had chosen Wilson as advocate general “in order that he may be charged with all the causes and matters relative to navigation and commerce.” Wilson’s commission was dated 5 June 1779. He continued to work for the French until 1783, but initially, there were some complicated negotiations with France due to its insistence that Wilson relinquish his private interests and the measure of compen-

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sation. He refused to drop his private business and resigned his commission during 1781. During that period his cases included defending Loyalists, which caused complications with some of the Patriots. The appointment given to Wilson by Gerard was confirmed in a letter, dated 18 February 1781, from King Louis XVI. Wilson, having retained some influence with his former colleagues and in particular Robert Morris, was appointed on 31 December 1781 by Congress as a director of the national bank, known as the Bank of North America. Morris devised the idea of starting a national bank to support the finances of the United States. Although out of Congress, Wilson’s association with the assembly had apparently mended during 1782. He was appointed in June as a representative of Pennsylvania to the commissioners’ hearing in Trenton regarding the land dispute between Pennsylvania and Connecticut. The dispute was finally settled on 13 December 1782 in Pennsylvania’s favor; the court ruled that Connecticut had no legitimate claim to the land in the Wyoming Valley. Wilson was reelected to Congress three more times beginning in 1782. His family sustained a tragedy during 1786 when his wife, Rachael, succumbed. Wilson remarried in 1793, taking Hannah Gray, the daughter of Ellis Gray, a Boston merchant, as his second wife. By 1786, the movement to create an American Constitution to replace the Articles of Confederation was accelerating. The Constitutional Convention convened the next year in Philadelphia. James, as a Pennsylvania delegate, was in the forefront of the activity and devoted enormous time to the sessions, attending nearly all of them. Quite frequently, he was on the floor speaking on behalf of adoption of the constitution and apparently was surpassed only by Gouverneur Morris in the number of speeches presented. Wilson was closely aligned to James Madison during the convention. He was a delegate to the Constitutional Convention held in Philadelphia during 1787, and he played a primary role in devising the U.S. Constitution. On 23 July of that year, the body passed a resolution: “Resolved, That the proceedings of the convention for the establishment of a national government, except what respects the supreme executive, be referred to a committee for the purpose of reporting a constitution, conformably to the proceedings aforesaid.” A committee composed of John Rutledge, Nathaniel Gorham, Oliver Ellsworth and Edmund Randolph presented a draft on 6 August 1787. After a successful convention, which concluded with the adoption of the new U.S. Constitution, Wilson became heavily involved with the task of getting Pennsylvania to ratify it. That endeavor was also successful; Pennsylvania followed Delaware to become the second state to adopt the document. Pennsylvania ratified on 12 December 1787, trailing Delaware by four days. Wilson, an opponent of the original state constitution, also played a key role in the creation of the new Pennsylvania constitution (1789– 1790), which was designed to be similar to the U.S. Constitution. In a speech he gave at the Pennsylvania convention, he explained why he so strongly urged ratification, even though he disapproved of some of the content: “I am satisfied that any thing nearer to perfection could not have been accomplished. If there are errors, it should be remembered, that the seeds of reformation are sown in the work itself, and a concurrence of two thirds of the congress may, at any time, introduce alterations and amendments. Regarding it, then in every point of view, with a candid and disinterested mind, I am bold to assert, that it is the best form of government which has ever been offered to the world.” Wilson used his personal relationship with President George Washington to directly request a position as a Supreme Court justice, with intent of receiving the top post. Although he was not appointed chief justice, during 1789, President Washington appointed him as an associate justice on the first Supreme Court. The others appointed were John Jay (chief justice), John Blair (Virginia), William Cushing (Massachusetts), and James Iredell (North Carolina). That year, Wilson became the first law professor at Philadelphia College, which in 1792 became part of the University of Pennsylvania.

By 1792, Wilson reinitiated land speculation, but his deals in Georgia, Pennsylvania and New York failed and wiped out his finances. The grand plan of Wilson was to have large numbers of people from Europe, particularly Germany, to be persuaded to immigrate and settle in the western sectors of the United States, with the massive project underwritten by European capital. Wilson’s actions quickly came under scrutiny, including his attempt while on the Supreme Court to use his influence with the Pennsylvania legislature to enact laws that would have favored land speculators. Moves were made to impeach him, but they were unsuccessful. Wilson, who wrote only a few opinions, did not achieve the success on the Supreme Court that his capabilities and experience promised. During those years he was the object of much criticism. For one thing, he tried to influence the enactment of legislation in Pennsylvania favorable to land speculators. His inability to pay his debts caused him to be for a while confined in debtors’ prison. At one point (1797), he skipped from Philadelphia to Burlington, New Jersey, to avoid his debtors and jail. During 1794, his brother-in-law, Mark Bird, unable to duplicate the success established by his father in iron works, was compelled to liquidate the estate. Following several exchanges of title, James Wilson, during 1794 gained control of the works; however, he relinquished it during 1796. No documentation verifies that James ever operated the facility. He was never able to rebound either financially or physically, and his mental ability had been greatly strained. In 1798, he suffered a “great mental fatigue.” James Wilson died on 28 August 1798 while engaged in court business in North Carolina at the residence of Judge James Iredell. He was initially interred at the Hayes Plantation in North Carolina and later was re-interred at Christ Church in Philadelphia, where his first wife, Rachael, had been buried. The cemetery also contains the graves of four other signers of the Declaration of Independence. Wilson was survived by his second wife, Hannah Gray Wilson, and his six children from his first marriage. James and Hannah had one child, Henry, but he died while an infant. Hannah subsequently married Doctor Thomas Bartlett of Boston and later, during 1807, she succumbed while on a visit to England. James’ daughter, Mary, married Paschal Hollingsworth. His son William resigned a commission in the army to become a merchant. His daughter Emily remained unmarried. His son Charles served in the navy and afterward, like his brother, William, he became a merchant. His son Bird became a member of the clergy.

Winds (Windes), Brigadier General William William Winds was born in Southhold, Long Island, in New York about 1727–1728. Later he acquired land (Burroughs tract on Pigeon Hill) in Morris County, New Jersey; however there was a problem with the deed and he afterward “sold his right, giving a quit-claim deed.” He acquired a larger tract in the vicinity of Dover. Later in life he sold several of the farms on the property, but he retained one, which became known as the “Winds Farm.” William became a prominent citizen of the area and often he was sought out for advice and assistance. During the French and Indian war, William Winds was appointed as a captain in 1759. He was an officer in the New Jersey brigade. Nevertheless, according to records, the enlistment terms of his unit expired and the contingent was not present at the surrender of Quebec during 1759. One story handed down (but not verified by documentation) recounted a timid officer who ordered his command not to return fire, nor offer resistance, while they were under attack at a point north of Albany. Apparently, Captain Winds refused to obey the order and risked capture or death for the entire contingent. Words were exchanged between Winds and his commander (unnamed), prompting the commanding officer to threaten Winds with his drawn sword. Winds, in turn, with the support of the command, responded to the

495 threat and the officer hurriedly abandoned his post and was last seen heading south. Winds assumed command of the unit. During his service, Captain Winds was involved in the capture of many prisoners, one of which, a Frenchman, became close to Winds and actually returned to New Jersey with him. Later Winds gave the man, named Cubby (Cubbey), about twelve acres of land. Winds was a contributor and parishioner of the Presbyterian church in Rockaway and greatly aided in its construction. He attended services frequently. In 1765, he was appointed as a justice of the peace for Morris County. His appointment was timely for the Patriots, as he was a defiant opponent of the Stamp Act passed by Parliament that year. In 1772, Winds was elected to the General Assembly. Captain Winds was appointed as a major in the militia the next year. When the relations between Britain and the colonies passed beyond reconciliation, Winds remained firmly aligned with the American cause. He was elected as a delegate to the New Jersey Provincial Congress that convened in Brunswick. On 7 November 1775, Winds was appointed lieutenant colonel of the 1st New Jersey Regiment, making him second in command to General William Alexander (Lord Stirling). On 6 January 1776, Lord Stirling dispatched a contingent to intercept enemy intelligence. The operation exceeded expectations and included information that the governor, William Franklin, was about to flee the country. A contingent moved to his estate and confined him. On the 8th, Franklin, the son of Benjamin Franklin, made the case to his guard that he had only acted as a “faithful servant of the Crown.” On the following day, he reiterated his complaint and demanded that the guards be removed, prompting a retort from Colonel Winds: “So I say, touching the sentinels placed at your gate, I have done nothing, but what was my duty to do as a faithful officer of the Congress.” In February 1776, while at Perth Amboy, attached to the Continental Forces, Colonel Winds informed headquarters that his command was “destitute of ammunition.” Congress acted quickly and requested that Somerset County supply him with “four quarter-casks of powder.” In addition, Congress requested that 150 pounds of lead be sent from Middlesex County to Winds’ headquarters. On 7 March 1776, Colonel Alexander was promoted by Congress to the rank of colonel of the 1st New Jersey Battalion, and at the same time, Matthias Ogden was appointed lieutenant colonel. Colonel Winds received an accompanying letter with his commission: “The promotion of my Lord Stirling to the rank of Brigadier General in the Continental Army, having occasioned a vacancy, the Congress, in consideration of your merit and attachment to the American cause, have appointed you to succeed him. I do myself the honor to enclose your commission; and am, Sir, your humble servant, JOHN HANCOCK.” The regiment was dissatisfied with the selection of Ogden as lieutenant colonel; however, he remained with the regiment and during the following year, he succeeded Winds as colonel. The regiment was ordered to join the expeditionary force in Canada, but by the time Winds set out, the campaign had already sustained a devastating defeat on 31 December. General Richard Montgomery had been killed on that day and the forces were under the command of Benedict Arnold, who himself had sustained a severe wound. While at Stillwater, New York, Colonel Winds, in a letter to John Hancock dated 18 May 1776, requested that the regimental surgeon, Doctor Burnett, be replaced due to his “extortion and the negligence.” The regiment advanced to Sorell and possibly beyond to Three Rivers. During that period, inhabitants in New Hampshire were urgently requesting that General John Sullivan send troops to defend them during the retreat of the army from Canada due to an increase of Indian raids that were wreaking havoc on the settlements. On 2 July 1776, General Sullivan wrote to General Washington to inform him that Colonel Winds, with a contingent of about 150 men, was dispatched to the Onion River. On 15 July at Sherbourne, New Hampshire, Colonel Winds wrote to General Horatio Gates that he was accompanied

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by twenty-six men and that they had built a stockade for the protection of the settlers and for his troops. Winds also inquired about orders regarding when he was to rejoin his regiment, which was ordered to Ticonderoga, and he requested provisions because those he had were exhausted. On 5 November 1776, General Sullivan, at Ticonderoga, ordered Colonel Winds to repair to Skenesborough with those men in his regiment (including officers and non-commissioned officers) whose enlistments were about to expire. The departure was to take place on the following day. The order specified that the troops “embark at 5 o’clock, five in a boat.” On 3 February 1777, by action of the joint legislature, Colonel Winds was elected colonel of the “Western Battalion of Militia in the county of Morris.” Colonel Winds succeeded Colonel Jacob Drake. During the following month, on 4 March 1777, Colonel Winds was “elected by ballot a Brigadier-General of the Militia of this State.” Later that year, General Winds was deployed along the North River (Hudson River) during the Saratoga Campaign, and consequently he did not participate in the decisive battles of Saratoga during September and October 1777. With the defeat of General John Burgoyne, British General Henry Clinton returned to New York, permitting General Winds’ command to return to New Jersey. The next spring, General Winds’ command was again active in New Jersey against the Loyalists in the areas around Elizabeth and Hackensack. After the British abandoned Philadelphia during June 1778, the Continental Army broke camp at Valley Forge and initiated pursuit, intent on intercepting the columns before they reached New York. General George Washington, convinced that the British would head for Sandy Hook, ordered General Winds and a contingent to move along the Raritan River to blockade passage if the Continental Army could inflict defeat at Monmouth. Winds was to intercept the British baggage train. The plan went awry when General Winds was informed that Elizabeth was under attack and that he should go there. The information was erroneous and Winds paid a price for diverting. He reached Spotswood and then returned. Rumors circulated that his action were cowardly. Nevertheless, he believed the erroneous information and took blame for the miscalculation. During the night of 28 June 1778, Clinton abandoned his positions at Monmouth and resumed the retreat. Despite the controversy, Winds’ prior actions prevented any genuine charges of cowardice, and his record also prevented possible discharge from the service. Subsequently, General Winds led a contingent to Minisink, where hostile Indians were causing terror. While on the campaign, on one occasion, at Aquackanonk, on a Sunday, General Winds addressed his troops: “Brother soldiers, to-day, by the blessing of God, I mean to attack the enemy. All you that are sick, lame, or afraid, stay behind, for I don’t want sick men: lame men can’t run, and cowards won’t fight!” By the following year, the incident at the Battle of Monmouth continued to haunt him. General Winds resigned on 10 June 1779. Although General Winds resigned his commission, he is known to have participated in later actions, including the Battle of Springfield during 1780. He was later involved while the Americans were working to keep the British in New York in cooperation with Washington’s efforts to trap General Charles Cornwallis in Virginia. Subsequent to the close of hostilities, General Winds resumed his private life. He was elected as a delegate to the state convention that ratified the United States Constitution on 3 December 1787, to become the third state in the Union. General William Winds died on 12 October 1789 “of dropsy in the chest.” He was interred with the “honors of war” in the burial grounds of the Presbyterian church that he attended. On the day prior to his death, General Winds signed his last will and testament. His wife, who remained in poor health for years, survived her husband. In his will General Winds left “all his personal and real estate to his dear and well beloved wife, Ruhamah, for her sole use and benefit as long as she

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should remain his widow, and should she marry, the use and benefit of the third of his whole estate.” Another of the items was as follows: “For that great regard I have felt for the interest of Christ’s kingdom, and for the benefit of the Presbyterian Church, I do hereby give and bequeath to the Presbyterian Church at Rockaway all the remainder of my whole estate for a parsonage.” General Winds’ gravestone bore a long epitaph, which ended with the following words: “He was a provident husband, a kind neighbor, a friend to the poor, and a good Christian. Blessed are the dead that die in the Lord.” General Winds attended church services frequently, but never without his arms. On one occasion, a rider bolted from his horse and excitedly entered the church during services to inform the congregation that the British were advancing toward Morristown. General Winds became incensed, not with the messenger but at the men service who had not brought their weapons. A woman who was at the service later related that Winds “spoke, or rather bawled, so loud that I should think he might have been heard to the Short Hills!” General Winds at times during the absence of a preacher led the service. He always spoke in a low voice until he came to the part where he requested prayers for the cause. At that point, “his excitement became explosive, and his voice was raised until it sounded like heavy thunder!” The general’s voice was familiar to all in the town and the stories abound, including one which was witnessed when a British party was approaching. Winds bellowed, “Open to the right and left and let the artillery through.” The ruse worked and the British, fearful of the phantom artillery, retired. General Winds was known for idiosyncrasies, particularly his demand that his orders be instantly carried out, whether given as an officer, a husband, father or employer. He is known to have locked his wife, Ruhama, in a room because she failed to carry out an order. On another occasion, he ordered his niece to take his horse on an errand. His niece was fearful of riding that particular horse due to its temperament, but she was more afraid of her uncle. His niece never completed the errand. The horse threw her and she became crippled and remained a cripple for the remainder of her life. The accident that caused such terrible injury to one of his favorite relatives bore heavy on Winds’ heart for his entire life. He afterward kept a constant watch over her and upon his death, he bequeathed her “one-twentieth of his whole estate.”

Witherspoon, John (Signer of the Declaration of Independence) John Witherspoon, the son of the Rev. James (Calvinist) and Anne Walker Witherspoon, was born in Gifford, in the vicinity of Edinburgh, Scotland. Accounts differ on his birth date, with some, like Benson Lossing (1848) and the Rev. Charles A. Goodrich (1840), placing it on February 5, 1722. The National Parks System does not select a specific date, stipulating only 1723. The epitaph on his tombstone states that he died during November 1794 at age 73, which would have placed his birth in 1721. John’s maternal grandfather, David Walker, also was a minister. John’s family seemed intent that he would follow in the family tradition and become a member of the clergy. John’s early education, in addition to what his parents taught him, included a preparatory or grammar school in the village of Haddington. He entered Edinburgh University Jonathan Witherspoon (Biographical Sketches of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence, Benson J. Lossing, 1854)

when he was about fourteen years old. By 1739, he received a master of arts degree. He graduated from the University of St. Andrew with a divinity degree in 1743, and at that time he gained a license from the Haddington Presbytery, which authorized him to preach about two years before he was ordained a minister. Later, during April 1745, he was ordained and appointed pastor of a church in Beith, in the western sector of Scotland. In addition to his excellent education, John had a natural skill in oratory that would serve him well throughout his career. In addition, he authored many profound pieces. During the following year, John Witherspoon found himself under some unfortunate circumstances. He and many others had been drawn to the moor southwest of Falkirk and about ten miles south of Stirling, Scotland, on 17 January to observe two clashing armies: the Scots under Prince Charles and the British forces of King George II. The battle, which was part of the 2nd Jacobite Rebellion, was won by the rebels under Prince Charles. Witherspoon, although not a participant, was seized by the rebels and confined for a while at Castle Doune in the Stirling district of Scotland. Some of those confined with him attempted to escape by dropping a line of blankets tied together, but the plan was foiled before all descended when it broke. One man was injured. An attempt was made to repair the broken line, but that too failed and again another man was hurt badly. Witherspoon chose not to descend. He lingered in the cell, awaiting his release, which did come, and he was permitted to return home. Nonetheless, the conditions of confinement had a lasting effect on John, from which he never fully recovered. In 1748, John married Elizabeth Montgomery. John and Elizabeth had ten children, but of those, only five survived at the time the family immigrated to America. They were James, John, David, Anna and Frances. During 1753, John Witherspoon penned one of his memorable works, “Ecclesiastical Characteristics,” which was a satirical yet profound statement (initially published anonymously) against a group of ministers who were ignoring dogmatic faith and proclaiming humanism through their preaching. In 1757, he wrote “Serious Enquiry into the Nature and Effects of the Stage,” which proclaimed that “the theater was not an innocent recreation but an arouser of immoral passion.” That year, Witherspoon became the pastor at Paisley. Subsequently, during 1764, in recognition of his knowledge and theological skills, the University of St. Andrews awarded him an honorary doctorate of divinity degree. While Witherspoon was still in Scotland, the trustees of the college of New Jersey selected him as president. At the time, Richard Stockton, an American, was in Scotland and was asked to notify Witherspoon of his appointment and to convince him to accept; however, Stockton’s persuasion could not overcome Witherspoon’s wife’s reluctance to cross the ocean and leave her home country. Nevertheless, during 1768, about a year after Stockton returned home from Europe, Elizabeth Witherspoon agreed to take the voyage. They departed from Greenock during May and arrived in Philadelphia on 7 August 1768. Benjamin Rush, another American who had been in Scotland, had also worked to persuade the Witherspoons to accept the appointment. The Witherspoons had no idea of the part they would soon play in determining the fate of the colonies. Nor could they have contemplated the fact that Stockton, Rush and John Witherspoon would each be a member of Congress during 1776, when the colonies broke from Britain. After their arrival in Philadelphia, the Witherspoons were greeted by a large number of people from the Presbyterian Church who were there to meet the ship. The family remained in the city for about five days and then departed by stagecoach for Princeton, arriving there after dark on the same day. To their surprise, illumination from innumerable candles and lanterns, positioned by students, spotlighted Nassau Hall. The students at Princeton had planned a grand welcoming celebration. Without delay, Witherspoon began to improve the college, and within about two years, he accomplished his goals. He immediately

497 improved the school’s library with several hundred books from his private collection and others donated by friends. He intensified the subjects taught and he often tutored students in French and Hebrew. Witherspoon’s policies regarding religion at the school were also rigorous. The day began at 0600. A bell ring signaling chapel prayers, and following a usual study-filled day, prayers were again called for at 1700, prior to the evening meal, which was provided about two hours after prayers. Witherspoon frequently lectured, and during his early days at the college, some of those, including lectures on eloquence on moral philosophy, although not intended for posterity, were preserved. Witherspoon’s oldest son, John, graduated from the institution during 1770. Four years later, John’s two other sons, John II and David, graduated. The younger John later entered the Continental Army and David pursued a medical career. At the time, the College of New Jersey was the only Presbyterian college in the colonies, but Witherspoon’s plan included bringing in other denominations. Witherspoon, as the president of the college and as a minister, initially played no part in politics; however, his arrival was unavoidably connected with the deteriorating relations between the colonies and Britain. In addition to his secular position at the college, he remained deeply involved with his clerical duties. He was responsible for bringing together factions within the Presbyterian Church that had caused a schism and helped bring it to an end. Witherspoon, a loyal subject of the Crown, found himself siding with the colonists in their disgust for the policies of Parliament and the Crown. The tactics of the British had penetrated beyond the political opponents and inspired many average Americans to resent and oppose the policies. The students at the College of New Jersey displayed no reticence; rather, they boldly protested against the British government and proclaimed support for the Patriots’ cause. Their actions were encouraged by the faculty and the president, who began to pen various pieces on the matter. Witherspoon, himself a Scotsman, needed little prodding to increase his personal dislike of the British. Witherspoon’s sermons, like his recent essays, advocated opposition to Britain. In 1774 he entered the field of politics when he became a member of the New Jersey. He authored an essay, “Thoughts on American Liberty,” in which he strongly suggested that Congress should be considering the colonies in America as one nation, and he also suggested that the Congress agree upon a specific national interest, essentially professing that the American colonists should govern themselves. During May 1776, Witherspoon gave a profound sermon, “Dominion of Providence over the Passions of Man,” in which he urged trust in God: “From what has been said you may learn what encouragement you have to put your trust in God, and hope for his assistance in the present important conflict. He is the Lord of hosts, great in might, and strong in battle. Whoever hath his countenance and approbation, shall have the best at last. I do not mean to speak prophetically, but agreeably to the analogy of faith, and the principles of God’s moral government. I leave this as a matter rather of conjecture than certainty, but observe, that if your conduct is prudent, you need not fear the multitude of opposing hosts.” Witherspoon was involved with the action that culminated in 1776 with the arrest of William Franklin, the son of Benjamin Franklin and royal governor of New Jersey. By that time he was still a man of the cloth, but also a leader of the Patriots’ cause. He was appointed to a local New Jersey Committee of Correspondence, one of many such committees formed throughout the colonies to maintain contact as the British increased their intensity to subjugate the colonies. He was elected to the Continental Congress in 1776 and once there, in Philadelphia, he supported independence, voted for it and later signed the parchment Declaration of Independence. During one of the debates on the floor, it was mentioned by one of the opponents of the measure that the country was “not yet ripe” for proclaiming independence, and Witherspoon retorted that the coun-

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try “was not only ripe for the measure, but in danger of rotting for the want of it.” In many of the other debates, Witherspoon having been a skilled orator, effortlessly contributed his thoughts and opinions, which along with those of the other proponents, caused the call for independence to prevail. Nevertheless, for a while, some New Jersey delegates remained in opposition, but they were replaced by Francis Hopkinson, Richard Stockton and John Witherspoon. In all, five delegates from New Jersey signed the Declaration. The other two were Abraham Clark and John Hart. During August, the British landed at New York and prepared to move against Philadelphia to eradicate the rabble and quash the insurrection, thought by many of the British commanders at the time to be but a mere nuisance. By November 1776, Witherspoon was compelled to close the doors of the college due to the encroachment of the British army. The British soon occupied the grounds and plundered the property. The invaluable library collection was lost when the British burned it. The main structure, Nassau Hall, was spared and used for quarters. On 8 November, Witherspoon was authorized to leave Philadelphia and take four prisoners — Archibald Gardiner, James Henderson, Peter Jack, and Hugh Ross — along to Princeton, New Jersey, and await further instructions from Congress. On Christmas Eve 1776, Congress appointed Witherspoon and four others (Samuel Adams, Abraham Clark, Elbridge Gerry and Richard Henry Lee) as a committee charged with designing a plan to entice foreign assistance in support of the war against Great Britain. Witherspoon was appointed on 22 March 1777 to yet another committee, which was given responsibility to increase the health of the troops and to devise methods of instilling more discipline. He was also engaged in the discussion and debates that brought about the Articles of Confederation, which were adopted on 16 November 1777. Other committees on which Witherspoon served included one created 29 May 1778, when Congress directed “that a committee of four be appointed to report a plan for regulating continental expresses, and to enquire into and rectify abuses in the general post office.” Other members were Samuel Adams, William Henry Drayton and Richard Henry Lee. In 1779, Witherspoon moved from the campus area (President’s House) to his country estate (Tusculum) near the college. By that time, due greatly to the earlier British occupation, the college had been devastated. The Rev. Samuel Smith, the son-in-law of Witherspoon, who married Anna Witherspoon, was vice president of the college and remained there to oversee the institution, which barely existed. Witherspoon, throughout his career, never stepped away from his first priority, the clergy. He departed Congress during 1779 because of poor health; however, he was re-elected again the following year. On 13 September 1781, the month prior to the surrender of Lord General Charles Cornwallis, Witherspoon seconded a motion made by Roger Sherman, which was adopted: “That Thursday, the 13th day of December next, be appointed to be observed as a day of public thanksgiving throughout the United States; and that a committee be appointed to prepare and report a proclamation suitable to the occasion.” The committee included John Witherspoon. He remained in Congress until 1782, and after his departure, he resumed his complete dedication to the College, where he remained as president until 1794. Meanwhile, during 1782, the trustees at the college persuaded Witherspoon to journey to Europe to raise money to rebuild the institution. He was accompanied by Joseph Reed, and both men returned during 1784. On a local basis, after the close of hostilities, Witherspoon did serve for awhile in the New Jersey legislature. During 1786, he penned another prophetic piece, the “Essay on Money as a Medium of Commerce,” which spelled out the great dangers of paper currency inserted among the population, which would essentially devalue the money.

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During 1787, Witherspoon attended the New Jersey convention of 1787, which ratified the U.S. Constitution on the 18th of December and made New Jersey the third state to enter the union, behind Delaware and Pennsylvania. In 1789, Witherspoon was engaged with the reorganization of the Presbyterian Church and was chosen as moderator of its first assembly. Witherspoon sustained the loss of his wife, Elizabeth, in 1787. Four of their children survived her. James, who had graduated from New Jersey College (later Princeton) had been killed at the Battle of Germantown, along with General Francis Nash, on 4 October 1777. James Witherspoon at the time was an aide to General Nash. John Witherspoon remarried in May 1791, taking Ann Marshall Dill, the widow of Doctor Armstrong Dill, as his second wife. Ann was about 23 years old and John was about 68 years old. From John’s second marriage, two children were born, the first died soon after birth. By the time of his second marriage, John’s health began to falter. During the last two years of his life, he had become totally blind, having first lost sight in one eye and then the other. Nonetheless, with assistance, Witherspoon was able to ascend the steps of a pulpit and deliver stirring sermons. John Witherspoon succumbed on 15 November 1794 at Tusculum. He was interred at the President’s Lot at Princeton Cemetery. He was survived by his second wife, Ann, their child Mary, about six months old, and four children from his first marriage. His daughter Anna married the Rev. Samuel Smith, who succeeded John Witherspoon as president of Princeton. His son John, a doctor, was lost at sea. David, the youngest of John’s sons, and a lawyer, married Sarah Moore Nash, the widow of General Nash and the daughter of Judge Maurice Moore of North Carolina. His daughter Frances married Doctor David Ramsay (Ramsey), a renowned historian from North Carolina. Mary, John’s child from his second marriage, married the Rev. James S. Woods. A lengthy tribute to Reverend John Witherspoon was inscribed at his grave. It read, in part: “Beneath this marble lie interred the mortal remains of John Witherspoon, D.D. LL.D., a venerable and beloved President of the College of New Jersey.... Excelling in every mental gift, he was a man of pre-eminent piety and virtue.... He was, for a long time, conspicuous Among the most brilliant luminaries of learning and of the Church.” Several statues dedicated to John Witherspoon were erected, including one in Washington, D.C. during 1909, and another one in Fairmount Park, Philadelphia, erected during 1876. Another statue is at Princeton University, near East Pyne Hall.

Wolcott, Brigadier General Erastus Erastus Wolcott, the son of royal governor Roger and Sarah Drake Wolcott, was born on 21 September 1722. Roger and Sarah had fifteen children, including one set of twins. Of the family, eight children, including Erastus and his younger brother, Oliver (also a brigadier general), survived to adulthood. Erastus later married his cousin, Jerusha Wolcott. They had the following children: Erastus (b. December 1747, d. Aug 1751); Fluvia (b. May 1750, d. August 1751); Erastus (2) (b. July 1752); Fluvia (2) (b. January 1754, married Roswell Grant); Jersuha (b. November 1755, married her cousin Samuel Wolcott); Arodi (b. 1759); and Albert (b. 1761). Erastus Wolcott was among five men named as delegates to the First Continental Congress in Philadelphia in 1774. Others appointed were Silas Deane, Richard Law, William S. Johnson and Eliphalet Dyer; however, Wolcott, Johnson and Law declined. Wolcott was appointed a colonel in the militia during 1775, and later promoted to brigadier general. During 1775 he participated in the siege of Boston and afterward in New York. Subsequently, he saw service in various places, including Danbury, Connecticut, and Peekskill, New York. After the revolution, General Wolcott was elected to Congress, but he never served. In addition, he was appointed to the Superior Court. He died on 14 September 1793. (See also, Wolcott, Oliver.)

Wolcott, Oliver (Signer of the Declaration of Independence) Oliver Wolcott, the son of royal governor Roger and Sarah Drake Wolcott, was born on 26 November 1726, in Windsor (present-day South Windsor), Connecticut. The Wolcotts were descendants of Henry Wolcott, who immigrated to Massachusetts during 1630. Henry Wolcott, a man of affluence, began an association of other wealthy Americans, including Roger Ludlow, John Mason and others, each from Windsor, Connecticut. Henry’s son, Simon, was Oliver’s grandfather and the father of Roger Wolcott. Oliver was the youngest of fifteen children, including one set of twins. Of the family, eight children survived to adulthood. They were Alexander, Josiah, Erastus, Sarah, Hephzibah, Ursula, Mariann, and Oliver. Oliver received an excellent education, including graduating first in his class at Yale in 1747, the same year that his mother died. Upon graduation, he served in the military as a captain of militia for the colonial governor, George Clinton (1743–1753), during King George’s War (1740–1788, also known in Europe as the War of Spanish Succession), which had spread to the colonies. Oliver’s father, Roger Wolcott, during 1745, was lieutenant general of Connecticut when Governor Jonathan Law held a special meeting at Hartford during February and in response to a request from Massachusetts, agreed to send Connecticut troops to support the war. Colonel William Peperell was appointed as commander-in-chief and Roger Wolcott, second in command, was given the rank of major general. Roger Wolcott participated in the capture of Louisbourg during June 1745. The conflict terminated with a peace agreement, which cost the British their captured territory in New France. Oliver Wolcott returned home following the peace agreement of Aix-la-Chapelle, signed during October 1748, in conjunction with his unit being disbanded. Once back in Connecticut, Wolcott began medical studies under his brother, Doctor Alexander Wolcott; however, he is not known to have ever opened a practice. Upon the death of Governor Law in November 1750, Oliver’s father, Roger, the lieutenant governor, ascended to the post as his successor. Roger Wolcott held the post until 1754 when he was defeated, due in great part to accusations of malfeasance. He was later exonerated. About 1751, Oliver Wolcott moved to Litchfield, part of recently organized Litchfield County, a region previously known as Bantam. The new county, carved primarily from Hartford, was created during the October 1751 session of the general court, and at that time, Litchfield was the county seat. It was there that Wolcott initiated his public life, beginning with an appointment from his father, the governor, to the post of sheriff of Litchfield County, which he retained from 1751 through 1775. In January 1759, Oliver married Laura (Lorraine) Collins, the daughter of Captain Daniel and Lois Cornwall Collins and a relative of the Rev. Timothy Collins, the first minister of Litchfield. Oliver’s wife was from Guilford, Connecticut, and about 23 years old. Oliver and Laura had five children, but one, Oliver, died in infancy. Their others were Oliver II (1760), Laura (1761), Mary Ann (also Mariana, 1765); Oliver Wolcott (Biographical Sketches and Frederick (1767). He was of the Signers of the Declaration of elected to one year terms to Independence, Benson J. Lossing, 1854)

499 the lower house of the Connecticut legislature in 1764 and 1767. Oliver’s father succumbed on 17 May 1767. Once again, during 1770, Oliver was elected to the lower house, but the following year, he was elevated to the upper house of both the colonial legislatures, where he served from 1771 through 1786, which included the state legislature. At the time of his election, the tension between England and the colonies continued to become more inflamed due to the policies of Parliament and the Crown. By 1774, Wolcott had been promoted to the rank of colonel of militia, one year before his older brother Erastus was appointed colonel. During spring of 1774, he was named commissary for Connecticut’s troops, and Congress appointed him as a commissioner of Indian affairs in the Northern Department. While in that capacity, he attended a meeting held with the Six Nations (Iroquois) at Albany, which succeeded in persuading the Indians not to side with the British; however, the success was not permanent. That year he was selected as an assistant in the state council, a position he retained by annual re-election until 1786. Wolcott served as chief justice of the court of common pleas (1774–1778) and as judge of the court of probate (1772–1781), both for Litchfield County. In 1774 he was involved with the arbitration between Pennsylvania and Connecticut regarding land claims in the Wyoming Valley (Pennsylvania) and in another land dispute between Vermont and New York. In 1775, Wolcott was propelled onto the national scene when he was elected to the Second Continental Congress. He attended his first session during January 1776. While there, he was aligned with the Patriots, who were seeking reconciliation if possible but were prepared to fight for independence. Wolcott remained in Congress until 1783 except for 1779. During those fateful days of 1776, he staunchly supported independence, but sudden illness compelled him to return home, causing him to miss the vote for the Declaration of Independence during July. William Williams replaced him and voted for independence. Nevertheless, Wolcott did return to Congress during October 1776 and afterward signed the parchment document. Several weeks after the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, the citizens of Litchfield held special celebration in honor of the Declaration. At the time a an equestrian statue of the less than beloved King George III stood in lower New York at Bowling Green. The statue was removed one night and expeditiously transported to the residence of Oliver Wolcott, after which it was made into more than 42,000 bullets for use by the Continental Army. On 15 August, Governor Jonathan Trumbull and the Connecticut Council of Safety appointed Wolcott as commander of fourteen regiments of militia, which were afterward divided into four separate brigades. That year Wolcott was commissioned as brigadier general of Connecticut militia. Wolcott was on the field in command at various places, including against the British in New York during 1776 and 1777, which caused him to split his time between Congress and the field. When Congress fled from Philadelphia during autumn of 1776, he traveled to Baltimore and participated in the congressional activity there through the winter of 1777. Wolcott, concerned about his family, wrote to his wife in March 1777 expressing his happiness that the family had been inoculated for smallpox, but distressed that one of his children, Mariann, had suffered from a severe case of the disease: “I am heartily sorry for what the little Child has suffered, and very much want to see her.” Laura Wolcott continued to contribute to the cause, including making their residence available to the Continental Army and providing supplies such as blankets and stockings on a nonstop basis. During summer of 1777, Oliver Wolcott, in his military capacity, remained active with the militia, and at one point dispatched a few thousand troops to support General Israel Putnam’s efforts along the North River (Hudson). During British General John Burgoyne’s campaign to link up with General Howe during 1777, Wolcott commanded a large force

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of Connecticut troops that contributed to the American victory that caused Burgoyne to surrender his entire army after the 2nd Battle of Saratoga, New York. After the campaign in New York, Wolcott found himself back in Congress at York, Pennsylvania, during February 1778. He remained there and concentrated on national affairs until July. After being promoted to major general in May 1779, Wolcott assumed command of all Connecticut militia and led the defenders against the assaults from the sea that summer, which were commanded by New York’s Governor William Tryon, whose forces spewed destruction upon the coastal towns. After the close of hostilities, Wolcott returned to his home, which he had built during 1753, and resumed his various duties within the state, but he was also involved with national matters. Wolcott attended no congressional sessions during 1780 and during 1781–1782, his attendance was sporadic, due primarily to his military duties. As a commissioner of Indian affairs, Wolcott, with Arthur Lee and Richard Butler, participated in the negotiations with the Six Nations (Mohawks, Oneidas, Onondagas, Cayugas, Senecas and Tuscaroras) in 1784. The talks ended with the Second Treaty of Fort Stanwix, which gained lands for the United States from the Iroquois in New York and Pennsylvania. About one-half of the Oneidas remained loyal to the Americans during the revolution, while the rest sided with the British and the Loyalists. Wolcott also maintained his seat in the Connecticut upper house until 1786. The following year, he became lieutenant governor until he was elected governor in 1796. In the meantime, during 1787, he attended the state convention that ratified the United States Constitution (8 January 1788) to make Connecticut the fifth state in the union. In 1789, Wolcott was again in negotiations with the Indians. On that occasion, the Wyandottes relinquished some of their lands (Western Reserve) in present-day Ohio. Laura Wolcott died in April 1794. Wolcott became governor in 1796, succeeding Samuel Huntington, who also had been a signer of the Declaration and like Oliver, a Federalist. Nonetheless, Oliver Wolcott’s term as governor lasted only a short time. He succumbed following an illness on 1 December 1797. Historians have described Oliver Wolcott similarly though the years, and all seem to agree on his character and temperament. One description, duplicated in The Governors of Connecticut by Frederick Norton, 1905, as originally written by Benson Lossing, is as follows: “As a patriot and statesman, a Christian and a man, Governor Wolcott presented a bright example; for inflexibility, virtue, piety, and integrity were his prominent characteristics.” Governor Wolcott was interred in East Cemetery in Litchfield. The residence he built during the early 1750s has been preserved and designated as a National Landmark; however, it is a private residence and not open to the public. Governor Oliver Wolcott was survived by his four children, Oliver, Laura, Mary Ann (Mariana) and Frederick. Oliver would later, like his father and grandfather, become governor of Connecticut during 1817. In addition, upon the retirement of Alexander Hamilton, President George Washington, named the younger Walcott as the second secretary of the treasury in 1795. Laura married William Moseley. Mary Ann married Chauncey Goodrich and Frederick married Betsey Huntington, the daughter of Colonel Joshua Huntington of Norwich, Connecticut. Betsey succumbed during April 1812 and subsequently, during 1815, Frederick married Sally Worthington Cooke. Sources differ on the date of the birth of Oliver Wolcott. However, the Biography of the Signers (Sanderson, 1828), Lives of the Signers (Benson Lossing, 1848), Lives of the Signers (N. Dwight, 1860) and the Litchfield (Connecticut) Historical Society list Wolcott’s birth date as 26 November 1726.

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Woodford, Brigadier General William William Woodford, the son of Major William and Anne Cocke Woodford, was born on the family estate known as Windsor (the area was later known as Woodford) in Caroline County, Virginia, on 6 October 1734. A historical marker at the site of the mansion proclaims the county’s pride in one of its favorite sons and notes the date of his birth. William’s mother, Anne, was the daughter of Doctor William and Elizabeth Catesby Cocke, who was a member of the King’s Council and for a time (1709) was secretary of the colony. William’s father, a merchant, emigrated from England. Initially, he married in England, taking a widow, Mrs. Whittaker as his wife; however, she died after moving to Caroline County. The couple had no children. The elder William married another widow, a Mrs. Battaille and that marriage also ended prematurely with the death of his wife. Later, during 1732, he again married, taking Anne as his third wife, and from that marriage, five children were born; however, one child (Henry) died prior to reaching age majority. William’s other siblings were Thomas, Catesby and John. William Woodford later entered the military and was with Lt. Colonel George Washington at Fort Necessity (1754), which was the initial part of the imminent conflict with France. During the French and Indian War, he and several other notable Virginians, including future general George Weedon, received commissions as officers during that period. Woodford was commissioned as an ensign on 26 July 1756. During the conflict, he was promoted to the rank of captain. Captain Woodford remained in the militia until 1761 and afterward, he was again called upon, extending his service into early 1762. Captain Woodford also participated in the campaigns against the Cherokees in Virginia and the Carolinas (1760–1761). In addition to his military life, Woodford also focused on his personal life. He married Mary Thornton (George Washington’s cousin, a granddaughter of Washington’s Aunt Mildred) on 26 June, 1762. She was the daughter of John and Mildred Gregory Thornton. The couple had two children, John Thornton (b. 1753) and William Catesby (b. 1768). In the early 1770s, Woodford inherited the estate (Windsor) upon the death of his father. In addition to being a planter, he began a new endeavor about 1764 when he acquired a brewery in Fredericksburg. He later purchased the Bloomery (furnace), also in Fredericksburg, in partnership with Joseph Jones. In 1777, his wife’s brother, John Thornton, became a partner. Nonetheless, Woodford sold his interests in the Fredericksburg Brewery during 1779. He became one of the Virginians in the forefront of the opposition to the Crown’s policies. When the committee of safety was created in Fredericksburg (1774), Woodford was a member, and during the following spring when the governor, Lord Dunmore, dissolved the House of Burgesses, the Patriots called for a convention. During July 1775, the Virginia Convention met and continued in session until August, with discussions and debates centering on the necessity of supporting the Continental Army in Massachusetts. On 6 August 1775, the convention elected Patrick Henry as commander of the 1st Virginia Regiment (militia). Initially the convention decided to raise 4,000 troops, but the number was modified to about 3,000. The convention appointed William Woodford as colonel of the 2nd Virginia Regiment (militia). Colonel Woodford retained command of his regiment after it was taken into the Continental Army. On 24–25 October 1775, the ousted governor, Lord Dunmore ( John Murray, 4th Earl), moved against Hampton, Virginia, with a naval squadron, but it was repulsed. Colonel Woodford participated in the action. Shortly thereafter, Dunmore’s forces were in a major confrontation, the Battle of Great Bridge, on 9 December, 1775. The Patriots were commanded by Colonel Woodford and they held dominating positions at the bridge about ten miles below Norfolk along Caroline Road. The forces of Dunmore were deployed at Fort Dunmore, a recently constructed position, with Woodford’s command posted on the oppo-

site bank of the Elizabeth River. Woodford’s challenge was Herculean because if Dunmore prevailed, he would have gained open running room into the Carolinas. Dunmore’s forces initiated the charge to demolish the obstacles. After receiving no return fire, their confidence began to bulge with cries of victory. Lt. Fordyce, leading the attack, removed his hat as he advanced, signaling the column to accelerate the pace, which remained unimpeded. Then, suddenly, when the British hit a mark at about fifty feet from the barricades, the entire line of Patriots rose and fired simultaneously. Lt. Fordyce stood about 20 feet from the barricade when he was shredded by the fire. The British never advanced to the barricades and those that survived fled to the rear. In less than a half hour, Dunmore’s plans of quashing the rebels had ended in tragedy for his force, which was vanquished. Woodford’s brilliant plan of battle worked flawlessly. Despite the assault and continuing bombardment, the Patriots only had one man with a minor wound. British casualties were never validated, but Dunmore listed his casualties at sixty-two. Dunmore, having lost the ability to govern and lacking the forces to regain Virginia, was forced to abandon Norfolk. A resolution of Congress on 13 February 1776 made William Woodford colonel of the second battalion. On 4 September 1776, Congress bypassed Colonel Woodford and appointed Adam Stephen, as a brigadier general, to the consternation of Woodford. The slight caused Woodford to resign his commission as colonel, but General George Washington, after a while, was able to persuade him to change his mind, with a plea to consider the imperativeness of the primary cause as opposed to an individual’s goals. His absence, however, did affect his seniority. On 21 February 1777, Colonel Woodford was one of ten officers (including Virginians Colonel George Weedon and Peter Muhlenberg) promoted by Congress to the rank of brigadier general. Again, General Woodford prepared to resign due to the ranking in seniority, but he remained and commanded a brigade. By May 1777, Colonel Daniel Morgan’s riflemen were attached to Woodford’s command. When the British moved against Philadelphia, General Woodford’s brigade participated in the fighting to defend the city and he was wounded at the Battle of Brandywine. Later actions of Congress made Woodford the ranking general officer (Virginia), but that caused problems with the other officers. General Weedon resigned his commission. Congress permitted Weedon to retire and informed him that if recalled, he would retain his rank. As spring approached the British failed to dominate the Delaware River and prepare to abandon Philadelphia. They evacuated the city on 18 June and the Continental Army, including Woodford’s brigade, broke camp at Valley Forge and initiated pursuit. General Woodford played a key part in the Battle of Monmouth on 28 June. His brigade was at Morristown, New Jersey, for the winter (1778–1779); however, personal business caused General Woodford to return to Fredericksburg for part of the season. He rejoined his brigade during March 1779. In December 1779, Woodford’s brigade was ordered to bolster the forces at Charleston, where the British were threatening General Benjamin Lincoln. The column was transported by sea to Williamsburg, Virginia, but from there, the brigade took an arduous overland route and arrived in Charleston on 8 April 1780. The citizens and the troops were elated at the sight of the column of Virginians (only reinforcements to arrive in Charleston) and received a hearty welcome by the beleaguered defenders. Soon after their arrival, the Virginians and a contingent of South Carolinians moved out and executed a surprise attack on the British trenches, using only their bayonets. The action netted ten prisoners. Nevertheless, the Virginians had little opportunity to contribute to the cause. The city capitulated on 12 May 1780. General William Woodford was among the captives, but he never became one of the exchanged officers; he succumbed while confined on a British prison ship in New York harbor on 13 November 1780. The

501 British at New York showed little empathy for the prisoners, regardless of rank; however, General Woodford was interred with full military honors at the Trinity Church, but the exact location of his grave site has never been discovered. General Woodford’s contributions to the independence of the United States was honored by Illinois and Kentucky, with each state naming a county in his honor.

Woodhull, Brigadier General Nathaniel Nathaniel (2) the son of Nathaniel (1) and Sarah Smith Woodhull (daughter of Richard Smith of Smithtown), was born at St. George’s Manor (Mastic, Long Island) on 30 December 1720. Nathaniel (2) was a great-grandson of Richard and Temperance Fordham Woodhull, who emigrated to America from Thenford, England, about 1648 and settled on Long Island at Brookfield. The Woodhull family had become influential and affluent. Nathaniel entered the military during the French and Indian war. He served with the rank of major in the campaign led by General James Abercrombie against Ticonderoga and Crown Point during 1758, and later he participated in the campaign of 1759–1760 that led to the surrender of the French and the termination of hostilities. While serving under General Jeffrey Amherst during the campaign of 1760, Nathaniel was promoted to the rank of colonel (2nd Provisional Regiment). Subsequent to the close of hostilities, during 1761, he married Ruth Floyd, daughter of Nicholl and Tabitha Smith Floyd and the sister of William Floyd (signer of the Declaration of Independence). Nathaniel and Ruth had one daughter, Ruth. In 1769, Woodhull was elected to the colonial assembly (New York), a position he held until 1775. That year Colonel Woodhull was a participant at the convention in which delegates to the Continental Congress were selected. He served in the Provincial Congress in 1775–1776 as president. He was commissioned as a brigadier general of militia (Queens and Suffolk counties). General Woodhull had been assigned a separate mission — moving livestock to prevent the British from seizing the cattle — and was not scheduled as part of the major contest on Long Island which ignited on 27 August. Major General John Sullivan and Brigadier General Lord Stirling were captured on the 27th and both were later exchanged; however, the British intercepted General Woodhull on the 28th as he left a tavern operated by Increase Carpenter and was preparing to mount his horse. The British force was exceedingly large, at about 700 troops led by Captain James Baird. The British commander, after having trapped Woodhull, demanded that Woodhull proclaim “God save the king.” General Woodhull modified his response: “God save us all and the Continental Army.” His defiance caused extraordinary retaliation beyond any normal code of conduct during war. The British officer drew his sword and began to repeatedly slash Woodhull, until a Loyalist, Colonel Oliver DeLancey, intervened to halt the barbarism, but by then Woodhull’s arms were of no use to him and he had sustained a nasty blow to his head. The British initially confined Woodhull in a Presbyterian church in Jamaica, and from there he was moved to Brooklyn. Once there, the British confined General Woodhull to one of their transports used to carry livestock. Eventually they moved him to New Utrecht. General Woodhull was given medical care, but gangrene had begun to spread. Surgeons, apparently less than skilled, attempted to amputate one of the general’s arms at the elbow and the operation went badly. The British had given permission for Ruth Woodhull to visit her husband and she did arrive, but not to enjoy a jubilant reunion. He died from the operation that day, 20 August 1776. Ruth was permitted to take her husband’s body back to their home. Nathaniel was interred at the family estate. Nathaniel’s daughter, Ruth, married Henry Nicholl and afterward, Judge William Smith, also of Long Island.

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Wooster, Brigadier General David David Wooster, one of five children and the only son of Abraham and Mary Walker Wooster, was born on 2 March 1710 in Strafford (Fairfield County), Connecticut. His siblings were Ruth (1700), Joseph (1702), Sarah (1705), Hannah, (1708–1709), and Ann (1723). David’s father was the son of Edward and Tabitha Tomlinson Wooster. His mother was the daughter of Jacob and Elizabeth Wheeler Walker. Abraham, born in Milford, New Haven, Connecticut, and his wife, Mary, were married in Stratford. David, during his youth, was apparently influenced by the Reverend Johnson, an Episcopal pastor in Stratford as well as a tutor at Yale. David entered Yale when he was about 23 and graduated during 1738. About a year after graduation, he served in the militia as a lieutenant during the War of Jenkins’ Ear with Spain. The Connecticut assembly ordered the warship Defense to be constructed to patrol the waters off Connecticut during the conflict to guard against pirates. Wooster received command and under his captaincy, the vessel patrolled the seas from Connecticut to the Virginia capes. While at Yale, David had an opportunity to become well acquainted with Reverend Thomas and Mary Whitney (or Whiting) Clapp of Windham. Reverend Clapp was president of Yale in 1740–1766. The Clapps had two daughters, Mary and Temperance, and David married Mary on 6 March 1746. David Wooster entered the military during 1745 as captain of militia and participated in the campaign at Louisbourg, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. During that conflict with the French, Governor William Shirley (commander of military in Massachusetts) was determined to assault Louisbourg and seize it. At the time the other colonies were not enthusiastic about launching such an offensive. Nonetheless, Shirley, with a force of about 4,000 New England troops, initiated the invasion. Captain Wooster was attached to the Connecticut contingent commanded by Colonel Alexander Burr. Louisbourg was placed under siege and finally captured during 1747. Captain Wooster was assigned to a cartel that transported prisoners back to France. Upon his arrival in England, he was received well, and he was introduced to King George II. The audience with the king led to a captain’s commission in the British Army. During the French and Indian War, Captain Wooster was promoted (1756) to the rank of colonel in command of the 2nd Connecticut Regiment, which he led during the campaign to seize Crown Point. During the following year, Colonel Wooster became a deputy to the provincial assembly; however, while the war continued, he remained active with the militia until 1760. Following the close of hostilities with France, Colonel Wooster engaged in commercial enterprises and was customs collector for the government in New Haven, Connecticut. During the next few years, Connecticut and other colonies felt the pressure of the policies of the king and Parliament, which attempted to overburden the colonists with taxes to pay for the war. By the 1770s it became apparent that a break from Britain was becoming imminent. Incidents such as the Boston Massacre (1770) and the heavy numbers of British troops within Boston made matters worse, and by April 1775 all chances of reconciliation had vanished with the outbreak of battles in Concord and Lexington. Colonel Wooster was appointed major general of the Connecticut militia. By siding with the Patriots and abandoning his commission in the British army, he relinquished David Wooster (Pictorial Field Book of his officer’s pay. Wooster also the Revolution, Benson J. Lossing, 1860)

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had by that time accumulated some wealth from his private business; however, as did many others, he used much of his private fortune to aid the American cause. Colonel Wooster was credited with being one of the men who planned the attack to seize the lightly held British post at Ticonderoga, which fell on 10 May 1775. By June, Congress was appointing George Washington as commander-in-chief and naming general officers. On the 11th, a contingent of General David Wooster’s militia attacked a British position at Turtle Bay and seized supplies and ammunition. On 22 June 1775, Congress appointed eight brigadier generals: Seth Pomeroy (1st), Richard Montgomery (2nd), David Wooster (3rd), William Heath (4th), Joseph Spencer (5th), John Thomas (6th), John Sullivan (7th) and Nathanael Greene (8th). Initially, General Wooster, disgruntled because of his seniority, declined the appointment; however, he reversed his opinion and agreed to serve under General Schuyler. On 17 July, Wooster was ordered by Congress in response to a letter from General Schuyler to expeditiously dispatch 1,000 troops from his command to Albany. On 31 December 1775, upon the death of Major General Richard Montgomery at Quebec, General Wooster assumed command of the Canadian Department (Provisional). He retained the position until 6 March 1776. Meanwhile, the expeditionary force was dangerously low on supplies and clothing as well as ammunition. General Benedict Arnold was wounded and recuperating in Quebec, and to add to the predicament, smallpox broke out. The elements and germs increased the number of sick troops and the number who deserted was high. Also, no reinforcements arrived. On 24 January 1776, General Wooster was able to dispatch 130 troops from Montreal to Quebec, and a small amount of additional reinforcements arrived during early February. However, the siege of Quebec was essentially non-existent due to the number and condition of the American force. On 14 March 1776, General Wooster sent a flag of truce to the fortress at Quebec City, but the British scoffed and replied that they would accept the flag only when the Americans requested “mercy” from King George III. During April reinforcements under General Wooster arrived at Quebec City, but the condition of the army was extremely poor and no progress was made. Quebec City remained invincible, but worse, British reinforcements arrived during May 1776. Upon the arrival of Wooster, General Arnold departed for Montreal. With the British fleet on the scene, the American quest for success had been eradicated and the siege terminated. On 30 May, at a war council at Chambly, it was decided to strike Quinze Chienze and to fortify St. Ann’s. General Arnold directed Colonel de Haas to initiate the assault, but de Haas aborted the attack and abandoned St. Ann’s. By June, the Americans at Montreal were unable to hold the city. Wooster’s force had little clothing and the food supply had run dry. All the while, the ranks were still plagued by sickness. With no options, Montreal was abandoned on 18 June, 1776 and the columns began the long trek to Albany, which at the time was commanded by General Horatio Gates. Congress had passed a resolution on 6 March “that Brigadier General Thomas be appointed to command the forces in Canada, and that General Washington be directed to order him immediately to repair to that province. And it is resolved: That Brigadier General Thomas be promoted to the rank of a Major General.” At the time, Congress was preparing for a large force to be dispatched from Albany to Canada. General Wooster had his critics; however, they were primarily totally unfamiliar with the hardships of an army that lacked food, clothing, ammunition, medicine and reinforcements, all during a harsh winter. General Wooster had informed Congress of the difficulties; however, time had run out. Nevertheless, on 1 May, Major General Thomas arrived in Canada to assume command of the remnant army there. On 6 May, Thomas ordered a retreat from Quebec, with some Penn-

sylvania troops engaging the advancing British. The rear guard under General Maxwell was ordered to join the main body. By 10 May, word reached Montreal of the arrival of General John Burgoyne with fresh British troops. Within five days, the British effortlessly seized the fort at the Cedars when the American commander, Major Butterfield, surrendered without a fight. Reinforcements that were closing were ambushed by Indians, yet they raised ferocious resistance. Nonetheless, the troops were overwhelmed by the greater force. After the Americans dropped their arms, the Indians broke out their tomahawks and savaged the unarmed prisoners. Colonel Bedell, the commanding officer who was absent, and Major Butterfield were expelled from the service, but Bedel was later reinstated. During the following month, the expeditionary force sustained more tragedy. General Thomas succumbed from smallpox on 2 June while at Sorel in Quebec. On 1 June, General Sullivan assumed command of the Canadian Department, and within a week, on 7 June, he launched an attack against Three Rivers, but it too failed. The army afterward began its retreat to Fort Ticonderoga, but a small force under General Benedict Arnold was still at Montreal. Shortly thereafter, on 17 June, General Gates was appointed as commander, but he did not take the post due to the general retreat. Sullivan retained command until 2 July. Meanwhile, General Wooster insisted upon clearing his name. He was acquitted of any wrongdoing while in command. Following the Canadian expedition he returned to Connecticut. He is reported to have resigned his commission in the Continental Army at that time; however, army records list his federal service as extending from 22 June 1775 through 2 May 1777. On 17 August 1776, Congress considered a report from the committee charged with investigating the actions of General Wooster while in command and concurred in a resolution: That Brigadier General Wooster produced copies of a number of letters which passed between him and General Schuyler, and of his letters to Congress; from which it appears that he, from time to time, gave seasonable and due notice of the state of the army under his command, and what supplies were, in his opinion, necessary to render the enterprize successful; that a number of officers and other gentlemen from Canada, who were acquainted with his conduct there, and who happened occasionally to be in this city, were examined before the committee; to which letters, and the minutes of the examination of the witnesses herewith exhibited, the committee beg leave to refer Congress for further information, and report, as the opinion of the committee, upon the whole of the evidence that was before them, that nothing censurable or blameworthy appears against Brigadier General Wooster.

Meanwhile, on the 15th of July, after not receiving a promotion, in a letter to a friend, General Wooster enclosed his commission and requested that it be given to John Hancock with instructions to keep it. His letter said: “My life has been ever devoted to the service of my country from my youth up, though never before in a cause like this; a cause for which I would most cheerfully risk, nay, lay down my life to defend. Thirty years I have served as a soldier; my character was never impeached nor called in question before. The congress have seen fit, for what reason I know not, to point me out as the only officer among all that have been commissioned in the different colonies who is unfit for the post assigned him.” Later, during autumn 1776, Wooster was appointed as commanderin-chief of Connecticut’s militia with the rank of major general. During 21–27 April 1777, a contingent of Loyalists led by Governor William Tryon attacked Connecticut towns, and by the 26th, Danbury was entirely sacked and its supply depot was destroyed. General Wooster’s militia was overmatched, but reinforcements under General Gold Silliman and Benedict Arnold were speeding to his aid. On the 27th, Wooster remained at Danbury while the reinforcements under Silliman engaged the British at Ridgefield. During the battle, some British troops maneuvered out of harm’s way at the Saugutuck River

503 by crossing it and heading back to the ships. While Arnold was heading to Ridgefield, General Wooster launched a premature attack to strike the enemy’s rear, but the British repelled the militia. General Wooster sustained a mortal wound. He was struck by a musket ball that broke his backbone and could not be removed. He received medical help from a Doctor Turner. General Arnold remained unscathed, but his horse sustained nine bullet wounds. General David Wooster succumbed on 2 May 1777. Congress resolved on 17 May “that a committee of three be appointed to consider what honors are due to the memory of the late Brigadier Wooster, who died on the 2d of May, of the wounds he received on the 27th day of April, in fighting against the enemies of American liberty.” In conjunction, Congress ordered the construction of a monument in his name, but it was never built. Congress resolved that the following inscription be on the monument: “In honor of David Wooster, brigadier general in the army of the United States. In defending the liberties of America, and bravely repelling an inroad of the British forces to Danbury, in Connecticut, he received a mortal wound on the 27th day of April, 1777, and died on the 2d day of May following. The congress of the United States, as an acknowledgment of his merit and services, have caused this monument to be erected.” It took more than 75 years for Connecticut to receive a monument to honor one of its heroes; however, the congressional promise was not fulfilled by the government. During 1854, the Connecticut Masons (founded by General Wooster during 1750) built the monument. At the time of his death, he was considered a local hero for his actions at Danbury; however, the posthumous thanks and accolades were little comfort to his family. General Wooster had contributed much of his wealth to the cause, but his personal ventures had suffered due to the war and he had lost all compensation from Britain once he joined the opposition to the Crown. His widow was unable later to provide receipts for expenditures which she knew he spent to fund his Connecticut troops. During her later years, unable to get reimbursed by the state, Mary Wooster was arrested and placed in a debtors’ prison. As long as David Wooster served his country, except for his disappointment in being unnecessarily blamed by some for the loss in Canada and his disappointment in not getting promoted, he never complained of the personal hardships he incurred for his loyalty to the nation he loved. Mary Wooster, who died impoverished about 1804, was not alive to see the quote inscribed on her husband’s monument: “My life has been ever devoted to her service, from youth up, though never before in a cause like this, a cause for which I would most cheerfully risk, nay, lay down my life.” General Wooster was also survived by his daughter, Mary (married Reverend John C. Ogden), and his son, George (served as captain during the revolution, married Lydia Sheldon). George died at sea on a voyage during 1792. A third child, the oldest daughter, died as an infant.

Wyllys, Brigadier General Samuel Samuel Wyllys, the son of George and Mary Woodbridge (daughter of Reverend Timothy Woodbridge) Wyllys, was born in Hartford, Connecticut, in January 1739. Samuel was a great-grandson of George Wyllys, royal governor who arrived in Connecticut about 1638. Samuel’s father had been appointed secretary pro tempore of the colony during 1730, one year after his graduation from Yale. During 1734, he succeeded his father, Hezekiah, as secretary and retained the post for about sixty years, with perfect attendance at each session of the legislature. Samuel’s father also held the position of town clerk from 1730 until he died during 1796. George Wyllys served in the French and Indian War; however, as the relations with Britain began to deteriorate, there was a split within the family. Samuel’s father was loyal to the Crown and remained a Loyalist sympathizer during the Revolutionary war. Nevertheless, George was not displaced from his positions, prob-

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ably in great part to his three sons each being staunch Patriots and each serving in the military. In the meantime, Samuel attended Yale and graduated during 1758. He then took a voyage to England and remained in Europe for a few years. During 1771, he was appointed as a captain of the First Company, known also as Hartford Company of Governor’s Foot Guards. When hostilities erupted during 1775, Samuel was a lieutenant colonel in Colonel (later major general) Joseph Spencer’s regiment. During the siege of Boston (1775–1776), he commanded a regiment. On 1 January 1776, in conjunction with the reorganization of the Continental Army, he was promoted to colonel with command of the 2nd Continental Connecticut Regiment. At about the time he was appointed colonel or shortly thereafter, Samuel married Ruth Belden, the daughter of Colonel Thomas and Ruth Wyllys Belden (Ruth was Samuel’s father’s sister). Colonel Samuel Wyllys participated in the New York Campaign. During the Battle of Long Island, Colonel Wyllys’ contingent was deployed in the vicinity of Flatbush Pass near Prospect Park (Brooklyn), but the positions became untenable and the regiment was forced to hurriedly retreat after being outflanked. The British came close to seizing Wyllys, but he managed to evade capture. Following the Battle of White Plains (October 1776), Colonel Wyllys’ regiment moved to the Highlands. During 1777, while the forces of General Gates were engaged against British General John Burgoyne at Saratoga, Colonel Wyllys’ regiment under General Putnam was part of the blocking force that prevented General Clinton, on the advance from New York, to link up with Burgoyne. In the meantime, Burgoyne was vanquished at Saratoga and compelled to surrender his entire army during October 1777. Afterward, Wyllys was primarily deployed in the Highlands and at times along the coast of Connecticut. During 1778, work was underway to transform West Point into a permanent fortress. Colonel Wyllys’ regiment participated in the construction projects. One of the forts, actually a battery, named after Colonel Wyllys, was one of three batteries erected under the supervision of Colonel Tadeusz Kosciuszko. Fort Wyllys was five-sided. The other two batteries were named Fort Meigs and Fort Webb after other commanders of the militia who were there at that time. Colonel Wyllys repaired to Reading, Connecticut, and winter quarters for 1778–1779 were established there. When Governor William Tryon invaded Connecticut from New York in 1779, Colonel Wyllys was in command of General Parsons’ brigade (Parsons had assumed command of General Putnam’s division). Afterward, Colonel Wyllys served again along the Hudson during 1780. Colonel Wyllys retired from the Continental Army on 1 January 1781 in conjunction with a reorganization of the Continental regiments; however he later became a brigadier general of militia. General Samuel Wyllys died during June 1823. Various nineteenth century give conflicting dates. His wife, Ruth, predeceased him; she died during 1807. General Wyllys was interred next to his wife in the old burying ground in Hartford.

Wythe, George (Signer of the Declaration of Independence) George Wythe was born during 1726 on his parents’ plantation along the Back River in Elizabeth City County (present-day Hampton). His parents were Thomas and Margaret Wythe. George’s father died while he was a young child, leaving the task of educating him to his mother. Through her efforts, George was taught Latin, and she instructed him on the classics. Despite the lack of a formal college education, his mother’s home-schooling, probably supplemented by a grammar school affiliated with William and Mary College, more than compensated, providing George with a strong foundation and a good character.

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George, through the efforts of his brother, Thomas, also studied law at the office of an uncle in Prince George County. In 1746 he was admitted to the bar. Afterward, he moved to Spotsylvania County and joined with an attorney who was in practice there. His mother died before George reached age 21. Having lost both parents and being the inheritor of the estate, which included a very large fortune, George strayed from his path of diligent study and pragmatic living. His search of frivolity and personal gratification consumed about the next ten years of his life, which he later deeply regretted. During 1747, George married Anne, the sister of his partner, John Lewis; however, the marriage ended in tragedy the following year when his wife died. The lieutenant governor of Virginia, Robert Dinwiddie, appointed George in 1754 as acting attorney general of the colony, a position he held for only a short period while Peyton Randolph was in England. During the following year, 1755, George’s older brother succumbed and George inherited the family plantation, but by that time, he had remarried (1755, according to the National Archives) and was living in Williamsburg with no thoughts of returning to Elizabeth City. George and his second wife, Elizabeth Taliaferro of Williamsburg, resided in an elegant home, designed and built for them by Elizabeth’s father, Richard Taliaferro, a prominent planter who also was a builder and surveyor. Taliaferro also was involved with work on the governor’s palace in Williamsburg. Meanwhile, by the time George reached age about thirty, he abandoned his reckless lifestyle and regained his old and more pragmatic nature. He once again focused on the study of law in a much more serious way and gained admittance to practice in front of the Supreme Court of the colony. He also entered the political field, following in the steps of his late father, serving in the House of Burgesses from about the mid–1750s until 1775, when it was dissolved. Initially he was a delegate, and during 1769, he became clerk of the House. When Britain implied during 1764 that the colonies would soon be burdened with a new tax (Stamp Act), even before the political anvil fell, George Wythe rallied against it in the House; however, his opposition, presented as a remonstrance to Parliament, was too strong for some of the other members of the body, which caused his work to be edited to make it more palatable. Afterward, it was adopted. In 1768, Wythe became the mayor of Williamsburg. Shortly thereafter, during 1769, he was appointed to the “board of visitors” of the College of William and Mary, also in Williamsburg. All the while, Wythe remained a solid Patriot, but he didn’t rank with the more vocal radical Americans such as Patrick Henry. During 1775, Wythe was elected as a delegate to the Continental Congress, and upon his arrival he found himself among friends and even a former pupil, young Thomas Jefferson. With the winds of war gathering, Wythe had volunteered to serve in the militia and did join a unit, but instead he was sent to represent Virginia in Congress. He was re-elected the following year to become one of the notable supporters of independence and a signer of the Declaration; however, he did not add his name it until after the initial signing on 2 August. Similarly to his service in Congress, Wythe did not maintain a high profile in the George Wythe (Biographical Sketches state legislature, but he did of the Signers of the Declaration of In- contribute much to the body. dependence, Benson J. Lossing, 1854) He collaborated with Thomas

Jefferson and Edmund Pendleton in the task of making revisions to the state’s legal code. He was also involved with the design of the state seal. During 1777, Wythe became speaker of the legislature’s lower house. His public life too another course during 1778, when he was appointed as one of three judges of the High Court of Chancery, a position he retained for 28 years, and of that period he sat alone as chancellor a total of thirteen years. During 1779, Wythe was appointed to fill the initial chair of law at the College of William and Mary, and while in that position, he guided men including John Marshall and James Monroe toward their legal careers. Wythe achieved the position despite never having earned a degree, and with the position, he became the first law professor in the new United States of America. Wythe, however, did not restrict himself to matters of the law. He also enjoyed teaching the subjects of literature and his favorites, the classics, which prompted him during 1787 to provide free classes in Greek, Latin and English literature. Also that year, Wythe attended the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia; however, he played no important part in the discussions and he was not one who signed the U.S. Constitution after it was adopted. And yet, during 1788, at the Virginia convention, which convened to ratify the Constitution, Wythe was a conspicuous leader of the Federalists who brought about ratification on 25 June 1778 to make Virginia the 10th state in the union. Subsequent to ratification, Wythe continued his duties at William and Mary and as chancellor, but by 1791, he resigned from the college to move to Richmond and fulfill his responsibilities as chancellor. Teaching, however, was not easy for him to abandon. After settling down in Richmond, Wythe established a private law school. George Wythe succumbed during 1806 on 8 May, and the mystery surrounding his death has never been solved. George died from poisoning and a suspect, George Wythe Sweney, a grandson of his sister, was charged and tried, but acquitted. Despite the acquittal, it is still thought that George Wythe was poisoned by his relative and one of the heirs to his estate. In his last will and testament, Wythe freed his slaves and provided money for them. No children resulted from either of George Wythe’s marriages. He was interred on the grounds of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Richmond. The George Wythe House was acquired by the Williamsburg Foundation during the 1930s and is now part of Colonial Williamsburg. George and his second wife, Elizabeth, lived in the home, which Elizabeth’s father gave them. Subsequent to Elizabeth’s death in 1787, George moved to Richmond.

Yates, Robert (Framer of the U.S. Constitution) Robert Yates, the son of Joseph and Maria Yates, was born on 27 January 1738 in Schenectady, New York. Robert received an excellent education in the classics and afterward pursued a career in law and politics. After completing his studies, Robert began his career as a surveyor, but then became a clerk for William Livingston (later brigadier general and governor of New Jersey) while he studied law. Through his efforts at Livingston’s law office, Robert gained admittance to the New York bar during 1760. After acquiring his license to practice, Robert moved to Albany and began his practice there. In 1765, Robert married Jannetje Van Ness, and from that marriage, six children were born, each of whom was baptized in the Dutch Reformed church in Albany. In 1771, Robert Yates was elected to the common council in Albany as an alderman (2nd Ward) during 1771, a post he held until 1775, the year the open hostilities erupted in Massachusetts at Lexington and Concord. In the meantime, Yates had already become aligned with the Patriots; however, he did not join the Sons of Liberty. He was appointed to the Committee of Correspondence (Albany) during 1774, and subsequently, he was appointed to several others, including the Committee of Correspondence, Safety and Protection, formed in place of the Common Council; the committee disbanded during 1778.

505 Another of Yates’s responsibilities was his position as secretary of Indians affairs. During his time in the Common Council, Yates also volunteered to gather together the existing laws of the city; he finished the task with Laws and Ordinances of the City of Albany published in 1773. Yates was by that time solidly in the ranks of the Patriots; however, he remained in the legislature and the judicial legs of the Patriots’ opposition rather than the military. He was appointed to the Committee of Safety, and he participated as a delegate at the four New York Provincial Congresses of 1775, 1776 and 1777. In addition, Yates served on the Secret Committee for Obstructing Navigation of the Hudson, and was a member of the committee (1776–1777) that drafted the constitution of New York. During 1777, Yates was propelled from the legislature to the New York Supreme Court, but not too long after his appointment, he became a tenacious opponent of the Federalists. He frequently came under attack for his leniency on Loyalists, who for the greater part of the Revolution outnumbered the Patriots. After the cessation of hostilities, Yates resumed his law practice and he engaged in surveying to support his growing family, for whom he had purchased a new home on upper State Street. Nevertheless, he never worked to greatly expand his private law practice. Yates was selected as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention that convened during May 1787. He was accompanied by John Lansing and Alexander Hamilton. Hamilton, the leader of the Federalists, was the minority member within the New York delegation. Yates and Lansing aligned against Hamilton and the idea of a central government. By July, Hamilton was no longer facing the obstacles raised by Yates and Lansing, both of whom left the convention on 5 July, making Hamilton a majority of one. Although he abruptly left the convention, Yates did not acquiesce; rather, he relentlessly worked to derail ratification at the New York state constitutional convention. Subsequent to the departure of Yates and Lansing (incidentally, related by marriage) the deliberations and debates continued. For a while, it seemed as if there would be an endless stalemate, but a proposal from New Jersey seemed to be the key to galvanizing the delegates and influencing them to place good of the nation above their regional agendas. The major stumbling block had been the fear of the smaller states that they would be overpowered in the government by the larger states. A New Jersey proposal solved that problem: each state would have two people in the U.S. Senate, and representation would be according to

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population in House of Representatives. The arrangement became known as the “Great Compromise” that brought about the adoption of the U.S. Constitution, the “Miracle in Philadelphia,” on 17 September 1787. The document would become effective upon ratification by nine states. During the interim between adoption of the Constitution and the New York state constitutional convention, John Yates penned a series of letters under the names “Brutus” and “Sydney” that forewarned of the dangers of the Constitution and its central government. Under his real name he signed a joint letter with John Lansing that was delivered to Governor George Clinton. The letter detailed the reasons why they ended their participation in the constitutional convention. Afterward, Yates and others, including John Lansing, raised formidable opposition against ratification at the New York constitutional convention. Robert Yates and the other dissenters failed to prevail. New York ratified the Constitution on 26 July 1778, to become the eleventh state to join the union. After the state convention, Yates returned to his judicial responsibilities on the Supreme Court. He had also been on a commission that arbitrated a boundary dispute between Massachusetts and Connecticut, and he was appointed as a commissioner charged with settling the claims of New York against the state of Vermont. Yates had remained on the bench well beyond the end of hostilities, and during 1789, he was elevated to the position of chief justice. While serving on the Supreme Court, Yates made a move to become governor of the state during 1789, but he failed in his bid to replace Governor George Clinton, who was first elected during 1777. Yates lost another bid for the governorship when he was defeated by John Jay. Yates left the bench during 1798 due to a mandatory retirement at age sixty. He lived in semi-retirement until his death on 9 September 1801. Robert Yates was survived by his wife, Jannetje Van Ness Yates, but of their six children, only four survived him. One of his sons, John Van Ness Yates, also a lawyer, took over his father’s practice. Yates did not leave a large estate. Although he had become comfortable during his lifetime, his accumulated wealth had been exhausted by the time of his death. He had been one of the few delegates to the Constitutional Convention (which convened under the rules of secrecy) that kept notes of the proceedings. They published during 1821, about twenty years after his death, under the title of Secret Proceedings and Debates of the Convention Assembled ... for the Purpose of Forming the Constitution of the United States.

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Signers of the Declaration of Independence and Signers and Framers of the U.S. Constitution Signers of the Declaration of Independence John Adams (Massachusetts) Samuel Adams (Massachusetts) Josiah Bartlett (New Hampshire) Carter Braxton (Virginia) Charles Carroll (of Carrollton) (Maryland) Samuel Chase (Maryland) Abraham Clark (New Jersey) George Clymer (Pennsylvania) William Ellery (Rhode Island) William Floyd (New York) Benjamin Franklin (Pennsylvania) Elbridge Gerry (Massachusetts) Button Gwinnett (Georgia) Lyman Hall (Georgia) John Hancock (Massachusetts) Benjamin Harrison (Virginia) John Hart (New Jersey) Joseph Hewes (North Carolina) Thomas Heyward, Jr. (South Carolina) William Hooper (North Carolina) Stephen Hopkins (Rhode Island) Francis Hopkinson (New Jersey) Samuel Huntington (Connecticut) Thomas Jefferson (Virginia) Francis Lightfoot Lee (Virginia) Richard Henry Lee (Virginia) Francis Lewis (New York) Philip Livingston (New York) Thomas Lynch, Jr. (South Carolina) Thomas McKean (Delaware) Arthur Middleton (South Carolina) Lewis Morris (New York) Robert Morris (Pennsylvania) John Morton (Pennsylvania) Thomas Nelson, Jr. (Virginia) William Paca (Maryland) Robert T. Paine (Massachusetts) John Penn (North Carolina) George Read (Delaware) Caesar Rodney (Delaware) George Ross (Pennsylvania)

Benjamin Rush (Pennsylvania) Edward Rutledge (South Carolina) Roger Sherman (Connecticut) James Smith (Pennsylvania) Richard Stockton (New Jersey) Thomas Stone (Maryland) George Taylor (Pennsylvania) Matthew Thornton (New Hampshire) George Walton (Georgia) William Whipple (New Hampshire) William Williams (Connecticut) James Wilson (Pennsylvania) John Witherspoon (New Jersey) Oliver Wolcott (Connecticut) George Wythe (Virginia)

Constitution in Convention September 17, 1787 — Signers and Framers of the U.S. Constitution George Washington (President and deputy from Virginia, Signer) Abraham Baldwin (Signer, Georgia) Richard Bassett (Signer, Delaware) Gunning Bedford (Signer, Delaware) John Blair (Signer, Virginia) William Blount (Signer, North Carolina) David Brearly (Brearley, Signer, New Jersey) Jacob Broom (Signer, Delaware.) Pierce Butler (Signer, South Carolina) Daniel Carroll (Signer, Maryland) George Clymer (Signer, Pennsylvania) Jonathan Dayton (Signer, New Jersey) John Dickinson (Signer, Delaware) William Few (Signer, Georgia) Thomas Fittz Simons (Signer, Pennsylvania) Benjamin Franklin (Signer, Pennsylvania) Nicholas Gilman (Signer, New Hampshire) Nathaniel Gorham (Signer, Massachusetts) Alexander Hamilton (Signer, New York) Jared Ingersol (Signer, Pennsylvania)

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Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer (Signer, Maryland) William Samuel Johnson (Signer, Connecticut) Rufus King (Signer, Massachusetts) John Langdon (Signer, New Hampshire) William Livingston (Signer, New Jersey) James McHenry (Signer, Maryland.) James Madison Jr. (Signer, Virginia.) Thomas Mifflin (Signer, Pennsylvania) Gouverneur Morris (Signer, Pennsylvania) Robert Morris (Signer, Pennsylvania) William Paterson (Signer New Jersey) Charles Pinckney (Signer, South Carolina) Charles Cotesworth Pinckney (Signer, South Carolina) George Read (Signer, Delaware) John Rutledge (Signer, South Carolina) Roger Sherman (Signer, Connecticut) Richard Dobbs Spaight (Signer, North Carolina) Hugh Williamson (Signer, North Carolina) James Wilson (Signer, Pennsylvania) William R. Davie (Framer, North Carolina) Oliver Ellsworth (Framer, Connecticut) Elbridge Gerry (Framer, Massachusetts) William Churchill Houston (Framer, New Jersey) William Houstoun (Houston, Framer, Georgia) John Lansing Jr. (Framer, New York) Alexander Martin (Framer, North Carolina) Luther Martin (Framer, Georgia) George Mason (Framer, Virginia) James McClurg (Framer, Virginia) John F. Mercer (Framer, Georgia) William L. Pierce (Framer, Georgia) Edmund J. Randolph (Framer, Virginia) Caleb Strong (Framer, Massachusetts) George Wythe (Framer, Virginia) Robert Yates (Framer, New York) Note: Rhode Island did not send a representative to the Constitutional Convention.

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Bibliography Watson, John F. Annals of Philadelphia and Pennsylvania. Philadelphia: J.M. Stoddart, 1881. Weld, H. Hastings. Benjamin Franklin: His Autobiography. New York: Harper Brothers, 1856. Wells, Frederick P. History of Newbury, Vermont. St. Johnsbury, VT: Caledonian, 1902. Wharton, Anne Hollingsworth. Colonial Days and Dames. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott, 1895. _____. Martha Washington. New York: Scribner’s, 1897. Wheeler, John H. Historical Sketches of North Carolina. Philadelphia: Lippincott, Grambo, 1851. Whitehead, William A. Early History of Perth Amboy. New York: D. Appleton, 1856. _____. Life and Times of John Jay. New York : Dodd, Mead. Whittemore, Joel. The History of Fitzwilliam, New Hampshire. New York: Burr, 1888. Wilbur, La Fayette. Early History of Vermont. Vol. 2. Jericho, VT: Roscoe, 1900. Willis, William. History of Portland. Portland: Bailey and Noyes, 1865. Wilson, Bird. The Works of the Hon. James Wilson. Vol. 3. Philadelphia: Bronson and Chauncey, 1804. Wilson, Leonard. Makers of America. Washington, DC: B.F. Johnson, 1916 Wilson, Thomas. The Biography of the American Military and Naval Heroes: Revolutionary and Late Wars. Vol. 1. New York: John Low, 1821. Wilson, Woodrow. George Washington. New York: Harper Brothers, 1897. Winthrop, Robert C. Addresses and Speeches. Boston: Little, Brown, 1886. Wirt, William. The Life of Patrick Henry. Auburn, NY: Miller, Orton and Mulligan, 1859. Wood, Clement. A Complete History of the United States. Cleveland: World, 1935, 1941. Wright Robert K., Jr. The Continental Army. Washington, DC: Center of Military History, United States Army, 1983. Wright, Robert K., Jr. and Morris J. MacGregor, Jr. Soldier-Statesmen of the Constitution. Washington, DC: Center of Military History, United States Army, 1987.

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Index 1st Berkshire Regiment 20 1st British Brigade 140 1st Connecticut Regiment 328, 330, 462 1st Continental Artillery 338 1st Continental Dragoons 233 1st Continental Infantry Regiment 65, 158 1st Georgia Regiment 150 1st Light Horse Regiment 407 1st Maryland Regiment 137, 410 1st Massachusetts Regiment 319, 456 1st New Hampshire Regiment 69, 346 1st New Jersey Regiment 45, 316, 320 1st New York Regiment 89, 224, 453 1st North Carolina Regiment 270, 292, 431 1st Pennsylvania Regiment 48, 65, 93 1st Rhode Island (9th Continental) Regiment 175, 413, 454 1st South Carolina Regiment 37, 308, 341, 433 1st Virginia Regiment 310, 309, 394 2nd British Brigade 140 2nd Canadian Regiment (Hazen’s Regiment) 164, 165 2nd Connecticut Regiment (later 22nd Continental) 108, 328, 435, 478, 501 2nd Continental Light Dragoon Regiment 404 2nd Continental Pennsylvania Regiment 93 2nd Continental Regiment 128 2nd Maryland Regiment 149, 410 2nd Massachusetts Regiment 228, 229, 448 2nd New Hampshire Regiment 69, 346, 416 2nd New Jersey Regiment 46, 89, 90 2nd New York Regiment 89, 198, 421, 434, 453 2nd North Carolina Regiment 187, 260, 431 2nd Pennsylvania Brigade 193 2nd Pennsylvania Regiment 192 2nd Rhode Island Regiment (11th Continental) 80, 245 2nd South Carolina Regiment 27, 254, 306, 308, 341, 433 2nd Virginia Regiment 110, 310, 394 3rd Connecticut Brigade 450 3rd Connecticut Regiment 328 3rd Continental Regiment 128, 229, 396, 431

3rd Massachusetts Regiment 404, 463, 488 3rd New Hampshire Regiment 135, 346 3rd New Jersey Regiment 89, 90, 484 3rd New York Regiment 453 3rd North Carolina Division 87 3rd North Carolina Regiment 38, 431 3rd Regiment of Kensington 330 3rd South Carolina Regiment 433 3rd Virginia Regiment 258, 279, 281, 289 4th Connecticut Regiment 328, 454 4th Continental Artillery 305 4th Continental Dragoons 484 4th Maryland Regiment 138 4th Massachusetts Regiment 195, 404, 407 4th New Jersey Regiment 45 4th New York Regiment 453 4th North Carolina Regiment 431 4th South Carolina Regiment 306 4th Virginia Regiment 315 5th Connecticut Regiment 328, 472 5th Massachusetts 79, 124 5th Massachusetts Division 79 5th North Carolina Regiment 431 5th South Carolina Regiment 433 5th U.S. Field Artillery 153 5th Virginia Regiment 309, 380 6th British Brigade 140 6th Connecticut Regiment 328, 449, 450 6th Massachusetts Regiment 448 6th North Carolina Regiment 431 6th Pennsylvania Regiment (later 7th Pennsylvania) 193 6th Regiment of Foot 330 6th South Carolina Regiment 433 6th Virginia Regiment 134 7th Connecticut Regiment 328, 435 7th Maryland Regiment 149 7th North Carolina Regiment 175 7th Virginia Regiment 135 8th Connecticut Regiment (later 17th Continental) 66, 190, 328 8th Continental Infantry Regiment 69 8th Massachusetts Regiment (known also as Jackson’s Regiment and the Bloody 8th) 48, 198, 229 8th New Hampshire Regiment 416 8th Virginia Regiment 309, 315 9th Connecticut Regiment 278, 454 9th Massachusetts Regiment 21, 195, 229

9th Pennsylvania Regiment 57, 192 9th Virginia Regiment 264, 309 10th Massachusetts Division 79 10th Massachusetts Regiment 331 10th Regiment of Foot 328 10th Virginia regiment 422 11th Connecticut Regiment 267 11th Continental Regiment 454, 454 11th Massachusetts Regiment 331 11th Virginia Regiment (Continental Army) 110 12th Continental Regiment of Foot 454 12th Massachusetts Regiment 331 12th Rhode Island Regiment 245 12th Virginia Regiment 315 13th Virginia Regiment 380 14th British Regiment 214 14th Continental Regiment 140; see also Marblehead Regiment 14th Massachusetts Regiment 331 14th Virginia Regiment 134 15th Regiment 258 16th British Regiment 250 16th Continental Regiment 197 16th Massachusetts Regiment 79, 195, 229 17th British Regiment of Foot 290, 379, 429, 476 21st Continental Infantry Regiment 143 22nd British Regiment 55 22nd Continental Regiment 358, 485 24th Continental Regiment 456 29th British Regiment of Foot 55 31st British Regiment 13 33rd British Regiment of Foot 188 42nd Royal Highlanders 36 44th British Regiment Grenadiers 230 60th British Regiment (Royal American Regiment of Foot) 386 62nd British Regiment 13 64th British Regiment of Foot 188, 255 71st British Regiment 36, 196 103rd Regiment of Foot (Volunteer Hunters) 230 111th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment 114 Abbe, Joshua 266 Abbe, Mary Ripley 266 Abbott, George 53 Abbott, Lt. Henry 53 Abbott, Mary Platts 53 Abenaki (Abenaqui) Indians 22

517

Abercrombie, Mrs. see Abercrombie, General James Abercrombie, General James 22, 230, 319, 354, 358, 365, 390, 404, 415, 469, 472, 501 Abercrombie, British Colonel (later Major General) Sir Robert 219 Able, Major 278 Ackerly, Lemuel 356 HMS Acteon 306 Active (brigantine) 208 Adair, John 398, 402 Adams, Abigail “Nabby” 5 Adams, Abigail Smith 5, 7, 8, 327, 379, 380, 407, 408 Adams, Abigail, I (sister of Samuel) 8 Adams, Abigail, II (sister of Samuel) 8 Adams, Abraham 346 Adams, Andrew 107 Adams, Ann Longfellow 346 Adams, Charles 5 Adams, Elihu 5, 7 Adams, Elizabeth 5 Adams, Elizabeth Checkley 9, 10 Adams, Elizabeth Wells 9, 11 Adams, Hannah 8 Adams, Hannah (daughter of Samuel) 9, 10, 11 Adams, Henry (great grandfather of John) 5 Adams, John (great uncle of President John Adams) 5, 8 Adams, John (signer of the Declaration of Independence) 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 31, 60, 61, 62, 70, 80, 84, 87, 88, 92, 122, 132, 133, 156, 157, 172, 178, 182, 199, 201, 202, 204, 205, 208, 215, 223, 226, 227, 228, 237, 245, 247, 248, 251, 252, 259, 265, 273, 283, 285, 286, 299, 302, 323, 324, 325, 326, 327, 338, 339, 342, 360, 368, 371, 379, 382, 384, 388, 406, 407, 408, 422, 428, 438, 465, 466, 469, 472, 493 Adams, John, I (brother of Samuel) 8 Adams, John, II (brother of Samuel) 8 Adams, John Quincy 5, 7, 8, 51, 212, 289 Adams, John, Sr. 5 Adams, Joseph 5 Adams, Joseph (son of Samuel) 8 Adams, Louisa Catherine Johnson 8, 51 Adams, Mary (daughter of Samuel) 8 Adams, Mary Fifield 8 Adams, Mehetable 8

Index Adams, Peter Boylston 5 Adams, Reverend 142 Adams, Richard 8 Adams, Samuel (signer of the Declaration of Independence) 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 39, 61, 80, 81, 121, 132, 139, 155, 156, 237, 243, 245, 247, 322, 326, 331, 368, 369, 427, 465, 466, 467, 497 Adams, Samuel, I (son of Samuel) 9 Adams, Samuel, Sr. 5, 8 Adams, Doctor Samuel, II (son of Samuel) 9, 10 Adams, Sarah 8 Adams, Susanna 5 Adams, Susanna Boylston 5 Adams, Thomas (brother of Samuel) 8 Adams, Thomas Boylston 5 Agnew, British General James 429 Ainslie, John 284 Aire, British Captain John 32 CSA Alabama 423, 442 HMS Alarm 28 Albert (Charles Albert) of Bavaria 94 Alcott, Captain 22 Aldrich, Caleb 80 Alert (privateer) 28 Alexander, Andrew 292 Alexander, Anne 11 Alexander, Doctor Archibald 280 Alexander, Betsy 11 Alexander, Catherine (daughter of William) 11 Alexander, Catherine (Kitty) 11 Alexander, Doctor 104 Alexander, Doctor (Georgian) 396 Alexander, Elizabeth (Betsy) 11 Alexander, James 11 Alexander, James (attorney) 247 Alexander, James, Jr. 11 Alexander, Major John 292 Alexander, Kitty 11 Alexander, Mary (daughter of William) 11 Alexander, Mary (Polly, daughter of James) 11 Alexander, Mary “Polly” Spratt Provoost 11 Alexander, Colonel Moses 343 Alexander, Doctor Nathaniel 342 Alexander, Robert 51 Alexander, Sarah Livingston 11 Alexander, Susanna 11 Alexander, William 292 Alexander, Doctor William 11 Alexander, William, Jr. 11 Alexander, Major General William (Lord Stirling) 11, 12, 45, 79, 80, 130, 137, 145, 231, 239, 293, 355, 377, 387, 419, 428, 429, 431, 440, 470, 473, 486, 495, 501 USS Alfred (formerly Black Prince) 36, 92, 180, 207, 208, 266, 281, 286, 289, 317 Alison, Rev. Francis 275, 276, 411, 490 Allegheny River Expedition 47 Allen, Colonel Ethan 13, 14, 91, 201, 386, 487 Allen, Fanny Buchanan 14 Allen, Fanny Margaret 14 Allen, Hannibal 14 Allen, Heber 13 Allen, Heman 13 Allen, Jerusha Enos 108 Allen, Ira 13, 14, 108 Allen, Jeremiah of Boston 427 Allen, John (Massachusetts) 123

518 Allen, John (Virginia) 395 Allen, Jonathan 31 Allen, Joseph 13 Allen, Joseph (son of Ethan) 13 Allen, Levi 13 Allen, Loraine 13 Allen, Lucy 13 Allen, Lucy Caroline 13, 14 Allen, Lydia 13 Allen, Mary Ann 13 Allen, Mary Baker 13 Allen, Mary Brownson 13, 14 Allen, Pamela 13 Allen, William 440 Allen, Zimri 13 USS Alliance (frigate) 7, 28, 208, 209, 221, 222, 304, 482 Alligator Bridge 187 Allison, Rev. Patrick 272 Allison, Doctor Robert 282, 364 Allison, Captain William 271, 272 Allyn, Alex 316 Allyn, Hannah 316 Allyn, Hannah (daughter of Alex, later Mrs. Roger Newberry) 316 Alsop, John 77, 212, 240 Alston, Lt. Colonel William 431 Alston, Colonel Willis 175 Ambler, Jacquillin ( Jacquelin) 258 Ambler, Rebecca Burwell 258 USS America 208, 223, 303, 317 American Dredging Company 28 Ames, Ellis 347 Amherst, General Jeffrey 22, 33, 55, 230, 254, 335, 354, 358, 365, 390, 404, 415, 469, 472, 501 Amherst, Lt. Colonel William 11 Ancient Battalion (Company) of Artillery 126, 195 Anderson, Judge John 401 Andre, British Major John 18, 19, 141, 190, 214, 222, 328, 332, 388, 417, 421, 470 USS Andrew Doria 24, 36, 37, 81, 180, 443 Andrews, David 319 Annan, Doctor Daniel 371 Annapolis Convention 252, 362, 471 Annesley, Edward 240 Anson House 127 Anstruther, Lieutenant Colonel 13 Anthony, Captain Hezekiah 37 Anthony, William 105 Anti-Constitutionists 303 Antil, Lt. Colonel Edward 164 Antillon see Dulaney, Daniel Antoinette, Queen Marie 16, 222 Appleby, George 225 Apthorpe, Charles Ward 491 Arbuthnot, Admiral Marriott 244, 307, 482 Arden, Charles 473 HMS Ardens 33 Armand, Brigadier General Tuffin Charles 14, 15, 16, 89, 352 Armistead, Bowles 237 Armistead, Colonel George 32 Armistead, John 32 Armistead, Mary Fontaine 237 Armstrong, James 16 Armstrong, Major James (North Carolina) 409, 410 Armstrong, Doctor James (son of General John) 16 Armstrong, Major General John 12, 16, 17, 93, 175, 193, 239, 279, 282, 293, 337, 348, 364, 440, 475 Armstrong, John, Jr. 16, 17, 280 Armstrong, Major 15

Armstrong, Margaret Rebecca 16 Armstrong, Colonel Martin 381 Armstrong, Rebecca Lyon (wife of John) 16, 17 Arnold, Benedict (president and governor of Rhode Island) 17 Arnold, Major General Benedict 13, 17, 18, 19, 33, 48, 60, 91, 93, 97, 108, 110, 128, 130, 135, 140, 141, 145, 162, 164, 187, 190, 201, 214, 219, 222, 229, 250, 258, 265, 267, 269, 272, 290, 291, 295, 310, 328, 332, 346, 347, 356, 365, 367, 388, 391, 392, 407, 416, 417, 421, 422, 428, 432, 440, 446, 467, 470, 473, 475, 485, 495, 502, 503 Arnold, Benedict, Sr. (General Benedict’s father) 17 Arnold, Benedict, III 17 Arnold, Elizabeth (sister of Governor Arnold) 181 Arnold, Hannah 17 Arnold, Hannah Waterman King 17 Arnold, Henry 17 Arnold, Jonathan 81 Arnold, Margaret Mansfield 17 Arnold, Oliver 17, 453 Arnold, Peggy Shippen 18, 250 Arnold, Richard 17 Arnold, Rhodes 207 Arnold, Welcome 483 Arnold, William 17 Ashby, Colonel 257 Ashe, Elizabeth Swann 19 Ashe, General John 19, 104, 105, 178, 206, 241, 244, 292, 381, 448, 450 Ashe, John Baptiste 19, 432 Ashe, Colonel John Baptiste (son of Samuel) 20 Ashe, Mary 19 Ashe, Mary (later Mrs. John Porter and Mrs. Maurice Moore) 20 Ashe, Rebecca (Mrs. John Ashe) 20 Ashe, Rebecca Moore 19 Ashe, Governor Samuel 19, 20, 412 Ashe, Samuel (son of General John) 20, 292 Ashley, Ashley 20 Ashley, Ballantine (Bollintine) 20 Ashley, Hannah 20 Ashley, Hannah Hogaboom 20 Ashley, Jane 20 Ashley, Major General John 20, 21, 111 Ashley, Judge John 20, 111 Ashley, John, Jr. 20 Ashley, Louisa 20 Ashley, Louisa Ward 20 Ashley, Major General John 20, 21, 111, 332 Ashley, Mary 20 Ashley, Mary Ballantine 20 Ashley, Mr. 293 Ashley, Samuel 20 Ashley, William 20 Ashley Hall Plantation 51 Ashman, Senator Eli 83 L’Assumption (brigantine) 37 HMS Atlantis 28 Atlee, Colonel Samuel “Sam” 423 Atleir, Captain 192 Atwater, Jeremiah 389 Auchland, Bishop 340 Auchland Plantation 340 Augusta County Regiment 239 Augustus, William (Duke of Cumberland, son of King George II) 278 Auld, Major James 159

Austin, George 225 Austin, James T. 134 Austin, William 27 Avery, Waightstill 106 Ayers, William 358 Babba, Ali 202 Babcock, Abigail Smith (separate from Abigail Smith Adams) 21 Babcock, Adam 21 Babcock, Amelia 21 Babcock, Anna Maxson 21 Babcock, Elizabeth Babbett 21 Babcock, Frances (later Mrs. Dudley Saltonstall) 21, 389 Babcock, General (Doctor) Joshua 21, 389, 390 Babcock, Hannah 21 Babcock, Hannah Stanton 21 Babcock, Harriet (later Mrs. Gilbert Saltonstall) 21, 389 Babcock, Colonel Henry (also known as Harry) 21, 245 Babcock, Ichabod 413 Babcock, James (father of Joshua) 21 Babcock, James (step-brother of Joshua) 21 Babcock, Joshua 21 Babcock, Luke 21 Babcock, Martha Hubbard 21 Babcock, Mary Stanton 21 Babcock, Miss (daughter of General Joshua) 21 Babcock, Paul 21 Babcock, Sally 21 Babcock House (Babcock-Smith House) 21 Babcock-Smith House see Babcock House Babson, Isaac 415 Bache, Richard 122 Backus, Ebenezer (later governor of Connecticut) 445 Backus, Elizabeth Tracy 189 Backus, Rev. Isaac 189 Backus, John 103 Backus, Mary Bingham 103 Backus, Samuel 189 Bacon, Nathaniel 63 Bagley, Colonel Jonathan 484 Bailey, Abigail see Little, Abigail Bailey Bailey, Abigail (daughter of General Jacob) 22 Bailey, Abner (brother of General Jacob) 22 Bailey, Abner (son of General John) 22 Bailey, Amherst 22 Bailey, Anna Fowler 22 Bailey, Betsey Johnson 22 Bailey, Betsy Bailey 22 Bailey, Enoch 22 Bailey, Ephraim 22 Bailey, Frye 22, 23 Bailey, Hannah Ladd 22 Bailey, Isaac 22 Bailey, Jacob 22 Bailey, Brigadier Gen. Jacob 21, 22, 33, 165, 448 Bailey, James 22 Bailey, John (brother of General Jacob) 22, 229 Bailey, John (son of General Jacob) 22 Bailey, Joshua 21 Bailey, Joshua (son of General Jacob) 22 Bailey, Judith 22

519 Bailey, Lucy Hodges 22 Bailey, Mary Ladd 22 Bailey, Noyes 22 Bailey, Prudence Noyes 22, 23 Bailey, Ruth Bedell 22 Bailey, Sally Stevens 22 Bailey, Sarah 22 Bailey, Sarah Coffin 21 Bailey, Stephen 22 Bailey-Hazen Military Road 23, 165 Baird, British Major 501 Baker, Benjamin 413 Baker, Isaac 401 Baker, Captain (later Colonel) John 196, 275, 396, 422, 423 Baker, Remember 13 Baldwin, Reverend Abraham (signer of the U.S. Constitution) 23, 206, 338 Baldwin, Agnes 66 Baldwin, David 349 Baldwin, Gamalier 405 Baldwin, Hester 66 Baldwin, Lucy Dudley 23 Baldwin, Michael 23 Baldwin, Rebecca 66 Baldwin, Thomas 66, 67 Baler, Colonel John 104 Balestier, Joseph 368 Ball, Captain 404 Ball, Elias 225 Ball, Colonel John C. (Loyalist) 255 Ballantine (Bollintine), Reverend John 20 Ballantyne, Mr. 293 Baltimore Independents 137 Bancker, Richard 479 Bangs, Joshua 349 Bangs, Mehitable Clarke 349 Bank of North America 303 Bank of Pennsylvania 304 Bank of the United States 304 Bankson, Jacob 34 Banyer, Goldsboro 200 Barber, Colonel Francis 90, 319 Barclay, Major John 437 Barclay, Rev. John 67 Bard family 348 Barnett, Captain William 86 Barney, Ann Bedford 25, 34 Barney, Joshua 24, 25, 34 Barnum, Reverend 143 Barnwell, Ann Hutson 26, 27 Barnwell, Anne 26 Barnwell, Anne Middleton 27 Barnwell, Bridget 26 Barnwell, Edward 26 Barnwell, Elizabeth 27 Barnwell, Elizabeth (daughter of General John) 27 Barnwell, Elizabeth Fenwick 26 Barnwell, Esther Wigg 27 Barnwell, Brigadier General John 26, 27 Barnwell, John (brother of General John) 26 Barnwell, John Gibbes 27 Barnwell, Colonel John “Tuscarora” 26 Barnwell, Mary 26 Barnwell, Mary Gibbes 26, 51 Barnwell, Mary Hutson 27 Barnwell, Nathaniel 26 Barnwell, Nathaniel (brother of General John) 26 Barnwell, Nathaniel (son of General John) 27, 51 Barnwell, Nathaniel, 2 (brother of General John) 26, 51

Barnwell, Richard 26 Barnwell, Robert, I 26 Barnwell, Robert, II 26 Barnwell, Robert Gibbes 26 Barnwell, Sarah 26 Barnwell, Sarah (daughter of General John) 27 Barnwell, Sarah Bull 51 Barnwell, William Washington 27 Barrington, British Major William 231 Barrington (sloop) 268 Barrow, William 176 Barry, Catherine 27 Barry, Catherine (sister of Commodore Barry) 27 Barry, Commodore John 27, 28, 62, 222, 303, 476 Barry, John, Sr. 27 Barry, Mary Burns 28 Barry, Mary Cleary 28 Barry, Mary Farrell 28 Barry, Peter 27 Barry, Richard 86 Barry, Sarah Austin 27, 28 Barry, Thomas 27 Bartlett, Abigail Stevens 30 Bartlett, Bradbury 30 Bartlett, Miss E. 30 Bartlett, Ezra 29, 30 Bartlett, George 141 Bartlett, Hannah 28 Bartlett, Hannah (daughter of Josiah) 30 Bartlett, Hannah Gale 30 Bartlett, Hannah Gray Wilson 494 Bartlett, Hannah Webster 28 Bartlett, Hannah Weeks 30 Bartlett, Israel 30 Bartlett, Israel (brother of General Thomas) 30, 46 Bartlett, Israel (son of General Thomas) 30 Bartlett, Jonathan 30 Bartlett, Joseph 28, 29 Bartlett, Joseph (son of General Thomas) 30 Bartlett, Joseph Hall 30 Bartlett, Josiah (brother of General Thomas) 30 Bartlett, Josiah (signer of the Declaration of Independence) 28, 29, 30, 442 Bartlett, Josiah (son of General Thomas) 30 Bartlett, Josiah, II 29, 30 Bartlett, Levi 28 Bartlett, Levi (son of Josiah) 29, 30 Bartlett, Lois 29 Bartlett, Love Hall 30 Bartlett, Mary 29 Bartlett, Mary (sister of General Thomas) 30 Bartlett, Mary Bartlett 29, 30 Bartlett, Miriam 29, 30 Bartlett, Rachael Bird Wilson 494 Bartlett, Rhoda 29, 30 Bartlett, Sarah 29, 30 Bartlett, Sarah (sister of General Thomas) 30 Bartlett, Sarah Cilley 30 Bartlett, Sarah Hook 30 Bartlett, Simon 28 Bartlett, Stephen 28 Bartlett, Stephen (brother of Josiah) 28 Bartlett, Thomas 28 Bartlett, Brigadier General Thomas 30

Bartlett, Doctor Thomas 494 Bartlett, Judge Thomas 68 Barton, Freelove 175 Barton, Lillis Turner 289 Barton, Rebecca (Rebekah; later Mrs. Nathan Miller) 289 Barton, Rowland 175 Barton, Samuel 289 Barton, Lt. Colonel William 231 Bartow, Theodosia 52 Bassett, Ann Annals 31 Bassett, Arnold 30 Bassett, Betsy Garnett 31 Bassett, Elizabeth Churchill 161 Bassett, Judith Thompson 30 Bassett, Richard (signer of the U.S. Constitution) 30, 31, 34, 49, 50 Bassett, Colonel William 161 Baston, Thomas 349 Battaille, Mrs. (wife of William Woofford, Sr.) 500 Baum, British Colonel Friedrich 416, 417 Baxter, Eleanor Allen 31 Baxter, Captain John (Massachusetts) 31 Baxter, Colonel John (South Carolinian) 257 Baxter, Mary Saunders 31 Baxter, Mehitable 31 Baxter, Captain Seth, USMC 31, 32 Bayard, Belthazar 386 Bayard, Joanna White 484 Bayard, Colonel John 57, 370 Bayard, Mary Bowdoin 386 Bayard, Colonel Stephen 17, 47 Baylor, Anne Corbin Tayloe 32 Baylor, Bernard 32 Baylor, Elizabeth 32 Baylor, Elizabeth (daughter of General George) 32 Baylor, Frances 32 Baylor, Frances Courtenay 32 Baylor, Frances (Lucy) Walker 32 Baylor, Brigadier General George 32 Baylor, George Walker 32 Baylor, Colonel John 32 Baylor, John (1; Elder) 32 Baylor, John (2) 32 Baylor, John (3) 32 Baylor, John (4) 32 Baylor, John Walker 33 Baylor, Lucy 32 Baylor, Lucy Page 32 Baylor, Lucy Todd O’Brien 32 Baylor, Robert 32 Baylor, Walker Keith 32 Bayonne Decree 202 Beach, Anne 204 Beach, Rev. John 204 Beach, William 204 Beal, Colonel Joshua 32 Beall, Amelia Beall 32 Beall, Elinor Greenfield 32 Beall, Elizabeth Stockett 32 Beall, Rezin 33 Beall, Brigadier General Rezin (Reazin) 33 Bealt, T. 309 Bean, Mrs. 397 Bean, Russell 372 Bean, William 372, 397 Beard, James 347 Bearmore, Major 15 Beaumarchais, Monsieur 92 Beaver, William 465 Beaver (vessel) 9, 368 Bedell, Anna 33 Bedell, Anna Carr 33

Index Bedell, Cyrus 33 Bedell, Elizabeth Merrill 33 Bedell, Hazen 33 Bedell, Mary 33 Bedell, Mary Johnson 33 Bedell, Moody 33 Bedell, Robert 33 Bedell, Ruth 33 Bedell, General Timothy 22, 33, 164, 290, 502 Bedford, Benoi 34 Bedford, Catherine Elizabeth 34 Bedford, Colonel (later governor) Gunning 33, 364 Bedford, Gunning, Jr. (signer of the U.S. Constitution) 33, 34, 35, 50 Bedford, Gunning, Sr. 33 Bedford, Gunning James 34 Bedford, Henrietta Jane 34 Bedford, Jane Ballaroux Parker 34 Bedford, Joseph 34 Bedford, Mary Ann 33, 34 Bedford, Peter 34 Bedford, Susanna 33 Bedford, Susanna Jacquet 33 Bedford, William 33 Bedford County Riflemen 239 Bee, Thomas 127 Beekman, Gerard G. 450 Beekman, Doctor Stephen D. 74 Belcher, Dame 5 Belcher, Jonathan Governor 320, 353 Belden, Ruth (later Mrs. Samuel Wyllys) 503 Belden, Ruth Wyllys 503 Belden, Colonel Thomas 503 Belknap, Doctor Jeremy 156, 368 Bell, Matthew 417 Bell, Mr. 451 Bell, Samuel 417 Bellamy, Reverend Joseph 106 Bellows, Abigail (daughter of General Benjamin) 35 Bellows, Abigail (sister of General Benjamin) 35 Bellows, Abigail Fiske Stearns 35 Bellows, Colonel Benjamin 35 Bellows, General Benjamin 33, 35 Bellows, Caleb 35 Bellows, Dorcas Cutler Willard 35 Bellows, Esther 35 Bellows, George 35 Bellows, Rev. Henry 35 Bellows, John 35 Bellows, John (brother of General Benjamin) 35 Bellows, Joseph 35 Bellows, Josiah 35 Bellows, Maria Hartwell 35 Bellows, Mary (daughter of General Benjamin and Mary H.) 35 Bellows, Mary (daughter of General Benjamin and Phoebe) 35 Bellows, Mary Hubbard Jennison 35 Bellows, Mary Wood 35 Bellows, Mr. 66 Bellows, Peter 35 Bellows, Phebe (Phoebe) 35 Bellows, Phoebe Strong 35, 426 Bellows, Theodore 35 Bellows, Thomas 35 Belmont (estate) 283, 341 Benson, Captain 207 Berkeley, Dean 204 Berkeley, Norborne see Lord Boutetort Berkeley Plantation 162 Bernard, Governor Francis 9, 109,

Index 138, 155, 156, 166, 323, 337, 463, 466, 467 Berry, Benjamin 294 Berry, Joseph 319 Berry, Thankful Shears 319 Berry’s Tavern 294 Bertrand, Charlotte Jolly 148 Bertrand, Reverend John 148 Bertrand, William 148 Besset, Compte de Bourbon 14, 95 Betalou, Captain 353 Bethel, Slingsby 360 Bethel (vessel) 360, 361 Betsy or Betsey (vessel) 27, 51 Betton, Silas 442 Beverly, Peter 362 Bicknell, Peter 327 Biddle, Ann (later Mrs. James Wilkinson) 486 Biddle, Edward 285, 371, 377 Biddle, John 486 Biddle, Captain Nicholas 35, 36, 37, 81, 180, 356, 448 Biddle, Sarah Owen 486 Biddle, William 35 Bigelow, Colonel Timothy 456 Billop Mansion (Manor of Bentley) 121, 382 Birch, Thomas 67 Bird, Abraham 309 Bird, Doctor 435 Bird, British Captain Henry 135 Bird, James 492 Bird, Joseph 330 Bird, Mark 378, 492, 494 Bird, Mary 492 Bird, Mary Steele 330 Bird, Rachael (later Mrs. James Wilson) 492 Bird, Rebecca 492 Bird, William 492 Bird, William, Jr. 492 Bischoff, Jonathan 174 Bissel, Israel 355 Black, Colonel John 78, 79 Black, Samuel 210 Black Horse Tavern 139, 156, 243, 322 Black Prince (later the Alfred) 27 Black Rock Fort 407 Blackburn, General Samuel 265 Blackledge, Richard 38 Blackmore’s Fort 401 Bladensburg (Maryland) 25 Blair, James 38 Blair, Jean Balfour 38 Blair, John, Sr. 37 Blair, John Dan of Jenifer (signer of the U.S. Constitution) 37, 38, 264, 267, 494 Blair, Mary Munro 37 Blair, Rev. Samuel 370 Blake, Daniel 285 Blake, Major General John 79 Blanchard, Colonel Joseph 33, 117 Bland, Frances (later Mrs. John Randolph) 104 Bland, Frances Elizabeth Bolling 104 Bland, Colonel Richard 104, 233, 363 Bland, Theodoric (chancellor) 325, 362 Bland, Colonel Theodoric 104, 269 Bledsoe, Major Anthony 401 Bledsoe, Isaac 373, 375 Bledsoe’s Station 374 Bleecker, John 437 Blount, Ann 40 Blount, Anne 38

520 Blount, Barbara 40 Blount, Barbara Gray 38 Blount, Catherine Miner 40 Blount, Dorthula 40 Blount, Eliza 40 Blount, Hannah Salten Baker 38 Blount, Colonel Jacob 38 Blount, Jacob (son of William) 38 Blount, James 38 Blount, John Gray 38, 40 Blount, Louisa 38 Blount, Louisa (daughter of William) 40 Blount, Mary Grainger 40 Blount, Reading 38, 40, 432 Blount, Richard Blackledge 40 Blount, Sharpe 38 Blount, Thomas 430 Blount, Thomas (grandfather of General William) 38, 40 Blount, Thomas (son of William) 38 Blount, Sir Walter 38 Blount, William 87 Blount, Major General William (signer of the U.S. Constitution) 38, 39, 40, 192, 260, 374, 375, 376, 400, 412, 491 Blount, Willie 38 HMS Blue Mountain Valley (transport) 12, 88, 320 Bluff Station 373 Bodowin, Lt. Governor James 427 Boerum, Simon 240 Bogert, Elsie Schuyler 452 Bogert, Doctor Nicholas 452 Bohemia Harmon Manor 31, 60 Bohlen, Union General Henry 277 HMS Bolton 180 Bonaparte, Joseph 88, 107 Bonaparte, Napoleon 88, 107, 202, 218, 290, 486 Bond, Doctor Thomas 120 Bonhomme Richard 7, 208, 209, 277, 466 Bonner, Sheriff Thomas 50 Boone, Benjamin 40 Boone, Daniel 40, 41, 42, 43, 372, 373, 380, 397 Boone, Daniel Morgan 40, 43 Boone, Edward 40, 42 Boone, Elizabeth 40 Boone, Elizabeth Patey 382, 383 Boone, George 40 Boone, George (brother of Daniel) 40 Boone, George, Jr. 40 Boone, Hannah 40 Boone, Israel 40 Boone, Israel (son of Daniel) 40, 41 Boone, James 40 Boone, James (son of Daniel) 40 Boone, Jemima 40, 41 Boone, John 40 Boone, John (son of Daniel) 40 Boone, Captain John 382, 383 Boone, Jonathan 40 Boone, Joseph 40 Boone, Lavinia 40 Boone, Mary 40 Boone, Mary (sister of Daniel) 40 Boone, Mary Maugridge 40 Boone, Nathan 40 Boone, Rebecca (daughter of Daniel) 40 Boone, Rebecca Bryan 40, 42, 43 Boone, Samuel 40 Boone, Samuel (brother of Daniel) 40 Boone, Sarah 40

Boone, Sarah (sister of Daniel) 40, 41 Boone, Sarah Day 40 Boone, Sarah Morgan 40 Boone, Squire 40 Boone, Squire (Daniel’s brother) 40, 41 Boone, Squire, Jr. (Daniel’s father) 40 Boone, Susanna 40 Boone, Governor Thomas 126 Boone Hall Plantation 382 Boone’s Station 42 Borden, Ann (Anne; later Mrs. Francis Hopkinson) 276 Borden, Elizabeth Rogers 276 Borden, Colonel Joseph 184, 276 Bordley, Stephen 203, 324 Borlam clan 273 Born, Brian 50 Boston (packet) 92 USS Boston (frigate) 31, 32, 481, 482 Boston Grenadier Corps 213 Boston Massacre 6, 114 Bostwick, Rev. David 370 Botetourt Regiment 239 Boudinot, Annis (Anice; later Mrs. Richard Stockton) 424 Boudinot, Catherine Van Norden 43 Boudinot, Elias 43, 154, 200, 388, 424 Boudinot, Elias, Sr. 43 Boudinot, Hannah Stockton 43, 424 Boudinot, John 43 Boudinot, Susan Bradford 43 Boudinot, Tobias 43 Bouquet, Colonel Henry 88, 134, 192, 238, 418, 419, 430 Bourquin, John Lewis 51 Bours, Hannah Babcock 21 Bours, John 21 Boutetort, Governor Lord 236 Bowden, William 117 Bower, D. Govr 447 Bowes, Stephen 213 Bowdoin, Governor James 6, 332, 359, 386 Bowdoin, James, Sr. 386 Bowen, Hulda 103 Bowen, Hulda (later Mrs. Eliphalet Dyer) 103 Bowen, Jabez (deputy governor, Rhode Island) 103, 481 Bowen, Captain Oliver 26 Bowen, William 380 Bower, John 292 Bowman, Abraham 309 Bowman, John 41, 72 Bowman, Captain Joshua 270 Bowyer, Colonel John 291 Boyd, Colonel James (Loyalist) 71, 335, 336 Boyd, James Pillar 272 Boyd, John 51 Boyd, Lt. Thomas 429 Brackett’s Tavern 329 Braddock, British General Edward 16, 83, 121, 129, 229, 236, 238, 278, 286, 294, 315, 348, 363, 393, 400, 411, 418, 432, 468, 469 Bradford, General Alexander B. 40 Bradford, Anthony 100 Bradford, Mr. 17 Bradford, Colonel William 43 Bradish, Ebenezer 79 Bradish, Ebenezer (father of Mrs. Eleanor Bradish Cobb) 78 Bradish, Eunice Cook 78 Bradley, Mr. 465 Bradley, Philip Burr 190

Bradstreet, General John 354, 390 Braidfoot, Mr. 308 Braidie, Doctor 104, 396 Brainard, Dorothy Hobart 413 Brainard, Hezekiah 413 Branch, Mr. 100 Brant, Chief Joseph 76, 171, 347 Brattle, William (Loyalist General) 389 Bratton, Mrs. 433 Bratton, William 433 Braxton, Anna 45 Braxton, Carter (signer of the Declaration of Independence) 43, 44, 45 Braxton, Carter (son of Carter, Sr.) 45 Braxton, Carter, Jr. 45 Braxton, General Corbin 45 Braxton, Elizabeth 45 Braxton, Elizabeth Corbin 44, 45 Braxton, Elizabeth Wallace Ewing 45 Braxton, Fitzhugh 45 Braxton, George 43 Braxton, George (son of Carter) 45 Braxton, George, Jr. 43, 44 Braxton, Judith 44 Braxton, Judith Robinson 43 Braxton, Mary 44 Braxton, Mary Carter 43 Braxton, Mary Carter (wife of George, son of Carter) 45 Braxton, Miss Moore (wife of Carter, Jr.) 45 Braxton, Nancy 45 Braxton, Taylor 45 Braxton, William Fitzhugh 45 Brearly, Abijah 45 Brearly, Charles 46 Brearly (Brearley), David (signer of Constitution) 45, 46, 90, 185, 186, 333, 483 Brearly, David (son of David) 45 Brearly, David (son of Joseph) 46 Brearly, David, Sr. 45 Brearly, Eliza 46 Brearly, Elizabeth Higby 45 Brearly, Elizabeth Mullen 45 Brearly, Esther 45 Brearly, George 45 Brearly, Jerusha 45 Brearly, Joseph 45 Brearly, General Joseph (brother of David) 45, 46 Brearly, Joseph (son of General Joseph) 46 Brearly, Mary Clark 45, 46 Brearly, Rachael McClarey 45, 46 Breed’s Hill 89 Brent, William 62 Brenton, Doctor William 329 Brevard, Ephraim 85, 342 Brevard, John 85 Brewer, Colonel David 358 Brewer, Ebenezer 66 Brewster, Captain Ebenezer 33 Brickell, Doctor Joseph 408 Brickett, Abigail 46 Brickett, Abigail Peaslee 46 Brickett, Barnard 46 Brickett, Daniel 46 Brickett, Ednah Merrill 46 Brickett, James (brother of General James) 46 Brickett, James (son of General James) 46 Brickett, James, Sr. 46 Brickett, General James S. 46 Brickett, John 46

521 Brickett, John (son of General James) 46 Brickett, General Joseph 46 Brickett, Mary 46 Brickett, Mary (Polly) 46 Brickett, Moses 46 Brickett, Moses (son of General James) 46 Brickett, Nathaniel 46 Brickett, Sarah 46 Brickett, Susanna 46 Brickett, Susanna Pillsbury 46 Brickett, Theodore 46 Brien, Edward 158 Brinckerhoff (Brinkerhoff ), Brigadier General Abraham 435 Brinckerhoff (Brinkerhoff ), Isaac 434 Brinckerhoff (Brinkerhoff ), Sarah Rapelje 434 Brinton, Jacob 49 Brisbane, James 395 HMS Bristol 306 HMS Britannia 183 Britannia (privateer) 250 Broad, Fannie 47 Broad, Major Hezekiah 46, 47 Broad, Hezekiah (1) 46 Broad, Hezekiah (4) 47 Broad, Hezekiah, Sr. 46 Broad, Lydia Bacon 47 Broad, Miriam Sawin 47 Broad, Rebecca 46 Broad, Rebecca Burrage 46 Broadhead, Ann 47 Broadhead, Charles 47 Broadhead, Elizabeth DePue 47, 48 Broadhead, John 47 Broadhead, Luke 47 Broadhead, Rebecca Edgehill Mifflin 48 Brockholls, Anthony 247 Brockholst, Henry 248 Brodhead, Captain Daniel 47 Brodhead, General Daniel 17, 47, 48, 65, 73, 76, 90, 93, 131, 135, 193, 244, 275, 321, 430 Brodhead, Daniel, Sr. 47 Brodhead, Garrett 47 Brodhead, Hester 49 Brooke (Brook), Clement 59 Brooke, Jane Sewall 59 Brooke, Richard 281 Brooke, Major Thomas 60 Brooks, 3rd Lieutenant Benjamin 149 Brooks, Caleb 48 Brooks, Elizabeth 48 Brooks, Hannah 48 Brooks, Brigadier General (Governor) John 48, 49, 197, 229, 350, 427 Brooks, John, Jr. 49 Brooks, Joseph 48 Brooks, Lucy 49 Brooks, Lucy Smith 48, 49 Brooks, Mary Wyer 48 Brooks, Peter C. 141 Brooks, Phillips Brooks 142 Brooks, Ruth Albree 48 Brooks, Theodore 48 Broom, Ann 49 Broom, Elizabeth 49 Broom, Esther 49 Broom, Esther Willis 49 Broom, Jacob (signer of the Constitution) 34, 49 Broom, Jacob Pierce 49 Broom, James 49 Broom, James Madison 49 Broom, Nicholas Way 49

Broom, Rachael 49 Broom, Rachael Pierce 49 Broughton, Captain Nicholson 139 Brown, Abraham 53 Brown, Ann 425 Brown, Captain 111 Brown, Colonel Chad 413 Brown, Christina 425 Brown, Colonel 365 Brown, Elizabeth 425 Brown, Enoch 348 Brown, Frances 425 Brown, Frances Fowke 425 Brown, Captain George 347 Brown, Doctor Gustavus 425 Brown, Gustavus (1) 425 Brown, Gustavus (2) 425 Brown, Gustavus (3) 425 Brown, Gustavus Richard (4) 425 Brown, Jane 425 Brown, John (Kentucky) 394 Brown, Colonel John 452 Brown, Joseph 319 Brown, Luke 465 Brown, Margaret (later Mrs. Thomas Stone, signer) 425 Brown, Margaret Black Boyd 425 Brown, Mary 425 Brown, Mr. 20, 292 Brown, Governor Montford 12 Brown, Richard 425 Brown, Sarah 425 Brown, Thomas 349 Brown, 2nd Lieutenant William 149 Browne, Governor Montford 36, 180, 443 Brownell, George 119 Brown’s Mill schoolhouse attacked 348 Brownson, Captain Gideon 460 Brownson, Nathan 152, 196 Brush, Benjamin 278 Bryan, Eleanor 50 Bryan, Elizabeth 50 Bryan, Elizabeth Oliver 50 Bryan, George 117 Bryan, Green 50 Bryan, Hardy 50 Bryan, Hardy (son of William) 50 Bryan, Holland 50 Bryan, John 50 Bryan, Joseph 40 Bryan, Josiah 395 Bryan, Margaret 50 Bryan, Nancy 50 Bryan, Nancy Blackledge 50 Bryan, Nathan 412 Bryan, Loyalist Colonel Samuel 85 Bryan, Sarah 50 Bryan, Sarah Bonner 50 Bryan, Susan 50 Bryan, General William 20, 50, 206, 450 Buchanan, Brigadier General Andrew 50, 51, 176 Buchanan, Andrew, Jr. 51, 276 Buchanan, Anne McKean 51 Buchanan, Carolina Virginia Marylander Johnson 51 Buchanan, Eleanor Rogers 50 Buchanan, Admiral Franklin 51 Buchanan, Doctor George (father of General Andrew) 50 Buchanan, Doctor George (son of Andrew) 51, 276 Buchanan, Captain James 291 Buchanan, Letitia McKean 51 Buchanan, Sarah (later Mrs. Francis Preston) 59

Buchanan, Susan Lawson 51 Buchanan, William 50 Buchannan’s Station 375 Buck, Daniel 389 Buckner, Lt. Colonel Mordecai 279, 480 Buckingham, Ebenezer 360 Buckley, Elijah 164 Buford, Colonel Abraham 188, 310, 383, 433 Buford, Captain Thomas 239 Buise, Peter 149 Bull, Ann Barnwell Middleton 51 Bull, Barnaby 51 Bull, Catherine 51 Bull, Charlotte (Charlotta, later Mrs. John Drayton) 51 Bull, Charlotte (daughter of General Stephen) 51 Bull, Elizabeth 51 Bull, Elizabeth Woodward 51 Bull, Colonel John 51, 423 Bull, Judith Mayrant 51 Bull, Martha Godin 51 Bull, Mary 51 Bull, Mary Henrietta 51 Bull, Mary Quintyne 51 Bull, Sarah 51 Bull, Stephen (ancestor of General Stephen) 51 Bull, Brigadier General Stephen 26, 52 Bull, Stephen, Sr. 51 Bull, Colonel Thomas 93 Bull, William (1) 51 Bull, William (2) 51 Bull, William (half-brother of General Stephen) 51 Bull, Lt. Governor William (Uncle of General Stephen) 51, 101 Bullard, Colonel Samuel 47 Bulloch, Archibald 104, 105, 151, 152, 186, 196, 274, 275 Bulloch, Anne Irvine 423 Bulloch, Irvine 423 Bulloch, Captain James 423 Bulloch, James Stephen 423 Bulloch, Martha (later, mother of President Theodore Roosevelt) 423 Bulloch, Martha Stewart 423 Bunbury, Sir Henry 229 Bunch of Grapes Tavern 329, 448 Buncombe, Colonel Edward 431 Bunker Hill 89, 157, 350 Burbank, Abraham 344 Burd, Colonel James 93 Burgoyne, British General John 18, 20, 23, 35, 45, 46, 48, 54, 66, 69, 74, 76, 93, 110, 122, 128, 129, 130, 131, 135, 140, 143, 145, 154, 157, 167, 170, 197, 208, 216, 224, 229, 230, 243, 285, 291, 295, 298, 316, 319, 331, 341, 346, 350, 387, 392, 405, 406, 416, 417, 420, 437, 438, 448, 451, 452, 453, 460, 479, 483, 485, 490, 495, 499, 502, 503 Burgwin, John 457 Burgwin, Margaret Haynes 457 Burleigh, William 109 Burlingame, Christopher 360 Burke, Edmund 246 Burke, Governor Thomas 55, 87, 269 Burnett, Governor William 169 Burns, Abraham 449 Burns, Jacob 261 Burr, Aaron 8, 52, 53, 91, 155, 202, 252, 263, 320, 340, 342, 362, 380, 393, 412, 479, 486, 487

Index Burr, Reverend Aaron 52 Burr, Abigail 152 Burr, Alexander 501 Burr, Esther Edwards 52 Burr, Gershom 152 Burr, Sarah 52 Burr, Thaddeus 152 Burr, Reverend Thaddeus 157 Burr, Thaddeus, Jr. 152 Burr, Theodosia Bartow Prevost 52 Burrington, Governor George 19 Burroughs, Ezekiel 179 Burroughs, John 92 Burton, Major Benjamin 459 Burwell, Lewis 160 Burwell, Colonel Nathaniel 32, 362 Bushnell, David 355 Bushnell, Francis 204 Butler, Abigail Lord 53 Butler, Anne (also Ann or Annie) Armstrong 53 Butler, Rev. Benjamin 53 Butler, Benjamin (1) 53 Butler, Benjamin (2) 53 Butler, General Benjamin Franklin 53 Butler, Dorcas 53 Butler, Dorcas (daughter of General Henry) 53 Butler, Dorcas Abbott 53 Butler, Ebenezer 53 Butler, Eliner 56 Butler, Eleanor 56 Butler, Edmund 53 Butler, Edward 56, 57 Butler, Elizabeth 53 Butler, Frances 53 Butler, Hannah Hilton 53 Butler, General Henry 30, 53 Butler, Henry, Jr. 53 Butler, Isabella 53 Butler, Isabella Fisk 53 Butler, General James H. 53 Butler, James Platts 53 Butler, Jemima 53 Butler, Brigadier General John 53, 54, 55, 335, 431 Butler, Captain John 53 Butler, Loyalist Colonel John 76, 94, 347 Butler, Margaret Anderson 53 Butler, Mary 53 Butler, Mary Middleton 55, 56 Butler, Nancy Hersey 53 Butler, Percival 56, 57 Butler, Pierce (signer of the U.S. Constitution) 55, 56 Butler, Brigadier General Richard 56, 136, 329, 394, 477, 499 Butler, Sir Richard 55 Butler, Ruth Parsons 53 Butler, Samuel Abbot 53 Butler, Sarah Cotta 53 Butler, Sarah Hersey 53 Butler, Thomas 56 Butler, Thomas, Jr. 56 Butler, Lt. (later Major) Walter N. (Loyalist) 171, 347 Butler, Ward Cotton 53 Butler, William 53 Butler, William (son of Thomas) 56, 57, 57 Butler, Zebulon 94 Butler, Zephaniah 53 Butterfield, General Daniel 162 Butterfield, Major Isaac 33, 502 Byrd, Colonel William 393, 430 USS Cabot 36, 92, 180, 208, 443 Cadwalader, Anne 57

Index Cadwalader, Anne (daughter of General John) 57, 58 Cadwalader, Elizabeth 57 Cadwalader, Elizabeth (daughter of General John) 57 Cadwalader, Elizabeth Lloyd 57 Cadwalader, Frances 58 Cadwalader, Hannah Lambert 57, 84 Cadwalader, Major General John 27, 57, 58, 77, 80, 81, 84, 100, 114, 115, 131, 158, 280, 282, 303, 311, 317, 348, 370, 470 Cadwalader, Lambert 57, 58 Cadwalader, Margaret (later Mrs. Samuel Meredith) 57, 282, 283 Cadwalader, Maria 57 Cadwalader, Martha Lambert 57 Cadwalader, Mary (later Mrs. Philemon Dickinson) 57, 283 Cadwalader, Mary Biddle 58 Cadwalader, Rebecca 57 Cadwalader, Thomas 58 Cadwalader, Doctor Thomas 57, 84 Cady, Cornelius 384 Caffrey, Mrs. 374 Caldwell, David 272 Caldwell, Rev. David 260 Caldwell, Grace Allison 272 Caldwell, British Captain William 73 Calef, Doctor John 109 Calef, Joseph 30 Calef, Josiah 30 Calef, Miriam 30 Calef, Miriam Bartlett (daughter of Josiah Bartlett) 30 Calhoun, Catherine (later Mrs. Alexander Noble) 335 Calhoun, Ezekiel 335 Calhoun, Doctor John 435 Calhoun, John Ewing 56, 335 Calhoun, Rebecca (later Mrs. Andrew Pickens) 335 Callaway see Calloway Callender, Mr. 262 Callender (Callendar) Captain Robert 193 Calloway, Betsy 41 Calloway, Fanny 41 Calloway, Colonel Samuel 40, 42 Calvert, Benedict Leonard (4th Lord Baltimore) 60 Calvert, Charles (3rd Lord Baltimore) 59, 60 Calvit, Frederick 373 Cameron, Alexander 373 Cameron, John G. 415 Campbell, Alexander 292 Campbell, Ann 58 Campbell, British Colonel Archibald 14, 20, 113, 188, 461, 490 Campbell, Arthur 292 Campbell, Colonel Arthur 58, 398, 399, 402 Campbell, Charles 58 Campbell, Charles Henry 59, 380 Campbell, David 58 Campbell, Elizabeth 58 Campbell, Elizabeth Henry 58, 59 Campbell, British Lt. Colonel George 234, 255 Campbell, Jane 58 Campbell, John 58 Campbell, John (Loyalist) 293 Campbell, Margaret 58 Campbell, Margaret Buchanan 58 Campbell, Patrick 58 Campbell, British Major Patrick 227 Campbell, Robert (father-in-law of General Knox) 213

522 Campbell, Robert (uncle of General William) 58 Campbell, Sarah 59, 380 Campbell, Brigadier General William 58, 59, 270, 343, 380, 398, 403 Campbell, British Major William 478 Campbell, Governor Lord William 51, 254, 284, 306 Camden (galley) 36 Canajoharie Regiment 170 HMS Canceaux 223 Caner, Reverend Henry 213 Canon and Feudal Law Writs 5 Cantey, Joseph 369, 432 Cantey’s Plantation 256 Captain Budden (packet ship) 308 HMS Carcase (Carcass) 36 Carey, James 39, 40 Carleton, Dudley 23 Carleton, British General Sir Guy 13, 17, 18, 228, 290, 291, 438, 473, 475 Carothers, James 347 Carpenter, Increase 501 Carpenter, John 282 Carpenter, Martha (later Mrs. Reese Meredith) 282 Carpenter’s Hall 246, 363 Carrington, Colonel Edward 272, 388 Carroll, Ann 62 Carroll, Anne Brooke 61 Carroll, Catherine 61 Carroll, Colonel Charles 62 Carroll, Doctor Charles 60 Carroll, Charles (immigrant) 59 Carroll, Charles of Annapolis 59, 60, 61, 62 Carroll, Charles of Carrollton (signer of the Declaration of Independence) 59, 60, 61, 62, 67, 79, 80, 115, 121, 173, 286, 324, 438 Carroll, Charles of Homeland 61, 62 Carroll, Charles (settler) 59, 60, 62 Carroll, Charles the Barrister 60, 61, 62 Carroll, Daniel, Jr. (signer of U.S. Constitution) 43, 62, 63, 115, 203, 262, 282 Carroll, Daniel, Sr. 59, 60, 62 Carroll, Eleanor 60 Carroll, Eleanor (cousin of Charles of Carrollton, later wife of Daniel) 62 Carroll, Eleanor Darnall 62 Carroll, Ellen (Eleanor, daughter of Daniel) 62 Carroll, Eliza 61 Carroll, Elizabeth 61 Carroll, Elizabeth (Betsy) 62 Carroll, Elizabeth Brooke 59, 60 Carroll, Elizabeth Digges 62 Carroll, Harriet Chew 61 Carroll, Henry 59 Carroll, Henry (son of Daniel) 62 Carroll, Father John (later archbishop) 60, 61, 62, 67, 121 Carroll, John (son of Daniel) 62 Carroll, Keane 62 Carroll, Louise Rachel 61 Carroll, Margaret Tilghman 62 Carroll, Martha Ridgely Underwood 59 Carroll, Mary 61 Carroll, Mary (cousin of Charles of Carrollton; later wife of Daniel) 62 Carroll, Mary (daughter of Daniel) 62

Carroll, Mary Darnall 59 Carroll, Mary Darnall (wife of Charles of Carrollton) 60, 61, 62 Carroll, Richard 61 Carson, Colonel John 271 Carson, Doctor John 111 Carson, Mary 321 Carson, William 321 Carter, Anne Butler Moore 235 Carter, Anne Hill (later Mrs. Henry “Lighthorse Harry”) 235 Carter, Bernard Moore 235 Carter, Charles (husband of Betty Lewis) 239 Carter, Charles of Shirley 235 Carter, Colonel John 216, 373, 397, 485 Carter, Landon 281 Carter, Mr. see Church, John Barker Carter, Robert 314 Carter, Robert (King Carter) 160, 362 Carter, Samuel 483 Carter, Susan Roy 235 Carter, Thomas 365 Carter, Colonel Thomas H. 235 Carter Hall 362 Cartwright, Richard 437 Carvel Hall 325 Cary, Richard 479 Castle Haynes 457 Castle William (later Fort Independence) 109, 156, 369, 467 Caswell, Anna 63 Caswell, Christian 62 Caswell, Christian (son of General Richard) 63 Caswell, Dallam 63 Caswell, John 63 Caswell, Mary Mackilwean 63 Caswell, Brigadier General (Governor) Richard 20, 50, 54, 63, 86, 147, 169, 242, 334, 343, 381, 397, 400, 401, 402, 403, 431, 432, 450, 491 Caswell, Richard (son of General Richard) 63, 64 Caswell, Richard, Sr. 62 Caswell, Sarah 63 Caswell, Sarah Heritage 63 Caswell, Susanna 63 Caswell, William 63 Caswell, Winstone 63 Catea (or Katy; vessel) 442; see also USS Providence Cathcart, Doctor William 348 Catherine the Great 210, 217, 350 Cattell, William 100 Cayuga Indians 392, 499 Cedar Hill Plantation 423 HMS Cerberus 36, 443 Chaara Diac castle 220 Chamberlain, Abial 22 Chamberlain, Peleg 435 Chamberlain, Silas 22 Chamberlaine, Ann 64 Chamberlaine, Catherine Blake 65 Chamberlaine, Henrietta Maria 64, 65 Chamberlaine, Henrietta Maria (daughter of General James) 64, 65 Chamberlaine, Henrietta Maria Robbins 65 Chamberlaine, Brigadier General James Lloyd 64, 65, 176 Chamberlaine, Mary Cruickshanks 65 Chamberlaine, Mary Ungle 65

Chamberlaine, Richard Lloyd 65 Chamberlaine, Robbins 65 Chamberlaine, Samuel 64, 65 Chamberlaine, Samuel, Jr. 65 Chamberlaine, Thomas 64, 65 Chambers, Colonel Benjamin 65 Chambers, Benjamin (son of General James) 65 Chambers, Benjamin, Jr. 65 Chambers, Charlotte 65 Chambers, James 348 Chambers, Colonel (later Brigadier General) James 65, 347 Chambers, Jane Williams 65 Chambers, Katherine (Kitty or Catherine) Hamilton 65, 347 Chambers, Sarah Bella 65 Chambers, Sarah Patterson 65, 347 Chambers, William (brother of General James) 65 Chambers, Captain William (British privateer) 444, 445 USS Champion 81 Champlin, George 289 Chance (privateer) 371 Chandler, Elizabeth Sumner 65 Chandler, Jemima Bradbury 266 Chandler, Brigadier General John 65, 66 Chandler, Joseph 65 Chandler, Mary Chandler 65, 66 Chandler, Doctor Thomas B. 65 Chandler, Captain William 266 Chapin, General Israel 142 Chapman, Abraham 218 Chapman, Joseph 400 Chapman, Joseph (clerk) 218 Chapman, Susan 218 Charles, Robert 246 Charming Pegg y (brigantine) 37 Chase, Abigail 66 Chase, Ann (Nancy) 67 Chase, Ann Baldwin 66, 67 Chase, Ann Birch 67 Chase, Catherine 67 Chase, David Hall 66 Chase, Dudley 66 Chase, Elizabeth 66 Chase, Elizabeth (daughter of General Jonathan) 66 Chase, Fanny 67 Chase, Gratia 66 Chase, Jeremiah Townly 51, 67 Chase, Jonathan 66 Chase, General Jonathan 66 Chase, Lebbeus 66 Chase, Mary 66 Chase, Mary (2) 66 Chase, Mary Dudley 66 Chase, Matilda 67 Chase, Matilda (grandchild of Samuel the signer) 67 Chase, Matilda Walker 66 Chase, Nancy 67 Chase, Nancy (daughter of Samuel the signer) 67 Chase, Parmelia 66 Chase, Polly 66 Chase, Prudence 66 Chase, Richard 67 Chase, Sammy 67 Chase, Samuel 60, 63 Chase, Samuel (grandfather of Samuel the signer) 66 Chase, Samuel (Massachusetts) 66 Chase, Samuel (signer of the Declaration of Independence) 66, 67, 68, 121, 152, 201, 262, 263, 272, 276, 298, 324, 425, 438

523 Chase, Samuel, Jr. (Massachusetts) 66 Chase, Sarah 66 Chase, Sarah Hall 66 Chase, Sarah Hall (daughter of General Jonathan) 66 Chase, Silence Stow 66 Chase, Thankful Sherman 66 Chase, Thomas 66 Chase, Reverend Thomas 66, 67 Chase, Tommy 67 Chase, Tommy (grandson of Samuel the signer) 67 Chase, Tommy, II 67 Chase-Lloyd House 67 Chatan clan 273 Chatham (plantation) 408 Checkley, Elizabeth Rolfe 9 Checkley, Mary 9 Checkley, Reverend Samuel 9 Cheeseman, Captain Jacob 291 HMS Cherokee 341 Cherokee Indians 39, 41, 42, 126, 146, 194, 226, 253, 254, 261, 269, 305, 335, 336, 372, 373, 374, 375, 380, 381, 393, 397, 399, 400, 432, 450, 457, 489, 500 Cherry Valley Massacre 76 USS Chesapeake 202 Chester, Colonel John 189, 190, 478 Chetwood, William 492 Chevetel, Valentine 15, 16 Chew, Chief Justice Benjamin 61, 183 Chew, Henrietta Lloyd 324 Chew, John 324 Chew, Samuel 324 Cheyney, Mary (later Mrs. Horace Greeley) 435 Chickamauga 372 Chickamauga Indians 400, 401 Chickasaw Indians 261, 372, 374, 375, 376, 404 Chief Alexander McGillvary 113, 149, 215 Chief Big Foot 401 Chief Black Fish 41, 42 Chief Chiyaee 238 Chief Cornstalk (Hokolesqua) 158, 238, 239 Chief Dragging Canoe 401 Chief Ellinipalco 238 Chief Farmer 142 Chief Francis Titigaw 414 Chief Guristerisgo 476 Chief Half-King 158 Chief Hendrick 488 Chief Jacobs 16 Chief Kingfisher 397 Chief Little Turtle 388, 477 Chief Logan 134, 238, 286 Chief Oconostota 253, 254 Chief Old Abram 373, 397 Chief Red Jacket 142, 238 Chief Scoppathus 238 Chief Ungoola (known as Butler) 399 Child, Cromel 453 Childe, Edward Vernon 235 Chilhowee Indians 397 Chillicothe (Indian villages) 73 Choate, Captain Robert 109 Choate, Deeacon Stephen 109 Choctaw Indians (Choctaw Nation) 374, 376 Choiseul, Duc de 95 Christian, Colonel William 239, 261, 279, 394, 401 Christmas, Richard 55 Chrystie, Albert 114

Church, Benjamin 368 Church, John Barker 393 Church, Philip 393, 423 Church, Colonel Thomas 454 Cicero (privateer) 25 Cilley, Alice Rawlins 68 Cilley, Anna 68 Cilley, Bradbury 68, 347 Cilley, Daniel 68 Cilley, Dorcas Butler (daughter of General Henry Butler) 53 Cilley, Dorcas Butler (wife of Jonathan) 68 Cilley, Greenleaf 68 Cilley, Hannah Plumer 68 Cilley, Harriet Poor 68 Cilley, Horatio Gates 68 Cilley, Jacob 68 Cilley, Jennie Nealley 68 Cilley, Jonathan 53 Cilley, Jonathan (son of General Joseph) 68, 69 Cilley, Joseph (son of General Joseph) 68 Cilley, Captain Joseph 68 Cilley, General Joseph 30, 68, 69, 216, 3347 Cilley, Martha (Patty) Poor 68 Cilley, Sally Jenness 68 Cilley, Sarah 68 Cilley, Sarah Longfellow 68, 69, 347 City Tavern 302 Clapp, Mary (later Mrs. David Wooster) 501 Clapp, Mary Whitney 501 Clapp, Roger 344 Clapp, Temperance 501 Clapp, Reverend Thomas 106, 501 Clark, Aaron 70 Clark, Abigail 70 Clark, Abraham (signer, Declaration of Independence) 69, 70, 89, 90, 173, 233, 497 Clark, Abraham, Jr. 70 Clark, Abraham, II 70 Clark, Andrew 70 Clark, Ann 177 Clark, Ann Rogers 72 Clark, Asahel 426 Clark, Barbara Murray 177 Clark, Cavalier 70 Clark, Edmund 72 Clark (Clarke), Brigadier General Elijah 71, 72, 73, 104, 175, 187, 196, 335, 336, 431, 448 Clark, Elizabeth 70 Clark, Elizabeth (daughter of William the signer) 177 Clark, Elizabeth (sister of George Rogers) 72 Clark, Frances 72 Clark, George Rogers 19, 41, 47, 48, 73, 82, 162, 169, 201, 329 Clark, Hannah 70 Clark, Hannah Harrington 71 Clark, Hannah Winans 69 Clark, Reverend James 156 Clark, John 71 Clark, John (brother of George Rogers) 72 Clark, John (father of George Rogers) 72 Clark, John (son of General Elijah) 72 Clark, John Innes 318 Clark, Jonathan 72 Clark, Lucy 72 Clark, Richard 72 Clark, Sarah 70

Clark, Sarah Hatfield 70 Clark, Sarah (Nancy) Moore Nash 312 Clark, Thomas (father of Abraham) 69 Clark, Thomas (Massachusetts) 177 Clark, Thomas (son of Abraham) 70 Clark, Colonel Thomas, Jr. (Massachusetts) 177 Clark (Clarke), Colonel Thomas 312, 325 Clark, William 72, 73, 202 Clark, Lt. William 344 Clarke, British General Alured 476 Clarke (Clark), Elizabeth 69 Clarke, Jonathan 309 Clarke, Mary Mackenzie 284 Clarke (Clark), Richard 69 Clarke, Thomas Drayton 284 Clarke, William 389 Clark’s Wharf (later Hancck’s Wharf ) 368 Clarkson, General Matthew 200 Clarkson, Doctor Samuel 116 Clayes, Captain Peter 319 Clayton, Governor Joshua 31 Clayton, Rachael McCleary 31 Cleaveland, Moses 261 Cleaveland, William 261 Clement, Lt. Samuel 46 Cleveland, Colonel Benjamin 59, 398, 402 Clifton, William 61 Clingan, William 371, 493 Clinton, Alexander 76, 77 Clinton, Doctor Alexander 75 Clinton, Catherine 75 Clinton, Catherine (later Mrs. Pierre Van Cortlandt) 74, 450 Clinton, Charles (brother of Generals George and James) 75 Clinton, Charles (father of Generals George and James) 74, 75, 77, 170 Clinton, Charles (son of General James) 76 Clinton, Cornelia 74 Clinton, Cornelia Tappen 74, 75 Clinton, De Witt 76, 77 Clinton, Elizabeth 74 Clinton, Elizabeth (daughter of General James) 76 Clinton, Elizabeth Denniston 74, 75, 77 Clinton, Brigadier General (governor) George 8, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 127, 129, 166, 198, 211, 212, 216, 225, 240, 246, 298, 359, 421, 437, 451, 495, 498, 505 Clinton, British Admiral George 74 Clinton, George (son of General James) 76 Clinton, George Washington 74 Clinton, General Sir Henry 18, 45, 52, 54, 69, 74, 76, 104, 110, 127, 135, 140, 141, 145, 149, 163, 170, 187, 211, 214, 216, 221, 222, 231, 232, 244, 251, 254, 266, 269, 275, 284, 286, 292, 293, 298, 306, 307, 320, 328, 331, 332, 347, 350, 369, 388, 407, 413, 416, 417, 429, 452, 470, 476, 479, 485, 489, 490, 503 Clinton, James 75 Clinton, General James 74, 75, 76, 77, 268, 298, 320, 328, 347, 453 Clinton, Katherine 76 Clinton, Maria 74 Clinton, Martha Washington 74 Clinton, Mary 76 Clinton, Mary De Witt 76, 77

Index Clinton Iron Works 61 Clow, Cheyney 377 Clymer, Christopher 77 Clymer, Deborah Fitzwater 77 Clymer, Elizabeth 77 Clymer, Elizabeth Meredith 77, 283 Clymer, George (signer of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution) 77, 78, 134, 192, 283, 302, 304, 380, 385, 411, 424, 436, 461, 493 Clymer, Henry Meredith 77 Clymer, John Meredith 77, 78 Clymer, Julian 77 Clymer, Margaret (later Mrs. George McCall) 77 Clymer, Maria O’Brien 77 Clymer, Mary Willing 77 Clymer, Nancy (later Mrs. Charles Lewis) 77 Clymer, William Coleman 77 Cobb, Abby Crocker 79 Cobb, Abigail Hall 78 Cobb, Betsey (Betsy) 78, 79 Cobb, David 78 Cobb, Brigadier (Doctor) General David 78, 79, 123 Cobb, David George Washington 79 Cobb, Eleanor Bradish 78 Cobb, Eleanor Bradish (daughter of General David) 78 Cobb, Eunice 78 Cobb, Henry Jackson 79 Cobb, Lydia Leonard 78 Cobb, Mary 78 Cobb, Sally (later Mrs. Robert Treat Paine) 78, 326 Cobb, Thomas 78, 326 Cobb, Thomas (son of General David) 78 Cobb, William Gray 78 Cobb’s Hall 232 Cochran, James 393 Cochran, British Captain John 223 Cochran, Captain (later Lt. Colonel) Robert 13, 451 Cocke, Elizabeth Catesby 500 Cocke, Doctor William 500 Codman, Stephen 83 Coffin, Nathaniel 141 Coffin, Sarah Atkinson 22 Coffin, Stephen 21, 22 Cogswell, Alice Fitch 191 Cogswell, Rev. James 191 Cogswell, Mason Fitch 191 Coit, Elizabeth 449 Coit, Joseph 449 Coit, Mary 449 Coit, Mary Spaulding (Spalding; later Mrs. John Tyler) 449 Cojeman, Andrew 312 Colby, Captain Ebenezer 46 Colby, Rev. Philip 324 Colden, Lt. Governor Cadwallader 247 Colden, Lt. Governor James 75 Cole, Mary Newell 163 Cole, Matthew 163 Coleman, Hannah 77 Coleman, Robert 422 Coleman, William 285 Colleton Plantation 257 Collins, Captain Daniel 498 Collins, Isaac 248 Collins, John 81 Collins, Lois Cornwall 498 Collins, Thomas 377 Collins, Rev. Timothy 498 Colman, Rev. Henry 245

Index USS Columbus (formerly the Sally) 36, 180, 208, 443, 481 Commerce (vessel) 51 Condy, Jonathan Williams 184 Conestoga Wagon (inn) 231 USS Confederacy (frigate) 199, 482 Congress (privateer) 370, 371 Congress (vessel) 473 Conn-Sauti see Pickering, Timothy Connecticut Farms 89 Connolly, Doctor John 57, 108, 315, 356, 386 Conrad, Doctor Edward 371 Constitution, U.S. 7, 195 Convention of 1800 see Treaty of Morfontaine Conway, British General Henry Seymour 471 Conway, General Thomas 58, 61, 79, 80, 94, 100, 130, 131, 315, 379, 421, 470, 486, 493 Conway Cabal 10, 61, 79, 185, 226, 241, 379, 455, 470, 493 Conyers, Major James 257 Conyn (Conine), Philip 452, Conyngham, Gustavus 121 Cooke, Governor Nicholas 21, 179, 480 Cooke, Rachael 60 Cooley, William 40 Coombs, Thomas 415 Cooper, James 397 Cooper, Myles 153 Copeland, David O. 161 Coppinger, Mr. 322 Corbin, Alice Eltonhead 232 Corbin, Elizabeth Taylor 44 Corbin, Gawin 232 Corbin, Colonel Gawin 148 Corbin, Henry 232 Corbin, Richard 44 Corn Crib (horse) 370 Cornell, Content Brownell 80 Cornell, Brigadier General Ezekiel 80, 81 Cornell, Ezra 80 Cornell, Rachael Wood 80, 81 Cornell, Rhoda (later Mrs. Caleb Aldrich) 80 Cornell, Richard 80 Corner Oaks 239 Cornwallis, General Charles 19, 23, 25, 32, 39, 42, 52, 53, 54, 55, 59, 76, 77, 86, 87, 89, 90, 96, 111, 113, 115, 129, 131, 136, 137, 138, 141, 143, 145, 146, 147, 148, 149, 150, 158, 162, 163, 167, 178, 188, 194, 196, 201, 203, 209, 214, 219, 222, 227, 228, 234, 242, 244, 245, 251, 252, 254, 255, 256, 258, 262, 266, 269, 270, 272, 275, 280, 281, 284, 292, 295, 296, 297, 307, 308, 310, 314, 317, 329, 332, 334, 336, 338, 339, 343, 369, 377, 382, 383, 385, 388, 393, 398, 399, 403, 406, 410, 418, 422, 423, 429, 431, 432, 433, 435, 440, 446, 447, 448, 452, 462, 469, 470, 471, 479, 485, 487, 491, 497 Cortland Manor 450 Coton (plantation) 232, 233 Cotymore, Captain Richard 253, 254 Count Sella 419 Countess of Scarborough (sloop) 208, 209 Courier (vessel) 222 Cowell, Richard 138 Cox, Zachariah 197

524 Craig, Amelia 82 Craig, Dorothy Briner 82 Craig, Captain Isaac, USMC 36, 81, 82, 321, 448 Craig, Br. Major James 20, 242 Craig (Craige), Major 179 Craig, Peter Stebbins 304 Craig, Reverend 232 Craig, Thomas 82 Craig, Major General Thomas 82, 83 Craik, Doctor James 312, 468 Cram, Rev. John 347 Cranch, Judge John 326, 327 Crane, Abijah 82 Crane, Abijah (son of General Thomas) 82 Crane, Charlotte (Charlotta) 82 Crane, Isaac 82 Crane, Brigadier General John 82, 456 Crane, John, Jr. 82 Crane, Mehitable 82 Crane, Mehitable Wheeler 82 Crane, Sarah Field 82 Crary, Colonel Archibald 146 HMS Crawford 36 Crawford, Union General Samuel W. 277 Crawford, Rev. Thomas 376 Crawford, Colonel William 158, 279 Creek Indians (Creek Nation) 72, 113, 149, 215, 245, 372, 373, 374, 375, 400, 448 Cresap, Captain Michael 134, 159 Cresap, Thomas 487 Crockatt, Mr. 225 Crocker, Doctor Ephraim 435 Crocker, Job 123 Crogan, Lucy Clark 73 Croghan, Colonel George 108 Croghan, William 321 Cromwell, Oliver (The Protector) 66, 162, 263, 378 Crooked Billet 219 Crouch, Edward 349 HMS Cruzier 20, 172, 187, 311 Cullen, Charles 452 Culpeper Minute Men 239 Cummings, Reverend Charles 401 Cunningham, Alexander (1st Earl of Glencairn) 370 Cunningham, Barnabus 459 Cunningham, Captain John 291 Cunningham, Patrick (Loyalist) 369 Currie, Beck and Company 207 Cushing, Ann Huske Sheafe 83 Cushing, Benjamin 83 Cushing, Brigadier General Charles 83 Cushing, Charles, Jr. 83 Cushing, Charlotte 83 Cushing, Deborah 83 Cushing, Elijah 83, 242 Cushing, Elizabeth (daughter of General Charles) 83 Cushing, Elizabeth (daughter of General Joseph) 83 Cushing, Elizabeth Barker 242 Cushing, Elizabeth Barstow 83 Cushing, Harriet 83 Cushing, Horatio 83 Cushing, Rev. Job 462 Cushing, John 83 Cushing, Joseph 83 Cushing, Brigadier General Joseph 83, 141 Cushing, Mary 83 Cushing, Mary Cotton 83 Cushing, Colonel Nathaniel 448

Cushing, Rowland 83 Cushing, Ruth 83 Cushing, Ruth Stockbridge 83 Cushing, Sarah (later Mrs. Charles Paine) 83 Cushing, Thomas 6, 91, 155, 326, 391 Cushing, Thomas, Sr. 8 Cushing, William 83, 494 Custis, Colonel Daniel 469 Custis, Daniel 469 Custis, Fanny 469 Custis, Martha 469 Custiss, Eleanor 304 Custiss, George Washington Parke 304 Custiss, John Parke 469 Cuthbert, James Hazzard 26 Cuthbert, General John A. 174, 274 Cuthbery, James 27 Cutler, Abel 319 Cutler, Manasseh 329, 448 Cutt (Cutts), Dorcas Hammond 482 Cutt (Cutts), Elizabeth (later Mrs. Joseph Whipple) 482 Cutt (Cutts), Mary (later Mrs. William Whipple) 482 Cutt (Cutts), Robert 482 Cutts, John (president of New Hampshire) 482 Cutts, Richard 124 Czar (Emperor) Alexander 218 Czar (Emperor) Paul 217 Czar Peter III 420 Dagworthy, Eli 84 Dagworthy, Elizabeth 84 Dagworthy, Hannah Lambert 84 Dagworthy, Brigadier General John 83, 84, 99, 334 Dagworthy, John, Sr. 83 Dagworthy, Martha Cadwallader 84, 99 Dagworthy, Martha Mitchell 84 Dagworthy, Mary 84 Dagworthy, Sarah 84 Dagworthy, Sarah Ely 83 Dahlgren, Admiral John 277 Dahlgren, Uric 277 Dale, Richard 28, 277, 303 Dalrymple, British General William 214 Dalton, Senator Tristram 427 Dana, Francis 103, 299, 367 Dana, James 142 Dandridge, Colonel John 169, 240 Dandridge, Colonel Nathaniel West 169 Daniel, John Moncure of Crow’s Nest 426 Daniel, Judge Peter 361 Daniels, Travers 426 Danielson, Beulah Winchester 85 Danielson, Elizabeth (Eliza) Sikes 85 Danielson, John 84 Danielson, John, Jr. 84 Danielson, Margaret 84 Danielson, Margaret Mighell 84 Danielson, Martha 85 Danielson, Nathaniel 84 Danielson, Sarah 84 Danielson, Sarah (daughter of General Timothy) 85 Danielson, Timothy 85 Danielson, Brigadier General Timothy 84, 85, 229, 404, 427 Darlington, Doctor William 220 Darnall, Elinor Hatton Brooke 60 Darnall, Colonel Henry 59, 60, 62

Dartmouth (vessel) 9, 156, 368 Daven, James 329 Davenport, Deodate 407 Davenport, Lydia Woodward 407 Davidson, Ephraim Brevard 85 Davidson, George 85 Davidson, George (son of General William) 85 Davidson, Jean 85 Davidson, John Alexander 85 Davidson, Margaret 85 Davidson, Mary Brevard 85 Davidson, Pamela 85 Davidson, Brigadier General William Lee 85, 86, 160, 270, 296, 343 Davidson, William Lee, Jr. 85 Davidson Academy (later University of Nashville) 374 Davie, Archibald 86 Davie, David 196 Davie, Sarah Jones 87, 88 Davie, Brigadier General William Richardson (framer of the Constitution) 85, 86, 87, 88, 107, 194, 207, 260, 412, 433, 491 Davies, Rev. Samuel 469 Davis, Captain 92 Davis, Daniel 123 Davis, Edward 123 Davis, John (later Brigadier General) 305 Davis brothers 294 Dawes, William 10, 156, 368, 369, 467 Dayton, Aaron 88, 89 Dayton, Brigadier General Elias 88, 89, 320, 492 Dayton, Elias Bailey 88, 89, 90 Dayton, Hannah (later Mrs. Mathias Ogden) 88, 89 Dayton, Hannah Rolphe 88, 89 Dayton, Horatio 88, 89 Dayton, John 88, 89 Dayton, Doctor Jonathan (halfbrother of General Elias) 88 Dayton, Jonathan (signer of Constitution) 53, 88, 89, 90, 91, 186, 320, 333 Dayton, Mary Crane 88 Dayton, Susan Williamson 88, 90 Dayton, William 88, 89 Dean, Lt. Solomon 141 USS Deane (frigate) 227, 445, 482 Deane, Elizabeth Saltonstall Ewetse 91, 92, 389 Deane, Jesse 91 Deane, Mehitable Webb 91, 478 Deane, Silas 7, 18, 27, 79, 91, 92, 95, 96, 102, 103, 126, 180, 201, 205, 220, 223, 226, 237, 247, 285, 303, 371, 389, 391, 406, 478, 498 Dearborn, Lt. Colonel (later Major General) Henry 69 De Arendt, Colonel (Baron) 309 De Barras Comte 228 De Berdt, Denis (Dennis) 121, 364, 366 De Borre, Brigadier General Chevalier Prud Homme 92, 93 De Bouilley, Marquis de 315 De Broglie, Comte 95 Decatur, Stephen 449 Decoy Regiment 479 De Fermoy Brigadier General Matthias Alexis Roche 93, 387 Defiance (transport) 36 De Grasse, Admiral Comte FrancoisJoseph Paul 102, 222, 228, 471 De Haas, Ann Shippin 98

525 De Haas, Eleanor Bingham 93 De Haas, Harriet 94 De Haas, Brigadier General John Philip 93, 94, 502 De Haas, John Philip, Jr. 94 De Hart, Margaret (later Mrs. Matthias Williamson, then Mrs. William Chetwood) 492 De Hart, Captain Matthias 492 De Heister, General 12 De Kalb, Andrew 94 De Kalb, Anna Elizabeth van Robais 95, 97 De Kalb, Anna Maria 97 De Kalb, Elie 97 De Kalb, Elise Signard 97 De Kalb, Frederick 97 De Kalb, George 94 De Kalb, Major General Baron John (Hans) 92, 94, 95, 96, 97, 131, 137, 147, 149, 220, 223, 229, 254, 410, 431 De Kalb, John Leonard 94 De Kalb, Margaret Seitz Putz 94 DeLancey, Lt. Governor James 11, 75, 246, 452 DeLancey, Colonel Oliver (Loyalist) 501 Delancey’s Refugee Corps 328 Delassus, Charles Dehault 43 De Lauzun, Duke de 281 Delaware (privateer) 28 USS Delaware 311 Delaware Indians 42, 218, 386 De l’Enfant, Captain 421 De Leyba, Spanish Governor Fernando 73 Demarest, Thomas 32 De Mauroy, Viscount 96 Dennis, Sarah 109 Denny, Ebenezer 57 Denny, Colonel Samuel 47 Denny, Lt. Governor William 440 De Noailles, Duke (Lafayette’s fatherin-law) 220 De Noailles, Viscount (Lafayette’s cousin) 27, 228 Dent, John 176 De Peyster (DePeyster), Captain Abraham (Loyalist) 398, 403, 452 De Peyster, Cornelia (later Mrs. Jacob Rutsen Van Rensselaer) 452 De Peyster, Pierre 452 De Place, Captain 13 Depue, Samuel 47 Desire (privateer) 183 D’Estaing, Count 81, 102, 221, 244, 254, 275, 307, 353, 429 De Ternay, French Admiral 214 Deveraux, Major 113 Deveraux (Devaux), Peter 196 De Vergennes, Count 121, 469 Devil, the 305 De Villiers, Joseph Coulon, Sieur de Jumonville 418 Devotion, Rev. Ebenezer 191 Devotion, Martha Lathrop 191 De West, Captain 123 Dewey, Moses 404 Dewey, Rachel Moseby 404 De Witt, Egbert 76 De Witt, Mary (Maria) Nottingham 76 De Woedtke, Brigadier General Frederic Wilhelm 97 HMS Diamond 181, 481 HMS Diana 416 Dick, Charles 240, 281

Dick, Eleanor (later Mrs. James Mercer) 281 Dickey, Samuel W. 415 Dickinson, Ann (Anne or Annie) Meredith 99 Dickinson, Henry 99 Dickinson, General John (signer of the U.S. Constitution) 6, 31, 34, 50, 68, 77, 97, 98, 99, 100, 108, 109, 115, 118, 126, 142, 193, 198, 229, 237, 266, 282, 285, 302, 305, 334, 348, 384, 436, 465, 474, 493 Dickinson, Jonathan 186 Dickinson, Judith Troth 99 Dickinson, Mary (daughter of Doctor Thomas Cadwalader, later Mrs. Philemon Dickinson) 99, 100 Dickinson, Mary (later Mrs. George Fox) 99 Dickinson, Mary Cadwalader (Sister of Doctor Thomas Cadwalader) 97, 99 Dickinson, Mary Fish Silliman (widow of General Silliman) 408 Dickinson, Mary Norris 98 Dickinson, Brigadier General Philemon 57, 84, 99, 100, 118, 283 Dickinson, Rebecca (daughter of Doctor Thomas Cadwalader, later Mrs. Philemon Dickinson) 57, 100 Dickinson, Rebecca Cadwalader 57 Dickinson, Samuel 97, 99 Dickinson, Samuel (son of General Philemon) 99, 283 Dickson, William 270 Dieskau, Baron 117, 344, 354, 414, 488 Digby, British Admiral Robert 25, 320 USS Diligent 249 Diligent (vessel) 117 Dill, Ann Marshall 498 Dill, Doctor Armstrong 497 Dimon, Colonel Jonathan 205 Dinkins, John 194 Dinwiddie, Governor Robert 84, 294, 363, 430, 468, 469, 504 Dixon, Josiah 72 Dixon, John 229 Doak, Rev. Samuel 270, 398 Doane, Elisha 83 Dobbs, Governor Arthur 63, 292, 311, 411 Dobbs, Justina Davis 311 USS Dolphin 121 Dolphin (British privateer) 482 Dondle, Captain Michael 287, 288 Donelson’s Station 373 Donnegall (vessel) 347 Donnel, John R. 412 Donop, Count 454 Dooly (Dooley), Colonel John 71, 335, 336, 448 Dorsey, Henrietta Maria 325 Dorsey, Doctor John Syng 380 Doughoregan Manor 62 Doughty, Captain John 153 Douglas, Abiah 100 Douglas, Benjamin 100 Douglas, Ephraim 321 Douglas, Brigadier General John 100, 103 Douglas, John (son of General John) 100 Douglas, Lt. Colonel John, Sr. 100 Douglas, Olive 100 Douglas, Olive (daughter of General John) 100 Douglas, Olive (2) 100

Douglas, Olive Spaulding 100 Douglas, Pamela Lord 100 Douglas, Rebecca 100 Douglas, Sarah 100 Douglas, Sarah (daughter of General John) 100 Douglas, Susanna (daughter of General John) 100 Douglas, Susanna Freyers 100 Douglas, Susannah 100 Douglas, William 100 Douglas, William (son of General John) 100 Douglas, William, II 100, 190 Douglass, John (battalion commander) 190 Douglass, William (battalion commander) 190 Douw, Pieter Winne 452 Douw, Rachael (later Mrs. Hendrick J. Van Rensselaer) 452 Douw, Volkert 452 Dover (vessel, later USS Dolphin) 121 Downes, Major 489 HMS Drake 208 Draper Hotel 344 Drayton, Anna 101 Drayton, Charles 101, 283 Drayton, Charlotta (Charlotte) Bull 100, 101 Drayton, Dorothy Golightly 101 Drayton, Edward 26 Drayton, Esther Meredith 283 Drayton, Royal Governor Glen 101 Drayton, John 26, 51 Drayton, John (died at birth) 101 Drayton, John (son of William Henry, later governor of SC) 101 Drayton, Margaret Glen 101 Drayton, Martha 26 Drayton, Mary 26 Drayton, Mary (daughter of William Henry) 101 Drayton, Rebecca Perry 101 Drayton, Sarah 26 Drayton, Sarah Cattell 100, 101 Drayton, Stephen Fox 101 Drayton, Susanna 101 Drayton, Thomas 26, 51 Drayton, Thomas (son of John) 101 Drayton, William 100 Drayton, William Henry 51, 100, 101, 226, 306, 383, 384, 432, 497 Drayton, William Henry, Jr. 101 Drayton Hall 100 Dropmore (estate) 239 Drury, Hannah Barton 319 Drury, Josiah 319 Duane, James 198, 224, 240, 246, 247, 391, 493 Dubbough, Sergeant 487 Du Bois, Colonel Lewis 129 Du Bois, Samuel 432 Du Bouson (Dubuysson), Lt. 97 Duc de Choiseul see Choiseul, Duc de Duc de Luzon (French warship) 28 Duche, Reverend Jacob 10, 366 Du Coudray, Major General Philip 101, 102, 145, 214, 429 Du de Lauzun’s Legion 446 Dudley, Governor Thomas 105 Dudleytown, Curse of 435 Duer, Colonel William 92, 103, 247 Duffield (DuField), Reverend George 17 Duffield, Doctor Samuel 493 Dulany (Dulaney), Daniel 60, 324 Dumouriez (French agent) 352

Index Duncan (a soldier, first name unknown) 401 Duncan, Elizabeth 401 Duncan, George 417 Duncan, Thomas 441 Dundas, British Colonel Thomas 228 Dunlap, Major James 71 Dunmore, Governor ( John Murray, Earl of Dunmore) 36, 42, 44, 56, 58, 63, 134, 161, 168, 176, 177, 187, 200, 238, 239, 242, 261, 279, 284, 313, 315, 361, 363, 386, 394, 397, 402, 419, 469, 500 Dunmore County Volunteers 239 Dunning, Lt. Robert 439 Dunston Hall 281 Duponceau, Pierre Etienne 421 Duportail, Major General Louis Lebeque de Presle 102, 307 Durham Furnace Company 436 Durkee, John 190 Dwight, Timothy 427 Dwight, Reverend Timothy 23, 357 Dyer, Amelia 103 Dyer, Benjamin 103 Dyer, Eliphalet 103 Dyer, Brigadier General Eliphalet 91, 100, 103, 107, 205, 223, 389, 406, 473, 498 Dyer, Eunice 103 Dyer, Hulda Bowen 103 Dyer, Jabez 103 Dyer, Lydia 103 Dyer, Lydia Backus 103 Dyer, Mary 103 Dyer, Mehitable Gardiner 103 Dyer, Oliver 103 Dyer, Sarah Walden 103 Dyer, Thomas 103 Dyer, Colonel Thomas 103 Eaker, George, I 155, 393 Earl of Balcarres 229 Eason, John 408 Eastman, Amos 414 Eaton, Anna Bland 104 Eaton, Anne 104 Eaton, Anne Stith 104 Eaton, Harriet 104 Eaton, Mary Ellen 104 Eaton, Mary Jones 87, 104 Eaton, Mary Rives 103 Eaton, Brigadier General Thomas 54, 87, 103, 104, 206, 207 Eaton, Thomas, Jr. 104 Eaton, Captain (later General) William 85 Eaton, Colonel William (father of General Thomas) 103 Eaton, William (son of General Thomas) 104 Eaton Station 261, 397 Eddy, George 304 Eden, Governor Robert 176, 284, 324 Edes, Mr. 466 Edmundson, John 161 HMS Edward 27 Edwards, Jonathan 52 Edwards, Timothy 52, 319 Eels, Ann Mead 278 USS Effingham 27 Egleston, Azaria 332 Egleston, Rachael Church 332 Egleston, Seth 332 Eilbeck, William 263 Elbert, Catherine Rae 104 Elbert, Elizabeth 104

Index Elbert, Elizabeth Rae 104 Elbert, Emmanuel de Lafayette 104 Elbert, Hugh Rae 104 Elbert, Matthew 104 Elbert, Samuel 104 Elbert, Brigadier General Samuel 20, 54, 104, 105, 151, 244, 275, 381, 396, 448 Elbert, Sarah 104 Elbert, Sarah (daughter of General Samuel) 104 Elbert, Reverend William 104 Elderkin, Jedediah 446 Elderkin, Zedekiah 191 Eleanor (vessel) 9, 368 Elizabeth (brigantine) 445 Ellery, Abigail Carey 105 Ellery, Almy 105 Ellery, Ann Remington 105 Ellery, Edmund Trowbridge 105 Ellery, Elizabeth 105 Ellery, George Wanton 105 Ellery, Lucy 105 Ellery, Mary Goddard 105 Ellery, Mehitable Redwood 105 Ellery, William (signer of the Declaration of Independence) 105, 106, 182 Ellery, William, Jr. 105 Ellery, William, Sr. 105 Ellicott, Andrew 61 Elliot, Andrew 214 Elliott, Captain Bernard 341 Elliott, James 401 Elliott, Senator John 423 Elliott, Colonel Robert 413 Elliott, Thomas 279 Elliott, William 26 Ellis, George 123 Ellis, Joseph 118 Ellis, Mordecai 123 Ellsworth, Abigail 106 Ellsworth, David 106 Ellsworth, Jemima Leavitt 106 Ellsworth, Oliver (signer of the U.S. Constitution) 88, 106, 107, 494 Elwyn, Thomas 224 Ely, Eunice (daughter of John) 316 Ely, Eunice Colton 316 Ely, Ensign John 316 Ely O’Connor grant (Baltimore County, Maryland) 59 Emanuel, David (later governor of Georgia) 448 Emanuel, John 448 Emanuel, Ruth (later Mrs. John Twiggs) 448 Emery (Emory), Doctor Anthony 305 Emery (Emory), Sarah (later Mrs. Jonathan Moulton) 305 Emlen, Samuel, Jr. 371 Emperor Alexander see Czar Alexander Emperor Paul see Czar Paul Ennalls, Ann Smith 176 Ennalls, John 176 Ennals, William 176 Ennis, Richard 149 Enos, David 107 Enos, Mary Gilbert 107 Enos, James 107 Enos, Jerhusa (later Mrs. Ira Allen) 108 Enos, Jerhusa Hayden 108 Enos (Eno), Brigadier General Roger 107, 108, 110 Enos, Roger, Jr. 108 USS Enterprise (formerly George III) 17

526 Eppes, Francis (Frank) 124, 279, 394 Ergheimer, Nicholas see Herkimer, Brigadier General Nicholas Erving, John, Jr. 11 Estkowa, Catherine 218 Eustace, Governor William 198 Eustis, Governor William 49 Evans, George 340 Evans, Major George 409 Evans, Rev. Israel 347, 471 Evans, Miss (later Mrs. Thomas Lewis) 239 Eveleigh, Nicholas 383 Evers, Mr. 419 Ewen, William 104 Ewetse, John 91, 389 Ewing, Brigadier General James 108, 109, 193, 371 Ewing, James, Jr. 108 Ewing, Major Jasper ( Jesse) 158 Ewing, John 158 Ewing, John (brother of General James) 108 Ewing, Patience Wright 108, 109 Ewing, Samuel 108 Ewing, Sarah 158 Ewing, Susanna 108 Ewing, Susanna Howard Patterson 108 Ewing, Thomas 108 Ewing, Thomas (son of General James) 108 Ewing, William 45 Ewing, William (son of General James) 108 HMS Experiment 27, 306 Eyre, British Colonel Edmund 446, 447 Eyres, Rev. Nicholas 179 Fabius see Dickinson, John Fair American 25, 37 Fairbanks, Samuel 319 Fairfax, Lord Thomas see Lord Fairfax Fairfax Resolves 263 Faneuill Hall 6 Fanning (South Carolina Loyalist) 257 Fanning, David 55 Fanning, Edmund 311, 408 Farley, Ebenezer 109 Farley, Elizabeth 109 Farley, Elizabeth Choate 109, 110 Farley, Eunice 109 Farley, Jabez 109 Farley, John 109 Farley, Lucy Rogers 109 Farley, Michael 109 Farley, Brigadier General Michael 85, 109 Farley, Robert, I 109 Farley, Robert, II 109, 110 Farley, Samuel 196 Farley, Sarah 109 Farley, Susanna (Baptized Sept. 1762) 109 Farley, Susanna (Baptized 1764) 1009 Farley, Susanna Kendall 109 Farley, Susanna Swazey 109 Farragut, Admiral David 442 Farrar, Major John 365 Farrar, Martha Swift 365 Fassett, John 385 Fauchett, French Secretary of State 362 Faunce’s Tavern 215 Fay, Jones 465 Fay, Nathan 385

Fearing, Paul 329 Febiger, Brigadier General Christian 110, 111, 321 Febiger, Elizabeth Carson 111, 321 Febiger, John Carson 111 Federalist Papers 199, 252 Fellows, Charlotte 111 Fellows, Edmund 111 Fellows, Hannah 111 Fellows, Henry 111 Fellows, Jane 111 Fellows, Brigadier General John 111, 447 Fellows, John, Jr. 111 Fellows, Mary 111 Fellows, Mary Ashley 111 Felton, Ensign Joshua 142 Fendall, Elizabeth Lillington see Moore, Elizabeth Lillington Fendall Fendall, Colonel John 20, 292 Fendall, Philip Richard 233 Fenner, Governor Arthur 414 Fenwick, Edward 26 Fenwick, Martha Izard 26 Fenwick, Mary Drayton 26 Ferguson, Major Patrick (Bull Dog) 32, 59, 71, 188, 269, 271, 343, 398, 402, 489 Ferry Farm 281, 467 Fessenden, William 123 Few, Benjamin 112, 448 Few, Catherine Nicholson 113 Few, Colonel 71 Few, Francis 114 Few, James 112 Few, Mary Wheeler 111 Few, Sally 112 Few, William (signer of the U.S. Constitution) 111, 112, 113, 114, 338, 448 Few, William (son of James) 112 Few, William, Sr. 111, 112 Fickling (soldier) 244, Field, Colonel John 238, 239 Fincastle Battalion 239 Fincher, John 194 Finlay (Findley), John 40 Finley, Reverend Samuel (Findlay) 378, 424 Finney, Robert 276 First Citizen see Carroll, Charles of Carrollton First Essex Regiment 337 “The First Prayer in Congress” (painting) 103 Fish, Rev. Joseph 407 Fish, Rebecca Peabody 407 Fish, Simeon 123 Fisk, Doctor Ebenezer 53 Fitch, Governor Thomas, IV 103, 189, 354 Fitzgerald, Jane Diggs 237 Fitzgerald, Colonel John 237 Fitzhugh, Colonel William of Eagle’s Nest 232 Fitzsimmons, Ann 114 Fitzsimmons, Thomas (signer of the U.S. Constitution) 114, 115, 116, 192 flag, United States 202 Flamand (vessel) 420 Fleming, Colonel William 238, 239, 483 Fletchall, Thomas 489 Fletcher, Ambrose 401 Fleurieu, Monsieur 88, 107 Fleury, Colonel 421 HMS Flora 31 Flower, Samuel 435

Floyd, Ann (later Mrs. George Clinton, Jr.) 117 Floyd, Anna 116 Floyd, Catherine 116 Floyd, Catherine (daughter of William) 116 Floyd, Charity 116 Floyd, Charles 116 Floyd, Eliza (Elizabeth) 117 Floyd, Hannah Jones 116, 117 Floyd, Joanna ( Johanna) Strong 117 Floyd, Mary 116 Floyd, Mary (daughter of William) 116 Floyd, Nicoll (son of William) 116 Floyd, Nicoll, Jr. 116 Floyd, Nicoll, Sr. 116, 501 Floyd, Phebe Gelston 116 Floyd, Richard 116 Floyd, Colonel Richard 204 Floyd, Ruth (later Mrs. Nathaniel Woodhull) 116 Floyd, Tabitha 116 Floyd, Tabitha Smith 116, 501 Floyd, General William (signer of the Declaration of Independence) 74, 116, 117, 126, 240, 241, 246, 501 Flucker, Thomas 213 USS Fly 36 Fogg, Captain (later Major) Jeremiah 347 Folger, Peter 119 Folsom, Abigail (later Mrs. Ebenezer Sinclair) 117 Folsom, Anna (later Mrs. David Gilman) 117 Folsom, Anna Ladd 117 Folsom, Catherine Gilman 117 Folsom, Elizabeth Gilman 117 Folsom, John 117 Folsom, John (son of General Nathaniel) 117 Folsom, Jonathan 117 Folsom, Jonathan (son of General Nathaniel) 117 Folsom, Josiah 117 Folsom, Lydia (later Mrs. William Bowden) 117 Folsom, Mary 117 Folsom, Mary Gilman 117 Folsom, Mary Smith 135 Folsom, Mary West 117 Folsom, Nathaniel 117 Folsom, Brigadier General Nathaniel 29, 103, 117, 135, 337, 346, 365, 367, 428 Folsom, Peter 117 Folsom, Peter, Sr. 117 Folsom, Samuel 117 Folsom, Sarah (later Mrs. John Nelson) 117 Folsom, Trueworthy 117 Fontaine, John 168 Foote, Eli 462 Forbes, James 117, 325 Forbes, General John 16, 134, 238, 279, 287, 294, 400, 418, 430, 457, 469 Ford, Colonel Jacob 492 Fordyce, British Lt. Charles 500 Foreman, Captain William 158 Forlorn Hope (Colonial detachment) 254 Forman, Aaron 118 Forman, Ann 118 Forman, Ann Marsh 118 Forman, Augustine Marsh 118 Forman, Brigadier General David 118, 119, 316, 317

527 Forman, Eliza 118 Forman, Elizabeth 118 Forman, Elizabeth Lee 118 Forman, Emma 118 Forman, Ezekiel 118 Forman, Joseph 118 Forman, Joseph, Jr. 118 Forman, Malvina 118 Forman, Margaret Neilson 118 Forman, Rivine 118 Forman, Colonel Samuel 118 Forman, Sarah Marsh 118 Forman, Stephen 118 Forest (also Poplar Forest plantation) 200, 202 Forrest, Captain Thomas 153 Forrest, Lt. Uriah 149 Fort Adams (Ohio) 477 Fort Anglesea 439 Fort Ann (Fort Schuyler, New York) 387, 460 Fort Arbuthnot 308 Fort Armstrong 17, 47 Fort Augusta 448 Fort Barnwell 50 Fort Beausejour 125 Fort Bedford 419 Fort Brodhead 17, 47 Fort Carey 433 Fort Carillion (later Fort Ticonderoga) 452 Fort Caswell (known also as Fort Lee) 397 Fort Charles (Ireland) 318 Fort Clinton 74, 76, 298, 356 Fort Constitution (New York) 268 Fort Cornwallis 71, 234, 336, 448 Fort Crailo 452 Fort Cumberland 84, 279, 418 Fort Cummings (previously Oblong Redoubt) 454 Fort Dayton 88, 89, 170, 171 Fort Decatur 400 Fort Defiance 454, 477 Fort Deposit (Ohio) 477 Fort Dobbs 450, 457 Fort Dreadnaught (also known as Fort Galphin) 336 Fort Dunmore (Fort Pitt) 108, 315, 386 Fort Dunmore (Virginia) 500 Fort Duquesne (later Fort Pitt) 84, 134, 229, 236, 238, 279, 286, 287, 315, 348, 363, 400, 411, 430, 457, 469 Fort Edward 22, 94, 125, 294, 331, 358, 387, 406, 414, 415, 417, 437, 451, 460 Fort Fincastle 158 Fort Fox 454 Fort Frontenac 74, 75, 390, 452 Fort Galphin (also known as Fort Dreadnaught) 71, 234, 336 Fort George (Maine) 249, 458, 459 Fort George (New York) 94, 117, 331, 418, 453 Fort Granby 146, 234, 434 Fort Granville 16, 292 Fort Greene (New York) 454 Fort Greene (Ohio) 477 Fort Greenville 394 Fort Grierson 71 Fort Griswold 19, 267, 389, 446 Fort Harmar 329, 456 Fort Harrodsburg 72 Fort Heaton 397 Fort Henry 73, 158, 169 Fort Herkimer 170, 453 Fort Hill 238

Fort Howe 275 Fort Hunter 395 Fort Hyman (later Fort Edward) 488 Fort Independence (Castle William–Massachusetts) 156, 369 Fort Independence (New York) 76, 243, 298, 356 Fort (Mount) Independence (Vermont) 75, 103, 226, 331 Fort Jefferson (Ohio) 477 Fort Johnson 173, 187, 254, 305, 308, 341, 384 Fort Johnston 20, 104, 187, 292 Fort Kaskaskia (later Fort Clark) 72 Fort Keyser 452 Fort Kittanning 158 Fort Kourai 170 Fort Lafayette 269 Fort Laurens 47, 275 Fort LeBoeuf 468 Fort Lee (New Jersey) 144, 272, 454, 492 Fort Lewis (Bellefont) 238 Fort Lewis Mountain (near Salem) 238 Fort Ligonier 386 Fort Loudoun 187, 238, 279, 372, 430 Fort McDowell 279 Fort McHenry 253, 273, 277, 288 Fort McIntosh 47, 48, 134, 135, 194, 275, 329 Fort McKinley 440 Fort Meiga (battery) 503 Fort Mercer 214, 423, 454 Fort Miami (Ohio) 478 Fort Michilimackinac 252 Fort Middleton (also known as Fort Ninety Six) 335 Fort Mifflin 213, 286, 316, 454 Fort Montagu 36, 180, 444 Fort Montgomery 74, 76, 298, 356, 454 Fort Moore (Fort Dreadnought) 71 Fort Mose (Fort Moosa) 273 Fort Motte 146, 234 Fort Moultrie 17, 230, 244, 306, 307, 308, 341, 482 Fort Muncy 94 Fort Nassau 444 Fort Nashville 373 Fort Necessity 238, 418, 468, 500 Fort Nelson 73 Fort Niagara 452 Fort Ninety Six (also known as Fort Middleton) 146, 335 Fort No. 1 331 Fort No. 2 331 Fort Ontario 240 Fort Oswego 240 Fort Patrick Henry (Kingsport) 401 Fort Pitt 47, 72, 81, 90, 108, 131, 134, 157, 158, 193, 194, 239, 244, 261, 275, 300, 310, 315, 321, 430, 477 Fort Plain (formerly Fort Rensselaer) 452 Fort Pownall (later Fort Point) 349 Fort Prevost 476 Fort Prince George 253, 293 Fort Putnam 454 Fort Quiatenon 394 Fort Randolph 158 Fort Recovery (Ohio) 388, 478 Fort Riley 153 Fort Roberdeau 371 Fort Rutland (temporary fort in Vermont) 387 Fort Rutledge 489 Fort Sackville (later Fort Patrick Henry) 73

Fort Ste. Anne 387 Fort Savannah 476 Fort Savannah (West Virginia) 238 Fort Schuyler (later Fort Stanwix) 88, 89 Fort Shirley 16, 348 Fort Stanwix (Fort Schuyler) 18, 48, 88, 89, 128, 129, 130, 170, 229, 392, 417, 451, 453 Fort Sullivan (Maine) 346 Fort Sullivan (Pennsylvania) 429 Fort Ticonderoga 17, 69, 91, 290, 387, 391 Fort Tonyn 71, 187 Fort Trumbull 19, 267, 389, 407, 446 Fort Union see Fort Savannah Fort Washington (also Fort No. 3, Massachusetts) 331 Fort Washington (Manhattan) 144, 230, 268, 356, 454, 473, 487 Fort Washington (New Hampshire) 346 Fort Washington (Ohio) 388, 477 Fort Watauga 261, 397 Fort Watauga (known also as Fort Caswell andas Fort Lee) 373, 401 Fort Watson 146, 234, 255, 256, 434 Fort Wayne (Indiana) 476, 478 Fort Webb (battery) 503 Fort Willett 452 Fort William and Mary (later Fort Constitution) 428 Fort William Henry (later Fort George) 68, 94, 125, 182, 223, 358, 414, 415, 463 Fort Wyllys (battery) 503 Fosdick, Captain 139 Foster, Senator Dwight 338 Foster, Eli 462 Foster, Captain George 33 Foster, Senator Theodore 414 Fouche, Minister 218 HMS Fowey 44, 161 Fowle, Colonel Jacob 138 Fowler, Abraham 461 Fowler, Elizabeth (later Mrs. Andrew Ward) 462 Fowler, Mary Hubbard 462 Fowler, Sarah 23 Fox, Major Daniel 454 Fox, George 99 Fox, Joseph 318 Fox, Joshua 61 HMS Fox 31 Fox (vessel) 223 Francis, Captain Henry 86 Francis, John 232 Francis, Colonel Turbutt 93 Franklin, Abia Folger 119 Franklin, Benjamin (signer of the U.S. Constitution) 7, 21, 28, 50, 60, 61, 62, 91, 92, 98, 113, 119, 120, 121, 122, 126, 157, 161, 165, 172, 183, 184, 185, 192, 199, 201, 202, 208, 216, 220, 223, 237, 246, 276, 286, 302, 304, 305, 310, 352, 360, 361, 366, 370, 371, 378, 380, 382, 384, 392, 406, 418, 420, 421, 428, 440, 446, 464, 474, 490, 493, 495, 497 Franklin, Deborah Reed Rogers 119, 122 Franklin, Francis 120 Franklin, James 119 Franklin, Josiah 119 Franklin, Sarah (later Mrs. Richard Bache) 120, 122 Franklin, Royal Governor William 11,

Index 12, 45, 120, 121, 122, 165, 248, 312, 440, 446, 495, 497 Franklin (vessel) 139 Franklin (short-lived state) 39 Frasier, British Major 257 Frazer, Elizabeth, I 122 Frazer, Elizabeth, II 122 Frazer, John 122 Frazer, John (son of General Percifor) 122 Frazer, Martha 122 Frazer, Martha (daughter of General Percifor) 122 Frazer, Mary (later Mrs. Joseph Smith) 122 Frazer, Mary Anne (later Mrs. Jonathan Smith) 122 Frazer, Mary Smith 122 Frazer, Mary (Polly) Taylor 121, 122, 123 Frazer, Brigadier General Persifor 121, 122, 123 Frazer, Persifor, Jr. 122 Frazer, Robert 122 Frazer, Sarah 122 Frederic the Great 97 Freeman, Abigail 123 Freeman, Ann Yates 123 Freeman, Edmund 123 Freeman, Edmund (son of General Nathaniel) 123 Freeman, Elizabeth H. 123 Freeman, Elizabeth Handy Gifford 123 Freeman, Elizabeth Nichols 123 Freeman, Elizabeth Patee 123 Freeman, Frederick 123 Freeman, George Washington (later bishop) 123 Freeman, Hannah B. 123 Freeman, Hannah Huntington Wolcott 123 Freeman, Hannah Palmer 123 Freeman, Isabella Williams 123 Freeman, John Otis 123 Freeman, Love Swain 123 Freeman, Lucy Crocker 123 Freeman, Martha 123 Freeman, Martha Otis 123 Freeman, Nancy, I 123 Freeman, Nancy, II 123 Freeman, Nancy Fairfield 123 Freeman, Brigadier General Nathaniel 123, 124 Freeman, Nathaniel, II 123 Freeman, Nathaniel, III 123 Freeman, Polly Ford 123 Freeman, Rufus 123 Freeman, Russell 123 Freeman, Samuel 46 Freeman, Sarah 123 Freeman, Seth 123 Freeman, Shadrack 123 Freeman, Tryphena 123 Freeman, Tryphosa 123 Freeman, Tryphosa Colton 123 Freeman, Tryphosa Colton (daughter of General Nathaniel) 123 Freeman, William 123 French, Joseph 473 French, Philip 247 French, Confederate General Samuel 277 French, William 13 Friendship (vessel) 207 Friendship Hall 326 Fries, Mr. 262 Fries Rebellion 251, 286 Frost, Abigail 124

Index Frost, Abigail Fergusson 124 Frost, Abigail Kimball 124 Frost, Andrew 124 Frost, Elizabeth 124 Frost, Elizabeth Goslin 124 Frost, Elizabeth Randall 124 Frost, George 124 Frost, George, I (son of General John) 124 Frost, George, II 124 Frost, Hannah Nowell 124 Frost, Jane 124 Frost, Brigadier General John 124 Frost, John (son of General John) 124 Frost, John of York 124 Frost, John, Sr. 124 Frost, Joseph 124 Frost, Mary 124 Frost, Mary (daughter of General John) 124 Frost, Mary Nowell 124 Frost, Mary Shapleigh 124 Frost, Nathaniel 124 Frost, Nathaniel (son of General John) 124 Frost, Sarah 124 Frost, Sarah (daughter of General John) 124 Frost, Sarah Bartlett 124 Frost, Sarah Coffin 124 Frost, Sarah Gerrish 124 Frost, Timothy 124 Frost, Timothy (son of General John) 124 Frost, William 124 Frugality (schooner) 27 Fry, Colonel Joshua 468 Fry, Thomas 176 Fry, Welthian Greene 176 Frye, Abiel 124 Frye, Anne, I 124 Frye, Anne, II 124 Frye, Hannah 124 Frye, Hannah (daughter of General Joseph) 124, 125 Frye, Isaac 124 Frye, John, I 124 Frye, John, II 124 Frye, John, Sr. 124 Frye, Colonel (later General) Joseph 46 Frye, Joseph, I 124 Frye, Joseph, II 124 Frye, Joshua 124 Frye, Mehitable 124 Frye, Mehitable, I (daughter of General Joseph) 124 Frye, Mehitable, II (daughter of General Joseph) 124 Frye, Mehitable, III (daughter of General Joseph) 124 Frye, Mehitable Poor 124 Frye, Nathaniel 124 Frye, Phebe 124 Frye, Richard 124 Frye, Samuel, I (son of General Joseph) 124 Frye, Samuel, II (son of General Joseph) 124 Frye, Tabitha 124 Fuller, Ebenezer 408 Fuller, Jonathan 357 Gadesden see Gadsden Gadsden, Ann Wragg 127 Gadsden, Brigadier General Christopher 91, 92, 101, 125, 126, 127, 187, 198, 223, 236, 250, 306, 382, 383, 384

528 Gadsden, Christopher, Jr. 125 Gadsden, Elizabeth 125 Gadsden, Elizabeth (daughter of General Christopher) 126 Gadsden, Jane Godfrey 125, 126 Gadsden, Mary 126 Gadsden, Mary Hassell (Hasel) 126 Gadsden, Philip 126 Gadsden, Thomas 125 Gadsden, Thomas (son of General Christopher) 126 Gadsden’s Flag 127 Gadsden’s Wharf 127, 308 Gage, General Thomas 6, 10, 11, 12, 85, 123, 126, 142, 156, 157, 205, 213, 230, 326, 330, 350, 368, 386, 463 Gaillard, John 56 Gaines, Major General Edmund 40 Gainey, Major Micahja 255, 256, 257 Gale, Doctor Amos 30 Gales, Weston R. 123 Gallison, Colonel John 139 Galloway, Joseph (Loyalist) 285, 436, 493 Galloway, Richard 282 Galloway, Sophia 282 Gallup, Captain Benjamin 100 Galveston (vessel) 174 Gambier, Governor John 444 Gamble, William 414 Gamecock (privateer) 481 Gansevoort, Catherine (Katy or Catharina) Van Schaick 128, 452 Gansevoort, Guert 129 Gansevoort, Harman 128 Gansevoort, Leonard 128 Gansevoort, Magdalena Douw 128 Gansevoort, Maria 128 Gansevoort, Brigadier General Peter 128, 129, 486 Gansevoort, Peter, Jr. 128 Garden, Colonel Benjamin 26, 51 Gardener (Gardner), British Major William 26, 173, 307 Gardiner, Archibald 497 Gardiner, Deborah Lothrup (later Mrs. Israel Putnam) 354 Gardiner (Gardner), John 354 Gardiner, Septimus 354 Gardner, Benjamin 142 Gardner, Colonel Thomas 197 Gardner, Rev. William 413 Gardoqui, Diego 486 Garnett, Muscoe 281 Gaskins, Colonel Thomas 236 HMS Gaspee 13, 144, 481 Gates, David 142 Gates, Elizabeth Philips 130 Gates, General Horatio 10, 12, 14, 18, 35, 39, 48, 54, 55, 56, 61, 66, 71, 76, 79, 80, 81, 85, 87, 93, 96, 97, 100, 111, 130, 131, 135, 136, 137, 138, 140, 145, 147, 149, 154, 167, 188, 207, 216, 218, 224, 226, 229, 230, 234, 242, 243, 254, 255, 268, 269, 272, 285, 286, 290, 295, 296, 301, 310, 315, 331, 337, 339, 343, 346, 347, 355, 356, 359, 365, 366, 371, 382, 384, 387, 390, 391, 392, 403, 410, 412, 416, 417, 422, 423, 428, 430, 431, 433, 435, 437, 438, 448, 449, 452, 465, 470, 473, 479, 482, 483, 485, 486, 487, 491, 495, 502, 503 Gates, Mary Valence 130, 131 Gates, Robert 129 Gatesden see Gadsden

Gay, Ebenezer 324 Gay, Colonel Fisher 164 Gayton (privateer) 444 General Bull (vessel) 390 General Lincoln 482 HMS General Monk (formerly George Washington) 25 USS General Moultrie 37 General Stark (privateer) 289 Genet, Edmund-Charles-Edouard 73, 74 George III (sloop) see USS Enterprise George Washington (vessel, later HMS General Monk) 25 Gerard, Monsieur 199, 371, 493, 494 German Jaeger Corps 275 German Regiment 309 Gerry, Ann 134 Gerry, Anne Thompson 133, 134 Gerry, Catherine 134 Gerry, Elbridge (signer of the Declaration of Independence and framer of the U.S. Constitution) 7, 10, 132, 133, 134, 139, 161, 243, 248, 259, 322, 342, 427, 465, 467, 497 Gerry, Elbridge, Jr. 134 Gerry, Eleanor Stanford 134 Gerry, Eliza 134 Gerry, Elizabeth 132 Gerry, Elizabeth (sister of Elbridge) 132 Gerry, Emily Louise 134 Gerry, Helen Maria 134 Gerry, James Thompson 134 Gerry, Samuel Russell 132 Gerry, Thomas 132 Gerry, Thomas Russell 134 Gerry, Thomas, Sr. 132 Gelston, David 116 Gerrish, Sarah Eliot 124 Gerrish, Timothy 124 Getchell, Captain John 439 Geymueller, Captain John Lucas 97 Gholson, William 123 Gibault, Father 73 Gibbes, Colonel John 26 Gibbes, Mary Woodward 26 Gibbes, Governor Robert 26 Gibbons, Thomas 197 Gibbons, William 146 Gibson, Ann 135 Gibson, Elizabeth De Vinez 134 Gibson, George 134 Gibson, George, Jr. 134 Gibson, Brigadier General John 48, 134, 135 Gifford, Josiah 123 Gilbert, Colonel 66 Gilbert, Seth 395 Gill, Mr. 466 Gillon, Alexander 56 Gilman, Abigail Odlin 136 Gilman, Ann 135 Gilman, Charlotte (Peabody) Hamilton 136 Gilman, David 117 Gilman, Deborah Folsom (Mrs. Nathaniel) 136 Gilman, Deborah Folsom (Mrs. Nicholas) 135, 136 Gilman, John (governor) 135, 136 Gilman, Joseph 117 Gilman, Josiah 117 Gilman, Mary Adams 136 Gilman, Nathaniel 135, 136 Gilman, Nicholas (signer of U.S. Constitution) 135, 136 Gilman, Nicholas, Sr. 135 Gilman Garrison House 135

Girard, Stephen 192 Girty, George 41 Girty, James 41 Gilman, Joseph 117 Gilman, Josiah 117 Gilman, Nicholas 224 Girty, Simon 41 Gist, Cecil Carman 136 Gist, Judith (later Mrs. Charles Scott) 395 Gist, Mary (Polly) McCall Cattell 138 Gist, Mary Sterret 137, 138 Gist, General Mordecai 15, 97, 136, 137, 138, 308, 410 Gist, Colonel Nathaniel 395 Gist, Susan (Susanna) Cockey 136 Gist, Susanna 138 Gist, Captain Thomas 136 Glascock, William 449 HMS Glasgow 180, 207 Gleason, Isaac 319 Gleason, Captain Micajah 319 Glen, James 101 Glover, Betsy Skillins 138 Glover, Daniel 138 Glover, Daniel (son of General John) 138, 139 Glover, Fanny Lee 138 Glover, Hannah, I 138 Glover, Hannah, II (later Mrs. Richard Cowell) 138 Glover, Hannah Gale 138 Glover, Brigadier General John 10, 81, 108, 115, 132, 138, 139, 140, 141, 211, 223, 243, 322, 356, 359, 404, 405, 456, 469, 479 Glover, John, Jr. 138, 139 Glover, Jonathan (son of General John) 138 Glover, Jonathan, Jr. 138 Glover, Jonathan, III 138 Glover, Martha Bowden 138 Glover, Mary (later Mrs. Robert Hooper) 138 Glover, Sally Pierce 138 Glover, Samuel 138 Glover, Samuel (son of General John) 138 Glover, Sarah (later Mrs. Samuel Lewis) 138 Glover, Susanna (later Mrs. Nicholas Broughton) 138 Glover, Tabitha (later Mrs. William Brooks) 138 Glover, Tabitha Bacon 138 Glover’s Rock 140 Goddard, Thomas 105 Godin, Benjamin 51 Godfrey, Abigail Shaw Dean 141 Godfrey, Bethia 141 Godfrey, Bethia (daughter of General George) 141 Godfrey, Bethia Hodges 141 Godfrey, Brigadier General George 141 Godfrey, George, Jr. 141 Godfrey, Jerusha 141 Godfrey, Joanna 141 Godfrey, Joanna (daughter of General George) 141 Godfrey, John 141 Godfrey, Lindsay, I 141 Godfrey, Lindsay, II 141 Godfrey, Lydia 141 Godfrey, Lydia Hodges 141 Godfrey, Mary 141 Godfrey, Melinda 141 Godfrey, Major Richard 141

529 Godfrey, Rufus 141 Godfrey, Welthea 141 Godfrey, Welthia 141 Goff (Goffe), Captain (later Colonel) John 22, 33 Gogar, John 11 Gold, Abigail 407 Golightly, Culcheth 101 Golightly, Mary 101 Good Hope Plantation 449 Goodale, Major Nathan 448 Goodrich, Rev. Charles A. 496 Goodrich, Chauncey 499 Gordon, Catherine (later Mrs. George Weedon) 279, 480 Gordon, Charles 410 Gordon, Isabella (later Mrs. Hugh Mercer) 279, 280, 480 Gordon, John 279 Gordon, Lewis 436 Gordon, Margaret 279 Gordon, Reverend 301 Gordon, Thomas Knox (chief justice) 101 Gorham, Benjamin 142 Gorham, Elizabeth 141 Gorham, Elizabeth (daughter of Nathaniel) 141 Gorham, Elizabeth Gardner 141 Gorham, John 141 Gorham, John (son of Nathaniel) 141 Gorham, Lydia (later Mrs. John Philips) 142 Gorham, Mary 141 Gorham, Mary (daughter of Nathaniel) 141 Gorham, Mary Soley 141 Gorham, Nathaniel 141, 142 Gorham, Captain Nathaniel 141 Gorham, Nathaniel (signer of U.S. Constitution) 141, 142, 427, 494 Gorham, Rebecca 141 Gorham, Rebecca Call 141 Gorham, Stephen 141 Gorham, Stephen (brother of Nathaniel) 141 Gorham, Stephen (son of Nathaniel) 142 Gorton, Othniel 176 Gorton, Theodosia Hopkins 176 Gough, Richard 26 Gould, James 444 Gouverneur, Samuel L. 289, 290 Gouvion, Major 102 Government House 444 Graden, William 72 Graeme, Chief Justice 340 Graham, James 381 Graham, Lt. Governor (Tory) 146 Graham, Sarah Maria Meredith 283 Grahame, Ann Jennings Johnson see Johnson, Ann Jennings Grahame, Colonel John 204 Grant, Ebenezer 165 Grant, Fluvia Wolcott 498 Grant, British Major (later General) James 84, 126, 137, 187, 220, 238, 305, 335, 369, 430 Grant, Captain Noah 354 Grant, Roswell 498 Grant, General Ulysses Simpson 53, 435 Gray, Edward 323 Gray, Ellis 494 Gray, Harrison 323 Gray, John (Massachusetts) 323 Gray, Colonel John 311 Gray, William 79 Gray’s Gardens 304

Grayson, Colonel William 154, 231, 355 Great Compromise 39, 87, 136, 260, 505 Great Susquehanna Case 205 Greaton, Ann (Nancy; later Mrs. Samuel Heath) 142 Greaton, Catherine 142 Greaton, Caty (later Mrs. James Dana) 142, 142 Greaton, Brigadier General John 142, 143, 359, 456 Greaton, John (son of General John) 142 Greaton, John, Sr. 142 Greaton, Lucretia 142 Greaton, Richard 142 Greaton, Richard Humphrey 142, 143 Greaton, Salley (Sally) 142 Greaton, Sarah 142 Greaton, Sarah Humphreys 142 Greeley, Horace 435 Greeley, Jonathan 30 Greeley, Josiah 30 Greeley, Mary Bartlett (daughter of Josiah Bartlett) 30 Greeley, Mary Cheyney 435 Greeley, Polly 30 Green, Miss (Mrs. William Bryan) 50 Green, Mr. 50 Green Dragon Tavern 368 Green Mountain Boys 13, 417 Greene, Benjamin 143 Greene, Catherine 146 Greene, Catherine Littlefield 144, 147 Greene, Christopher 143 Greene, Colonel Christopher 454 Greene, Cornelia Lott 146 Greene, Elihu 143 Greene, George Washington 146, 222 Greene, Griffen 455 Greene, Jacob 143 Greene, Louisa 146 Greene, Martha Washington 146 Greene, Mary Mott 143 Greene, Mary Rodman 143 Greene, Nathanael, Sr. 143 Greene, General Nathanael 15, 26, 27, 39, 54, 56, 59, 71, 81, 85, 86, 102, 104, 111, 113, 115, 127, 131, 136, 138, 143, 144, 145, 146, 147, 149, 150, 166, 167, 179, 188, 195, 196, 214, 216, 219, 222, 226, 228, 230, 234, 242, 255, 256, 260, 264, 266, 269, 272, 280, 286, 296, 297, 298, 301, 303, 308, 309, 310, 321, 334, 336, 338, 339, 343, 348, 350, 356, 371, 382, 383, 384, 388, 399, 403, 410, 413, 422, 423, 428, 429, 431, 432, 434, 449, 453, 454, 455, 470, 471, 473, 475, 476, 483, 485, 487, 490, 502 Greene, Nathanael Ray (son of General Nathanael) 146 Greene, Perry 143 Greene, Phoebe 143 Greene, Phoebe (daughter of Nathanael, Sr.) 143 Greene, Thomas 143 Greene, William 143 Greenleaf, Enoch 132 Greenleaf, Rebecca Russell 132 Greenlee, James 270 Greenlee, Mary McDowell 270 Greenup, Governor Christopher 395 Greenway, Robert 301 Gregg, Senator Andrew 349

Gregory, Alse Gerard (Gerrard) 148 Gregory, Harriet 147 Gregory, Isaac 147, 148 Gregory, General Isaac 54, 147, 148, 310, 491 Gregory, Judith Morgan 147 Gregory, Martha Long 147 Gregory, Mary (later Mrs. Enoch Sawyer) 147 Gregory, Penelope (later Mrs. Nathan Snowden) 147 Gregory, Sarah 147 Gregory, Sarah Lamb 147 Gregory, William 147, 148 Gregory Orloff castle 217 Grey, British General Charles 32 Greyhound Tavern 142 Gridley, Jeremiah 5 Gridley, Jeremy 323 Gridley, Samuel 82, 213, 326, 464 Griffin, Christina (Lady Christina) 148, 149 Griffin, Corbin (later doctor) 148 Griffin, Cyrus (final president of Continental Congress) 148, 149, 245, 483 Griffin, John 148 Griffin, LeRoy 148 Griffin, Colonel LeRoy 148 Griffin, Louisa (later Mrs. Hugh Mercer, Jr.) 148 Griffin, Mary 148 Griffin, Mary Ann Bertrand 148 Griffin, Sally Lewis 148 Griffin, Samuel 45 Griffin, Samuel (son of General Cyrus) 148 Griffin, Samuel (son of Thomas) 148 Griffin, Sarah 148 Griffin, Thomas (brother of General Thomas) 148 Griffin, Thomas (cousin of Thomas) 148 Griffin, William 148 Griffin, Winnifred Corbin 148 Griffith, Colonel Charles G. 33 Grimke, Frederick 383 Grimke, Martha Emmes 383 Griswold, Judge John 327 Griswold, Governor Matthew 191, 327, 447 Grozong, Jacob 348 Grozong’s Mill attacked 348 Grymes, John Randolph 361 Grymes, Mary Randolph 313 Grymes (Grimes), Philip 313 Guernsey, Ebenezer 457 Guernsey, Rhoda 457 Gun Manufactory 240 Gunby, Amelia 150 Gunby, Betty 149 Gunby, David 149 Gunby, Elisha 149 Gunby, George 149 Gunby, Brigadier General John 149, 150 Gunby, John (doctor) 150 Gunby, John (grandfather of General John) 149, 150 Gunby, John, Sr. 149 Gunby, Kirk 149 Gunby, Mary 149 Gunby, Nancy 149 Gunby, Sally 149 Gunby, Sarah 149 Gunby, Sarah (grandmother of General John) 149 Gunn, Brigadier General James 150 Gunn, John 150

Index Gunn, Sarah 150 Gunston Hall 264 Guy Hawkes Day (Pope’s Night) 213 La Guyomarais (castle) 16 Gwinnett, Amelia 151 Gwinnett, Ann 151 Gwinnett, Ann Bourne 151 Gwinnett, Button (signer of the Declaration of Independence) 104, 105, 151, 152, 153, 186, 274, 275, 461 Gwinnett, Elizabeth 151 Habersham, John 27 Habersham, Captain (later Colonel) Joseph 26, 104, 151, 274, 275 Habre-de-Venture 425, 426 Hacker, Captain Hersted (Hoysted) 207, 308, 443, 482 Haddrell’s Point (Haddrill’s Point) 17, 306 Hadley, Mr. 40 Hager, Elizabeth Kirchner 174 Hager, Captain John 174 Haley, John 53 Hall, Abigail Burr 152 Hall, David 120 Hall, Reverend David 66 Hall, Doctor, of Philadelphia 379 Hall, John (father of Lyman) 152 Hall, John (Maryland) 66 Hall, John (Massachusetts) 5 Hall, John (son of Lyman) 153 Hall, Laura Wolcott 153 Hall, Lyman (grandson of Lyman) 153 Hall, Doctor Lyman (signer of the Declaration of Independence) 151, 152, 153, 173, 186, 274, 284, 460, 461 Hall, Mary Osborn 152 Hall, Mary Street 152, 153 Hall, Nathaniel 66 Hall, Sophia White 302 Hall, Captain William 37 Halsted, John 492 Halsted, Susanna (later Mrs. Matthias Williamson) 492 Halsted, Susanna Blanchard 492 Hamilton, Colonel Alexander (signer of the U.S. Constitution) 8, 10, 31, 34, 44, 53, 61, 90, 91, 102, 115, 142, 153, 154, 155, 199, 202, 215, 225, 252, 263, 272, 273, 300, 304, 313, 338, 340, 342, 362, 380, 388, 393, 472, 486, 499, 505 Hamilton, Alexander, Jr. 154 Hamilton, Angelica 154, 155 Hamilton, Catherine (later Mrs. James Chambers) 347 Hamilton, Eliza 154 Hamilton, Elizabeth (Eliza) Schuyler 43, 154, 155 Hamilton, Captain Hance 348 Hamilton, British Governor Henry (the Hairbuyer) 42, 73 Hamilton, Isabella Potter 65 Hamilton, Captain (later governor of South Carolina and brigadier general of militia) James 174 Hamilton, James Alexander 154 Hamilton, John (Irish immigrant) 347 Hamilton, John (Pennsylvania) 65 Hamilton, Colonel John 104 Hamilton, Lt. John (Loyalist) 335 Hamilton, John Church 154 Hamilton, Philip 154 Hamilton, Philip, II 154, 155, 393

Index Hamilton, Lt. William 209 Hamilton, William Stephen 154 Hammond, John 66 Hammond, Le Roy 489 Hammond, British minister 362 USS Hampden 443 Hampton, General Wade (father of Confederate General Wade Hampton) 487 Hamtramck, Colonel John F. 478 USS Hancock 31 Hancock (gondola) 290 Hancock (vessel) 139 Hancock, Dorothy Quincy 156, 157 Hancock, Ebenezer 155 Hancock, John (signer of Declaration of Independence) 10, 12, 61, 67, 77, 100, 109, 121, 132, 133, 139, 143, 155, 156, 157, 161, 201, 226, 243, 276, 284, 322, 323, 325, 326, 327, 328, 331, 363, 365, 368, 369, 387, 427, 451, 464, 467, 469, 495, 502 Hancock, Reverend John 155 Hancock, Lydia 156, 157 Hancock, Mary 155 Hancock, Mary Hawke 155 Hancock’s Wharf (formerly Clark’s Wharf ) 368 Hand, Dorothy 157 Hand, Dorothy (daughter of General Edward) 158 Hand, General Edward 47, 65, 76, 157, 158, 159, 288, 315, 347, 417, 451 Hand, Edward, Jr. 158 Hand, Jasper 158 Hand, John 157 Hand, John (son of General Edward) 158, 288 Hand, Katherine 158 Hand, Katherine Ewing 158, 159 Hand, Margaret 158 Hand, Mary 158 Hand, Sarah (later Mrs. Samuel Bethel) 157 Handford, Mary Mead 278 Handy, John 123 Hanging Rock 86, 294 Hannah (schooner) 139, 481 Hanson, Alexander Contee 159 Hanson, Joan 159 Hanson, John 43, 159, 277 Hanson, Peter Contee 159 Hanson, Samuel Contee 159 Hardee, Colonel John 408, 409 Hardeman, Thomas 376 Harden, Colonel William 27 Hardin, Colonel John 477, 485 Harding, Captain Isaiah 123 Harding, Captain Seth 199 Hardy, Governor Charles 246 Harmar, General Josiah 215, 288, 317, 321, 338, 359, 388, 394, 455, 476 Harmar, Sarah Jenkins 317 Harnett, Cornelius, Jr. 20, 172, 187, 206, 450 Harper, General Robert Goodloe 61 Harrington, Eleanor Wilson 159 Harrington, Harriet (later Mrs. Belah Strong) 159 Harrington, Brigadier General Henry 159 Harrington, James Auld 159, 160 Harrington, Rosana (later Mrs. Robert Troy) 159 Harrington, Rosana Auld 159, 160 Harrington, William Henry 159, 160 Harris, Patience 245

530 Harris, Doctor Thomas 251 Harris, William 245 Harrison, Ann (Anne) Carter 160, 161 Harrison, Anne (daughter of Benjamin the signer; also Mrs. David Copeland) 161 Harrison, Anne (later Mrs. William Randolph) 160 Harrison, Anne Mercer 161 Harrison, Anne Symes 161 Harrison, Benjamin (father of Benjamin the signer) 160 Harrison, Benjamin (signer of the Declaration of Independence) 73, 126, 154, 160, 161, 162, 201, 237, 238, 363 Harrison, Benjamin (son of Benjamin the signer) 161, 281 Harrison, Benjamin (23rd President of U.S.) 161, 162 Harrison, Benjamin of Surry (grandfather of Benjamin the signer) 160 Harrison, Carter 160, 297 Harrison, Carter Bassett 161, 162 Harrison, Colonel Charles 160, 310 Harrison, Colin 160 Harrison, Elizabeth (Betty; later Mrs. Peyton Randolph) 160, 161, 363 Harrison, Elizabeth (later Mrs. William Rickman also daughter of Benjamin the signer) 161 Harrison, Elizabeth Bassett 161 Harrison, Elizabeth Burwell 160 Harrison, Henry 160 Harrison, Jane Byrd 161 Harrison, Joseph 425 Harrison, Lucy (later Mrs. Peyton Randolph, then Mrs. Anthony Singleton) 161 Harrison, Mary Howell Allen 161 Harrison, Nathaniel 160 Harrison, Nathaniel (brother of Benjamin the signer) 160 Harrison, Colonel Robert H. 285, 337 Harrison, Sarah (later Mrs. John Minge) 161 Harrison, Susanna Randolph 161 Harrison, Thomas 162 Harrison, William Henry (later major general and 9th president of the U.S.) 85, 135, 161, 162, 388, 395, 404 Harrod, Captain James 41, 72, 239 Harrod’s Station 42 Hart, Abigail Hooker 163 Hart, Cyprian 163, 164 Hart, Deborah Scudder 163 Hart, Edward 162 Hart, Elijah 164 Hart, John 395 Hart, John (signer of the Declaration of Independence) 70, 162, 163, 497 Hart, Lucy Hooker 164 Hart, Martha Norton 164 Hart, Mary Cole 163 Hart, Nathaniel (father-in-law of Colonel Isaac Selby) 402 Hart, Nathaniel (father of Brigadier General Selah) 163, 164 Hart, Ruth Cole 163, 164 Hart (Heart), Brigadier General Selah 163, 164 Hartley, David 7, 122 Hartley, Colonel Thomas 94, 485 Hartwell, Deacon Joseph 406 Harvey, James 38 Harvey, John 450 Harvey, Joseph 378

Haskell, Major E. 479 Haslet, Colonel John 377 Hassel, Rev. Thomas 126 Hatch, Asa 465 Hatfield, Hannah Miller 319 Hatfield, Isaac 70 Hatfield, Matthias 319 Hatfield, Sarah Price 70 Hawes, Captain William 81 HMS Hawk 180 Hawkins, Colonel Benjamin 78, 88, 260 Hawley, Captain 407 Hawley, Joseph 344 Hawthorne, Nathaniel 330 Hawthorne, Rose (later Mrs. George Parsons Lathrop) 330 Hayden, Esther Mone 108 Haxall, Octavia Robinson 235 Haxall, R. Barton 235 Hay, George 289 Hayden, Daniel 108 Hayne, Colonel Isaac 26, 256, 490 Hayne, Governor Robert Y. 339 Haynes, Captain Roger 457 Hays, Admiral see Hays, Lt. Colonel Robert Hays, Captain John 291 Hays, Lt. Colonel Robert 374 Hayward, William, Jr. 65 Hazard, Captain Tom 180, 207 Hazen, Abigail (later Mrs. Moses Moors) 164 Hazen, Abigail White 164 Hazen, Ann Swett 164 Hazen, Anna (later Mrs. Robert Peasley) 164 Hazen, Charlotte La Saussee 164 Hazen, Captain (later Colonel) John 22, 33, 164, 165 Hazen, Brigadier General Moses 22, 23, 164, 165, 356, 359 Hazen, Moses, Sr. 164 Hazen, Sarah (later Mrs. Nathaniel Merrill) 164 Hazen, Sarah LeBaron 164 Hazen, William 164 Heard, James 165 Heard, Major James 297 Heard, John 165 Heard, Mary Ford 165 Heard, Mary Sargant 165 Heard, Brigadier General Nathaniel 118, 165, 166, 312, 316, 472, 473 Heard, William 165 Heath, Elizabeth Payson 166 Heath, Samuel 142, 166 Heath, Sarah Lockwood 166, 167 Heath, Major General William 13, 79, 143, 156, 166, 167, 243, 269, 328, 332, 350, 355, 359, 413, 428, 438, 456, 463, 464, 467, 484, 502 Hemphill, Reverend 120 Henderson, Eliza (later Mrs. Simon Taylor) 168 Henderson, Elizabeth Williams 167 Henderson, James 497 Henderson, Major Pleasant 167 Henderson, Colonel Richard 41, 261 Henderson, Samuel 167 Henderson, Thomas 311 Henderson, Brigadier General William 167, 433 Hendricks, James 279 Hendricks, Captain William 291 Henry, Alexander 169 Henry, Anne 168 Henry, Catherine 169 Henry, Dorothea 169

Henry, Dorothea Dandridge 169 Henry, Edward 168 Henry, Edward Winston 169 Henry, Elizabeth 168 Henry, Fayette 169 Henry, John 168 Henry, John (son of Patrick) 168 Henry, John of Red Hill (son of Patrick) 169 Henry, Martha 169 Henry, Martha (later Mrs. John Fontaine) 168 Henry, Nathaniel 169 Henry, Patrick 38, 44, 72, 80, 127, 148, 161, 168, 169, 198, 200, 201, 232, 236, 238, 252, 259, 267, 264, 279, 286, 309, 313, 314, 363, 380, 383, 391, 394, 401, 402, 419, 469, 471, 480, 493, 500 Henry, Patrick, Jr. 169 Henry, Richard 169 Henry, Samuel 49 Henry, Sarah 169 Henry, Sarah Shelton 168 Henry, Sarah Winston Syme 168 Henry, Spotswood 169 Henry, William 168 Herbert, William 401 Hering, Julius 284 Hering, Mary Helen (later Mrs. Henry Middleton) 284 Herkimer, Anna 169 Herkimer, Catherine (Katherine) 169 Herkimer, Catherine (daughter of General Nicholas) 169 Herkimer, Delia 169 Herkimer, Elizabeth 169 Herkimer, Elizabeth Barbara 169 Herkimer, George 169, 171 Herkimer, Georgia 169 Herkimer, Henry 169 Herkimer, John (son of George) 171 Herkimer, John, I 169 Herkimer, John, II 169 Herkimer, John Joseph Jost 169 Herkimer, John ( Johan) Jost 169, 170, 171 Herkimer, Jurgh (George) 170 Herkimer, Lany Tygert (Dygert) 170 Herkimer, Madaline 170 Herkimer, Madaline (Lana) 169 Herkimer, Mary 169 Herkimer, Myra (Maria) Tygert (Dygert) 170 Herkimer, General Nicholas 128, 169, 170, 171, 453 Herkimer Church Fort 88 Herrick, Colonel Samuel 460 Herron, Andrew 194 Heston, Zebulin 218 Hewes, Adam 171 Hewes, Joseph (signer of the Declaration of Independence) 50, 63, 91, 171, 172, 182, 184, 207, 334, 377, 378, 391, 450 Hewes, Providence Worth 171 Hewett, Mr. 408 Hext, Hugh 382, 383 Heyward, Anne Sarah Trezevant 174 Heyward, Daniel 172 Heyward, Colonel Daniel (father of Thomas the signer) 172, 173 Heyward, Daniel (son of Thomas the signer) 173 Heyward, Decima Shubrick 174 Heyward, Elisa Cutbert 174 Heyward, Elizabeth (daughter of Thomas the signer, later Mrs. Henry M. Parker) 174

531 Heyward, Elizabeth (later Mrs. James Hamilton) 174 Heyward, Elizabeth Matthews 173 Heyward, Elizabeth Savage 174 Heyward, Elizabeth Simons 173 Heyward, James 173 Heyward, James Hamilton 174 Heyward, Jane Elizabeth Gignilliat 173 Heyward, John 173 Heyward, Maria 173 Heyward, Mary Miles 172 Heyward, Nathaniel 173 Heyward, Captain Thomas 172 Heyward, Thomas (2) 172, 173 Heyward, Thomas (3) 173 Heyward, Thomas (4) 173, 174 Heyward, Thomas (signer of the Declaration of Independence) 26, 172, 173, 174, 233, 284, 307, 383, 384 Heyward, Thomas (son of Thomas the signer) 174 Heyward, William 174 Heyward-Washington House 174 Hickey, Thomas 328 Hickory Tree Tavern 134 Hicks, Denwood 176 Hiester, Anna Maria Meyer 174 Hiester, Catherine Schulerine 174 Hiester, Daniel (son of General Daniel) 174 Hiester, Daniel, Sr. 174 Hiester (Heister or Huster), Brigadier General Daniel 174 Hiester, Elizabeth Bausman 174 Hiester, Gabriel 174 Hiester, Hannah Pawling 174 Hiester, Johannes ( John) 174 Hiester, John 174 Hiester, Joseph 174 Hiester, Captain Joseph (cousin of General Daniel and later governor) 174, 289 Hiester, Katsrina (Catherine; later Mrs. Jonathan Bischoff ) 174, 174 Hiester, Margaretha (later Mrs. Philip Hahn) 174 Hiester, Martin 174 Hiester, Rosina (Rosanna) Hager 174 Hiester, Samuel 174 Hiester, Susan 174 Hiester, Wilhelm (William) 174 Higby, Joseph 45 Higginson, John 337 Hill, Abraham 419 Hill, Colonel Henry 283 Hill, Whitmel 206 Hill, William 59 Hillegas, Michael 77, 154, 303 Hillhouse, William 488 HMS Hinchinbrook 37 Hinckley, Deacon Samuel 438 Hinckley, Judge Samuel 426 Hindman, Doctor 25 Hinsdale, Elijah 164 Hitchcock, Colonel Daniel 80, 245, 454 Hitchcock, Pelatiah 465 Hobby, Elizabeth Mead 278 Hobkirk’s Hill 150 Hodgdon, Major Samuel 337 Hodges, Captain Henry 141 Hodges, James 78 Hogan (Hogun), Brigadier General James 174, 175, 188, 431 Hogan, Lemuel 175 Hogan, Mary Smith 175 Hogan, Ruth Norfleet 174 Hogeboom, Hillitjie Muller 479 Hogeboom, Judge Stephen 479

Hokolesqua see Chief Cornstalk Holbrook, John 249 Holbrook, Sarah Hunt 249 Holden, Catherine 175 Holden, Charles 175 Holden, Deliverance 175 Holden, Deliverance Greene 175 Holden, Edward 175 Holden, Elizabeth 175 Holden, Freelove 175, 176 Holden, Freelove (daughter of General Thomas) 175 Holden, Hannah 175 Holden, Hannah Fry 176 Holden, John (father of General Thomas) 175 Holden, John (son of General Thomas) 175 Holden, Joseph 40 Holden, Mary 175 Holden, Mercy Gorton Wightman 176 Holden, Oliver 175 Holden, Ruth 175 Holden, Sarah Burlingame 175 Holden, Susan Archer 175 Holden, Brigadier General Thomas 175, 176 Holden, Thomas, Jr. 175, 176 Holden, Welthian 175 Holden, Welthian (son of General Thomas) 175 Holden, William 175 Holland, Colonel Stephen 441 Hollingsworth, Mary Wilson 494 Hollingsworth, Paschal 494 Holly, John 473 Holmes, Abraham 123 Holmes, Colonel (Doctor) James 265, 268, 453 Holmes, John 215 Holton, Alexander 465 Holzendorf, Baron 93 The Homestead 378 Hood’s Point 19 Hooker, John 163 Hooker, Rev. Thomas 426 Hooper, Ann Clark 177, 179 Hooper, Anne Elizabeth (later Mrs. William Barrow) 176 Hooper, Anne Ennalls 176 Hooper, Elizabeth 176 Hooper, Elizabeth (daughter of William the signer) 177, 179 Hooper, George 177 Hooper, Helen Hogg 179 Hooper, Henry (1) 176 Hooper, Judge Henry (2) 176 Hooper, Henry (3) 176 Hooper, Brigadier General Henry (4) 176 Hooper, Henry (5; son of General Henry) 176 Hooper, John 177 Hooper, John (Maryland) 176 Hooper, Mary 177 Hooper, Mary (later Mrs. Denwood Hicks) 176 Hooper, Mary Dennie 177 Hooper, Mary Ennals 176 Hooper, Mary Jaffray 177 Hooper, Robert 177 Hooper, Robert Lettis 286 Hooper, Sally 176 Hooper, Sarah 176 Hooper, Sarah Ridgeway 176 Hooper, Thomas 177 Hooper, Thomas (son of William the signer) 177, 179

Hooper, William (signer of the Declaration of Independence) 63, 175, 177, 178, 179, 292, 312, 334, 450 Hooper, Doctor William (son of General Henry) 176, 177 Hooper, Reverend William 177 Hooper, William, Jr. 177, 179 Hooper-Nash House 312 Hooton, Richard 466 Hopewell (vessel) 35 Hopewell Furnace 183 Hopkins, Abigail 179 Hopkins, Abigail (daughter of Esek) 179 Hopkins, Abigail Angell 183 Hopkins, Amey 179 Hopkins, Anne Smith 182, 183 Hopkins, Chauncey 460 Hopkins, Desire 179 Hopkins, Desire Burroughs 179 Hopkins, Elizabeth Arnold 181 Hopkins, Commodore (Brigadier General) Esek 36, 92, 172, 179, 180, 182, 207, 208, 289, 317, 443, 480, 481 Hopkins, Esek, Jr. 179, 181 Hopkins, George 181, 183 Hopkins, Heart 179 Hopkins, Hope 179 Hopkins, John 179 Hopkins, John (Pennsylvanian, later Reverend) 322 Hopkins, John (son of Stephen the signer) 181, 183 Hopkins, John Burroughs 179, 180 Hopkins, Lydia (later Mrs. Daniel Tillinghast) 181, 183 Hopkins, Colonel Mark 20 Hopkins, Mary Gibbs 183 Hopkins, Rufus 179 Hopkins, Rufus (son of Stephen the signer) 181, 183 Hopkins, Ruth 181, 183 Hopkins, Ruth Smith 183 Hopkins, Ruth Williamson 179, 181 Hopkins, Samuel 179 Hopkins, Samuel, I (son of Esek) 179 Hopkins, Samuel, II (son of Esek) 179 Hopkins, Sarah Scott 181 Hopkins, Silvanus (Sylvanus) 181, 183 Hopkins, Simon 181, 183 Hopkins, Stephen (signer of Declaration of Independence) 91, 105, 126, 179, 181, 182, 183, 443 Hopkins, Stephen (son of Esek) 179 Hopkins, Susanna 179 Hopkins, Susanna (daughter of Esek) 179 Hopkins, Thomas 181 Hopkins, Captain Walt 385, 386 Hopkins, William 179, 181 Hopkins, William, Jr. 179 Hopkinson, Ann (later Mrs. Ebenezer Stout) 184 Hopkinson, Ann (Anne) Borden 184 Hopkinson, Elizabeth (later Mrs. Jonathan Williams Condy) 184 Hopkinson, Francis (signer of the Declaration of Independence) 27, 50, 70, 172, 183, 184, 185, 276, 378, 380, 497 Hopkinson, Francis, Jr. 184 Hopkinson, James 184 Hopkinson, Joseph 184 Hopkinson, Maria 183 Hopkinson, Mary Johnson (later Mrs. Isaac Smith) 183 Hopkinson, Mary Morton Hewitt 184

Index Hopkinson, Thomas (father of Francis the signer) 183 Hopkinson, Thomas, I 184 Hopkinson, Thomas, II 184 USS Hornet 24, 36 Horry, Peter Colonel (Loyalist) 254, 256 Horse Guards of Boston 143 Hosack, Doctor David 380 Hosmer, Stephen Titus 329 Hosmer, Titus 107, 148, 329 Hospitality Hall see Webb House Hough, Jonathan 220 House of Argyll 59 House of Brunswick 11 House of Desmond 59 House of Ormond 59 House of Stuart 273, 274 Houston, Archibald 185 Houston, Elizabeth (later Mrs. Horace Phillips) 186 Houston, George S. 186 Houston, Jane Smith 186 Houston, Governor John 399 Houston, Margaret 185 Houston, Mary (later Mrs. Isaac V. Brown) 186 Houston, Mary Forman 186 Houston, Susanna Sommers 186 Houston, William Churchill (framer of the U.S. Constitution) 185, 186, 333, 483 Houston, William Churchill, Jr. 186 Houstoun, John 104, 151, 152, 186 Houstoun, Sir Patrick 186 Houstoun (Houston), William (framer of the U.S. Constitution) 186, 338 How, Angelica Van Rensselaer 452 How, Captain Daniel 462 How, Elizabeth Kerley 462 How, Rev. Thomas Yardley 452 Howard, Lt. Colonel (governor) John Eager 149, 150, 272, 296 Howard, Joshua 447 Howard, Martin 63 Howe, Artemus 465 Howe, George Augustus (Lord Viscount) 390, 415, 452, 484 Howe, Job 186 Howe, British Admiral Richard 231, 248 Howe, General Robert 12, 20, 104, 112, 127, 175, 186, 187, 196, 239, 243, 269, 281, 292, 293, 381, 392, 431, 433, 440, 450, 489 Howe, Sarah Grange 187 Howe, Sarah Jones 186 Howe, British General William 12, 13, 18, 32, 43, 45, 52, 54, 90, 117, 121, 130, 139, 140, 144, 154, 169, 192, 226, 230, 231, 243, 260, 266, 268, 285, 289, 295, 302, 309, 313, 347, 350, 365, 366, 382, 416, 425, 428, 431, 438, 470, 475, 479, 487, 492, 493, 499 Howell, David 81 Howes, Captain Jonathan 123 Howley, Richard 461 Hubbard, Daniel 462 Hubbard, Diana Ward 462 Hubbard, James 399 Hubbard, John 35 Hubbard, Major Jonathan 35 Hubbard, Jonathan, Jr. 35 Hubbard, Leverett 442 Hubbard, Levi 462 Hubbard, Stephen 330 Hubbard, Rebecca Brown 35

Index Hubbard, Captain William 189 Huck, Captain Christian (Loyalist) 433 Huddy, Captain Joshua 119 Huger, Ann 187 Huger, Major Benjamin 95, 187, 220, 306 Huger, Daniel 187 Huger, Daniel, Jr. 187 Huger, Daniel Elliott (later judge and senator) 285, 340 Huger, Daniel Lionel 187 Huger, Elizabeth 187 Huger, Elizabeth Chalmers 187 Huger, Francis 187 Huger, Francis (son of General Isaac) 187, 188 Huger, Brigadier General Isaac 149, 187, 490 Huger, General Isaac 187, 226, 234, 307 Huger, John 187 Huger, Martha 187 Huger, Mary 187 Huger, Mary Cordes 187 Huger, Mary Golightly 101 Hughes, Colonel John (Hartford County) 65 Hughes, John (Philadelphia) 301 Hughes, Samuel 62 Hull, Agrippa “Grippy” 332 Hull, British General William 7 Hull, Major (later U.S. General) William 69 Humphreys, Charles 302, 305 Humphreys, David 245 Humphreys, John 142 Humphreys, Sarah 142 Humpton, Colonel Richard 475 Hulings, Thomas 473 Hunt, Abraham 84 Hunt, Jonathan 344 Hunt, Mary Williams 344 Hunt, Samuel 426 Hunter, William 120 Hunter, Doctor William of London 386 Huntington, Andrew 189 Huntington, Ann Channing 190 Huntington, Ann Moore 190 Huntington, Benjamin 488 Huntington, Daniel 188 Huntington, Daniel (son of General Jedediah) 190 Huntington, Ebenezer (later Major General of militia) 188, 189 Huntington, Elizabeth (daughter of General Jedediah) 190 Huntington, Elizabeth (later Mrs. John Chester) 189 Huntington, Elizabeth Backus 189 Huntington, Faith Trumbull 189, 190, 445, 446 Huntington, Faith Trumbull (daughter of General Jedediah) 190 Huntington, Frances 191 Huntington, Hanna Perkins 188, 189 Huntington, Hannah (daughter of Hezekia) 189 Huntington, Hannah (wife of Rev. Joseph) 191 Huntington, Hannah Mumford 189 Huntington, Hannah Williams 189 Huntington, Harriet 190 Huntington, Hezekia 189 Huntington, Major General Jabez 100, 188, 189, 328, 389 Huntington, Jabez (son of General Jedediah) 189, 190

532 Huntington, Jabez (son of General Jedediah and his 2nd wife, Anne) 190 Huntington, James 188 Huntington, Brigadier General Jedediah 189, 190, 356, 367, 445, 446, 488 Huntington, Joseph 188 Huntington, Rev. Joseph 191 Huntington, Colonel Joshua 188, 189 Huntington, Colonel Joshua (father of Betsey Huntington) 499 Huntington, Joshua (father of General Jabez) 188, 189 Huntington, Joshua (son of General Jedediah) 190, 499 Huntington, Lydia 189 Huntington, Martha Devotion 191 Huntington, Mary (later Mrs. Joseph Strong) 189 Huntington, Mason Fitch Cogswell (adopted by Samuel the signer) 191 Huntington, Mehitable Thurston 191 Huntington, Nathaniel 191 Huntington, Samuel 188 Huntington, Samuel (adopted son of Samuel the signer) 191 Huntington, Samuel (signer of the Declaration of Independence) 107, 142, 148, 188, 191, 316, 483, 493, 499 Huntington, Simon (1) 188 Huntington, Simon (2) 188 Huntington, Simon (3) 188 Huntington, Simon (4) 188 Huntington, Thomas 190 Huntington, Zacharia (brother of General Jabez) 189 Huntington, Zacharia (later brigadier general of militia) 189 Huntington Homestead 191 Hurst, William 430 Husbands, Herman 311 Hutchins, Colonel Joseph 33 Hutchins, Phineas 365 Hutchinson, James 365 Hutchinson, Governor Thomas 9, 123, 139, 156, 323, 326, 327, 463, 465, 467, 490 Hutchinson-Oliver letters 490 Huth, Captain Joseph 142 Hutson, Reverend William 26 Hyde, General Caleb 332 Hyde, Elizabeth Sackett 332 Hydor Alley (vessel) 25 Hyperion see Quincy, Josiah, Jr. Iddings, Elizabeth (later Mrs. Isaac Wayne) 474 Iddings, Margaret Phillip 474 Iddings, Richard 474 Ile Madame (fishing fleet) 208 Independence Hall 28, 29, 172, 184, 247, 282, 301, 319, 363 Indian Queen Tavern 318 L’Indien (vessel) 208 Industry (schooner) 27 Ingersoll (Ingersol), Ann Wilcocks 192 Ingersoll (Ingersol), Catherine Ann Brinton 192 Ingersoll (Ingersol), Charles Jared 192 Ingersoll (Ingersol), Edward 192 Ingersoll (Ingersol), Elizabeth Pettit 192 Ingersoll (Ingersol), Jared (signer of the U.S. Constitution) 191, 192 Ingersoll (Ingersol), Jared, Sr. 191, 192

Ingersoll (Ingersol), Joseph Reed 192 Ingersoll (Ingersol), Mary Wilcocks 192 Ingersoll (Ingersol), Sarah 192 Innes (Inness), British Colonel 71 Inness, Henry 394 USS Intrepid 458 Invalid Corps 318 HMS Inverness 274 Iredell, James 494 Iroquois Indians 429, 461, 499 Irvine, Andre 194 Irvine, Ann (Nancy) 193 Irvine, Ann Callender (Callendar) 193 Irvine, Armstrong 193 Irvine, Callender 193, 194 Irvine, Elizabeth 193 Irvine, George 192 Irvine, Brigadier General James 109, 192, 193, 282 Irvine, James (son of General William) 193 Irvine, John 193 Irvine, Martha 193 Irvine, Mary 193 Irvine, Mary Bullen 193 Irvine, Doctor Matthew 194 Irvine, Rebecca 193 Irvine, Brigadier General William 48, 88, 93, 135, 193, 194, 440, 474, 475 Irvine, William Neill 193 Irwin, Anna Le Nira 195 Irwin, Dorcas (later Mrs. Andrew Herron) 194 Irwin, Eleanor (Nellie, later Mrs. James Moore) 194 Irwin, Elizabeth Ray 194 Irwin, James 194 Irwin, Lt. Colonel 431 Irwin, Lydia Birdsong 194 Irwin, Margaret (later Mrs. Hugh McDowell) 194 Irwin, Martha Alexander 194 Irwin, Mary (later Mrs. John Dinkins) 194 Irwin, Mary Alexander 194 Irwin, Mary Barry 195 Irwin, Brigadier General Robert 194, 195 Irwin, Robert, Jr. 194 Irwin, Sarah (later Mrs. John Fincher) 194 Irwin, William 193, 194 Irwin, William (son of General Robert) 194 Isham, Henry of Bermuda Hundred 363 Isham, Mary (later Mrs. William (1) Randolph) 363 Isham, Colonel William 363 Izard, Elizabeth Gibbs 284 Izard, Henry 285 Izard, Ralph 122 Izard, Colonel Walter 283 Jack, Andrew 441 Jack, Hannah (later Mrs. Matthew Thornton) 441 Jack, Mary Morrison 441 Jack, Peter 497 Jackson, Abraham 196, 197 Jackson, Major General Andrew (later President) 252, 290, 400, 404 Jackson, Hannah Swett 196 Jackson, Hannah Tracy Woodbridge 196 Jackson, Colonel (later Brigadier

General) Henry 79, 195, 196, 229, 456 Jackson, Doctor Henry (brother of General James) 196, 197 Jackson, Henry of Newburyport 196 Jackson, Henry, Jr. 196 Jackson, Henry Rootes (Confederate general) 197 Jackson, Jabez Young 197 Jackson, Jacob Webber 197 Jackson, James (1) 19 Jackson, General (Senator) James 150, 196, 197, 449 Jackson, James, Jr. 197 Jackson, John Barnard 196 Jackson, Jonathan 196 Jackson, Colonel Joseph 195 Jackson, Mary (Polly) Charlotte Young 197 Jackson, Mary Webber 196 Jackson, Mary Wendell 196 Jackson, Brigadier General Michael 197, 198, 229 Jackson, Michael, Sr. 197 Jackson, Ruth Parker 198 Jackson, Susanna Gray 195 Jackson, William Henry 197 Jameson, Lt. Colonel John 19 Jansen, Rev. Louis 123 Jasper, Sergeant William 306, 307 Jay, Ann 200 Jay, Ann Maria Bayard 198 Jay, Augustus 198 Jay, Augustus (daughter of John) 200 Jay, Eleanor Field 200 Jay, John 7, 60, 61, 80, 92, 98, 99, 122, 126, 154, 191, 198, 199, 200, 227, 228, 236, 240, 247, 252, 299, 303, 384, 427, 437, 494, 505 Jay, John, Jr. 200 Jay, Maria (later Mrs. Goldsboro Banyer) 200 Jay, Mary Clarkson 200 Jay, Mary Van Courtlandt 198 Jay, Nancy 198 Jay, Peter 198 Jay, Peter (brother of John) 198 Jay, Peter Augustus 200 Jay, Sarah (Sally) 200 Jay, Sarah Van Brugh 198 Jay, William 200 Jay Treaty 7, 10, 90, 199, 262, 427, 472 Jeacocks, Midshipman 27 Jefferson, Anna Scott 200 Jefferson, Elizabeth 200 Jefferson, Jane 200 Jefferson, Jane Randolph (daughter of Thomas) 200 Jefferson, Jane Randolph (mother of Thomas) 200 Jefferson, Lucy 200 Jefferson, Lucy Elizabeth 200 Jefferson, Martha (daughter of Thomas) 200 Jefferson, Martha (sister of Thomas) 200 Jefferson, Martha Skelton 200, 201, 202 Jefferson, Mary (daughter of Thomas) 200 Jefferson, Mary (sister of Thomas) 200 Jefferson, Peter 200 Jefferson, Peter Field 200 Jefferson, Randolph 200 Jefferson, Thomas 7, 8, 19, 31, 38, 42, 44, 48, 52, 53, 62, 73, 88, 91, 92, 98, 116, 126, 129, 135, 155, 162,

533 168, 169, 185, 192, 197, 198, 200, 201, 202, 209, 212, 218, 224, 236, 237, 238, 252, 259, 262, 263, 273, 282, 283, 288, 289, 305, 310, 313, 314, 340, 342, 361, 362, 379, 382, 388, 389, 404, 405, 406, 412, 447, 464, 465, 466, 472, 486, 504 Jemy (the Commodore) 476, 477, 478 Jenifer, Daniel of St. Thomas (signer of the U.S. Constitution) 202, 203, 262 Jenness, Mary Page 68 Jenness, Richard 68 Jennings, Ariana (later Mrs. John Randolph) 361 Jennings, Edmund 361 Jennison, John 35 Jesu, Mary and Joseph (Spanish vessel) 360 John, Porter 20 John (brigantine) 207 Johnson, Adaline 204 Johnson, Ann Beach 204, 206 Johnson, Ann Jennings 203 Johnson, Ann Jennings (daughter of General Thomas) 204 Johnson, Colonel Baker 204 Johnson, Catherine Worthington 204 Johnson, Charity Nicoll Floyd 204, 204 Johnson, Charles 206 Johnson, Dorcas Sedgwick 203 Johnson, Elizabeth Bushnell 204 Johnson, British Lt. Colonel Henry 476 Johnson, Captain James 33 Johnson, James (of York, Pennsylvania) 411 Johnson, John 374 Johnson, Sir John 170, 171, 452 Johnson, Mary Brewster Beach 206 Johnson, Mary Sage 204 Johnson, Nathaniel 204 Johnson, Reverend (Connecticut) 501 Johnson, Robert 204 Johnson, Colonel Robert 279 Johnson, Samuel (1; grandfather of William Samuel) 204 Johnson, Rev. Samuel (2; father of William Samuel) 204, 205 Johnson, Samuel (North Carolinian) 50 Johnson, Samuel (Pennsylvania) 287 Johnson, Sarah Beach 204 Johnson, Susanna 33 Johnson, Captain (later Colonel) Thomas (New England) 22 Johnson, General (Governor) Thomas, Jr. (Maryland) 51, 161, 176, 203, 204, 425 Johnson, Thomas, Sr. 203 Johnson, Thomas of Yarmouth 203 Johnson, General Sir William 33, 170, 344, 354, 386, 414, 453, 472, 488 Johnson, Judge William 147 Johnson, Rev. William 204 Johnson, William (1; ancestor of Samuel William) 204 Johnson, William (brother of William Samuel) 204 Johnson, William S. 498 Johnson, William Samuel (signer of the U.S. Constitution) 107, 204, 205, 206, 406, 450 Johnson’s Station 374 Johnston, Governor Gabriel 63

Johnston, Isabella 172 Johnston, Colonel Philip 316 Johnston, Governor Samuel “Sam” 172, 191, 260, 277, 400 Johnstone, Governor 367 Jones, Brigadier General Allen 50, 86, 104, 175, 206, 207, 210, 381, 450 Jones, Captain 408 Jones, Eliphaz 465 Jones, John (Loyalist) 83 Jones, John Gabriel 72 Jones, John Paul 172, 180, 182, 207, 208, 209, 210, 223, 240, 277, 279, 303, 317, 445, 455, 466, 482 Jones, Joseph 81, 133 Jones, Mary 207 Jones, Mary Montford 210 Jones, Noble Wimberly 151 Jones, Rebecca Edwards 207 Jones, Robert (Robin) 206, 210 Jones, Sarah (daughter of General Allen) 206 Jones, Sarah Cobb 206, 210 Jones, Thomas (North Carolina) 206, 292 Jones, Judge Thomas 408 Jones, William (brother of John Paul) see Paul, William Jones, William (of Long Island) 116 Jones, William (Secretary of the Navy) 25 Jones, Brigadier General Willie (William) 87, 206, 207, 210, 431 Jordan, Samuel 124 Joyner, Captain John 26 Junius 232 Junkins, Alexander 349 Justis, Charles 305 Kamberg, Thomas (alias General Kosciuszko) 218 Kane, Elisha (later Mrs. Allida Van Rensselaer) 452 Kane, John 452 Kane, Sybil Kent 452 Kayela see Lafayette, General Marquis USS Kearsarge 423, 442 Keith, Mary Isham Randolph 258 Kellogg, William 435 Kemble, Robert 58 Kenmore (plantation) 239 Kent, Jacob 22, 165 Kentish Guards 454 Kentucky Volunteers 239 Kettle Creek 71 Key, Francis Scott 253, 273 Kilborn, David 332 Kilborn, Deidama 332 Kilborn, Samuel 332 Kilpatrick, Major Abraham 316 Kimball, Joseph 109 King, Betsy 210 King, Charles 212 King, Cyrus (later Major General of militia) 210 King, Dorcas 210 King, Edward 212 King, Miss Gracie 212 King, Isabella 210 King, Isabella Bragdon 210 King, James Gore 212 King, Captain John 344 King, John Alsop (later governor of New York) 212 King, Miss Low 212 King, Mary (Pretty Polly; later Mrs. Robert Southgate) 210

King, Mary Alsop 212 King, Mary Black 210 King, Mary Ray 212 King, Paulina (later Mrs. Aaron Porter) 210 King, Richard 210, 211 King, Richard (son of Rufus) 210 King, Rufus (signer of the U.S. Constitution) 106, 210, 211, 212, 393, 427, 448 King, William (later initial governor of Maine) 210 King Augustine III 350 King Charles I 75, 441 King Charles II 47, 263, 474, 496 King Charles III the Pretender (Prince Charles Edward Stuart) 273, 274, 278, 496 King Frederick William II (the Great) 217, 352, 419, 420 King George (slaver) 207 King George II 5, 155, 204, 206, 246, 263, 501 King George III 5, 7, 19, 98, 155, 157, 161, 204, 238, 263, 294, 320, 337, 364, 373, 384, 440, 463, 499 King Henry VIII 55 King James I 213 King James II 59, 474 King Louis XV 95 King Louis XVI 15, 16, 95, 122, 221, 222, 299, 303, 320, 470 King Manor 212 King Stanislaus (Stanilaus) Augustus 215, 217, 230, 250 King William (William of Orange) and Mary) 59, 474 Kinkead, Captain John 401 Kinlock, Francis 314 Kinsman, Jeremiah 100 Kirk, John 400 Kirkland, Mr. (Loyalist) 432 Kissam, Benjamin 198 Knobloch, Major General 420 Knowlton, Isaac 110 Knowlton, John 110 Knowlton, Mary Dear 110 Knowlton House 110 Knox, Benjamin 215 Knox, Caroline (later Mrs. James Swan and later Mrs. John Holmes) 215 Knox, General (Secretary of War) Henry 62, 96, 101, 102, 145, 166, 167, 195, 198, 213, 214, 215, 337, 338, 356, 359, 422, 429, 465, 472, 478 Knox, Henry Jackson 195, 215 Knox, John 215 Knox, Lucy (later Mrs. Ebenezer Thatcher) 215 Knox, Lucy Flucker 213, 214, 215 Knox, Mary Campbell 213 Knox, Washington 215 Knox, William (Billy) 213, 215 Knox, William, Sr. 213 Knyphausen, General Wilhelm von (Hessian) 266, 328 Kollock, Simon 376 Kortwright, Lawrence 289 Kosciuszko, Louise (Ludwika) 216 Kosciuszko, Ludwik 215 Kosciuszko, Teklanee Ratomska 215 Kosciuszko, General Thaddeus 69, 102, 130, 215, 216, 217, 218, 332, 485, 503 Kosciuszko’s garden (West Point) 218 Kowatch, Colonel Michael 353 Krasinski (Polish Patriot) 350, 351 Kuhn, Doctor Adam 379

Index Lacey, Anastasia Reynolds 220 Lacey, Catherine (Kitty; later Mrs. William Darlington) 220 Lacey, Edward 59 Lacey, Elizabeth (later Mrs. William L. Smith) 220 Lacey, Jane (later Mrs. Jonathan Hough) 220 Lacey, Jane Chapman 218 Lacey, Brigadier General John 218, 219, 220, 283 Lacey, John, Sr. 218 Lacey, Susan Newbold 220 Lacey, Thomas 220 Ladd, Ezekiel 22 Ladd, Mary Hutchens 22 Ladd, Nathaniel 117 Lady of Lourdes 300 Lady Washington’s Guards 32 Lafayette, Anastasia (daughter of Lafayette) 222 Lafayette, Anastasia (Anastasie) de Noailles 220, 222, 223 Lafayette, George Washington 222 Lafayette, General Marquis Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier 19, 28, 39, 42, 80, 87, 88, 91, 95, 96, 140, 154, 201, 214, 220, 221, 222, 223, 226, 228, 231, 251, 268, 272, 281, 289, 296, 297, 299, 310, 313, 314, 315, 347, 388, 405, 417, 421, 422, 435, 451, 455, 456, 470, 476, 492 Lamb, Colonel John 77 Lamb, Sarah Beckwith 147 Lamb, Thomas 147 Lampriere, Captain Clement 226 Land Bank Scheme 9 Landais, Captain Pierre 7, 28, 208, 209, 221, 420 Lane, Frederick 50 Langdon, Abigail 223 Langdon, Elizabeth 223 Langdon, Elizabeth (later Mrs. Thomas Elwyn) 224 Langdon, Elizabeth Sherburne 224 Langdon, John (1) 223 Langdon, John (2; signer of the U.S. Constitution) 29, 92, 126, 135, 136, 223, 224, 428, 442 Langdon, Martha 223 Langdon, Mary 223 Langdon, Mary Hall 223 Langdon, Woodbury 223, 483 Lansing, Cornelia Ray 224 Lansing, Gerrit Jacob 224 Lansing, Jannetje 224 Lansing, John (signer of the U.S. Constitution) 224, 225, 505 Lathrop, Alfred 330 Lathrop, Daniel 17 Lathrop, Captain Ebenezer 189 Lathrop, George Parsons 330 Lathrop, Joshua 17 Lathrop, Rose Hawthorne 330 Latimer, George 347 Laumoy, Lt. Colonel 102 Laurens, Eleanor 226 Laurens, Eleanor Ball 225, 226, 339 Laurens, Elizabeth Wicking 225 Laurens, Elliza Rutledge 228 Laurens, Esther Grasset 225 Laurens (Laurent), Henry 7, 51, 103, 126, 187, 199, 221, 225, 226, 227, 228, 248, 274, 303, 305, 334, 339, 382, 384, 385, 432, 464 Laurens, Henry, Jr. 226, 228 Laurens, James 226 Laurens, Jean ( John) Samuel 225

Index Laurens, Colonel John ( Jacky) 28, 131, 154, 225, 226, 227, 228, 231, 286, 307, 471 Laurens, Martha (later Mrs. David Ramsay) 225, 226 Laurens, Martha Manning 225, 228 Laurens, Mary Eleanor (later Mrs. Charles Pinckney) 225 Laurens, Patsy 226 Laurens, Polly 226 Laurent, Andre 225 Laurent, Elizabeth Menigaut (Manigault) 225 Laurent, Henry see Laurens, Henry Laurent, Jean 225 Laurent, Jean Samuel (father of Henry Laurens) see Laurens, Jean Samuel Laurent, Marie Lucas 225 Lavender, John 40, 80 Law, Governor Jonathan 344, 498 Law, Richard 406, 498 HMS Lawrence 37 Lawson, America 228 Lawson, Arria 228 Lawson, Benjamin 228 Lawson, Columbus 228 Lawson, Elizabeth 228 Lawson, John Pierce 228 Lawson, Peter 30 Lawson, Brigadier General Robert 228, 279, 281, 296 Lawson, Sarah 228 Lawson, Sarah Meriwether Pierce 228 Learned (Larned), Abigail 228 Learned (Larned), Abishau 228 Learned (Larned), Comfort Mower 228 Learned (Larned), David 228 Learned (Larned), Deborah 228 Learned (Larned), Deborah Haynes 228 Learned (Larned), Dolly 228 Learned (Larned), Dorothy 228 Learned (Larned), Brigadier General Ebenezer 228, 229, 358, 359, 485 Learned (Larned), Colonel Ebenezer 228 Learned (Larned), Ebenezer (son of General Ebenezer) 228 Learned (Larned), Eliphal Putnam 229 Learned (Larned), Haynes 228 Learned (Larned), Jeremiah 228 Learned (Larned), Jerusha 228 Learned (Larned), Jerusha Baker 228, 229 Learned (Larned), Joel 228 Learned (Larned), Mary 228 Learned (Larned), Rufus 228 Learned (Larned), Ruth Davis 228 Learned (Larned), Silvanus (Sylvanus) 228, 229 Le Boursier, Captain 95, 220 Ledyard, Colonel William 267, 446, 447 Le Comte, M. 96 Lee, Algernon Sidney 235 Lee, Alice (later Mrs. William Shippen) 232, 236 Lee, Ann (Anne; 1) 232 Lee, Anna Maria Mason 235 Lee, Anne (2) 232 Lee, Anne (3; later Mrs. William Fitzhugh and afterward, Mrs. Daniel McCarty) 232 Lee, Anne (daughter of Richard Henry, later Mrs. Charles Lee) 236, 237

534 Lee, Anne (sister of Henry “Lighthorse Harry”; later Mrs. William Byrd Page) 233 Lee, Anne Aylet 236 Lee, Anne Carter 235 Lee, Anne Gaskins Pincard 236 Lee, Anne Hill Carter 235 Lee, Anne Kinloch (later Mrs. William L. Marshall) 235 Lee, Arthur 92, 122, 201, 227, 232, 236, 237, 303, 313, 371, 499 Lee, Cassius 236, 237 Lee, Catherine Mildred (later Mrs. Edward V. Childe) 235 Lee, Charles 232 Lee, Major General Charles 12, 17, 61, 100, 110, 119, 127, 140, 144, 145, 149, 161, 187, 190, 221, 229, 230, 231, 232, 237, 274, 281, 284, 290, 293, 301, 306, 309, 310, 312, 355, 356, 358, 366, 384, 387, 388, 391, 413, 421, 428, 438, 440, 463, 470, 476, 480 Lee, Charles (brother of Henry “Lighthorse Harry”) 233 Lee, Charles (husband of Anne, daughter of Richard Henry) 237 Lee, Charles Carter 235 Lee, Charlotte Taylor Haxall 235 Lee, Charlotte Wickham 235 Lee, Edmund Jennings 233 Lee, Eleanor Agnes 235 Lee, Elizabeth 232 Lee, Elizabeth Armistead 237 Lee, Elizabeth Fitzgerald 237 Lee, Elizabeth Steptoe 233, 237 Lee, Sergeant Ezra 328 Lee, Fanny Lee 237 Lee, Flora Ludwell 235, 237 Lee, Francis (1) 232 Lee, Francis (2) 232 Lee, Francis Lightfoot (signer of the Declaration of Independence) 173, 232, 233, 236, 241 Lee, Francis Lightfoot (son of Richard Henry) 236, 237 Lee, George Washington Custis 235 Lee, Captain Hancock 72, 232 Lee, Hannah (daughter of Richard Henry) 236, 237 Lee, Hannah (later Mrs. Gawin Corbin) 232, 236 Lee, Hannah Harrison Ludwell 232, 233, 235 Lee, Hannah Warren 330 Lee, Harry (brother of General Charles) 229 Lee, Henrietta (later Mrs. Richard Lee Turberville) 236, 237 Lee, Henry (son of Henry “Lighthorse Harry”) 235 Lee, Colonel Henry “Lighthorse Harry” 71, 150, 188, 196, 233, 234, 235, 255, 256, 259, 308, 336, 352, 434, 472, 477, 487 Lee, Henry, Sr. (father of Henry “Lighthorse Harry”) 232, 233 Lee, Isabella Bunbury 229 Lee, Jane Fitzgerald 237 Lee, Colonel Jeremiah 10, 132, 243, 322 Lee, John (1) 232 Lee, John (2) 232 Lee, John (3) 232 Lee, John (4; brother of Francis Lightfoot) 232, 236 Lee, Captain John 229 Lee, Josiah 330 Lee, Juliet Carter 235

Lee, Laetitia Corbin (Corbyn) 232, 233 Lee, Lucy 232 Lee, Lucy (sister of Henry “Lighthorse Harry”) 233 Lee, Lucy Grimes (Grymes) 233 Lee, Lucy Grymes (Grimes; daughter of Henry “Lighthorse Harry”) 235 Lee, Ludwell 236, 237 Lee, Mary (daughter of Richard Henry) 236, 237 Lee, Mary (later Mrs. Philip Richard Fendall) 233 Lee, Mary Aylet 236 Lee, Mary Anne Randolph Custis 235 Lee, Mary Custis 235 Lee, Matilda Ludwell 235 Lee, Mildred Childe 235 Lee, Nathanael Greene 235 Lee, Portia 232 Lee, Philip 232 Lee, Philip Ludwell (1) 232, 233, 235 Lee, Philip Ludwell (son of Henry “Lighthorse Harry”) 235 Lee, Philip Ludwell (son of Richard Henry) 235 Lee, Colonel Richard (1) 232 Lee, Rebecca Tayloe (Taylor) 233 Lee, Richard (2; grandfather of Henry “Lighthorse Harry” Lee) 232, 233 Lee, Richard (3) 232, 235 Lee, Richard Bland 233 Lee, Richard Henry (signer of the Declaration of Independence) 7, 77, 91, 98, 110, 121, 126, 139, 168, 172, 182, 184, 191, 200, 201, 232, 233, 235, 236, 237, 238, 246, 247, 252, 267, 276, 298, 313, 314, 362, 363, 382, 384, 493, 497 Lee, Robert 232, 235 Lee, Robert E. 232 Lee, Robert Edward, Jr. 235 Lee, Sarah (later Mrs. Edmund J. Lee) 236, 237 Lee, Sidney 229, 232 Lee, Sydney Smith 235 Lee, Theodoric 233 Lee, Thomas (brother of General Charles) 229 Lee, Thomas (son of Richard Henry) 236, 237 Lee, Thomas (3; father of Francis Lightfoot and Richard Henry) 232, 233, 235 Lee, Thomas Ludwell (brother of Francis Lightfoot) 232, 236 Lee, Governor Thomas Sim 203 Lee, William 232 Lee, William (brother of Richard Henry the signer) 232, 236 Lee, William Henry Fitzhugh (Rooney) 235 Leech, Thomas 370 Lee’s Partisan Corps (Lee’s Legion) 234, 352 Leffigwell, Christopher 189 Leggett, Michael 400 Leight, Peter 340 Leitir Luna monastery 59 Lenotre, T. G. 14 Leonard, Major David 85 Leonard, Major Nathaniel 141 Leonard’s Creek 25 HMS Leopold 202 Leslie, British General Alexander 228, 257, 307, 308

Lestock, British Admiral Richard 418 Lettis, Robert 436 Levers, Robert 436 Lewis, Amy Pettingal 240 Lewis, General Andrew 12, 16, 58, 72, 134, 237, 238, 239, 264, 293, 397, 401, 402, 440 Lewis, Andrew (grandfather of General Andrew) 237 Lewis, Colonel Andrew (son of General Andrew) 239, 402 Lewis, Augustine 239 Lewis, Ann 237 Lewis, Ann (daughter of Francis the signer) 240, 241 Lewis, Ann Alexander 239 Lewis, Anne (daughter of Zachary of Spotsylvania County, later Mrs. George Wythe) 504 Lewis, Annie (later Mrs. Roland Madison) 238, 239 Lewis, Betty (later Mrs. Charles Carter) 239 Lewis, Catherine Washington 239 Lewis, Colonel Charles 237, 238, 239 Lewis, Charles (brother of General Fielding) 239 Lewis, Charles (son of John 1) 239 Lewis, Eleanor Park Custis (granddaughter of Martha Washington) 239 Lewis, Eliza Madison 239 Lewis, Elizabeth (wife of General Robert) 239 Lewis, Elizabeth Annesley 240, 241 Lewis, Elizabeth Givens 238 Lewis, Elizabeth Warner 239 Lewis, Elizabeth (Betty) Washington 239, 240, 480 Lewis, Ellen Hackney Pollard 239 Lewis, Fielding 239 Lewis, Brigadier General Fielding 239, 240, 281, 480 Lewis, Frances 239 Lewis, Reverend Francis 240 Lewis, Francis (signer of the Declaration of Independence) 117, 240, 241, 246, 247 Lewis, Francis, Jr. 240 Lewis, George W. 239, 240, 280 Lewis, Howell 239 Lewis, Jane Meriwether 239 Lewis, John 237, 238 Lewis, John (1; son of General Robert) 239 Lewis, John (2; son of John 1, son of General Robert and father of General Fielding) 239 Lewis, John (3; brother of General Fielding) 239 Lewis, John (father of General Fielding) 239 Lewis, John (son of General Andrew) 238, 238, 239 Lewis, John (son of General Fielding) 239 Lewis, John (son of Zachary of Spotsylvania County) 504 Lewis, Judith Brown 239 Lewis, Kate Dangerfield 239 Lewis, Lawrence 239, 240 Lewis, Lucy Madison 239 Lewis, Margaret 237 Lewis, Margaret Lynn 237 Lewis, Mary 239 Lewis, Mary Calhoun 237 Lewis, Meriwether 202 Lewis, Miles 435

535 Lewis, Morgan 240, 241 Lewis, Patsy Love 239 Lewis, General Robert 239 Lewis, Robert (son of John 1) 239 Lewis, Robert (son of General Fielding) 239, 240 Lewis, Samuel 237, 239 Lewis, Captain Stephen 99 Lewis, Thomas 237 Lewis, Thomas (son of General Andrew) 238, 239 Lewis, Warner 239 Lewis, Warner (son of General Fielding) 239 Lewis, William 237 Lewis, William (brother of General Fielding) 239 Lewis, William (son of General Andrew) 238, 239 Lewis, William (son of General Robert) 239 Lewis family 401 L’Hommedieu, Ezra 116 Liberty (schooner) 17 Liberty (sloop) 109, 139, 155, 467 Liberty Boys 274 Liberty Hall (estate) 247 Lillington, General Alexander see Lillington, General John Alexander Lillington, Governor Alexander 241 Lillington, Major Alexander 20, 292 Lillington, Ann 241 Lillington, Elizabeth see Moore, Elizabeth Lillington Fendall Lillington, Elizabeth (daughter of John, Sr.) 241 Lillington, George 242 Lillington, Colonel John, Sr. 241 Lillington, Lt. John (son of General John) 242 Lillington, Brigadier General John Alexander (uses Alexander) 241, 242, 431 Lillington, Mary (sister of General John) 241 Lillington, Sarah (daughter of General John) 242 Lillington, Sarah (sister of General John) 241 Lillington, Sarah Adams 241 Lillington, Sarah Porter 241 Lillington, Sarah Watters 242 Lincoln, Doctor Asa 85 Lincoln, Bela 242 Lincoln, Major General Benjamin 10, 15, 20, 39, 52, 54, 55, 71, 79, 85, 86, 102, 112, 127, 131, 132, 136, 137, 145, 175, 187, 188, 194, 211, 215, 227, 228, 242, 243, 244, 245, 251, 254, 269, 275, 296, 307, 316, 322, 329, 339, 341, 343, 353, 359, 369, 380, 381, 384, 387, 402, 410, 416, 419, 431, 460, 464, 470, 471, 477, 482, 484, 490, 491 Lincoln, Benjamin (son of General Benjamin) 242, 323 Lincoln, Benjamin, Sr. 242 Lincoln, Deborah 242 Lincoln, Edmund 242 Lincoln, Elizabeth 242 Lincoln, Elizabeth Thaxter 242 Lincoln, Hannah 242 Lincoln, Governor Levi 245 Lincoln, Martin 242 Lincoln, Martin (2) 242 Lincoln, Mary 242 Lincoln, Mary Cushing 242, 245 Lincoln, Mary Otis 242 Lincoln, Theodore 242

L’Indien (vessel) 208 Linlithgo Manor (Livingston Manor) 246 Lippitt, Anthony 245 Lippitt, Catherine 245 Lippitt, Catherine Holden 245 Lippitt, Charles 245 Lippitt, Brigadier General Christopher 245, 246, 480 Lippitt, Christopher, Sr. 245 Lippitt, Freelove 245 Lippitt, John 245 Lippitt, Loudon 245 Lippitt, Mary 245 Lippitt, Moses 245 Lippitt, Phebe 245 Lippitt, Waite Harris 245, 246 Lippitt, Warren 245 Lippitt, Waterman 245 Lister, Edmund 232 Little, Abigail Bailey 22 Little, Major George 335 Little, Luther 249 Little, Colonel Moses 22 Little, William Person 335 Little Hunting Plantation (later Mount Vernon) 467 Littlefield, Catherine (later Mrs. Nathanael Greene) 144 Littlefield, John 144 Littler, John 49 Livermore, Samuel 428 HMS Liverpool 27, 301 Livingston, Abraham 246 Livingston, Alida 246, 247 Livingston, Alida (daughter of Philip) 246 Livingston, Angelica (later Mrs. John ( Johannes) Van Rensselaer) 452 Livingston, Catherine 246, 247 Livingston, Catherine (daughter of Philip, later Mrs. Stephen Rensselaer) 246 Livingston, Catherine (daughter of William, later Mrs. Matthew Ridley) 247 Livingston, Catherine Kettletas 247 Livingston, Catherine Van Brugh 246 Livingston, Christina Ten Broeck 246, 247, 437 Livingston, Gilbert 450 Livingston, Henry 246, 247 Livingston, Henry Beekman 392 Livingston, Henry Brockholst 247 Livingston, Henry Philip 246, 247 Livingston, Colonel James 268 Livingston, Joanna (Mrs. Pierre Cortlandt) 450 Livingston, John 246, 247 Livingston, Judith (later Mrs. John Watkins) 247 Livingston, Margaret (daughter of Philip) 246 Livingston, Margaret (wife of Robert) 290 Livingston, Mary (later Mrs. James Linn) 247 Livingston, Colonel Peter R. 437 Livingston, Peter Van Brugh 246, 247 Livingston, Peter Van Brugh (son of Philip) 246 Livingston, Philip (signer of the Declaration of Independence) 11, 117, 121, 129, 237, 240, 241, 246, 247, 391, 437, 493 Livingston, Philip, Sr. 246, 247 Livingston, Philip Philip (son of Philip) 246 Livingston, Richard (Dirck) 246

Livingston, Robert of Scotland 246, 247 Livingston, Colonel Robert (3rd Lord of Livingston Manor) 7, 99, 103, 115, 121, 198, 201, 223, 225, 246, 247, 290, 382, 406 Livingston, Robert, Jr. (Nephew of Robert, 1st Lord of Livingston Manor) 452 Livingston, Sarah (daughter of Philip) 246 Livingston, Sarah (later Mrs, William Alexander) 246, 247 Livingston, Sarah Van Brugh (later Mrs. John Jay) 247 Livingston, Susanna (later Mrs. Clive or Cleves Symmes) 247 Livingston, Susanna French 247, 248 Livingston, Van Brugh 11 Livingston, Walter 223, 437 Livingston, General William (signer of U.S. Constitution) 90, 98, 153, 165, 185, 186, 198, 236, 246, 247, 248, 249, 313, 317, 333, 387, 492, 504 Livingston, William, Jr. 247, 479 Lloyd, Ann Grundy 64 Lloyd, Edward (royal governor) 57 Lloyd, Edward, IV 67 Lloyd, Colonel Edward of Talbot 57 Lloyd, Henrietta Neale 64 Lloyd, Doctor James 466 Lloyd, Colonel Philemon 65 Lloyd, Thomas (North Carolinian) 241, 311 Lloyd, Captain Thomas 286 Lochry, Colonel Archibald 73 Lock, Colonel Francis 381 Locke, Colonel Matthew 343 Lockhart, Jacob 264 Lockhart, Samuel 431 Lockwood, Captain 408 Logan, Colonel Benjamin 375, 394 Londonderry Regiment 441 Long, Colonel Nicholas 431 Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth 458, 459 Longfellow, Jonathan 68 Longfellow, Mercy Clark 68 Longfellow, Stephen 458 Longfellow, Zilpha Wadsworth 458 Lord, Captain Nathaniel 449 Lord Anson 125 Lord Baltimore 59 Lord Boutetort (Norborne Berkeley) 363 Lord Craven 19 Lord Dunmore see Dunmore, Governor Lord Effingham 27 Lord Eglintown see Montgomery, Archibald Lord Erskine 58 Lord Fairfax (Thomas Lord Fairfax) 315, 468 Lord Germain 52, 176 Lord Grenville 206, 210 Lord Hillsborough 466 Lord Howe see Howe, George Augustus (Lord Viscount) Lord Lauderdale 19 Lord Linton see Stuart, Charles Lord Loudoun 469 Lord Napier 13 Lord North 178, 184 Lord Rawdon see Rawdon-Hastings, Francis Lord Rockingham 406 Lord Shelburne 122

Index Lord Stirling see Alexander, Major General William Lord Surry 19 Lothrup, Rev. Davis 123 Lothrup, Deborah Crow 354 Lothrup, Samuel 354 Louisiana Territory 202 Lovell, David 249 Lovell, Hannah (1) 249 Lovell, Hannah (2) 249 Lovell, Hannah (3; later Mrs. Luther Little) 249 Lovell, Hannah Pittey 249 Lovell, James 249 Lovell, James (son of General Solomon) 249 Lovell, John 155, 177, 325 Lovell, Lydia 249 Lovell, Lydia Holbrook 249 Lovell, Mary (later Mrs. William Wildes) 249 Lovell, Mary Torrey 249 Lovell, Brigadier General Solomon 249, 442, 458, 459 Lovell, Sarah 249 Low, Isaac 246 Lowndes, Governor Rawlin 284 Loyola, St. Ignatius see St. Ignatius Loyola Lucas, Daniel 225 Lucas, Eliza 340 Lucas, Lt. Colonel George (royal governor of Antigua) 340 Ludlow, Roger 498 Ludwell, Elizabeth Steptoe 235 Ludwell, Flora (later Mrs. Ludwell Lee) 235 Ludwell, Matilda (later Mrs. Henry “Lighthorse Harry” Lee) 235 Ludwell, Philip 235, 237 Lusk, Major 63 Lutwyche, Edward Goldstone (Loyalist) 442 Lux, William 51 Lyman, Caleb 426 Lyman, Mr. 466 Lyman, Colonel Phineas 107, 108 Lynch, Elizabeth 250 Lynch, Elizabeth Allston 249, 250 Lynch, Elizabeth Shubrick 249, 250 Lynch, Esther 249, 250 Lynch, Hanna Motte (wife of Thomas, Sr., later Mrs. William Moultrie) 250 Lynch, John, Sr. 126 Lynch, Sabrina 249, 250 Lynch, Thomas, Jr. (signer of the Declaration of Independence) 126, 237, 249, 250, 382, 383 Lynch, Thomas, Sr. 77, 121, 126, 246, 249, 250 Lynde, Jonathan 465 Lynde, Colonel Samuel 189 Lyon, James 16 Lyon, Samuel 49 Lyttle, Anthony 54 Lyttleton, Governor William Henry 126, 253, 254 MacClay, Robert 304 MacDonald, General Donald (Tory) 12, 242, 292, 293 MacPherson, Elizabeth (later Mrs. Edwin W. Wiltbank) 251 MacPherson, Elizabeth White 251 MacPherson, Ester (later Mrs. Thomas Harris) 251 MacPherson (McPherson), British Captain John 379

Index MacPherson, Captain John (brother of General William) 250 MacPherson, Captain John (father of General William) 250, 251 MacPherson, Joseph Stone 251 MacPherson, Julia (later Mrs. Philip Houlbrook Nicklin) 251 MacPherson, Margaret (later Mrs. Peter Grayson Washington) 251 MacPherson, Margaret Rodgers 250 MacPherson, Margaret Stout 251 MacPherson, Maria 251 MacPherson, Brigadier General William 250, 251 MacPherson Blues 251 MacLaine, Mr. 242 Mackenzie, George (3rd Earl of Cromartie) 284 Mackenzie, Lady Mary (later Mrs. Henry Middleon, 2nd wife) 284 Mackilwean, James 63 Mackey (McKay), Colonel Aeneas 47 Madison, Ambrose 251 Madison, Ambrose (brother of James) 251 Madison, Catlett 251 Madison, Dolley Payne Todd 43, 212, 252, 253 Madison, Elizabeth 251 Madison, Frances Taylor 251 Madison, Frances Taylor (sister of James) 251 Madison, Francis 251 Madison, James (president) 10, 17, 34, 35, 38, 63, 88, 115, 134, 142, 154, 199, 202, 211, 212, 224, 251, 252, 253, 259, 261, 264, 265, 267, 269, 290, 340, 342, 362, 395, 400, 404, 405, 427, 471, 472, 487 Madison, Rev. James 281 Madison, Colonel James, Sr. 251 Madison, John 239 Madison, Nelly 251 Madison, Nelly Conway 251 Madison, Reuben 251 Madison, Roland 239 Madison, Sarah Catlett 251 Madison, William 251 Maffit, Rev. William 237 Magaw, Colonel Robert 88, 144, 356, 440, 441, 474 Malcom, Colonel 52 Malcom, Samuel 393 Mallett, John 439 Mandell, Paul 465 Manigault, Joseph 284 Manley, Captain John 31 Manning, Rev. James 186 Manning, Laurence 370 Mansell, Father 60 Mansfield, Jared 359 Manwaring, David 389 Marblehead Regiment 139, 140, 211, 404 Margrave of Baden 420 Mariah (sloop) 283 Marine Corps Band 8, 202 Marion, General Francis (Swamp Fox) 14, 52, 56, 96, 126, 145, 187, 226, 234, 242, 253, 254, 255, 256, 257, 258, 296, 305, 306, 308, 335, 336, 339, 341, 370, 384, 399, 432, 433, 434 Marion, Mary Videau 258 Marquis de la Lafayette (French warship) 28 Marris seized and held for ransom 7 Mars (vessel) 28 Marsh, Ann Frisby 118

536 Marsh, Joseph, Jr. 78 Marsh, Mary Thompson 118 Marsh, Reverend 361 Marsh, Thomas 118 Marshall, Alex 258 Marshall, Charles 258 Marshall, Charlotte Duke 258 Marshall, Edward 258 Marshall, Hettie (Hester) Morris 302 Marshall, Jacquillin Ambler 259 Marshall, James 258 Marshall, James (son-in-law of Robert Morris) 304 Marshall, James Keith 259 Marshall, Jane Taylor 258 Marshall, John (Chief Justice) 31, 133, 258, 259, 279, 281, 342, 504 Marshall, John (son of Chief Justice John) 259 Marshall, John of the Forest 258 Marshall, John Markham 302 Marshall, Judith Brooke 258 Marshall, K. 258 Marshall, Louis 258 Marshall, Lucy Ambler 258 Marshall, Mary 258 Marshall, Mary Anne 258 Marshall, Mary Randolph Keith 258 Marshall, Mary Willis Ambler 258 Marshall, Nancy 258 Marshall, Susanna McClung 258 Marshall, Colonel Thomas 79, 258, 279, 281, 403, 422, 486 Marshall, Thomas (son of John) 259 Marshall, Thomas, Jr. 258 Marshall, Thomas Ambler 258 Marshall, William 258 Marshall, William Louis 235 Martensson, Marten 304 Martin, Agness 259 Martin, Governor Alexander (framer of the U.S. Constitution) 87, 259, 260, 261, 399, 412, 491 Martin, Alexander (son of General Joseph) 261 Martin, Annie Armistead 261 Martin, Brice 261 Martin, (first name unknown) Miss Carr 261 Martin, Cecilia Reed 261 Martin, Elizabeth (later Mrs. Carr Walker) 261 Martin, Colonel Ephraim 316, 320 Martin, Ester (Esther) 259 Martin, Henry 259 Martin, Rev. Hugh 259 Martin, James 259 Martin, Colonel James 113 Martin, Jane 260 Martin, Jane Hunter 259, 260 Martin, Jesse 261 Martin, Brigadier General Joseph 261, 432 Martin, Joseph, Sr. 261 Martin, Governor, Josiah 19, 38, 54, 63, 64, 104, 112, 172, 177, 178, 187, 242, 292, 293, 311, 363, 408, 431 Martin, Lewis 261 Martin, Luther (framer of the U.S. Constitution) 53, 68, 203, 261, 262, 263, 272, 282, 362 Martin, Malinda Perkins 261 Martin, Maria Cresap 262 Martin, Martha 259 Martin, Martha Cochran 259 Martin, Robert 259 Martin, (first name unknown) Miss Rucker 261 Martin, Sarah Graves 261

Martin, Sarah Lucas 261 Martin, Susanna (later Mrs. Jacob Burns) 261 Martin, Susanna Chiles 261 Martin, Thomas 259, 261 Martin, William 259 Martin, William (son of General Joseph) 261, 432 Martyn, Charles 462 HMS Mary 443, 444, 445 Mary and John (vessel) 344 Mason, Ann Thomson 263 Mason, Anne Eilbeck 263 Mason, Anne Eilbeck (daughter of George 4) 263 Mason, Catherine (later Mrs. John F. Mercer) 263 Mason, Elizabeth 263 Mason, George (1) 263 Mason, Colonel George (2) 263, 281 Mason, George (3) 263, 281 Mason, George (4; framer of the U.S. Constitution) 233, 236, 237, 252, 259, 263, 264, 267, 281 Mason, George (5) 263 Mason, James 263 Mason, John 235 Mason, John (Connecticut) 498 Mason, John (son of George 4) 263 Mason, Mary Thomson 263 Mason, Richard 263 Mason, Sarah Brent 264 Mason, Sarah Eilbeck 263 Mason, Thomas 263 Mason, Thomson 263 Mason, William 263 Mason, William (2) 263 Masters, William 370 Mastin, Mr. 50 Mather, David 164 Mather, Deborah Ely 327 Mather, Richard 327 Mathews, Ann (later Mrs. Samuel Blackburn) 265 Mathews, Ann Archer 264 Mathews, Ann (Polly) Paul 265 Mathews, Charles 265 Mathews, David of Brookfield 357 Mathews, Brigadier General George 264, 265 Mathews, George, Jr. 265 Mathews, Jane 265 Mathews, Jane (son of General George) 265 Mathews, John 264 Mathews, Governor John 173, 257, 449 Mathews, John (son of General George) 265 Mathews, Lewis 265 Mathews, Margaret 265 Mathews, Margaret Cunningham Reed 265 Mathews, Mary Carpenter 265 Mathews, Rebecca 265 Mathews, Sampson 264 Mathews, William 265 Mattawoman Plantation 409 Matteson, Tomkins Harrison 103 Matthews, Colonel George 192, 309 Matthews, Governor George 113, 150, 238 Matthew’s Bluff 20 Mawhood, British Colonel Charles 280 Maxwell, Ann 265 Maxwell, John 265 Maxwell, General William 70, 97,

193, 221, 231, 265, 266, 320, 347, 409, 417, 474, 502 Mayfield, Isaac 375 Mayflower (vessel) 465 Mayham, Major (or Lt. Colonel) Hezekia 256, 257 McArthur, British Major Archibald 196 McCall, Archibald 58 McCall, Elizabeth Cadwalader 58 McCall, George A. (later General) 58, 77 McCall, Lt. Colonel James 71 McCarty, Captain Daniel 232, 281 McClanachan, Blair 423 McClary, Major Andrew 415 McClaughry (M’Claughry), Colonel James 75 McClean, Moses 386 McClellan, Eunice Follansbee 267 McClellan, General George B. 267 McClellan, Jemima Chandler 266 McClellan, John 489 McClellan, Rachael Abbe 266 McClellan, Brigadier General Samuel 266, 267 McClellan, William 349 McClenahan, Captain Robert 239 McCleod, Lt. Colonel Donald 293 McClung, Lieutenant John 291 McClure, Captain John 433 McClurg, Elizabeth (later Mrs. John Wickham) 267 McClurg, Elizabeth Selden 267, 268 McClurg, Doctor James (framer of the U.S. Constitution) 264, 267, 268 McClurg, Walter 267 McClurg, Doctor Walter 267 McCrea, Jane 392 McCue, Mr. 321 McCulloch, Confederate General Benjamin 449 McDonald, Adam 284 McDowell, Ann McDowell (daughter of Major Joseph of Pleasant Gardens) 270 McDowell, Athan 270 McDowell, Brigadier General Charles 59, 269, 270, 271, 398, 400, 402 McDowell, Charles, Jr. 270 McDowell, Ephraim 400, 402 McDowell, Ephraim (grandfather of Generals Charles and Joseph) 269 McDowell, Grace (Grizel) Greenlee Bowman 270 McDowell, Hugh 194 McDowell, John (Hunting John) 269, 270 McDowell, Joseph 269 McDowell, Joseph (son of John) 269, 270 McDowell, Joseph (son of General Joseph) 271 McDowell, General Joseph, Jr. 59, 269, 270, 271, 400 McDowell, Major Joseph of Pleasant Gardens 271 McDowell, Lt. 329 McDowell, Magdalen (later Mrs. Andrew Moore) 292 McDowell, Margaret Irvine 269 McDowell, Margaret Moffitt 270 McDowell, Margaret O’Neill 269 McDowell, Mary Moffitt McDowell 270 McDowell, Sarah (later Mrs. Caleb Wallace) 292 McDougal, Brigadier General

537 Alexander 76, 80, 96, 131, 140, 145, 166, 268, 269, 319, 356, 359, 453 McDougal, Elizabeth 268 McDougal, Hannah Bostwick 268 McDougal, Lt. John, USMC 36, 443 McDougal, Nancy 268 McDougal, Ranald 268 McGall, Hannah Thornton 442 McGaw, John 442 McGillvary, Alexander see Chief Alexander McGillvary McHenry, Agnes 271 McHenry, Anna (daughter of James, later Mrs. James P. Boyd) 272 McHenry, Anna (sister of James) 271 McHenry, Daniel 271 McHenry, Daniel William 272 McHenry, Grace 271 McHenry, Doctor James (signer of the U.S. Constitution) 203, 262, 271, 272, 273, 282 McHenry, John 271 McHenry, John (son of James) 272, 273 McHenry, Juliana Ellizabeth Howard 272 McHenry, Margaret (Peggy) Caldwell 271, 272, 273 McHenry, Margaretta 272 McHenry, Sophia Hall Ramsay 272 McIntosh, Alexander 273 McIntosh, Ann 273 McIntosh, Barbara 273 McIntosh, Catherine 274 McIntosh, George 151, 273 McIntosh, George (son of Lachlan) 274 McIntosh, Hampton 274 McIntosh, Henry Laurens 274 McIntosh, Hester 274 McIntosh, Janet 273 McIntosh, John 273 McIntosh, John (son of Lachlan) 274 McIntosh, John Mohr (More) 273 McIntosh, Joseph 273 McIntosh, General Lachlan 47, 104, 105, 134, 151, 152, 230, 244, 273, 274, 275, 276, 396 McIntosh, Lachlan, Jr. 274 McIntosh, Lewis 273 McIntosh, Marjorie Fraser 273 McIntosh, Mary 273 McIntosh, Phineas 273 McIntosh, Sarah Threadcraft 274 McIntosh, William 273 McIntosh, William (brother of Lachlan) 273, 274 McIntosh, William (son of Lachlan) 274 McIntyre, Robert 465 McKay, Miss or Mrs. (also Mrs. William Bryan) 50 McKean, Anne 276 McKean, Dorothea 275 McKean, Elizabeth (later Mrs. Andrew Petit) 276, 278 McKean, Joseph Borden (son of Thomas) 276, 277, 278, 287 McKean, Letitia (later Mrs. George Buchanan) 276 McKean, Letitia Finney 275 McKean, Maria Louisa 276 McKean, Mary 276 McKean, Mary Borden 184, 276 McKean, Robert 275 McKean, Robert (son of Thomas) 276

McKean, Sarah 276 McKean, Sarah Armitage 276 McKean, Sophia Dorothea 276 McKean, Thomas (signer of the Declaration of Independence) 51, 81, 84, 100, 159, 184, 191, 286, 223, 275, 276, 277, 278, 287, 333, 334, 364, 372, 376, 377 McKean, Thomas, Jr. 276, 277, 278 McKean, William 275 McKean, William, Jr. 275 McKee, British Captain Alexander 73, 478 McKenzie, John 101 McKinly, Governor John 84, 277, 333, 334, 364, 377 McLene, James 371 McMillan, John 347 McNair, Ralph 311 McNair, Robert 311 McNeal, Colonel Hector (Loyalist) 55 McVicker, John 200 McWilliams, Richard 364 M’Dougal, Alexander see McDougal, Brigadier General Alexander Mead, Alan 278 Mead, Ann Mead Eels 278 Mead, Elizabeth Lockwood 278 Mead, Elizabeth Mead Hobby 278 Mead, Brigadier General John 278 Mead, John, Jr. 278 Mead, John, Sr. 278 Mead, Mary Ann Mead Sniffen 278 Mead, Mary Brush 278 Mead, Mary Mead Handford 278 Mead, Mehetable 278 Mead, Mehetable Blackman Peck 278 Mead, Seth 278 Mead, Walter 278 Mead, William Pearse 326 Meade, Catherine 114 Meade, George 114 Meade, Union General George 114, 277 Meade, Robert 114 Means, Robert 27 Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence 85 Medal of Honor (forerunner, known as Purple Heart) 471 Meigs, Colonel Return 376 Mellish (merchant ship) 208 Melville, Allen 129 Melville, Herman 129 Melville, Maria 129 Mercer, Ann Roy 281 Mercer, Anna (later Mrs. Benjamin Harrison, Jr.) 281 Mercer, Anna Monro 278 Mercer, Catherine Mason 281 Mercer, Cattesby 281 Mercer, Eleanor Dick 281 Mercer, Elinor 281 Mercer, Elizabeth Mason 281 Mercer, George (son of John Francis) 281 Mercer, Colonel George (step-brother of John F. Mercer) 278 Mercer, George Weedon (son of General Hugh) 279 Mercer, Grace Fenton 281 Mercer, Grace Fenton (later Mrs. Muscoe Garnett) 281 Mercer, Brigadier General (Doctor) Hugh 134, 158, 173, 240, 247, 277, 278, 279, 280, 281, 294, 333, 377, 419, 429, 480, 485

Mercer, Hugh Tenant Weedon (son of General Hugh) 280 Mercer, Confederate General Hugh W. (grandson of General Hugh) 281 Mercer, Isabelle (sister of General Hugh, later Mrs. George Mercer) 278, 281 Mercer, Isabella Gordon (daughter of General Hugh; later Mrs. Robert Patton) 280 Mercer, Isabella Gordon (wife of General Hugh) 279, 280, 480 Mercer, James 281, 483 Mercer, John (1; grandfather of John Francis) 281 Mercer, John (2; father of John Francis) 281 Mercer, John (son of General Hugh) 280 Mercer, John (son of John Francis) 281, 282 Mercer, John (step-brother of John Francis) 281 Mercer, Colonel John (New York) 240 Mercer, John Fenton 281 Mercer, John Francis (framer of the U.S. Constitution) 203, 262, 263, 278, 281, 282 Mercer, Margaret (daughter of John Francis) 282 Mercer, Margaret (sister of General Hugh) 278 Mercer, Maria (later Mrs. Richard Brooke) 281 Mercer, Mary (later Mrs. Daniel McCarty) 281 Mercer, Mary Neville 281 Mercer, Mary Scott Swann 282 Mercer, Mason 281 Mercer, Mildred Ann Byrd 281 Mercer, Mrs. 419 Mercer, Mungo Roy 281 Mercer, Noel 281 Mercer, Robert 281 Mercer, Sarah Ann (later Mrs. Samuel Seldon) 281 Mercer, Sophia Sprigg 281 Mercer, Thomson 281 Mercer, William (son of General Hugh) 280 Mercer, Rev. William 278 Mercury (vessel) 227 Meredith, Anna (or Anne; later Mrs. Henry Hill) 282 Meredith, Annie (later Mrs. Samuel Dickinson) 282 Meredith, Elizabeth 282, 283 Meredith, Elizabeth (later Mrs. George Clymer) 282; see also Clymer, Elizabeth Meredith Meredith, James 99 Meredith, John 282 Meredith, Margaret 282 Meredith, Margaret Cadwalader 282, 283 Meredith, Maria 282 Meredith, Martha (later Mrs. John Read) 282, 283 Meredith, Martha Carpenter 282 Meredith, Reese 77, 282, 283 Meredith, Samuel 282 Meredith, Brigadier General Samuel 282, 283, 348 Meredith, Thomas (1) 282 Meredith, Thomas (2) 282, 283 Meriwether, Elizabeth Crawford 239 Meriwether, Lewis 73

Index Meriwether, Nicholas 239 Merrill, John 440 Merrill, Mary Hall 46 Merrill, Nathaniel 164 Merrill, Roger 46 Meserve, Colonel Nathaniel 22, 33 Miami (vessel) 73, 162 Miami Indians 388 Micou, Henry 281 Middleton, Anne Louise (later Mrs. Daniel Blake) 285 Middleton, Arthur (signer of the Declaration of Independence) 55, 173, 187, 283, 284, 341, 382, 383 Middleton, Eliza Augusta 285 Middleton, Eliza Carolina 285 Middleton, Emma (later Mrs. Henry Izard) 285 Middleton, Esther (later Mrs. Charles Drayton) 283 Middleton, Henrietta (later Mrs. Edward Rutledge) 283, 284, 382 Middleton, Henry 51, 55, 77, 126, 241, 283, 284, 382, 383 Middleton, Henry (brother of Arthur) 283 Middleton, Henry (son of Arthur) 284 Middleton, Isabella Johannes (later Mrs. Daniel E. Huger) 285 Middleton, John (brother of Arthur) 283 Middleton, John (son of Arthur) 284 Middleton, John Izard 285 Middleton, Maria Henrietta (later Mrs. Joseph Manigault) 284 Middleton, Mary (1) 283 Middleton, Mary (2) 283 Middleton, Mary Baker Williams “Molly” 283, 341 Middleton, Mary Helen Hering 284 Middleton, Mary Henrietta Bull 284 Middleton, Mary Izard 284, 285 Middleton, Lady Mary Mackenzie 284 Middleton, Williams 283 Middleton, Sarah (later Mrs. Charles Coatesworth Pinckney) 283 Middleton, Septima Sexta (later Mrs. Henry Rutledge) 285 Middleton, Susanna 283 Middleton, Thomas (son of Arthur) 283 Middleton, Colonel Thomas 26, 51, 126, 187, 226 Middleton Place 283 Mifflin, Elizabeth Bagnall 285 Mifflin, George 285 Mifflin, John 285 Mifflin, Samuel 48 Mifflin, Sarah Morris 285 Mifflin, General Thomas (signer) 43, 48, 61, 98, 130, 131, 145, 192, 194, 251, 280, 282, 285, 286, 303, 304, 310, 337, 367, 379, 380, 387, 419, 421, 476, 479, 493 Milan Decree 202 Miles, Abigail 287 Miles, Aquila 432 Miles, Catherine Wister 287 Miles, Charles 287 Miles, Hannah (later Mrs. Joseph Borden McKean) 287 Miles, Hannah Pugh 286 Miles, James 286 Miles, James (son of General Samuel) 287 Miles, John 287 Miles, Joseph 287

Index Miles, Mary 287 Miles, Brigadier General Samuel 47, 286, 287, 371 Miles, Samuel, Jr. 287 Miles, William 287 Miles, Wister 287 HMS Milford 37, 207 Military Company of Adventurers 108, 358 Mill prison 25 Milledge, John 196 Miller, Abigail (later Mrs. Chris Wheaton) 289 Miller, Major Albert S. 40 Miller, Caleb 289 Miller, Capandana 287 Miller, Brigadier General Henry 287, 288, 289 Miller, John Still 389 Miller, Joseph 287 Miller, Julia Anna (later Mrs. David Watts) 287 Miller, Mary (later Mrs. Thomas Banning) 287 Miller, Brigadier General Nathan 289, 413 Miller, Colonel Nathan 289 Miller, Pleasant M. 40 Miller, Rebecca (Rebekah) Barton 289 Miller, Samuel 289 Miller, Captain Samuel 25 Miller, Ursula Rose 287, 289 Miller, William 287 Miller, General William B. 40 Miller, William Turner 289 Milton, John 71 Mimac Indians 125 Minerva (vessel) 28 Minge, John 161 Mingo Indians 47 Minot, George R. 20, 292, 467 Misner, Henry 117, 241, 246 Mississippi (sloop) 108, 358 Mitchell, James 84 Mitchell, James (nephew of General Dagworthy) 84 Mitchell, Nathaniel 84 Mitchell, William Clayton 84 M’Lane, Captain 234 Moale, John 51 Moffat, Catherine Moffat 482 Moffat, John 482 Moffat, Mary Tufton 482 Moffitt, Colonel George 270 Moffitt, Sarah McDowell 270 Mohawk Indians 229, 392, 395, 499 Mohican Indians 103, 386 Molang (French officer) 354, Molly (merchant ship) see USS Reprisal Molten, Lt. Michael, USMC 443, 444 Monchief, British Major 205 Moncrief, Sir James 241 Monckton, Lt. Colonel Henry 125 Monckton, British General Robert 129 Moncure, Rev. John 263 Monmouth (New Jersey) Battle of 90 Monro, Colonel George 125 Monro, Sir Robert 278 Monroe, Eliza (later Mrs. George Hay) 289 Monroe, Eliza Jones 289 Monroe, Eliza Kortwright 289, 290 Monroe, President James 212, 258, 289, 290, 300, 371, 404, 504 Monroe, Maria (later Mrs. Samuel L. Gouverneur) 289

538 Monroe, Spence 289 Monroe Doctrine 289 Montague, David 58 Montague, Samuel 385 Montcalm, French General Marquis Louis Joseph de 22, 240, 291, 354, 386, 415 Montford, Colonel Joseph 210 Montgomery, Colonel Archibald (later Lord Eglintown) 187, 305, 489 Montgomery, Rev. J. 410 Montgomery, Janet Livingston 289, 291 Montgomery, Colonel John 374, 375, 401 Montgomery, Mary Franklin 290 Montgomery, General Richard 13, 18, 60, 93, 108, 110, 219, 223, 230, 250, 265, 290, 291, 295, 346, 369, 390, 391, 428, 440, 474, 495, 502 Montgomery, Thomas 290 Monticello 200 Montpelier (plantation) 251 Moody, Samuel 210, 211, 426 Moody, Thomas 485 Mooney, James 40 Moore, Alfred 312 Moore, Major General Andrew 291, 292 Moore, Ann 20, 292 Moore, Ann Ivie 293 Moore, Augustine 313 Moore, Captain 219 Moore, David E. 292 Moore, Duncan 293 Moore, Elizabeth (daughter of Colonel Maurice) 20 Moore, Elizabeth Harvey 292 Moore, Elizabeth Lillington Fendall Swann 20, 292 Moore, Elizabeth Porter 20, 292 Moore, Evalina Alexander 292 Moore, Francis 251 Moore, Governor Sir Henry 246 Moore, James (son of General James) 293 Moore, Captain James (Pennsylvanian) 219 Moore, General James 12, 16, 19, 20, 50, 54, 64, 104, 177, 187, 239, 242, 292, 293, 312, 343, 384, 431, 440, 450 Moore, Governor James 292 Moore, John 473 Moore, Joseph 377 Moore, Margaret (later Mrs. Thomas Jones) 20, 292 Moore, Mary (later Mrs. John Porter, then Maurice Moore) 20, 292 Moore, Maurice (son of Nathaniel) 292 Moore, Colonel Maurice 19, 20, 63, 292 Moore, Maurice, Jr. 312 Moore, Judge Maurice, Sr. 19, 292, 293, 312 Moore, Nathaniel 473 Moore, Nathaniel (brother of Colonel Maurice) 20, 292 Moore, Rebecca (later Mrs. John Ashe) 292 Moore, Rebecca Catlett Conway 251 Moore, Roger 20, 292 Moore, Samuel 397, 401 Moore, Samuel McDowell 292 Moore, Sarah (also Nancy; daughter of Judge Maurice, later Mrs. Francis Nash, then Mrs. Thomas Clark) 312

Moore, Sarah (later Mrs. John Swann) 293 Moore, Sarah Reid 292 Moore, Thomas 190 Moore, Timothy 319 Moore, William 408 Moore, Captain William 291 Moore’s Creek Bridge 178, 293 Moors, Moses 164 Moravian Indians 194 Morgan, Abigail (Abbie) Bailey 294, 295, 297 Morgan, Betsy (later Mrs. James Heard) 297 Morgan, Captain Charles 37 Morgan, General Daniel 18, 54, 56, 86, 110, 130, 135, 137, 140, 145, 149, 150, 165, 188, 196, 229, 270, 271, 293, 294, 295, 296, 297, 315, 316, 356, 384, 392, 403, 431, 434, 470, 485, 487, 500 Morgan, George (Indian agent) 134, 316 Morgan, Doctor John 378, 379 Morgan, Nancy (later Mrs. Presley Neville) 297, 315 Morris, Catherine 300 Morris, Catherine (daughter of Lewis, Jr.) 300 Morris, Catherine Staats 300 Morris, Charles 302 Morris, Elizabeth Morris (daughter of Gov. Lewis Morris) 484 Morris, Elizabeth Murphet 301 Morris, Euphemia 300 Morris, Gouverneur (signer of the U.S. Constitution) 61, 80, 199, 227, 246, 252, 289, 290, 298, 299, 300, 301, 303, 304, 483, 494 Morris, Gouverneur (son of Lewis) 300 Morris, Gouverneur, Jr. 300 Morris, Helena 300 Morris, Henry 302 Morris, Hettie (Hetty) 302, 304 Morris, Isabella 300 Morris, Jacob 300, 301 Morris, James 300 Morris, British Captain John 306 Morris, Governor Lewis (initial governor of New Jersey) 300 Morris, Governor Lewis (separate from Lewis the signer) 484 Morris, Lewis (son of Lewis, Jr.) 300, 301 Morris, Lewis, Jr. (signer of the Declaration of Independence) 11, 16, 117, 133, 240, 241, 246, 298, 300, 301, 387 Morris, Lewis, Sr. (2nd lord of Morrisania) 300 Morris, Maria 302, 304 Morris, Mary 300 Morris, Mary (daughter of Lewis, Jr.) 300 Morris, Mary Walton 133, 300, 301 Morris, Mary White 302, 304 Morris, Richard 300 Morris, Richard (Pennsylvania distiller) 380 Morris, Richard (son of Lewis, Jr.) 300 Morris, Robert (signer of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution) 133, 154, 185, 192, 230, 276, 283, 299, 301, 302, 303, 304, 305, 370, 408, 461, 483, 493, 494 Morris, Robert, Sr. 301

Morris, Robert (3) 302 Morris, Governor Robert Hunter 46, 78, 92, 100 Morris, Sarah 300 Morris, Sarah (daughter of Lewis, Jr.) 300 Morris, Sarah H. Gouverneur 300 Morris, Staats (son of Lewis the signer) 300 Morris, Staats Long 300 Morris, Staats Long (step-brother of Lewis the signer) 298, 301 Morris, Thomas (illegitimate brother of Robert) 303 Morris, Thomas (son of Robert) 302 Morris, Valentine 300 Morris, William 121 Morris, William (son of Lewis the signer) 300, 301 Morris, William White (son of Robert) 302, 304 Morris’ Folly 304 Morris house 304 Morse, David 47 Morse, Joseph 46, 47 Morton, Aaron Sketchley 305 Morton, Anne (later Mrs. James Davis) 305 Morton, Anne Justis 304 Morton, Eliza (later Mrs. Josiah Quincy, III) 393 Morton, Elizabeth 305 Morton, John (signer of the Declaration of Independence) 285, 304, 305 Morton, John (son of John the signer) 305 Morton, John, Sr. 304 Morton, Lydia 305 Morton, Mary (later Mrs, Charles Justis) 305 Morton, Mary Richards 304 Morton, Rebecca Neidermar 305 Morton, Sarah 305 Morton, Washington 393 Morven mansion 424, 425 Moseley, Colonel Ebenezer 426 Moseley, Laura (Lorraine) Wolcott 499 Moseley, William 499 Mosely, John 241 Mosely, Colonel (Doctor) Thomas 319 Mott, Edward 13 Motte, Hannah 250 Motte, Hannah (later Mrs. Thomas Lynch and Mrs. William Moultrie) 307, 308 Motte, Jacob 307 Motte, Rebecca 234, 342 Moultrie, Elizabeth Demaris de St. Julien 305, 307 Moultrie, Hannah Motte Lynch 307 Moultrie, James 305 Moultrie, Doctor John 225, 305 Moultrie, John, Jr. (Loyalist) 305, 307 Moultrie, Lucretia Cooper 305 Moultrie, Thomas 305, 307 Moultrie, General William 17, 20, 26, 52, 86, 95, 126, 127, 150, 173, 187, 196, 220, 226, 230, 244, 250, 254, 284, 306, 307, 308, 312, 335, 341, 342, 353, 383, 384, 431, 432, 433, 489 Moultrie, William, Jr. 305, 308 Moulton, Abigail 305 Moulton, Abigail Smith 305 Moulton, Anna 305

539 Moulton, Benning 305 Moulton, Elizabeth 305 Moulton, Emery 305 Moulton, Jacob 305 Moulton, Jacob Smith 305 Moulton, John Washington 305 Moulton, Brigadier General Jonathan 124, 305 Moulton, Jonathan, Jr. 305 Moulton, Joseph 305 Moulton, Josiah 305 Moulton, Mary 305 Moulton, Nancy Tilton 305 Moulton, Nathaniel Thayer 305 Moulton, Sally 305 Moulton, Sarah 305 Moulton, Sarah Emory 305 Moulton, Sarah Smith 305 Moulton, William Pitt 305 Mount Vernon 79, 159, 222, 235, 467, 471 Mount Vernon Compact 186, 203, 362, 491 Mount Vernon Conference 252, 426 Mowry, Daniel 81 Moylan, Stephen 285, 465 Muhlenberg, Anna Weiser 308, 311 Muhlenberg, Francis 311 Muhlenberg, Frederick 308, 371 Muhlenberg, Frederick A. 286 Muhlenberg, Henry 308 Muhlenberg, Rev. Melchoir 308 Muhlenberg, General Peter 110, 228, 281, 288, 308, 309, 310, 311, 475, 480, 500 Muhlenberg, Peter, Jr. 311 Mulberry Grove 146 Mullan, Ann Bowles 311 Mullan, Peg 311 Mullan, Robert, USMC 311, 317 Mullan, Thomas 311 Mumford, Catherine Havens 189 Mumford, David 389 Mumford, Thomas 189, 389 Munsey (Munsie) Indians (Nation) 47, 386 Murray, David (marquis of Tullibardine, Scotland) 473 Murray, James 176 Murray, British General James 418 Murray, Captain John (Boteourt Regiment) 239 Murray, Governor John (Earl of Dunmore) see Dunmore, Governor Murray, Reverend 56 Murray, Vans William 88, 107 Muslim pirates 349 Mustin, Thomas 371 Muter, George 486 Nancy (vessel) 289 Napier, Lord Lieutenant 13 Nash, Governor Abner 50, 63, 86, 311, 334, 431, 432, 491 Nash, Ann Owen 311 Nash, Ann Owen (daughter of General Francis) 312 Nash, General Francis 85, 86, 175, 293, 311, 312, 343, 429, 431, 457, 498 Nash, Francis, Jr. 312 Nash, Colonel John 311 Nash, Justina Davis Dobbs 311 Nash, Sarah (Nancy; daughter of General Francis, later Mrs. John Waddell) 312, 457 Nash, Sarah (Sally) Moore 312, 498 Nash, Sergeant 430

Nathaniel and Elizabeth (merchant ship) 36 Neal, Captain 68 Nedham, Marchmont (pseudonym) see Quincy, Josiah, Jr. Needham, Daniel 189 Neeley, Alexander 41 Neilson, Abraham Schuyler 312 Neilson, Catherine Schuyler 312 Neilson, Catherine Schuyler Voorees 312, 313 Neilson, Cornelia Lott 312 Neilson, Gertrude 312 Neilson, James 312, 313 Neilson, James (1; son of General John) 312 Neilson, James (2; son of General John) 312 Neilson, Joanna (1) 312 Neilson, Joanna (2) 312 Neilson, Joanna (3) 312 Neilson, Joanna Cojeman 312 Neilson, Colonel (later Brigadier General) John 99, 118, 165, 312, 313 Neilson, Doctor John 312 Neilson, Doctor John (son of General John) 312 Neilson, Samuel Staats 312 HMS Nellie 274 Nelson, Eliza Kinlock 314 Nelson, Elizabeth 313 Nelson, Elizabeth (daughter of Thomas, Jr., later Mrs. Mann Page) 313, 314 Nelson, Frances Page 314 Nelson, Francis 313, 314 Nelson, Horatio 36 Nelson, Hugh 313, 314 Nelson, Hugh (son of Thomas, Jr.) 313 Nelson, John 117 Nelson, Judith 313 Nelson, Judith Carter Page 315 Nelson, Lucy (later Mrs. Carter Page, 2nd wife) 313, 314 Nelson, Lucy Grymes (Grimes) 313, 314 Nelson, Lucy Page 314 Nelson, Mary 313 (later Mrs. Robert Carter of Shirley) 314 Nelson, Nathaniel 313 Nelson, Philip 313, 314 Nelson, Robert 313, 315 Nelson, Robert (son of Thomas, Jr.) 313 Nelson, Sally Burwell Page 314 Nelson, Samuel K. 403 Nelson, Sarah Burwell Page 314 Nelson, Susanna (later Mrs. Francis Page) 313, 315 Nelson, Thomas (Scotch Tom) 313 Nelson, Thomas (son of Thomas, Jr.) 313, 314 Nelson, Captain Thomas of Hanover 315 Nelson, Thomas, Jr. (signer of the Declaration of Independence) 162, 201, 223, 267, 279, 313, 314, 315 Nelson, William 294, 313 Nelson, William (brother of Thomas, Jr.) 313 Nelson, William (son of Thomas, Jr.) 313, 314 Nelson House 314 Neptune (hospital ship) 418 Neptune (vessel) 225 Neth, Louis 325 Neuville, Chevalier de la 315

Neuville, Noirmont de la 315 Neville, Amelia (later Mrs. Isaac Craig) 315 Neville, Ann Burroughs 315 Neville, Christopher 281 Neville, Colonel 322 Neville, George 316 Neville, Colonel (later Brigadier General) John 82, 296, 297, 315, 316, 322 Neville, Joseph 316 Neville, Nancy Morgan 315 Neville, Lt. (later Colonel) Presley 296, 297, 315, 316 Neville, Richard 315 Neville, Winifred Oldham 315 New Hampshire (privateer) 249 New Hampshire ratifies Constitution 7 New Haven Militia Company 17 Newberry, Elizabeth Wolcott 316 Newberry, Eunice Ely 316 Newberry, Hannah Allyn 316 Newberry, Henry 316 Newberry, Lieutenant 111 Newberry, Captain Roger 316 Newbury, Brigadier General Roger 316 Newcomb, Barbara Dayton 316 Newcomb, Dayton 316 Newcomb, Ephraim (later, a doctor) 316 Newcomb, Joseph 316 Newcomb, Joyce Butler 326 Newcomb, Mary 316 Newcomb, Judge Richard E. 466 Newcomb, Brigadier General Silas 118, 316, 317 Newcomb, Silas, Jr. 316 Newcomb, Webster 316 Nicholas, Ann Cary 361 Nicholas, Anthony 317 Nicholas, Catherine (later Mrs. William Few) 113 Nicholas, Charles Jenkins 317 Nicholas, Mary 317 Nicholas, Mary Jenkins 317 Nicholas, Mary Shute 317 Nicholas, Robert Carter 361 Nicholas, Major Samuel (First Commandant, USMC) 81, 311, 317, 318 Nicholas, Samuel, Jr. 317 Nicholas, Sarah 317 Nicholas, William 317 Nicholas, Wilson C. 292 Nicholl, Benjamin 204 Nicholl, Benjamin, Jr. 204 Nicholl, Henry 501 Nicholl, William 204 Nichols, Benjamin Ropes 337 Nichols, Mr. (shopkeeper) 440 Nicholson, Captain James 24, 113, 303 Nicholson, John 304 Nicholson, Captain Richard 47 Nicholson, Captain Samuel 28, 121 Nicholson, Captain (later Major) William 303 Nicklin, Philip Houlbrook 251 Nicola, Ann 318 Nicola, Charles 318 Nicola, Charlotte 318 Nicola, Charlotte des Vignolles 318 Nicola, Christiana Doyle 318 Nicola, Jane Bishop 318 Nicola, Brigadier General Lewis 318 Nicola, Lewis, Jr. 318 Nicola, Margaret 318 Nicola, Mary 318

Index Nicola, Sarah 318 Niemcewicz, Count Julian 217 Nightingale, Abigail 318 Nightingale, Abigail Belcher 318 Nightingale, Bethia Deering 318 Nightingale, Elizabeth Corliss 318 Nightingale, George Corliss 319 Nightingale, Colonel Joseph 318, 319, 481 Nightingale, Joseph, Jr. 318, 319 Nightingale, Lydia 318 Nightingale, Mary (Polly) 318 Nightingale, Samuel 318 Nightingale, Samuel, Jr. 318 Nightingale, Sarah 318 Nightingale, William 318 Nightingale, William (son of Colonel Joseph) 318, 319 Nixon, Abigail (later Mrs. David Andrews) 319 Nixon, Anne (later Mrs. Thomas Richardson) 319 Nixon, Artemas 319 Nixon, Benjamin 319 Nixon, Betsey (later Mrs. John Warren) 319 Nixon, Christopher 319 Nixon, Elizabeth 319 Nixon, Hannah Drury Gleason 319 Nixon, Hepzebah (later Mrs. Timothy Moore) 319 Nixon, Colonel John (Pennsylvania militia) 282, 319 Nixon, General John (Massachusetts) 76, 143, 319, 356 Nixon, John, Jr. 319 Nixon, Joseph 319 Nixon, Keziah (later Mrs. Ebenezer Brown) 319 Nixon, Mary (later Mrs. Isaac Gleason) 319 Nixon, Mary (later Mrs. Peter Clayes) 319 Nixon, Mary Sever 319 Nixon, Mehepzebath (later Mrs. Samuel Fairbanks) 319 Nixon, Sarah (later Mrs. Abel Cutler) 319 Nixon, Thankful Berry 319 Nixon, Thomas 319 Noble, Alexander 335 Nolichucky Jack see Sevier, General John Nonhelema (known also as Grenadier Squaw and as Catherine) 158 Norfleet, Thomas 174 Norris, William 53 North, William 422 North American Bank 154 Northwest (Rhinebeck) Regiment see Rhinebeck Regiment Norton, John 32 Norton, Timothy 462 USS Notre Dame 37 Notre Dame Cathedral 16 Nowell, Ebenezer 124 Nowell, Colonel John 124 Nowell, Patience Hamilton 124 Noyes, Daniel 109 Noyes, Ephraim 22 Noyes, Rev. John 407 Noyes, Prudence Stickney 22 Nye, Colonel Ichabod 447, 448 Nye, Joseph, III 123 La Nymphe (vessel) 222 Oak Hill (plantation) 258 O’Bryan, Council 50 O’Bryan, Edward 50

Index O’Bryan, Hardy 50 O’Bryan, John 50 O’Bryan, John, Jr. 50 O’Bryan, Lawrence 408 O’Bryan, William 50 Oconostota see Chief Oconostota Offley Hoo 314 Ogden, Aaron (later governor) 319, 320 Ogden, Anna (later Mrs. Oliver Spencer) 319 Ogden, Elias 320 Ogden, Elizabeth Chetwood 319 Ogden, Francis Barber 320 Ogden, George M. 320 Ogden, Hannah 319 Ogden, Hannah Dayton 320, 321 Ogden, Hannah Platt 319 Ogden, Jane 320 Ogden, John (great grandfather of General Matthias) 319 Ogden, Rev. John C. 503 Ogden, Jonathan 319 Ogden, Jonathan (2) 319 Ogden, Jonathan (3) 320 Ogden, Mary (later Mrs. Francis Barber) 319 Ogden, Mary Anderson 320 Ogden, Mary Wooster 503 Ogden, Colonel (later General) Matthias 45, 89, 90, 319, 320, 321, 495 Ogden, Peter V 320 Ogden, Phoebe (later Mrs. Thomas Mosely) 319 Ogden, Phoebe Hatfield 319 Ogden, Rhoda (later Mrs. Timothy Edwards) 319 Ogden, Robert 276, 319 Ogden, Robert (brother of General Matthias) 319, 320 Ogden, Sarah Platt 319 Oglethorpe, General James 273, 274 O’Hara, British General Charles 234 O’Hara, Charles (son of General James) 321 O’Hara, Elizabeth Febiger (later Mrs. Harmar Denny) 321 O’Hara, Elizabeth Neville 321 O’Hara, James 321 O’Hara, Brigadier General James 82, 111, 321, 322 O’Hara, Mary Carson (daughter of General James, later Mrs. William Croghan) 321 O’Hara, Mary Carson (wife of General James) 111, 321, 322 O’Hara, Mary Carson (wife of William) 321 O’Hara, Mary Fitzsimmons 321 O’Hara, Richard 321 O’Hara, William 321 Ohio Company 448 Olcott, Rev. Bulkley 344 Old Fort Tavern (later McCoy’s Tavern) 348 Old Graveyard (Carlisle) 17 Old Red Tavern 344 Oldham, Ann Conway 315 Oldham, John 315 Olive Branch Petition 6, 98 Olney, Lt. Colonel Commandant Jeremiah 89 Oneida Indians 392, 499 Onondaga Indians 392, 453 Opelousa (vessel) 174 Oracle of Reason 14 Ordway, Doctor James 28 Ordway, Tirah Titcomb Bartlett 28

540 Ore, Major James 375 Orne, Major General Azor 10, 138, 139, 243, 322, 323 Orne, John (also Horne) 322 Orne, Joshua (Deacon) 322 Orne, Joshua (half-brother of Azor) 322 Orne, Mary Coleman 322 Orne, Mary Lee 322 Orne, Sarah Gerry 322 Osborn, Hannah Couch 152 Osborn, Samuel 152 Osborne, Dorcas 332 Osborne, Perigrine (2nd Duke of Leeds) 129 Osborne, William 332 Osborne’s Landing 19 Osgood, Isaac 323, 324 Osgood, Colonel John 346 Osgood, Joshua B. 46 Osgood, Martha (later Mrs. Enoch Poor) 346 Osgood, Samuel 337 O’Sullivan, Own see Sullivan, John, Sr. Oswald, Richard 122, 199 Otis, Abigail 323 Otis, Abigail Russell 123 Otis, Ann Stoll 324 Otis, Arthur 324 Otis, Charles 324 Otis, Elizabeth (daughter of James, Jr., later wife of British Captain Brown) 323 Otis, Elizabeth (daughter of General Joseph) 324 Otis, Elizabeth (sister of James, Jr., and General Joseph) 323, 324 Otis, Elizabeth Gray 323 Otis, Hannah 323 Otis, James (son of James, Jr.) 323 Otis, James (son of General Joseph) 324 Otis, James, Jr. 6, 11, 123, 155, 177, 242, 322, 323, 324, 360, 465 Otis, Colonel James, Sr. 323, 465 Otis, John 323 Otis, John (son of General Joseph) 324 Otis, Brigadier General Joseph 323, 324 Otis, Joseph, Jr. 324 Otis, Joseph (2) 324 Otis, Maria (later wife of Rev. Philip Colby) 324 Otis, Maria Walter 323, 324 Otis, Martha 323 Otis, Mary (later Mrs. Benjamin Lincoln, Jr.) 323 Otis, Mary (later Mrs. Ebenezer Gay) 324 Otis, Mary (later Mrs. John Gray) 323 Otis, Mary Smith Gray 323 Otis, Mercy (later Mrs. James Warren) 323, 465 Otis, Mercy (Marcia) Allyne 323, 324, 465 Otis, Nancy Bourne 324 Otis, Nathaniel 123 Otis, Nathaniel (brother of James) 323 Otis, Nathaniel (2) 323 Otis, Nathaniel Walter 324 Otis, Rebecca 324 Otis, Rebecca Sturgis 323, 324 Otis, Ruth Cunningham 242, 323 Otis, Samuel Allyne 323 Otis, Sarah 323

Otis, Thomas 324 Otis, William 324 Otisquette 222 Ottowa Indians 468 Ounewaterika see Lee, General Charles HMS Oxford 36, 37, 443 Paca, Anne Harrison 325 Paca, Aquila 324 Paca, Elizabeth 324 Paca, Elizabeth Martin Smith 324, 325 Paca, Frances 324 Paca, John 324 Paca, John (son of William) 324 Paca, Martha 324 Paca, Mary 324 Paca, Mary Chew 324 Paca, Susanna 324 Paca, William (signer of the Declaration of Independence) 66, 67, 148, 324, 325, 425 Paca House 325 HMS Pack-Horse 26 Page, Carter 314 Page, Elizabeth Nelson 314 Page, John of Gloucester County (later Matthews County) 315 Page, Governor John 314, 315 Page, Mann 32 Page, Mann (son of Governor John) 314 Page, Captain William (Massachusetts) 358 Page, William Byrd 233 Paine, Abigail 325 Paine, Charles 326 Paine, Eunice Treat 325 Paine, Henry 326 Paine, Lucretia 326 Paine, Maria Antoinette 326 Paine, Mary 326 Paine, Robert Treat (signer of the Declaration of Independence) 6, 11, 28, 79, 126, 178, 191, 223, 241, 245, 322, 325, 326 Paine, Robert Treat, Jr. 326 Paine, Sally 326 Paine, Samuel 66 Paine, Sarah “Sally” Cobb 326 Paine, Thomas 123, 132, 184, 227, 299, 303, 379, 465 Paine, Rev. Thomas 325 Paine, Thomas (son of Robert Treat) 326 Pallas (French warship) 208, 209 Palmer, Elizabeth 326 Palmer, Joan Pearse Mead 326 Palmer, John 326 Palmer, Brigadier General Joseph 326, 327, 361 Palmer, Joseph Pearse 326, 327 Palmer, Mary (Polly) 326, 327, 361 Palmer, Mary Cranch 326, 327 Palmer, British Lt. Nathan 356 Palmer, Captain Robert 408 Palmer, Colonel Robert 408 Palmer, William 326 Palmes, Captain Richard 32 Paoli Massacre 93, 473 Paradise (plantation) 232 Parke, George Washington 235 Parke, Mary Lee Fitzhugh Lee Custis 235 Parker, Ebenezer 198 Parker, Elisha 11 Parker, Henry Middleton 174 Parker, James 34

Parker, John A. 465 Parker, Josiah 279 Parker, Sergeant Michael 430 Parker, British Commodore Peter 127, 284, 306, 309, 369, 384, 413, 431, 443, 489 Parker, Colonel Peter 125 Parker, Richard 110 Parker, Captain Samuel 123 Parker, William 347 Parks, Warham 141 Parnell, Thomas 184 Parry, Edward 223, 439 Parsons, Benjamin 327 Parsons, Deacon Ebenezer 327 Parsons, Enoch 329 Parsons, Ester Phillips 329 Parsons, Ester Sage 329 Parsons, James 383 Parsons, Jonathan 327 Parsons, Lucia (later Mrs. Stephen T. Hosmer) 329 Parsons, Margaret (later Mrs. Stephen Hubbard, then, Mrs. Alfred Lathrop) 329, 330 Parsons, Mehetable (later Mrs. William Brenton) 329 Parsons, Mehetable Mather 327 Parsons, Mr. (South Carolinian) 173 Parsons, Phebe (later Mrs. Samuel Tiffin) 329 Parsons, Phebe Giswold 327, 329 Parsons, Samuel (son of General Samuel) 329 Parsons, General Samuel Holden 76, 91, 216, 319, 327, 328, 329, 330, 455, 503 Parsons, Theophilus 211 Parsons, William Walter 329 Partridge, George 215 Paterson, Anne 330 Paterson, Betsy 330, 332 Paterson, Clarissa Hyde 332 Paterson, Cornelia (later Mrs. Stephen III Van Rensselaer) 332, 333, 437 Paterson, Cornelia Bell 333 Paterson, Elizabeth Lee 330, 332 Paterson, Euphemia White 333, 484 Paterson, Hannah (later Mrs. Azaria Egleston) 330, 332 Paterson, Brigadier General John 269, 330, 331, 332, 355, 448 Paterson, John, Sr. 330 Paterson, John Peirce 330, 332 Paterson, Josiah Lee 330 Paterson, Maria (later Mrs. Samuel Kilborn) 330, 332 Paterson, Polly 330, 332 Paterson, Richard 332 Paterson, Ruth (daughter of General John) 330 Paterson, Ruth (later Mrs. Ira Seymour) 330, 332 Paterson, Ruth Bird 330 Paterson, Sally Osborne 332 Paterson, Sarah 330 Paterson, Governor William (signer of the U.S. Constitution) 100, 332, 333, 484 Paterson, William Bell 333 Patriots’ War 252 Patten, Thomas (of Alexandria) 370 Patterson, James 108 Patterson, Captain James 348 Patterson, James, Jr. 108 Patterson, Mary (later Mrs. James Chambers, then Mrs. James Potter) 348

541 Patterson, Mary Stewart 348 Patterson, Rebecca 108 Patterson, Brigadier General Samuel 333, 334 Patterson, Sarah 108 Patterson, Squire 13 Patterson, Susanna 108 Patterson, Thomas 108 Patton, Alison Landale Wilson 492 Patton, Colonel John 431 Patton, Robert 492 Patty (vessel) 27 Paul, Elizabeth 207 Paul, Janet 207 Paul, Jean McDuff (mother of John Paul Jones) 207 Paul, John (father of John Paul Jones) 207 Paul, Maryann 207 Paul, William 207, 240, 279 Paulding, John 19 Paxton, John 270 Payne, John 252 Payne, Mary Coles 252 Peabody, Nathan 483 Peabody, Oliver 47 Peachy, Colonel William 279, 480 Pearce, Matthew 364 Pearson, British Captain 209 Peasley, Robert 164 Peck, Jonathan 278 Pegg y (schooner) 27 Pegg y Stewart (vessel) 67, 137 Pemberton, Israel 371 Pemberton, James 371 Pemberton, John 371 Pendleton, Edmund 201, 363, 504 Pendleton, Major Nathaniel 147, 338 Penn, Abraham 261 Penn, John (signer of the Declaration of Independence) 334 Penn, Governor John 84, 178, 301, 304 Penn, Katherine Taylor 334 Penn, Lucy (later Mrs. John Taylor) 334 Penn, Moses 334 Penn, Susan Lyme 334 Penn, Governor Thomas Penn 386 Penn, William 286, 378, 424, 460 Penn, William, Jr. (son of John the signer) 334 Pennington, Mr. 241 Pennsylvania Gazette 119 Penobscot Indians 215, 405 Peperell, Colonel William 498 Perkins, Jabez 188 Perkins, Richard 79 Perry, Colonel Abner 47 Perry, Ezra 447 Perry, Captain Nathaniel 447 HMS Perseus 37 Persival, John 123 Person, Benjamin 334 Person, Johanna Philpot 335 Person, Martha (later Mrs. Thomas Taylor) 334, 335 Person, Mary Ann (later Mrs. George Little) 334, 335 Person, Brigadier General Thomas 50, 54, 206, 334, 335, 381, 450 Person, William 334 Person Hall 335 Peters, Rev. Richard 302 Petit, Andrew 278 Pettit (Petit), Charles 192 Pettit, Sarah Reed 192 Phelps, Noah 13 Phelps, Oliver 142

Phelps and Gorham Purchase 142 Philips, Samuel 398 Phillips, Abigail Bromfield 360 Phillips, Horace G. 186 Phillips, James 109 Phillips, Colonel John 195 Philipps, William 360 Phillips, British General William 19, 167, 201, 220, 222, 244, 470 Phipps, Captain (later Lord Musgrave) 36 HMS Phoenix 473 Phoenix, Rev. Alexander 427 Pickens, General Andrew 71, 78, 104, 146, 187, 196, 226, 234, 256, 296, 335, 336, 339 Pickens, Andrew, Jr. 335 Pickens, Ezekiel 335 Pickens, Jane 335 Pickens, Joseph 335 Pickens, Katherine 335 Pickens, Margaret 335 Pickens, Mary 335 Pickens, Rebecca 335 Pickens, Rebecca Calhoun 335, 336 Pickering, Charles 337 Pickering, Edward 337 Pickering, Elizabeth (daughter of Timothy) 337 Pickering, Elizabeth (sister of Timothy) 336 Pickering, Eunice 336 Pickering, George 337 Pickering, Henry 337 Pickering, Jane Pratt 337 Pickering, John 336 Pickering, John (ancestor of Timothy) 336 Pickering, John (Deacon) 336 Pickering, John (son of Timothy) 337 Pickering, Lois 336 Pickering, Lucia 336 Pickering, Lurena Cole 337 Pickering, Lydia 336 Pickering, Mary 336 Pickering, Mary (daughter of Timothy) 337 Pickering, Mary Wingate 336 Pickering, Octavius 337 Pickering, Rebecca White 337, 338 Pickering, Sarah 336 Pickering, Sarah White 337 Pickering, Captain Thomas 68 Pickering, Colonel Timothy 142, 156, 245, 273, 285, 336, 337, 338, 359, 366, 387, 477 Pickering, Timothy, Jr. 337 Pickering, William 337 Pierce, Charlotte Fenwick 338 Pierce, Elizabeth 49 Pierce, Captain Joseph 213 Pierce, Robert 49 Pierce, William 338 Pierce, William (framer of the U.S. Constitution) 205, 338, 339 Pierce, William Leigh 338 Pierson, Mr. 45 HMS Pigot 429 Pigot, British General Robert 350, 416, 429 Pillsbury, Abigail Rolf 46 Pillsbury, Moses 46 Pinckney, Colonel Charles 339 Pinckney, Charles (chief justice royal government) 339 Pinckney, Charles (father of Charles Coatesworth) 340, 341 Pinckney, Charles (signer of the U.S.

Constitution) 51, 56, 126, 133, 226, 259, 272, 273, 339, 340, 433 Pinckney, Charles Coatesworth (signer of the U.S. Constitution) 56, 133, 212, 215, 226, 250, 259, 308, 339, 340, 341, 342 Pinckney, Eliza Lucas 340, 341 Pinckney, Eliza Lucas (daughter of Charles Coatesworth) 341 Pinckney, Elizabeth Lamb 340 Pinckney, Elizabeth Motte (wife of Thomas) 342 Pinckney, Frances Henrietta (later Mrs. Robert Y. Hayne) 339 Pinckney, Harriott (daughter of Charles Coatesworth) 341 Pinckney, Harriott (Harriet) 340 Pinckney, Henry Laurens 339 Pinckney, Maria 341 Pinckney, Mary Coatesworth of Durham 340 Pinckney, Mary Eleanor (later Mrs. David Ramsay) 339 Pinckney, Mary Eleanor Laurens 339 Pinckney, Mary Stead 341 Pinckney, Sarah Meredith 283 Pinckney, Sarah Middleton 340 Pinckney, Thomas (brother of Charles Coatesworth, later governor) 340, 341, 342 Pinckney, Thomas (father of Chief Justice Charles) 8, 339 Pinckney, Thomas, Jr. (son of Chief Justice Charles) 340 Pinckney, William 282, 340 Piragua (vessel) 374 Pitcairn, British Major John 345 Pitcher, Jonathan 207 Pitkin, Governor William 445 Pittey, Hannah Reed 249 Pittey, James 249 Platt, James 117 Ploughjogger, Humphrey see Adams, John Plumer, Governor William 305 Poe, James 348 Point Pleasant 239 Polhemus, Johannes 473 Polk, Charles 342 Polk, Charles (son of General Thomas) 342, 343 Polk, Ezekiel 342, 343 Polk, Ezekiel (son of General Thomas) 342, 343 Polk, James 342 Polk, President (11th) James Knox 343 Polk, Jane Knox 343 Polk, Joanna Knox 342 Polk, John 400 Polk, John (father of Colonel John Polk) 342 Polk, Bishop (Confederate General) Leonidas 343 Polk, Magdalen Tasker Porter 342 Polk, Margaret (later Mrs. Nathaniel Alexander) 342 Polk, Martha (later Mrs. Ephraim Brevard) 342 Polk, Mary 342 Polk, Priscilla Roberts Porter 342 Polk, Robert 342 Polk, Samuel 343 Polk, Susanna Spratt 342 Polk, Colonel (later Brigadier General) Thomas 85, 87, 342, 343, 431 Polk, Thomas, Jr. 342 Polk, William 342

Index Polk, William (son of General Thomas) 342 Polk’s Folly 342 Pollock, John of Larkshire 342 Polly (schooner) 27, 37 Pomeroy, Ashael 344 Pomeroy, Ebenezer 343, 344 Pomeroy, Eldad 344 Pomeroy, Eltweed 344 Pomeroy, Daniel 344 Pomeroy, Doctor Josiah 365 Pomeroy, Lemuel (later Mrs. Bulkley Olcott) 344 Pomeroy, Margaret Rockett 344 Pomeroy, Mary (later Mrs. Levi Sheperd) 344 Pomeroy, Mary Hunt 344, 345, 346 Pomeroy, Medad 344 Pomeroy, Medad (son of General Seth) 344 Pomeroy, Quartos 344 Pomeroy, Sarah (Sally, later Mrs. Abraham Burbank) 344 Pomeroy, Sarah King 343 Pomeroy, Major General Seth 156, 343, 344, 345, 346, 412, 438, 463, 484, 502 Pomeroy, Seth, Jr. 344 Pomeroy Tavern 344 Poniatowsky, Stanislaus see King Stanislaus Augustus Pontiac 88 Poor, Abraham 346 Poor, Ann 346 Poor, Daniel 346 Poor, Daniel (brother of General Enoch) 346 Poor, Brigadier General Enoch 68, 69, 97, 135, 320, 346, 365, 415, 416, 451 Poor, Harriet (later Mrs. Jacob Cilley) 346, 347 Poor, Joseph 346 Poor, Joseph (2) 346 Poor, Martha (also Patty; later Mrs. Bradbury Cilley) 346, 347 Poor, Martha Osgood 346, 347 Poor, Mary (daughter of General Enoch, later Mrs. John Cram) 346, 347 Poor, Mary (sister of General Enoch) 346 Poor, Mary Adams 346 Poor, Mehitable Osgood 346 Poor, Sarah 346 Poor, Stephen 346 Poor, Susee 346 Poor, Thomas 346 Poor, Thomas, Jr. 346 Poor Richard’s Almanac 119 Pope, Elisha 123 Pope, Lt. Coloonel George 377 Pope, John (father-in-law of General Israel Putnam) 353 Pope, John (Maryland early settler) 65 Pope, Margaret 64 Pope’s Night see Guy Hawkes Day Porter, Doctor Aaron 210 Porter, Elizabeth see Moore, Elizabeth Porter Porter, John 20, 292 Porter, Colonel John (husband of Magdalen Polk) 342 Porter, Major John 347 Porter, Reverend 167 Porterfield, Colonel Charles 15, 410 Poston, Richard 58 Potomac Company 61

Index Potter, Anna (or Annas, later Mrs. Alexander Young) 347 Potter, Catherine (later Mrs. James Carothers) 347 Potter, Catherine Crozer 349 Potter, Christopher 481 Potter, Brigadier General David 118 Potter, Elizabeth (later Mrs. James Poe) 348 Potter, Ellizabeth Cathcart 348 Potter, Hannah (later Mrs. John McMillan and Mrs. Thomas Robinson) 347 Potter, Isabella (later Mrs. John Hamilton) 347 Potter, General James 94, 219, 282, 347, 348, 349 Potter, James, Jr. 348 Potter, John 347, 349 Potter, John (son of General James) 349 Potter, Margaret (daughter of General James, later Mrs. Edward Crouch) 349 Potter, Margaret (later Mrs. George Latimer) 347 Potter, Martha 347, 349 Potter, Martha (daughter of General James, later Mrs. Andrew Gregg) 349 Potter, Mary (later Mrs. George Riddles, then Mrs. William McClellan) 348 Potter, Mary (later Mrs. James Beard) 347 Potter, Mary Brown 348 Potter, Mary Petterson 348 Potter, Samuel 347 Potter, Thomas 347 Powell, Colonel 51 Powell, Governor Thomas 138 Pownall, Governor Thomas 349 Pratt, Benjamin 325 Pratt, Charles (1st Earl of Camden) 147 Preble, Abraham 349 Preble, Avis Phillips 349 Preble, Benjamin 349 Preble, Ebenezer 349 Preble, Edward (later Commodore) 349 Preble, Enoch 349 Preble, Captain George Henry 349 Preble, Brigadier General Jedediah 156, 349, 463, 484 Preble, Jedediak, Jr. 349 Preble, John 349 Preble, Joshua 349 Preble, Lucy (later Mrs. Jonathan Webb) 349 Preble, Martha (1) 349 Preble, Martha (2) 349 Preble, Martha Junkins 349 Preble, Mary Baston 349 Preble, Mehitable Bangs Roberts 349 Preble, Samuel 349 Preble, Sarah Frost 349 Preble, Statira 349 Preble, William 349 Prescott, Abigail Hale 349 Prescott, Abigail Oliver 349 Prescott, Benjamin 349 Prescott, Catherine 349 Prescott, Catherine G. Hickling 349 Prescott, Elizabeth (later Mrs. Abijah Willard) 349, 350 Prescott, James 349 Prescott, John 349 Prescott, Lucy 349

542 Prescott, Mary Platts 349 Prescott, Brigadier General (Doctor) Oliver 85, 349 Prescott, British Major General Richard 231, 371, 413, 442 Prescott, Doctor Samuel 10, 156, 368, 369, 467 Prescott, Colonel William 48, 349, 350, 464 Prescott, William, Jr. 349 USS President 449 President Adams (galley) 82 Preston, General Francis 59, 380 Preston, John L. 361 Preston, Sarah Buchanan 59 Preston, British Captain Thomas 6, 325 Preston, Colonel William 401, 402, 449 Prevost, British Gen Augustine 20, 26, 52, 341, 353, 431, 448 Prevost, British Lt. Colonel James Malcolm 20, 52, 307 Prevost, British Major James Marc (Mark) 71, 187, 423, 461 Price, Captain Thomas 159, 487 Prince Charles Edward see King Charles III Prince Frederick of Wurtemberg 420 Prince Henry 420 Prince William Henry (son of King George III) 320 HMS Princess Amelia 25 Prior, John 311 Proclamation of 1763 263 Prosper (vessel) 51 USS Providence (frigate) 481, 482 USS Providence (sloop) 180, 181, 207, 208, 249, 319, 443, 444, 445 Provoost, David 11 Provoost, David, Jr. 11 Provoost, John 11 Publius 154 Pulaski, Count Casmir 14, 15, 89, 92, 146, 244, 254, 275, 350, 352, 353, 461 Pulaski, Francis 351 Pulaski, Count Josef 350, 351 Pulaski’s Legion 86, 314, 352, 353 Purcell, Rev. Henry 56, 188 Purcell, Sarah 56 Purinton, Deacon Humphrey 439 Purviance, Samuel, Jr. 51 Putnam, Abigail 358, 360 Putnam, Ayres 358 Putnam, Catharine (later Mrs. Ebenezer Buckingham) 358, 360 Putnam, Daniel 354 Putnam, David 354 Putnam, David, II 354 Putnam, Deborah Lothrup Gardiner 354 Putnam, Edwin 358 Putnam, Elisha 357 Putnam, Eliza Davis 360 Putnam, Elizabeth 354 Putnam, Elizabeth (daughter of General Rufus) 358, 360 Putnam, Elizabeth Ayres 358 Putnam, Elizabeth Potter 353 Putnam, Eunice 354 Putnam, Franklin 358, 360 Putnam, Hannah 354 Putnam, Hannah Pope 353, 354 Putnam, Major General Israel 21, 22, 52, 76, 100, 108, 125, 140, 166, 190, 213, 230, 268, 310, 328, 345, 349, 350, 353, 354, 355, 356, 357, 358,

391, 407, 412, 413, 428, 449, 454, 463, 464, 479, 499, 503 Putnam, Israel, Jr. 354 Putnam, James 5 Putnam, Jerusa Guitteau 360 Putnam, John 353, 357 Putnam, John, Jr. 353 Putnam, Captain Joseph 353 Putnam, Martha (later Mrs. Benjamin Tupper) 358, 360 Putnam, Mehitable 354 Putnam, Molly 354 Putnam, Nathaniel 353 Putnam, Persis 358, 360 Putnam, Persis Rice 358, 360 Putnam, Peter Schuyler 354 Putnam, Priscilla 353 Putnam, Brigadier General Rufus 329, 357, 358, 359, 360, 448, 455 Putnam, Susanna (later Mrs. Christopher Burlingame) 358, 360 Putnam, Susanna Fuller 357 Putnam, Thomas (grandfather of General Israel) 353 Putnam, William Rufus 358, 360 Pyeatt, Captain Jacob 73 Pyle, Colonel John (Loyalist) 196, 234 Pyle’s Massacre 234 Quaker Hill 195 Quartering Act 5 Queen Charlotte 241 Queen of France (vessel) 481 Queue (Samuel Adams’ dog) 10 Quincy, Abigail Phillips 360 Quincy, Ann Marsh 361 Quincy, Edmund 156, 360, 361 Quincy, Eliza Susan Morton 393 Quincy, Elizabeth Waldron 361 Quincy, Elizabeth Wendell 156 Quincy, Hannah 360 Quincy, Hannah Sturgis 360, 361 Quincy, Colonel Josiah (1) 6, 178, 327, 360, 361 Quincy, Josiah, Jr. (2) 156, 360, 361 Quincy, Josiah (3) 360 Quincy, Nathaniel Beal 249 Quincy, Samuel 360, 361 Quintyne, Elizabeth 51 Quintyne, Richard 51 HMS Racehorse 24, 36 Radiere, Lt. Colonel (later Colonel) 102, 216 Rahl, Colonel Johann see Rall, Colonel Johann HMS Rainbow 31 USS Raleigh 27, 28, 37, 223 Raleigh Tavern 236, 313, 363 Rall (Rahl), Colonel Johann 84, 429 Ramsay, Doctor David 225, 498 Ramsay, Frances Witherspoon 498 Ramsey, Brigadier General Ambrose 55 USS Randolph 36, 37, 356 Randolph, Ann Carey 300 Randolph, Ariana 363 Randolph, Ariana Jennings 361 Randolph, Beverly 148, 162, 235, 245, 363, 394, 477 Randolph, Edmonia (later Mrs. John L. Preston) 361 Randolph, Governor Edmund Jennings (framer of the U.S. Constitution) 43, 53, 148, 149, 259, 263, 264, 267, 281, 339, 361, 362, 363, 494 Randolph, Elizabeth Beverly 363

Randolph, Elizabeth Harrison 363 Randolph, Elizabeth Nicholas 361 Randolph, Frances Bland 104 Randolph, Sir John 362 Randolph, John (brother of Peyton) 363 Randolph, John (Loyalist, father of Edmund Jennings) 361, 363 Randolph, John of Roanoke 104, 169, 262, 486, 487 Randolph, Lucy (later Mrs. Peter V. Daniel) 361 Randolph, Lucy Harrison (wife of Peyton, nephew of Peyton, then Mrs. Anthony Singleton) 361 Randolph, Maria Ward 361 Randolph, Mariana (later Mrs. James Wormeley) 361 Randolph, Mary Isham 362 Randolph, Peyton (1st president of Continental Congress) 44, 50, 156, 160, 161, 168, 236, 237, 279, 284, 315, 361, 362, 363, 469, 504 Randolph, Peyton (nephew of Peyton, President of Congress) 161 Randolph, Peyton (son of Edmund Jennings) 361 Randolph, Susan (daughter of Edmund, later Mrs. Bennet Taylor) 361 Randolph, Susan (later Mrs. John Randolph Grymes) 361 Randolph, Susanna Beverly 362 Randolph, Thomas Mann 200 Randolph, Thomas of Roanoke 300 Randolph, William 161, 200 Randolph, William (1; brother of Sir John) 363 Randolph, Miss Wormeley (wife of Beverly) 363 USS Ranger 208, 481, 482 Rathburn, Captain John Peck 308, 443, 444, 482 Rattlesnake (privateer) 445 Rawdon-Hastings, Francis (Lord Rawdon) 136, 146, 188, 255, 385 Rawson, Ebeneezer 66 Read, Andrew 364 Read, Ann McCall 364 Read, George (signer of the Declaration of Independence and Constitution) 49, 276, 333, 334, 363, 364, 377 Read, George, II (son of George the signer) 364 Read, Gertrude Ross Till 364 Read, James 364 Read, Colonel John (father of George the signer) 363 Read, John, I (son of George the signer) 364 Read, John, II (son of George the signer and father of General John Meredith) 283, 364 Read, General John Meredith 283 Read, General Joseph 34, 140 Read, Martha Meredith 283 Read, Mary (later Mrs. Gunning Colonel Bedford) 364 Read, Mary (later Mrs. Matthew Pearce) 364 Read, Mary Howell 363 Read, Mary Thompson 364 Read, Thomas 364 Read, William 364 Read, William (son of George the signer) 364 Red House Tavern 255 Redd, Captain John 401

543 Redman, Doctor John 378 Reed, Abigail (later Mrs. Phineas Hutchins) 365 Reed, Abigail Hinds 365, 365 Reed, Andrew 365 Reed, Barzillai 365 Reed, Beulah Muzzy 365 Reed, Caroline Taylor 365 Reed, Esther De Berdt 366 Reed, Frederick 365 Reed, George Washington 366, 367 Reed, Hinds 365 Reed, Brigadier General James 76, 78, 319, 346, 364, 365, 415, 416 Reed, James, Jr. 365 Reed, John 119 Reed, Brigadier General Joseph 130, 192, 348, 352, 365, 366, 367, 387, 479, 493 Read, Joseph (father of General James) 364 Reed, Joseph (son of General James) 365 Reed, Joseph (son of General Joseph) 366 Reed, Lucy Osgood (also known as Shefomith; later Mrs. Lockhart Willard) 365 Reed, Mabel 364 Reed, Mr. 134 Reed, Molly Farrar 365 Reed, Priscilla (later Mrs. Thomas Carter, then Mrs. James Hutchinson) 365 Reed, Richard 138 Reed, Robert 265 Reed, Sarah Rice 364 Reed, Sarah White 119 Reed, Sylvanus 365 Reed, Theodosia 366 Reed, Theodosia Bowe 365 Reed, William 364 Rees, Adam Alexander 400 Reeve, Judge Tappan 52 Regulators 19, 50, 53, 63, 177, 311, 335, 408, 409, 450 Reid, Andrew 292 Reid, Magdalen McDowell 292 Relf, Mrs. 217 Remington, Judge Jonathan 105 HMS Renown 243 USS Reprisal (formerly Molly) 27, 37, 121 Repsas, Mrs. (also Mrs. William Bryan) 50 Reuss XXIV, Count 308 Revenue Marines (Revenue Service Cutters) 154, 472 Revere, Apollos (Paul) 367 Revere, Deborah 368 Revere, Deborah (daughter of Paul) 368 Revere, Deborah Hitchborn 367 Revere, Elizabeth 368 Revere, Elizabeth (daughter of Paul) 368 Revere, Frances 368 Revere, Frances (daughter of Paul) 368 Revere, Hannah (daughter of Paul) 368 Revere, Harriet 368 Revere, John (1) 368 Revere, John (2) 368 Revere, John (3) 368 Revere, John (brother of Paul) 368 Revere, Joseph Warren 368, 369 Revere, Joshua 368 Revere, Lucy 368

Revere, Lydia LeBaron Goodwin 368 Revere, Maria (later Mrs. Joseph Balestier) 368 Revere, Mary 368 Revere, Mary (daughter of Paul) 368 Revere, Paul (1) 368 Revere, Lt. Colonel Paul 10, 11, 156, 223, 249, 367, 368, 369, 377, 458, 463, 467 Revere, Paul, Jr. 368 Revere, Rachael Walker 368 Revere, Sarah 368 Revere, Sarah Orne 368 Revere, Thomas (1) 368 Revere, Thomas (2) 368 Reynolds, Elizabeth Budd 220 Reynolds, Lt. Colonel John 413 Reynolds, Colonel Thomas 220 Reynolds, William 67 Rhind, David 383 Rhinebeck (Northwest) Regiment 434 Rhoads, Samuel 285 Rhode Island 7 Rhode Island College (later Brown University) 183 Rice, Captain John 396 Rice, Judge 359 Rice, Zebulon 358 Richard, Duke of Normandy 386 Richards, J. 389 Richards, James 389 Richards, Sarah Gibbons 389 Richardson, Colonel Andrew 52 Richardson, Charles 369 Richardson, Colonel 25 Richardson, Dorcas 370 Richardson, Dorothy Sinkler 369 Richardson, Elizabeth Cantey 369 Richardson, James Burchell 370 Richardson, Margaret Cantey 255, 370 Richardson, Rebecca (later Mrs. John Singleton) 370 Richardson, Brigadier General Richard 51, 52, 226, 255, 369, 370, 381, 384, 432, 489 Richardson, Colonel Richard, Jr. 370 Richardson, Susanna (later Mrs. Laurence Manning) 370 Richardson, Thomas 319 Richardson, Colonel William (Maryland) 176 Richardson, Rev. William 86 Richmond, Colonel William 413 Rickman, Doctor William 161 Riddles, George 348 Ridley, Matthew 302 Riedesel, Baron see Von Riedesel, Baron Riker, Captain Abraham 451 Rising Sun Tavern 279 Rittenhouse, David 43 Roach, Captain John 208 Roane, Governor Archibald 400 Robb, Samuel 386 Roberdeau, Anne (later Mrs. Jonathan Swift) 370 Roberdeau, General Daniel 108, 103, 366, 370, 371, 372 Roberdeau, David Bostwick 370 Roberdeau, Heriot (later Mrs. Edward Conrad) 371 Roberdeau, Colonel Isaac 370 Roberdeau, Isaac (son of General Daniel) 370, 371, 372 Roberdeau, James 371 Roberdeau, Jane (later Mrs. Daniel Annan) 371

Roberdeau, Jean ( Jane) Milligan 371, 372 Roberdeau, Jeany ( Jane) 371 Roberdeau, Martha Lane Triplett 371 Roberdeau, Mary (1) 370 Roberdeau, Mary (2; later Mrs. Thomas Patten) 370 Roberdeau, Mary Bostwick 370, 371 Roberdeau, Mary Conyngham 370 Roberdeau, Mildred Lancaster Denny 371 Roberdeau, Selina (later Mrs. Scudamore Nickolls) 370 Roberdeau, Susan Blair Shippen 370 Roberts, Colonel 51 Roberts, James 49 Roberts, John 49 Roberts, Mr. 293 Roberts, Major Owen 187 Robertson, British naval captain (sonin-law of Francis Lewis) 241 Robertson, Charlotte 373 Robertson, Charlotte (2) 373 Robertson, Charlotte Reeves 373, 376 Robertson, Delilah 373 Robertson, Felix 373 Robertson, Henderson 373 Robertson, British Major General James 61 Robertson, Brigadier General James 39, 372, 373, 374, 375, 376, 397 Robertson, James Randolph 373, 375 Robertson, John McNairy 373 Robertson, Jonathan Friar 373, 374 Robertson, Livinah 373 Robertson, Mark 373 Robertson, Peaton (Peyton) 373 Robertson, Peaton (Peyton 2) 373, 374 Robertson, William Blount 373 Robespierre 362 Robeson, William 409 Robinson, Christopher 43 Robinson, Colonel Christopher of Hewick 43 Robinson, David 41 Robinson, Hannah Clark 385 Robinson, Hannah Wiswall 445 Robinson, Lt. Colonel John 350 Robinson, Rev. John 445 Robinson, John (Massachusetts) 323 Robinson, John (speaker, House of Burgesses) 363, 469 Robinson, Joseph (Loyalist) 335, 489 Robinson, Marcy (later Mrs. Samuel Safford) 385 Robinson, Mercy Leonard 385 Robinson, Governor Moses 465 Robinson, Perais (later Mrs. Jacob Safford) 385 Robinson, Samuel (father of Marcy Robinson) 385 Robinson, Colonel Samuel (father of Perais Robinson) 385 Robinson, Thomas 347 Robinson, Captain Thomas 219 Robinson House 19, 222 Rochambeau, Count de Marechal 167, 214, 228, 245, 289, 417, 471, 479 Rodgers, Rev. John 250 Rodgers, Theophilus 189 Rodney, Alice Caesar 376 Rodney, Caesar (signer of the Declaration of Independence) 84, 99, 100, 172, 223, 276, 334, 352, 364, 376, 377, 426

Index Rodney, Caesar, Sr. 376 Rodney, Elizabeth Crawford 376 Rodney, Mary Hollyman 376 Rodney, Sarah Jones 376 Rodney, Colonel Thomas 265 Rodney, William (grandfather of Rodney the signer) 376 Rodney, William (great grandfather of Rodney the signer) 376 Roederer, Monsieur 107 Rogers, British naval captain 33 Rogers, John (husband of Deborah Reed Rogers) 119 Rogers, Mary (granddaughter of Thomas McKean) 278 Rogers, Richard 414 Rogers, Robert 414 Rogers’ Rangers 164 HMS Romney 109 Roosevelt, Martha Stewart 423 Roosevelt, President Theodore “Teddy” 210, 423 Roosevelt, Theodore, Sr. 423 Root, Jesse 205, 406, 483 HMS Rose 83, 156, 180, 245, 473, 481 Rose, Amos 356 Rose, Ursula (later Mrs. Henry Miller) 287 Rose, Joseph 287 Roseboom, Maria Vinhagen 452 Roseboom, Myndert 452 Rosewell, William 389 Ross, British Major Alexander 228 Ross, Aneas 377 Ross, Anna Lawler 378 Ross, Anne (Anna) Catherine Van Gezel 364, 377, 440 Ross, Catherine (later Mrs. William Thompson) 377, 440 Ross, David 377 Ross, Elizabeth (later Mrs. Edward Biddle) 377 Ross, Rev. George 364, 377, 440 Ross, George (signer of the Declaration of Independence) 50, 77, 172, 184, 377, 378, 380, 436, 440 Ross, George, Jr. 378 Ross, Gertrude (later Mrs. Thomas Till, then Mrs. George Read, II) 364, 377 Ross, Hugh 497 Ross, Jacob 377 Ross, James (son of George the signer) 378 Ross, Joanna Williams 377 Ross, John (step-brother of George the signer and attorney general) 364, 377, 378 Ross, Margaret 377 Ross, Mary (daughter of George the signer) 378 Ross, Mary (later Mrs. Colonel Mark Bird) 378 Ross, British General Robert 26, 253 Ross, Susanna 377 Rossie 25 Rothmaler, Colonel 51 Roubelle, Consul 325 Rouerie, Marquis de la 15 Roy, Doctor 281 Royal, William 395 Royal Charlotte (merchant ship) 301 Rudulf (Rudolph), Captain 234 Ruggles, Colonel (later Brigadier General) Timothy 228, 276, 320, 358, 463 Rush, Doctor Benjamin (signer of the Declaration of Independence) 8,

Index 61, 77, 80, 172, 184, 202, 271, 280, 326, 378, 379, 380, 411, 419, 424, 436, 496 Rush, Benjamin (2) 379 Rush, Elizabeth 379 Rush, Emily 379 Rush, Jacob 378 Rush, James 378 Rush, James (brother of Benjamin the signer) 378 Rush, James (son of Benjamin the signer) 379 Rush, John 378 Rush, Captain John 378 Rush, John (brother of Benjamin the signer) 378 Rush, John (son of Benjamin the signer) 379 Rush, Julia 379, 380 Rush, Julia Stockton 379 Rush, Mary 379 Rush, Rachael 378 Rush, Rebecca 378 Rush, Richard 379 Rush, Samuel 379 Rush, Stephenson 378 Rush, Susanna 379 Rush, Susanna Hall Harvey 378, 380 Rush, William (1) 379 Rush, William (2) 379 Russell, Ann Clay 380 Russell, Arthela 380 Russell, Celah (later Mrs. Robert Wilson) 380 Russell, Chloe (later Mrs. Hubbard Saunders) 380 Russell, Deborah M. Allen 380 Russell, Elizabeth Henry (later Mrs. Francis Smith) 381 Russell, Elizabeth Henry Campbell 59, 380, 381 Russell, Lt. Colonel Giles 454 Russell, Henley 380 Russell, Henry (uncle of General William) 41 Russell, Henry (son of General William) 380, 381, 397 Russell, Henry Winston 381 Russell, Jane (later Mrs. William Patton Thompson) 381 Russell, Jane Robertson 381 Russell, John Coates 380 Russell, Rev. Jonathan 323 Russell, Katherine 380 Russell, Lucy Roberts 380 Russell, Mary Henley 380 Russell, Mary Henly (daughter of General William, later Mrs. William Bowen) 380 Russell, Nancy Price 380 Russell, Patrick Henry 381 Russell, Robert Spottswood 380 Russell, Samuel 380 Russell, Tabitha Adams 380 Russell, Tabitha Adams (daughter of General William, later Mrs. William Campbell) 380 Russell, Brigadier General William 41, 59, 380, 397, 401 Russell, William (son of General William) 380, 381 Russell, William, Sr. 41, 380 Rutherford, Alfred 381 Rutherford, Blanche 381 Rutherford, Elizabeth 381 Rutherford, Elizabeth Graham 381 Rutherford, General Griffith 20, 54, 85, 96, 147, 160, 179, 206, 260, 343, 381, 382, 450, 457

544 Rutherford, Griffith Weakley 381 Rutherford, Henry 381 Rutherford, James 381 Rutherford, Jane 381 Rutherford, John (father of General Griffith) 382, 383 Rutherford, John (grandfather of General Griffith) 381 Rutherford, John (son of General Griffith) 381 Rutherford, Margaret 381 Rutherford, Newton 381 Rutledge, Alexander 383 Rutledge, Andrew 382, 383 Rutledge, Edward (signer of the Declaration of Independence) 26, 121, 126, 173, 191, 201, 284, 307, 342, 382, 383, 384, 385, 428, 432, 469 Rutledge, Eliza (later Mrs. Henry Laurens, Jr.) 228 Rutledge, Elizabeth Grimke 383, 385 Rutledge, Henrietta Middleton 382, 383 Rutledge, Henry Middleton 382 Rutledge, Hugh 383 Rutledge, Doctor John 382, 383 Rutledge, Governor (and General) John (signer of the U.S. Constitution) 27, 37, 51, 55, 56, 126, 127, 187, 188, 204, 226, 228, 244, 306, 339, 382, 383, 384, 385, 433, 493, 494 Rutledge, Martha Henrietta (later Mrs. Francis Kinlock) 385 Rutledge, Mary Shubrick Eveleigh 383 Rutledge, Sarah 382, 383 Rutledge, Sarah Boone Hext 382, 383 Rutledge, Sarah Hext 382, 383 Rutledge, Sarah Wert 382, 383 Rutledge, Thomas 51, 382 Rutledge ( John) House Inn 385 Rutsen, Alida Livingston 452 Rutsen, Cornelia (later Mrs. Robert Livingston) 452 Rutsen, Colonel Jacob 452 Rutter, Thomas 435 Sachem (formerly HMS Edward ) 24, 27 Sadler, Captain John 357 Safford, Abigail (later Mrs. Jonathan Scott) 385 Safford, Amelia 386 Safford, Ann Bottom 385 Safford, Anna (daughter of General Joseph) 385 Safford, Anna (daughter of General Samuel) 385 Safford, Anna (sister of General Samuel, later Mrs. Henry Walbridge) 385 Safford, Anna Brewster 385 Safford, Aurella Mather 385 Safford, Doctor Challis 465 Safford, Clara 385 Safford, David 385 Safford, Electa 386 Safford, Elizabeth (later Mrs. Cornelius Cady) 385 Safford, Esther (daughter of General Joseph) 385 Safford, Esther (later Mrs. Hyde, then Mrs. Samuel (Colonel) Robinson) 385 Safford, Harriet (later Mrs. John Fassett) 385 Safford, Jacob 385

Safford, John 385 Safford, Jonas 386 Safford, Brigadier General Joseph 385, 386 Safford, Deacon Joseph 385 Safford, Joseph, Jr. 385 Safford, Junia 385 Safford, Lucy (daughter of General Joseph) 385 Safford, Lucy (sister of General Samuel, later Mrs. Samuel Montague) 385 Safford, Marcy 385 Safford, Marcy Robinson 385 Safford, Mary (later Mrs. Nathan Fay) 385 Safford, Mary Lawrence 385 Safford, Perais Robinson 385 Safford, Ruth 385 Safford, Brigadier General Samuel 385, 386, 435 Safford, Samuel, Jr. 385 Safford, Sarah 385 Sage, David 204 St. Andrew (vessel) 174 St. Clair, General Arthur 39, 57, 76, 78, 82, 93, 94, 108, 116, 130, 135, 193, 251, 273, 286, 319, 321, 328, 329, 331, 338, 346, 374, 386, 387, 388, 389, 392, 394, 417, 419, 452, 455, 466, 472, 474, 476, 477, 486 St. Clair, Arthur, Jr. 386, 388 St. Clair, Jane 386 St. Clair, Louisa (later Mrs. Samuel Robb) 386, 389 St. Clair (de), Margaret 386 St. Clair, Phoebe Bayard 386 St. Clair (de), William 386 St. Francis Indians 23, 414 St. Francis Xavier 396 St. George’s Day 302 St. Ignatius Loyola 396 HMS St. John 227 St. Leger, British Colonel Barry 18, 128, 129, 130, 170, 171, 417, 460 St. Mary of the Assumption Church 344 St. Omer’s 62 St. Stanislaus 218 Sally (sloop) 408 Salten, Edward 38, 409 Salter, Captain (later Lt. Colonel) Robert 409 Saltonstall, Ann (later Mrs. Thomas Mumford) 389 Saltonstall, Ann Wanton 389 Saltonstall, Commodore Dudley 21, 92, 180, 207, 208, 249, 369, 389, 390, 458, 459, 481 Saltonstall, Elizabeth (later Mrs. Silas Deane) 91 Saltonstall, Elizabeth (mother of General Gurdon) 389 Saltonstall, Elizabeth Rosewell 389 Saltonstall, Ellizabeth (later Mrs. John Ewetse, then Mrs. Silas Deane) 389 Saltonstall, Ellizabeth Stewart 389 Saltonstall, Frances Babcock 389 Saltonstall, Gilbert 21, 389, 390 Saltonstall, Brigadier General Gurdon 21, 91, 389, 390, 450 Saltonstall, Rev. (Governor) Gurdon 389 Saltonstall, Gurdon (son of General Gurdon) 389 Saltonstall, Harriet Babcock 389 Saltonstall, Henrietta (later Mrs. John S. Miller) 389

Saltonstall, Jerusa 389 Saltonstall, Katherine (daughter of General Gurdon, later Mrs. J. Richards) 389 Saltonstall, Katherine (later Mrs. William Brattle) 389 Saltonstall, Martha (later Mrs. Manwaring) 389 Saltonstall, Mary (later Mrs. Jeremiah Atwater) 389 Saltonstall, Mary Lawrence Whittingham Clarke 389 Saltonstall, Rebecca 389 Saltonstall, Rebecca Winthrop 389, 390 Saltonstall, Rebekah (Rebecca, later Mrs. David Mumford) 389 Saltonstall, Richard 389 Saltonstall, Rosewell 389 Saltonstall, Rosewell (son of General Gurdon) 389 Saltonstall, Sarah (later Mrs. Daniel Buck) 389 Saltonstall, Winthrop 389 USS Saratoga 24, 227 HMS Sardine 301 Sargant, Samuel 165 Sargeant’s Regiment (Colonel Paul Dudley Sargeant) 355 Sargent, Winthrop (later governor) 447 Saunders, Hubbard 380 Saunders, Richard (Benjamin Franklin pen name) 119 Savage, Ann Taylor (later Mrs. George Taylor) 435, 436 Savage, Anna 436 Savage, Martha 436 Savage, Mary 436 Savage, Ruth 436 Savage, Samuel, Sr. 435 Savage, Samuel, Jr. 435 Savage, Samuel, III 436 Sawtwell, Mr. 319 Sawyer, Caleb 147 Sawyer, Enoch 147 Sawyer, Captain James 46 Sawin, John 47 Saxe, Marshal 95 Saxton, Frederick 142 Scammel, Colonel Alexander 135, 136 HMS Scarborough 223, 461 Schaaf, Arthur 325 Schulerine, Gabriel 174 HMS Schuyler 36 Schuyler (vessel) 268 Schuyler (gondola) 290 Schuyler, Angelica (Ann, later Mrs. John Barker Church) 393 Schuyler, Colonel Arent of Bellville, New Jersey 452 Schuyler, Catherine (later Mrs. Samuel Malcolm, then Mrs. James Cochran) 393 Schuyler, Catherine Van Rensselaer 390, 391, 392, 437 Schuyler, Cornelia (Betsy, later Mrs. Washington Morton) 391, 393 Schuyler, Cornelia Van Cortlandt 390, 452 Schuyler, Cortlandt 393 Schuyler, Eliza Ten Broeck 393 Schuyler, Elizabeth (later Mrs. Alexander Hamilton) 154, 393 Schuyler, Elizabeth Van Rennselaer 393, 437 Schuyler, Elsie (later Mrs. Nicholas Bogert) 452

545 Schuyler, John 390 Schuyler, John Bradstreet 390, 393 Schuyler, John Bradstreet, II 390, 393, 437 Schuyler, Margaret (also Margarita or Peggy, later Mrs. Stephen Rennselaer) 390, 393 Schuyler, Mary A. Sawyer 393 Schuyler, Colonel Peter 83, 354 Schuyler, Philip Jeremiah 390, 393 Schuyler, Major General Philip John 12, 18, 60, 74, 91, 93, 96, 100, 107, 128, 130, 135, 155, 216, 223, 224, 230, 240, 243, 246, 265, 290, 291, 295, 346, 365, 387, 388, 390, 391, 392, 393, 416, 418, 428, 437, 438, 439, 451, 452, 453, 461, 473, 502 Schuyler, Sarah Rutsen 393 Schuyler, Van Rennselaer 391 Schuyler, Yost 128 Scollay, Mercy 467 USS Scorpion 25 Scott, Rev. Archibald 2665 Scott, British naval captain 306 Scott, Cary Bell Gist 395 Scott, Brigadier General (Governor) Charles 158, 221, 266, 279, 309, 310, 393, 394, 395, 478, 480, 486 Scott, Charles, Jr. 394 Scott, Daniel 394 Scott, Dorothy Quincy Hancock (formerly Mrs. John Hancock) 157 Scott, Eliza (Elizabeth) 394 Scott, Elizabeth 395 Scott, Frances Sweeney 394, 395 Scott, Francis of Mangerton 395 Scott, Helena Rutgers 395 Scott, Captain James 157 Scott, Joanna Jenckes 181 Scott, Sir John (1; baronet of Ancrum) 395 Scott, John (2) 395 Scott, John (3) 395 Scott, Brigadier General John (4) Morin 81 Scott, John Morin (grandson of General John) 395 Scott, Jonathan 385 Scott, Judith Gist (widow of Colonel Nathaniel Gist) 395 Scott, Julianna Sitgreaves 395 Scott, Lewis Allaire 395 Scott, Magdaline Vincent 395 Scott, Marian Morin 395 Scott, Martha 394 Scott, Mary (Polly) 394 Scott, Merritt 394 Scott, Nancy 394 Scott, Samuel 394 Scott, Silvanus 181 Scott, General Winfield 282, 449 Scovilites 177 Screven, Amanda Gibbes 395 Screven, Barbara 395 Screven, Barbara R. Galphin 395 Screven, Benjamin 395 Screven, Bridget Cutt 395 Screven, Catherine Nicholson 395 Screven, Catherine Stoll 395 Screven, Charles Odingsell 395 Screven, Eleanor Hart 395 Screven, Eleanor Screven 395 Screven, Elizabeth (later Mrs. Seth Gilbert) 395 Screven, Elizabeth Pendarvis Bryan 395 Screven, Esther (later Mrs. Thomas Smith) 395

Screven, Brigadier General James 104, 395, 396, 423 Screven, James, Jr. 395 Screven, John 395 Screven, Lucy Wilmington Bernard 395 Screven, Martha 395 Screven, Mary (later Mrs. James Brisbane) 395 Screven, Mary (later Mrs. John Hart) 395 Screven, Mary Hyme Smith 395 Screven, Mary Odingsell 395 Screven, Patience Holmes 395 Screven, Thomas Smith 395 Screven, William 395 Screven, Rev. William 395 Scudder, Nathaniel 483 Scull, Nicholas 35 Seabury, Bishop 153 Seaflower (vessel) 324 Secumbe, Reverend Joseph 28 Sedgwick, Joshua 203 Sedgwick, Theodore 393 Seldon, Samuel 281 Seminole Indians 289 Senator Ross (galley) 82 Seneca Indians 47, 337, 392, 489, 499 HMS Serapis 209 Sergeant, Jonathan D. 333 Sevier, Abraham 397 Sevier, Betsey 396 Sevier, Catherine 397 Sevier, Catherine (daughter of General John) 398 Sevier, Catherine Sherrill 373, 397, 398 Sevier, Dolley 396 Sevier, Elizabeth Conway 398 Sevier, George Washington 398 Sevier, James 396 Sevier, Joanna Goade 396 Sevier, Joanna Goade (daughter of General John) 398 Sevier, Brigadier General (Governor) John 39, 59, 71, 261, 269, 270, 373, 374, 375, 376, 396, 404, 397, 398, 399, 400, 402, 486 Sevier, John, Jr. 396 Sevier, Joseph 397 Sevier, Joseph (son of General John) 396, 398 Sevier, Mary Ann 396 Sevier, Nancy 396 Sevier, Polly 397 Sevier, Polly Preston 398 Sevier, Rebecca 396 Sevier, Richard 396 Sevier, Robert 397, 398 Sevier, Robert (son of Colonel Valentine) 400 Sevier, Robert (son of General John) 398 Sevier, Ruth 398 Sevier, Samuel 398 Sevier, Sarah Hawkins 396 Sevier, Colonel Valentine 374, 396, 398 Sevier, Valentine (son of General John) 396 Sevier, Valentine (son of Colonel Valentine) 400 Sevier, William (son of Colonel Valentine) 400 Sewall, Jonathan 6 Seymour, David 332 Seymour, Ira 332 Seymour, Lucy Alvord 332

Shadwell Plantation 200 Shaffner, Major George 15 Sharpe, Governor Horatio 84 Shaw, Louisa Greene 235 Shawanese Indians 329, 386 Shawnee Indians 41, 73, 261, 372, 380, 397 Shay, Daniel 211 Shay’s Rebellion 211 Shea, Colonel John 387, 474 Shelby, Alfred 403 Shelby, Catherine (daughter of Colonel Isaac) 403 Shelby, Catherine (later Mrs. James A. Thompson) 400, 402 Shelby, Catherine Davies 400 Shelby, Catherine Shelby 400 Shelby, Eleanor (later Mrs. John Polk) 400 Shelby, Elizabeth Neil 400 Shelby, Elizabeth Pile 400 Shelby, Brigadier General Evan 59, 397, 400, 401, 402 Shelby, Evan, Jr. 400, 402, 404 Shelby, Evan (son of Colonel Isaac) 403 Shelby, Evan Dhu 400 Shelby, Colonel Isaac 59, 71, 238, 269, 270, 271, 343, 375, 394, 397, 398, 400, 401, 402, 403, 404, 486 Shelby, Isaac, Jr. 403 Shelby, Isabella Elliott 401 Shelby, James 400, 402 Shelby, James (son of Colonel Isaac) 403 Shelby, John (brother of General Evan) 400 Shelby, John (son of General Evan) 400, 402 Shelby, John (son of Colonel Isaac) 403 Shelby, Letitia 400, 401, 402 Shelby, Letitia (daughter of Colonel Isaac, later Mrs. Charles S. Todd) 403 Shelby, Louisa Looney 400 Shelby, Maria Warren 403 Shelby, Mary (later Mrs. Adam A. Rees) 400 Shelby, Mary Bullock 402 Shelby, Mary McDowell 403 Shelby, Mary Pindell 403 Shelby, Moses 400 Shelby, Moses (son of General Evan) 400, 402 Shelby, Nancy Warren 403 Shelby, Rachel (later Mrs. Michael Leggett) 400, 402 Shelby, Sarah (daughter of Colonel Isaac, later Mrs. Ephraim McDowell) 403 Shelby, Sarah (later Mrs. Ephraim McDowell) 400, 402 Shelby, Susanna 400 Shelby, Susanna Hart 400, 402 Shelby, Thomas 400 Shelby, Thomas Hart 403 Shelby, Virginia Hart 403 Shelby’s Fort 401 Sheldon, Brigadier General Elisha 356 Sheldon, Samuel 404 Sheldon, Sarah 404 Sheldon Tavern (later Gould House) 404 Shelton, John 168 Sheltowee see Boone, Daniel Shepard, Charles 404 Shepard, Elizabeth Noble 404

Index Shepard, Deacon John 404 Shepard, Nancy (later Mrs. Seth Wetmore) 404 Shepard, Noah 404 Shepard, Sarah 404 Shepard, Sarah Dewey 404, 405 Shepard (Shepherd), Brigadier General William 404, 405, 456 Shepard, William, Jr. 404, 405 Sheperd, Levi 344 Shepherd (Shepard), Lt. Colonel William 85, 140 Sherburne, Major Henry 33 Sherman, Chloe 406 Sherman, Chloe (2) 406 Sherman, Elizabeth 405 Sherman, Elizabeth (1; daughter of Roger) 406 Sherman, Elizabeth (2; daughter of Roger) 406 Sherman, Elizabeth Hartwell 406 Sherman, Elizabeth Winship 405 Sherman, Isaac 387 Sherman, Isaac (son of Roger) 406 Sherman (formerly Shearman), Captain John 405 Sherman, John of Dedham 405 Sherman, John (son of Roger) 406 Sherman, Joseph 405 Sherman, Josiah 405, 406 Sherman, Martha 406 Sherman, Martha Palmer 405 Sherman, Mehetabel 405 Sherman, Mehetable (daughter of Roger) 406 Sherman, Mehetable (2; daughter of Roger) 406 Sherman, Mehetable Wellington 405 Sherman, Nathaniel 405 Sherman, Oliver (1; son of Roger) 406 Sherman, Oliver (2; son of Roger) 406 Sherman, Rebecca 405 Sherman, Rebecca (daughter of Roger) 406 Sherman, Rebecca Cutler 405 Sherman, Rebecca Prescott 406 Sherman, Roger (signer of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution) 7, 91, 103, 107, 121, 126, 191, 201, 387, 405, 406, 407, 408, 497 Sherman, Roger, Jr. 406 Sherman, Sarah 406 Sherman, William 405 Sherman, William (1; brother of Roger) 405 Sherman, William (2; brother of Roger) 405 Sherman, William (son of Roger) 406 Sherman, General William Tecumseh 350 Shipman, Abijah 328, 355 Shippen, Edward 18 Shippen, Doctor William 52, 236, 378, 379 Shippen, Peggy see Arnold, Peggy Shippen Shippin (Shippen), Captain William, USMC 94 Shirley, General (Governor) William 11, 83, 84, 210, 319, 349, 361, 449, 501 Shoemaker, Mr. 171 Shrieve, Lt. Colonel Israel 265, 320 Shrycock, Lt. Colonel Henry 33 Shubrick, Mary 382, 383; see also Rutledge, Mary Shubrick

Index Shubrick, Rear Admiral William Branford 174 Silk Stockings Battalion 282 Silliman, Abigail Selleck 407 Silliman, Benjamin 407 Silliman, Ebenezer 407 Silliman, General Gold Selleck 66, 389, 407, 408, 502 Silliman, Gold Selleck, Jr. 407 Silliman, Martha Davenport 407 Silliman, Mary Fish 407, 408 Silliman, Major William 407 Simcoe, British Lt. Colonel John Graves 148, 313, 422 Simpson, Alice 408 Simpson, Ann (later Mrs. John Eason) 408 Simpson, Aurelia Holmes 408 Simpson, Elizabeth 408 Simpson, Elizabeth Hardee 408, 409 Simpson, Hannah 53 Simpson, Ichabod 408 Simpson, Jessie 53 Simpson, John 53 Simpson, Brigadier General John 408, 409 Simpson, John (grandfather of General John) 408 Simpson, John (father of General John) 408 Simpson, John Hardee 408 Simpson, Joseph 408 Simpson, Mary Randall 408 Simpson, Mary Randall (daughter of General John) 408 Simpson, Robert 53 Simpson, Samuel (later General) 408 Simpson, Sarah (later Mrs. Joseph Brickell) 408 Simpson, Susanna (later Mrs. Lawrence O’Bryan) 408 Simpson, Lt. (later Captain) Thomas 208, 308, 482 Sinclair, Ebenezer 117 Singleton, Anthony 161 Singleton, John 370 Singleton family 255 Sinkler, James 369 Sinkler, Mary 369 Sitgreaves, Judge 207 Sitgreaves, Susannah 395 Sithreaves, William 395 Six Nations 129, 131, 436, 453, 461, 499 Skelton, Bathurst 200 Skelton, John 200 Skene, British Major, Philip 6, 285 Sketchley, John (step-father of John Morton) 304 Skinner, British General Cortland 248 Slaughter, Francis 309 Slaughter, Captain Thomas 239 Slow, Captain Jacob 134 Smalley, Doctor 330 Smallpox War 322 Smallwood, Bayne 409 Smallwood, Priscilla Heabred 409 Smallwood, Major James 409 Smallwood, Major General William 15, 97, 137, 334, 409, 410, 431, 487 Smiley, George 473 Smith, Abigail see Adams, Abigail Smith Smith, Abigail see Babcock, Abigail Smith Smith, Abigail (daughter of Benjamin, later Mrs. Jonathan Moulton) 305 Smith, Judge Abraham 292

546 Smith, Arthur 411 Smith, Benjamin 182 Smith, Governor Benjamin 292 Smith, Benjamin (New Hampshire) 305 Smith, Rev. Caleb 186, 285 Smith, Daniel 116 Smith, Devereux 321 Smith, Ebenezer 78 Smith, Edmund 116 Smith, Edward 436 Smith, Eleanor Armor 411 Smith, Elizabeth 5 Smith, Elizabeth (daughter of James the signer, later Mrs. James Johnson) 411 Smith, Elizabeth (daughter of Naomi) 436 Smith, Elizabeth Martin 324 Smith, Elizabeth Quincy 5, 7 Smith, Emery 182 Smith, Francis 381 Smith, George 411 Smith, Hugh 116 Smith, Isaac (Massachusetts) 323 Smith, Isaac (Pennsylvania) 184 Smith, Brigadier General James (signer of the Declaration of Independence) 410, 411, 436 Smith, James, Jr. 411 Smith, John 182 Smith, Jonathan B. 371, 493 Smith, Joseph 121 Smith, Joshua 19 Smith, Martha Dickinson 186 Smith, Mary 5 Smith, Matthew 348 Smith, Naomi 436 Smith, Naomi (daughter of Naomi) 436 Smith, Doctor Nathan 66 Smith, Rebecca 436 Smith, Reuben 435 Smith, Richard 501 Smith, Ruth 182 Smith, Sarah 436 Smith, Samuel 402 Smith, Lt. Colonel Samuel 454 Smith, Rev. Samuel 497 Smith, Thomas 395 Smith, Thomas (South Carolina merchant) 225 Smith, Reverend William 5, 184 Smith, William (Baltimore merchant and Continental and U.S. Congressman) 487 Smith, William (chief justice colony of New York) 74, 247 Smith, William (father-in-law of William Paca) 324 Smith, William (son of Reverend Smith) 5 Smith, William L. 220 Smith, William of Long Island 501 Snee Farm 339 Sniffen, Mary Ann 278 Snowden, Nathan 147 HMS Solebay 13, 207 Soley, Dorcas Coffin 141 Soley, John 141 Sons of Liberty 5, 114, 142, 156, 186, 366, 395 Sosnowski, the Palaine 216 South Carolina (privateer) 25 Southgate, Doctor Robert 210 HMS Southhampton 367 Spaight, Charles 412 Spaight, Margaret (later Mrs. John R. Donnel) 412

Spaight, Margaret Dobbs 411 Spaight, Mary “Polly” Leach 412 Spaight, Richard, Jr. (later governor) 412 Spaight, Richard, Sr. 411 Spaight, Governor Richard Dobbs (signer of the U.S. Constitution) 87, 260, 411, 412, 491 Spaulding, Benjamin 100 Spaulding, Rev. Joshua 100 Spaulding, Olive 100 Spencer, Hannah Brown 413 Spencer, General Jabez 412 Spencer, Major General Joseph 166, 328, 355, 412, 413, 428, 429, 438, 447, 451, 464, 502, 503 Spencer, Martha Brainard 413 Spencer, Colonel Oliver 319 Spencer Inn 413 Spikeman, Captain 415 Spooner, Eliakim 465 Spottswood, Colonel Alexander (postmaster general) 120, 279 Spottswood, General (Royal governor) Alexander 380 Sprigg, Elizabeth 282 Sprigg, Margaret Caile 281, 282 Sprigg, Richard 281, 282 Sprigg, Thomas 282 Sprigg, Lieutenant William Bowie 149 Springfield Arsenal 405 Sproat, Colonel Ebenezer 455 Stainton, Lt. .Colonel Benson 177 Stanley, John 412 Stansbury, Lt. 207 Stanton, Abigail (later Mrs. William Gardner) 413 Stanton, Anna 21 Stanton, Augustus 413 Stanton, Cynthia Lewis 413 Stanton, Esther (later Mrs. Ichabod Babcock) 413 Stanton, Eunice Crandall 413 Stanton, Gardiner 413 Stanton, Hannah (later Mrs. Daniel Wells) 413 Stanton, Henry 413 Stanton, Colonel Joseph (father of General Joseph) 413 Stanton, Colonel Joseph (grandfather of General Joseph) 413 Stanton, Brigadier General Joseph, III 413, 414, 481 Stanton, Lodowick (Ledgewick) 413 Stanton, Marlborough 413 Stanton, Mary (later Mrs. Elias Thompson) 413 Stanton, Mary Champlin 413 Stanton, Nancy 413 Stanton, Robert 21 Stanton, Thomas 413 “Star Spangled Banner” 253 Stark, Ann (also Anna; later Mrs. William Gamble) 414 Stark, Archibald 414 Stark, Archibald (son of General John) 415 Stark, Archibald, Jr. 414, 418 Stark, Benjamin Franklin 415 Stark, Caleb Page 69, 216, 415, 416 Stark, Charles 415 Stark, Eleanor 415 Stark, Eleanor Nichols 414 Stark, Ellen (Eleanor, later Mrs. Isaac Babson, then Mrs. Thomas Coombs) 415 Stark, Elizabeth (later Mrs. John G. Cameron) 415

Stark, Elizabeth Cushing 415 Stark, Elizabeth “Molly” Page 415, 417, 418 Stark, Elizabeth Powers 414 Stark, General John 33, 69, 77, 97, 128, 130, 131, 224, 243, 298, 346, 365, 386, 392, 414, 415, 416, 417, 460, 463, 483 Stark, John, Jr. 415 Stark, Mary (Molly, later Mrs. Benjamin Stickney) 415 Stark, Mary Anderson 414 Stark, Mary “Polly” Huse 415 Stark, Mary Stinson 414 Stark, Samuel 414 Stark, Sarah 415 Stark, Sarah McKinstry 415 Stark, Sophia (later Mrs. Samuel Dickey) 415 Stark, William 414 Starrow, David 417 Stead, Benjamin 341 Stearns, Abigail Fiske 35 Stearns, John 35 Stebbins, Joseph 460 Steele, Judge Jonathan 428 Stephen, Brigadier General Adam 226, 239, 266, 279, 309, 319, 387, 418, 419, 468, 480, 500 Stephen, Robert 419 Stephens, John 11 Stephenson, Colonel Hugh 487 Sterling, Captain 36 Steuben, Baron Francis William Von see Von Steuben, Baron Steuben, Jonathan 421 Stevens, Brigadier General Edward 422 Stevens, Gilly Coleman 422 Stevens, Doctor Samuel 466 Stevenson, British Captain 148 Stewart, Anne (later Mrs. Philip Church) 423, 424 Stewart, Anthony 67 Stewart, British Colonel 146 Stewart, Caroline 423 Stewart, Colonel Charles 266 Stewart, Brigadier General Daniel 396, 422, 423 Stewart, Daniel, Jr. 423 Stewart, Deborah McClanachan 423 Stewart, Henry 423 Stewart, John 422 Stewart, John (son of General Edward) 423 Stewart, Martha (later Mrs. James S. Bulloch) 423 Stewart, Martha Pender 423 Stewart, Mary Ann 423 Stewart, Robert 423 Stewart, Sarah Hines Lewis 423 Stewart, Sarah Nichols 423 Stewart, Susanna Bacon 422 Stewart, Susanna Oswald 423 Stewart, Brigadier General Walter 423, 424, 451 Stewart, Walter, Jr. 423, 424 Stewart, Washington 423 Stewart, William 423 Stickney, Benjamin 415 Stiegel, Baron 302 Stiles, Reverend Ezra 144 Stinson, David 414 Stirling, Lord see Alexander, General William Stockbridge Indians 331 Stocking, George 164 Stockton, Abigail 424 Stockton, Abigail Phillips 424

547 Stockton, Annis (Anice) Boudinot 43, 424, 425 Stockton, Hannah (later Mrs. Elias Boudinot) 424 Stockton, John 424 Stockton, John, Jr. 424 Stockton, Julia (later Mrs. Benjamin Rush) 379, 424 Stockton, Lucius Horatio 424 Stockton, Mary 424 Stockton, Philip 424 Stockton, Richard (1) 424 Stockton, Richard (2) 424 Stockton, Richard (3; signer of the Declaration of Independence) 43, 70, 332, 366, 379, 380, 424, 425, 496, 497 Stockton, Major Richard (Loyalist) 312, 425 Stockton, Richard (son of Richard the signer) 424 Stockton, Major Robert (Loyalist) 424 Stockton, Susan 424 Stockton, Susanna Robinson 424 Stockton, Samuel Witham 424 Stockwell, Lt. 128 Stone, Anne (1) 425 Stone, Anne (2) 425 Stone, Catherine 425 Stone, Daniel Jenifer 425 Stone, David 425 Stone, David (brother of Thomas the signer) 425 Stone, Elizabeth 425 Stone, Elizabeth Jenifer 425 Stone, Frederick 425 Stone, Frederick (son of Thomas the signer) 425, 426 Stone, Grace 425 Stone, John 425 Stone, John Hoskins (later governor of Maryland) 425, 426 Stone, Margaret Brown 425 Stone, Margaret Eleanor (later Mrs. John M. Daniel) 425 Stone, Mary 425 Stone, Michael Jenifer 425 Stone, Mildred (later Mrs. Travers Daniels) 425, 426 Stone, Samuel 425 Stone, Sarah Hanson 425 Stone, Thomas (grandfather of Thomas the signer) 425 Stone, Thomas (signer of the Declaration of Independence) 425, 426 Stone, Walter 425 Stone, William (ancestor of Thomas the signer) 425 Stone, William (Pennsylvanian) 283 Stoope, Rev. Peter 198 Story, William 109 Stoughton, Mr. 188 Stout, Ebenezer 184 Stout, Joseph 251 Stout, Mary Keen 251 Strachley, Henry 232 Stratford Hall 232 Stricker, John 34 Strong, Abigail Ford 426 Strong, Achsah 426 Strong, Asahel 426 Strong, Belah 159 Strong, Lt. Caleb (1) 426 Strong, Caleb (2) 426 Strong, Governor Caleb (3; framer of the U.S. Constitution) 35, 49, 426 Strong, Clarissa (later Mrs. Timothy Dwight) 427

Strong, Dorothy 426 Strong, Dorothy (2; later Mrs. Samuel Hinckley) 426 Strong, Edward 427 Strong, Eleanor (later Mrs. Asahel Clark) 426 Strong, Esther (later Mrs. Samuel Hunt) 426 Strong, Isaac 426 Strong, Rev. John 344, 426 Strong, Rev. Joseph 189 Strong, Julia 427 Strong, Lewis 427 Strong, Martha (later Mrs. Ebenezer Moseley) 426 Strong, Martha (Patty) Allen 427 Strong, Mehitable (later Mrs. Caleb Lyman) 426 Strong, Phebe 427 Strong, Phebe (later Mrs. Benjamin Bellows) 426 Strong, Philip 427 Strong, Sarah (1) 427 Strong, Sarah (2; later Mrs. Alexander Phoenix) 427 Strong, Sarah Hooker 426, 427 Strong, Theodore 427 Stuart, Charles (Lord Linton) 148 Stuart, Christian Anstruther 148 Stuart, Christina (Lady Christina, later Mrs. Cyrus Griffin) 148, 149 Stuart, John 40, 41, 238 Stuart, John (6th Earl of Traquair) 148 Stuart, Rev. O’Kill 49 Stuartt, William 40 Sturgis, Eliza J. 123 Sturgis, Hanna (later Mrs. Josiah Quincy, Sr.) 360 Sturgis, John 360 Stuyvesant, Peter 47 Sullivan, George 428 Sullivan, James (later governor) 427, 428 Sullivan, General John 29, 47, 60, 68, 76, 80, 81, 90, 92, 93, 101, 102, 127, 130, 131, 133, 136, 139, 140, 144, 145, 158, 164, 176, 195, 198, 211, 219, 221, 223, 224, 226, 230, 231, 245, 266, 280, 289, 301, 319, 320, 327, 347, 349, 355, 365, 388, 392, 410, 413, 416, 427, 428, 429, 430, 439, 440, 442, 449, 450, 451, 453, 455, 456, 458, 474, 475, 479, 481, 497, 502 Sullivan, John, Jr. 428 Sullivan, John, Sr. (formerly Owen O’Sullivan) 427 Sullivan, Lydia (later Mrs. Jonathan Steele) 428 Sullivan, Lydia Worcester 428 Sullivan, Margery Browne 427 Sullivan, Captain Philip 37 Sullivan Expedition 429 Sumner, Ann Tucker 65 Sumner, Elizabeth 83 Sumner, George 65 Sumner, Governor Increase 83, 85 Sumner, Jacky Sullivan (later Mary Sumner; afterward, Mrs. Thomas Blount) 430 Sumner, Brigadier General Jethro 54, 86, 175, 188, 430, 431, 432 Sumner, Jethro, Sr. 430 Sumner, John Bird (archbishop of Canterbury) 241 Sumner, Margaret Sullivan 430 Sumner, Mary see Sumner, Jacky Sullivan

Sumner, Mary Hurst 430 Sumner, McKinnie Hurst 430 Sumner, Samuel 142 Sumner, Thomas Edward 430 Sumner, William (grandfather of General Jethro) 430 Sumner, General William (Massachusetts) 58 Sumter, Mary Cantey Jameson 432 Sumter, Patience 432 Sumter, General Thomas 56, 86, 148, 167, 196, 226, 250, 254, 256, 261, 296, 306, 383, 384, 432, 433, 434, 448, 449 Sumter, Thomas, Jr. 432, 434 Sumter, William, Jr. 432 Sumter, William, Sr. 432 Sunrise Tavern 480 USS Surprise 121 Surry 9 Susquehanna Company 103 Swamp Fox see Marion, General Francis HMS Swan 245 Swan, James 215 Swan, Mrs. (also Mrs. Hardy Bryan) 50 Swann, Samuel 19, 20, 292 Swann, Elizabeth Lillington Fendall see Moore, Elizabeth Lillington Fendall Swann Swann, Thomas 282 Swann, Governor Thomas 282 Swartwout, Aeltje (Aaltje) Brinkerhoff 434 Swartwout, Gilles Newkirk 434 Swartwout, Brigadier General Jacobus 434, 435 Swartwout, Jacobus, Sr. 434 Swartwout, Roeloff 434 Sweney, George Wythe 504 Swett, John 124 Swift, Abigail (later Mrs. Peleg Chamberlain) 435 Swift, Abigail Pope 435 Swift, Bathsheba (later Mrs. Reuben Smith, then Mrs. Robert Crocker) 435 Swift, Denis (daughter of General Heman, later Mrs. William Kellogg) 435 Swift, Eleanor Marvin Johnson 435 Swift, Elisha 435 Swift, Elisha (daughter of General Heman) 435 Swift, Erastus 435 Swift, Hannah (later marries Doctor Bird) 435 Swift, Hannah Hopson 435 Swift, Brigadier General Heman 190, 435 Swift, Heman, Jr. 435 Swift, Ira 435 Swift, Jabez 435 Swift, Jabez (son of General Heman) 435 Swift, Jabez, Jr. (brother of General Heman) 435 Swift, Jirch 435 Swift, Job 435 Swift, Jonathan 370 Swift, Mary Skiff 435 Swift, Moses 123 Swift, Patience 435 Swift, Philo 435 Swift, Polly (later Mrs. John Calhoun) 435 Swift, Rhoda (later Mrs. Miles Lewis) 435

Index Swift, Rufus 435 Swift, Sarah Robinson Fay (Faye) 435 Swift, Seth 435 HMS Sybil 28 Syme, Colonel John 168 Symmes, John Clive (Cleve) 247, 329 Talbot, Captain Silas 25, 28, 429 Taliaferro, Elizabeth (later Mrs. George Wythe (2nd) wife) 504 Taliaferro, Lawrence 422 Taliaferro, Richard 504 Talleyrand, French Minister Charles 88, 133 Tallmadge, Major (later Colonel) Benjamin 19, 116 Tallmadge, Matthias B. 74 Tallman, Colonel Benjamin 413 Tappen, Petrus 74 Tappen, Tjaatje 74 Tarleton, British Lt. Colonel Banastre 42, 56, 86, 145, 188, 194, 196, 210, 233, 234, 255, 281, 296, 336, 342, 370, 381, 433, 434, 449 Tarleton’s Legion 188, 255, 484 Tasker, Colonel 342 Tate, Benjamin 440 Tate, Thomas 58 Tayloe (Taylor), John 233 Tayloe (Taylor), Rebecca Plater 233 Taylor, Ann 436 Taylor, Ann Taylor Savage 436 Taylor, Bennet 361 Taylor, Elizabeth Gordon 436 Taylor, George 436 Taylor, George (signer of the Declaration of Independence) 77, 435, 436, 461 Taylor, Isaac 435 Taylor, James 436 Taylor, James, Jr. 436 Taylor, John (New York) 74 Taylor, John (Pennsylvania) 305 Taylor, John (Virginia; husband of Elizabeth Campbell) 58 Taylor, John (Virginia cavalry officer, husband of Lucy Penn) 334 Taylor, Martha (wife of Isaac) 435 Taylor, Martha Person 335 Taylor, Mary 436 Taylor, Mary Neidermar 305 Taylor, Lt. Colonel Richard 334 Taylor, Simon 168 Taylor, Thomas 436 Taylor, Colonel Thomas 234, 335, 433 Taylor, President Zachary 334 Tazewell Hall 361, 362 Telfair, Governor Edward 104, 150, 449 Temple, Joseph 164 Temple of Enlightenment 16 Temple of Virtue 471 Ten Broeck, Brigadier General Abraham 436, 437 Ten Broeck, Christina 437; see also Livingston, Christina Ten Broeck Ten Broeck, Cornelia Stuyvesant 437 Ten Broeck, Dirck (father of General Abraham) 246, 436 Ten Broeck, Dirck (son of General Abraham) 437 Ten Broeck, Eliza 452 Ten Broeck, Elizabeth (1) 437 Ten Broeck, Elizabeth (2; later Mrs. Rensselaer Schuyler) 437 Ten Broeck, Elizabeth Van Rensselaer 437

Index Ten Broeck, John T. 452 Ten Broeck, Margarita 437 Ten Broeck, Margarita Cuyler 246, 436 Ten Broeck, Maria (later Mrs. Gosen Van Schaick) 452 Ten Broeck, Maria Van Rennselaer 437 Ten Broeck, Petrus 434 Tennant’s Tavern 196 Ternay, Chevalier 167 Thacher, Doctor James 195 Thacher, Oxenbridge 360 Thatcher, Colonel 47 Thatcher, Ebenezer 215 Thatcher, Admiral Henry Knox 215 Thayer, Major Simeon 454 Thomas, Ann 437 Thomas, Anthony 437 Thomas, Captain 139 Thomas, Colonel (Essex County, New Jersey) 492 Thomas, Hannah Thomas 439 Thomas, Brigadier General (Doctor) John 94, 156, 345, 391, 392, 412, 416, 428, 437, 438, 439, 440, 458, 463, 464, 474, 484, 502 Thomas, John, Sr. 437 Thomas, Kesiah 437 Thomas, Lydia Waterman 437 Thomas, Nathaniel 437 Thomas, Sarah 437 Thomas, Thomas 116 Thomas, Zerviah 437 Thomas (British snow) 24 Thomas Mifflin (privateer) 371 Thompson, Aaron 439 Thompson, Aaron (2) 439 Thompson, Abial Purinton 439, 440 Thompson, Anne (later Mrs. Elbridge Gerry) 300 Thompson, Benjamin (later Count Rumford) 446 Thompson, Catherine (daughter of General William) 440 Thompson, Catherine Ross 440, 441 Thompson, Catherine Walton 133 Thompson, Elias 413 Thompson, Elizabeth (daughter of General William) 440 Thompson, Elizabeth (later Mrs. John Mallett) 439 Thompson, Elizabeth Walton 300 Thompson, George of Pittsburgh 440, 441 Thompson, Humphrey 439, 440 Thompson, James (Massachusetts) 133, 300 Thompson, James (son of General Samuel) 439 Thompson, James S. 442 Thompson, Jason 374 Thompson, Juliana 440 Thompson, Lidia Brown Harris 439 Thompson, Mary (later Mrs. George Read, II) 364, 440 Thompson, Mary (wife of Humphrey) 439 Thompson, Mary Cushing of Cape Elizabeth 439 Thompson, Mary Higgins 439 Thompson, Mary Wilson 439 Thompson, Rachel 439 Thompson, Rachael (2; later Mrs. John Wilson) 439 Thompson, Reliance 439 Thompson, Reliance Hinckley 439 Thompson, Robert 440, 441

548 Thompson, Brigadier General Samuel 439, 440 Thompson, Samuel, Jr. 439 Thompson, Thankful (later Mrs. William Wise) 439 Thompson, Captain Thomas A. 400 Thompson, Thomas Cheyney 439 Thompson, Brigadier General William 12, 93, 158, 193, 239, 277, 287, 306, 364, 369, 432, 439, 440, 441, 475, 489 Thompson, Rev. William 378 Thompson, William Patton 381 Thomson, Charles 105, 121, 185, 201, 366 Thomson, Stevens 263 Thomson, William 334 Thomson, Sir William 263 Thornton, Agnes 441 Thornton, Andrew 441, 442 Thornton, Andrew (son of Matthew the signer) 441 Thornton, Elizabeth ( Jenkins) 441 Thornton, Ester 441 Thornton, Fanny Curtis 442 Thornton, Hannah (daughter of Matthew the signer, later Mrs. John McGaw) 441 Thornton, Hannah (later Mrs. Wallace) 441 Thornton, Hannah Jack 441, 442 Thornton, James 441 Thornton, James (son of Matthew the signer) 441, 442 Thornton, James, Jr. 441 Thornton, John 500 Thornton, John, Jr. 500 Thornton, Mary (later Mrs. Silas Betton) 441, 442 Thornton, Mary Parker 442 Thornton, Samuel 441 Thornton, Doctor Matthew (signer of the Declaration of Independence) 29, 30, 441, 442 Thornton, Matthew, Jr. 442 Thornton, Mildred 500 Thornton, Mr. 232 Thornton, William 441 Threadcraft, Esther 274 Threadcraft, George 274 Ticonderoga 226 Tiffin, Samuel 329 Tiger (or Tyger; vessel) 268 Tileston, Master 368 Tilghman, Anna Lloyd 62 Tilghman, Matthew 62 Till, Thomas 364, 377 Tillinghast, Colonel John 183 Tipoo Sahib (Tipu Sahib, Sultan of Mysore) 80 Tipton, John 399, 400 Titcomb, Benaiah 442 Titcomb, Brigadier General Jonathan 85, 442, 465 Titcomb, Josiah 442 Titcomb, Martha Rolf (Rolfe) 442 Titcomb, Mary 442 Titcomb, Mary Dole 442 Titcomb, Paul 442 Titcomb, Sarah Steadiman 442 Titton, John 309 Tivoli Plantation 88 HMS Tobago 28 Tobey, Joshua 123 Todd, Charles Stewart 403 Todd, John 252 Todd, Colonel John 42, 72 Toka (Chickasaw Indian) 374 Tondee’s Tavern 274

Tonyn, Governor Patrick 274 Toole, Henry I. 40 Torrey, Doctor Erastus 66 HMS Tower 341 Tower of London 227, 228 Towers, Robert 208 Townsend, Major David 134 Traill, Robert 436 Tranquill Plantation 422 Trans-Ocanee Republic 72 Transylvania Company 41 Transylvania Purchase 41 Treat, Abigail Willard 325 Treat, Governor Robert 325 Treat, Rev. Samuel 325 Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle 95 Treaty of Camp Charlotte 58 Treaty of Campo 223 Treaty of Easton 436 Treaty (treaties) of Fort Stanwix 238, 499 Treaty of Ghent 253 Treaty of Greenville 42, 478 Treaty of Holston 39, 374 Treaty of Hopewell 374 Treaty of Hubertsburg 390 Treaty of Long Island 194 Treaty of Long Swamp 71 Treaty of Morfontaine 8, 82, 88, 107, 212, 262 Treaty of Paris 42, 122, 263, 390 Treaty of Sycamore Shoals 41 Treaty of Tellico 376 Trent, Captain William 238, 468 HMS Trepasy 28 Trevett, Constant Church 443 Trevett, Eleazar 442 Trevett, Elizabeth 445 Trevett, Captain John, USMC 36, 181, 208, 442, 443, 444, 445 Trevett, Mary Church 442 Tripoli declares war on U.S. 212 Trowbridge, Rev. Caleb 462 Trowbridge, Sarah (later Mrs. Artemus Ward) 462 Troy, Robert 159 True, Josiah Bartlett 30 True, Reuben 30 True, Rhoda Bartlett (daughter of Josiah Bartlett) 30 HMS True Briton 37 Truman, Major Alexander 477 Trumble, Governor Jonathan see Trumbull, Governor Jonathan USS Trumbull (frigate) 227, 303, 445, 482 Trumbull, Amelia Dyer 103, 445 Trumbull, David 445, 446, 488 Trumbull, Eunice Backus 445 Trumbull, Faith (later Mrs. Jedediah Huntington) 189, 445, 488 Trumbull, Faith Robinson 445, 446, 488 Trumbull, John 48, 445, 446, 447 Trumbull, Colonel Jonathan 103, 392 Trumbull, Governor Jonathan 103, 165, 189, 190, 205, 267, 316, 389, 407, 445, 446, 447, 449, 462, 488, 499 Trumbull, Jonathan, Jr. (later governor) 445, 489 Trumbull, Captain (later Colonel) Joseph 189, 190, 406, 445, 465, 488 Trumbull, Mary (later Mrs. William Williams) 445, 488 Truxton, Captain Thomas 28, 489 Tryon, Governor William 13, 19, 20,

38, 50, 53, 54, 63, 112, 148, 177, 186, 187, 205, 241, 242, 260, 311, 335, 356, 357, 363, 381, 391, 407, 408, 409, 450, 451, 457, 462, 499, 502, 503 Tuckahoe Plantation 200 Tucker, Captain John 32 Tucker, St. George 338 Tucker, Captain Samuel 308, 482 Tufts, Doctor Simon 48 Tun Tavern 311 Tupper, Anselm 447, 448 Tupper, Brigadier General Benjamin 447, 448, 453 Tupper, Benjamin, Jr. 447 Tupper, Edward White 447 Tupper, Hulda White 447, 448 Tupper, Minerva (later Mrs. Ichabod Nye) 447 Tupper, Remember Perry 447 Tupper, Rosanna (later Mrs. Winthrop Sargent) 447 Tupper, Sophia 447 Tupper, Thomas 447 Tupper, Thomas (immigrant) 447 Turner, Doctor 503 Turtle (submarine) 328, 355 Tuscarora Indians 88, 372, 392, 499 Twiggs, Abr (probably Abraham) 448 Twiggs, Abraham 448 Twiggs, David Emanuel (later Confederate general) 448, 449 Twiggs, George 448 Twiggs, Major General John 434, 448, 449 Twiggs, Levi 448, 449 Twiggs, Ruth Emanuel 448 Twiggs, Sarah 448 Twightwee Indians 386 Twin Sisters 20 Two Brothers (vessel) 183 Tygert (Dygert), Lany (later Mrs. Nicholas Herkimer) 170 Tygert (Dygert), Myra (Maria; later Mrs. Nicholas Herkimer) 170 Tygert (Dygert), Peter 170 Tyler, Abigail (later Mrs. Nathaniel Lord) 449 Tyler, Eliza (later Mrs. Andrew Williamson) 489 Tyler, Hannah 449 Tyler, Hannah Safford 449 Tyler, James 449 Tyler, James (son of General John) 449 Tyler, James, Jr. 449 Tyler, Brigadier General John 81, 449, 450 Tyler, John, Jr. (1) 449 Tyler, John, Jr. (2) 449 Tyler, General John Steele 327, 389, 449 Tyler, Joseph 449 Tyler, Lydia 449 Tyler, Mary 449 Tyler, Mary Spaulding (Spalding) Coit 449 Tyler, Mehitable 449 Tyler, Mehitable (daughter of General John) 449 Tyler, Moses 449 Tyler, Olive 449 Tyler, Royal 327 Tyler, Samuel 449 Tyler, Sarah Jewett 449 Tynes, Colonel Samuel (Loyalist) 255 Uchee Indians 372 Ungle, Frances 64

549 Ungle, Robert 64 HMS Unicorn 27 Upham, Charles Wentworth 337 USS United States 8, 28, 88, 107 United States Army 171 United States Coast Guard 154 United States flag 202 United States Navy 182, 202, 207 Unity (vessel) 139 Vail, Brigadier General Edward 50, 381, 450 Vail, Edward, Jr. 450 Vail, Mary Benners 450 Vail, Susanna Beasley 450 Vanbraam, Jacob 468 Van Brugh, Sarah (grandmother of William) 247 Van Cortlandt, Abraham 450 Van Cortlandt, Ann (later Mrs. Philip Van Rensselaer) 450 Van Cortlandt, Ann Stevenson 450 Van Cortlandt, Catherine (later Mrs. Abraham Van Wyck) 450, 451, 452 Van Cortlandt, Catherine Clinton 450 Van Cortlandt, Cornelia (later Mrs. Gerard G. Beekman) 450 Van Cortlandt, Cornelia (later Mrs. John Schuyler) 390, 452 Van Cortlandt, Gilbert 450 Van Cortlandt, Gilbert (brother of General Philip) 450 Van Cortlandt, Joanna 450 Van Cortlandt, Joanna Livingston 450 Van Cortlandt, John 450 Van Cortlandt, Philip 450 Van Cortlandt, Brigadier General Philip 45, 89, 129, 164, 316, 437, 450, 451, 452 Van Cortlandt, Pierre (son of General Philip) 450 Van Cortlandt, General Pierre 74 Van Cortlandt, Lt. Governor Pierre 450 Van Cortlandt, Stephen 450, 451 Van Courtlandt, Jacobus 198 Van Dyke, Nicholas 49 Van Horne, Colonel 313 Van Horne, D. 479 Van Rensselaer, Alida 452 Van Rensselaer, Angelica (daughter of General Robert, later Mrs. Thomas Y. How) 452 Van Rensselaer, Angelica (daughter of Colonel Henry, later wife of Robert Livingston, Jr.) 452 Van Rensselaer, Angelica Livingston 450 Van Rensselaer, Anne de Peyster Van Courtlandt 437 Van Rensselaer, Catherine (daughter of General Robert, later Mrs. Arrent Schuyler) 452 Van Rensselaer, Catherine (later Mrs. Philip Schuyler) 452 Van Rensselaer, Catherine D. Hoffman 452 Van Rensselaer, Catherine Livingston 437 Van Rensselaer, Catherine Van Cortlandt 452 Van Rensselaer, Cornelia Patterson 437 Van Rensselaer, Cornelia Rutsen 452 Van Rensselaer, Elisha Kane 452 Van Rensselaer, Elizabeth (later Mrs. John Bradstreet Schuyler, then Mrs. John Bleecker) 437

Van Rensselaer, Elizabeth Groesbeck 437 Van Rensselaer, Elsie Schuyler Bogert 452 Van Rensselaer, Hendrick Johannes 452 Van Rensselaer, Henry (son of General Robert) 452 Van Rensselaer, Colonel Henry 452 Van Rensselaer, Jacob Rutsen 452 Van Rensselaer, James 452 Van Rensselaer, James (son of General Robert) 452 Van Rensselaer, Jeremias 437 Van Rensselaer, Jerimias (brother of General Robert) 452 Van Rensselaer, Jerimias (son of General Robert) 452 Van Rensselaer, Colonel John 390 Van Rensselaer, Judith Bayard 452 Van Rensselaer, Margaret 390 Van Rensselaer, Margarita Schuyler 437 Van Rensselaer, Philip 437, 450 Van Rensselaer, Rachael Douw (wife of Colonel Henry) 452 Van Rensselaer, Rachael Douw (wife of Hendrick J.) 452 Van Rensselaer, Brigadier General Robert 452, 453 Van Rensselaer, General Stephen 333, 393, 437 Van Rensselaer, Stephen (son of Stephen, II) 437 Van Rensselaer, Stephen, II 437 Van Rensselaer, Susan de Lancey Cullen 452 Van Rensselaer, Sybil Adeline Kane 452 Van Robais, Peter 95 Van Schaick, Abraham 452 Van Schaick, Alida 452 Van Schaick, Catherine (Catherina, later Mrs. Peter Gansevoort) 452 Van Schaick, Colonel Gosen “Goose” 89, 128, 268, 452, 453 Van Schaick, Elizabeth 452 Van Schaick, Jane Staats 452 Van Schaick, Johannes 452 Van Schaick, Margaret Bleecker 452 Van Schaick, Maria 452 Van Schaick, Maria (2; later Mrs. Philip Coryn) 452 Van Schaick, Maria Ten Broeck 452, 453 Van Schaick, Myndert 452 Van Schaick, Myndert (son of General Gosen) 452 Van Schaick, Myndert (2) 452 Van Schaick, Rykie (later Mrs. Pieter W. Douw) 452 Van Schaick, Sybrant 452 Van Schaick, Sybrant (son of General Gosen) 452 Van Schaick, Tobias 452 Van Wart, Isaac 19 Van Wyck 450 Varick, Abraham 117 Varnum, Abia 453 Varnum, Daniel 453 Varnum, Hannah 453 Varnum, Hannah (2) 453 Varnum, James (1) 453 Varnum, Major General James Mitchel 43, 81, 144, 175, 289, 319, 329, 413, 417, 453, 454, 455, 456, 481 Varnum, Joseph Bradley (later Major General) 453, 456

Varnum, Martha 453 Varnum, Martha “Patty” Child 453, 456 Varnum, Mary (1) 453 Varnum, Mary (2) 453 Varnum, Mary Prime 453 Varnum, Samuel 459 Varnum, Samuel, Jr. 453 Vassal House (later Longfellow House) 349 Vauban, Marshal 216 Vaudreuill, General Marquis 415, 469 Venable, Abraham B. 292 Ventriss, Mr. 148 Venus (privateer) 371 Vernon, British Admiral Edward 468 Vernon, William 445 Ver Planck, Colonel James 451 HMS Vestal 227 Victoire (French vessel) 95, 220 HMS Victor 31 Villefranche, Major 216 USS Virginia 24 Virgo, Colonel 73 USS Vixen 367 Volunteer Hunters see 103rd British Regiment of Foot Von Hulsen, General 420 Von Kell, Elias see De Kalb, Elie Von Mayr, General 419 Von Riedesel, Baron 167, 438, 440 Von Riedesel, Baroness 392 Von Riedesel, Caroline 392 Von Riedesel, Frederica 392 Von Steuben, Augustine (von) Jagow 419 Von Steuben, Dorothea Mary Justine 419 Von Steuben, Baron Francis William Augustus 49, 57, 60, 80, 92, 145, 228, 258, 310, 410, 419, 420, 421, 422, 429 Von Steuben, Hans Alexander Siegfried 419 Von Steuben, Lieutenant 422 Von Steuben, Mary Dorothea 419 Voorhees, Christina Schuyler 312 Voorhees, John 312 Vose, Ann 456 Vose, Bill 456 Vose, Dorothy 456 Vose, Elijah 456 Vose, Elijah (son of General Joseph) 456 Vose, Elijah, Jr. 456 Vose, Elizabeth Eliot 456 Vose, Isaac 456 Vose, Brigadier General Joseph 456 Vose, Joseph, Jr. 456 Vose, Josiah 456 Vose, Margaret 456 Vose, Mary (1) 456 Vose, Mary (2) 456 Vose, Militiah 456 Vose, Moses 456 Vose, Nancy 456 Vose, Naomi 456 Vose, Pegge 456 Vose, Sarah 456 Vose, Sarah Bent 456 Vose, Sarah Howe 456 Vose, Solomon 456 Vose, Thomas 215 HMS Vulture 18, 141, 269 Waddell, Haynes 457 Waddell, Brigadier General Hugh 241, 381, 450, 456, 457 Waddell, Hugh, Jr. 457

Index Waddell, Hugh, Sr. 456 Waddell, Isabella Brown 456 Waddell, John (son of General Hugh) 312, 457 Waddell, Mary Haynes 457 Waddell, Sarah Nash 457 Wadsworth, Abigail 457 Wadsworth, Abigail Andrews 457 Wadsworth, Abigail Penfield 457 Wadsworth, Alexander 458 Wadsworth, Alexander Scammel (later commodore) 458 Wadsworth, Catherine 457 Wadsworth, Charles Lee 458 Wadsworth, Christopher 458 Wadsworth, Dura 458 Wadsworth, Elizabeth (also known as “Little Girl E”) 458, 459 Wadsworth, Elizabeth Bartlett 458, 459 Wadsworth, George 458 Wadsworth, Grace Cole 458 Wadsworth, Henry 458 Wadsworth, Ira 458 Wadsworth, Jack 458 Wadsworth, Colonel James (1) 457 Wadsworth, James (2) 457 Wadsworth, Brigadier General James (3) 100, 103, 189, 389, 457, 458, 473 Wadsworth, Jeptha 458 Wadsworth, Jeremiah 446 Wadsworth, Deacon John 458 Wadsworth, Katherine (Catherine) Guernsey 457, 458 Wadsworth, Lucia 458 Wadsworth, Lucy 458 Wadsworth, Mr. 50 Wadsworth, Peleg (1) 458 Wadsworth, Brigadier General Peleg (2) 249, 458, 459 Wadsworth, Peleg (3; later general of militia) 458 Wadsworth, Sephas 458 Wadsworth, Uria 458 Wadsworth, Welthia 458 Wadsworth, Zilpha 458 Wadsworth, Zilpha (2) 458 Wadsworth, Zilpha (daughter of General Peleg, later Mrs. Stephen Longfellow) 458, 459 Walbridge, Anna 459 Walbridge, Anna (sister of General Ebenezer) 459 Walbridge, Betsey Denio 460 Walbridge, Clara Dewey 460 Walbridge, Brigadier General Ebenezer 459, 460 Walbridge, Ebenezer (father of General Ebenezer) 459 Walbridge, Ebenezer, Jr. 460 Walbridge, Elizabeth 459 Walbridge, Elizabeth 460 Walbridge, Gustavus 459 Walbridge, Gustavus (son of General Ebenezer) 460 Walbridge, Gustavus (2) 459 Walbridge, Henry 385 Walbridge, Henry (ancestor of General Ebenezer) 459 Walbridge, Henry (brother of General Ebenezer) 459, 460 Walbridge, Henry (son of General Ebenezer) 460 Walbridge, Hezekia 459 Walbridge, Margaret 459 Walbridge, Martha Woodward 460 Walbridge, Mary 459 Walbridge, Mary Duurkee 459

Index Walbridge, Mary Hopkins 460 Walbridge, Polly Demming 460 Walbridge, Rhoda 459 Walbridge, Rhoda Rutenber 460 Walbridge, Rodolphus 460 Walbridge, Sally Morgan 460 Walbridge, Sara (1) 460 Walbridge, Sara (2; later Mrs. Chauncey Hopkins) 460 Walbridge, Stebbins 460 Walbridge, Susanna 459 Walbridge, Susanna (daughter of General Ebenezer) 460 Walbridge, Sir William de 459 Waldron, Elizabeth (later Mrs. Josiah Quincy, Sr., 2nd wife) 361 Waldron, Rev. William 361 Walker, Captain Benjamin 421 Walker, Carr 261 Walker, Rev. David 496 Walker, Elizabeth 501 Walker, Jacob 501 Walker, Captain Joseph 329 Walker, Doctor Thomas 387 Walker, Captain William 400 Wallace, Rev. Caleb 292 Wallace, Hannah Thornton 441 Wallace, British Captain James 180 Wallace, Captain Samuel 291 Wallace family 194 Walraven, Brita Walraven Justis 304 Walraven, Morton 304 Walton, Dorothy Camber 461, 462 Walton, Elizabeth (later Mrs. James Thompson) 300 Walton, Frances 460 Walton, George (signer of the Declaration of Independence) 78, 151, 152, 153, 186, 302, 338, 436, 460, 461, 462 Walton, George (uncle of George the signer) 460 Walton, George, Jr. 461, 462 Walton, Jacob 300 Walton, John 460 Walton, Maria Beekmen 300 Walton, Martha Hughes 460 Walton, Mary “Sally” Hughes 460 Walton, Robert 460 Walton, Robert (grandfather of George the signer) 460 Walton, Robert, Jr. 460 Walton, Sally 460 Walton, Sally Minge 462 Walton, Thomas Camber 461, 462 Walton, William 300 Wanton, Colonel Joseph (Loyalist) 480 Ward, Abigail 462 Ward, Andrew (1) 462 Ward, Andrew (2) 462 Ward, Andrew (4) (son of General Andrew) 462 Ward, Andrew (5) (son of General Andrew) 462 Ward, Brigadier General Andrew, Jr. (3) 190, 462 Ward, General Artemus 48, 156, 166, 167, 230, 243, 331, 345, 349, 355, 365, 391, 413, 437, 438, 458, 462, 463, 464, 484 Ward, Benjamin (brother of General Artemus) 462 Ward, Benjamin, Jr. 361 Ward, Captain Charles 239 Ward, Deborah 462 Ward, Diana 462 Ward, Diana Hubbard 462 Ward, Elisha 462, 463

550 Ward, Elisha (son of General Artemus) 463 Ward, Elizabeth (later Mrs. Timothy Norton) 462 Ward, Elizabeth Fowler 462 Ward, Henry 179 Ward, Henry Dana 463 Ward, Ithamar 462 Ward, Ithamar (son of General Artemus) 462 Ward, Jacob 462 Ward, Colonel Joseph 198 Ward, Maria (daughter of General Artemus) 463 Ward, Maria (later Mrs. Peyton Randolph) 361 Ward, Martha 462 Ward, Martha (daughter of General Artemus) 463 Ward, Martha (sister of General Artemus) 462 Ward, Mary 462 Ward, Mary (daughter of General Andrew) 462 Ward, Colonel Nahum 462 Ward, Nahum (son of General Artemus) 462 Ward, Nahum, Jr. 462 Ward, Nancy 261, 397, 401 Ward, Persis 462 Ward, Roxanna (later Mrs. Eli Foote) 462 Ward, Governor Samuel 105, 143, 182 Ward, Sarah Trowbridge 462 Ward, Thomas Walter 463 Ward, William 462 Warden, John 233 Ware, Lt. Colonel Francis 137 Warner, Alma 465 Warner, Captain Augustine 239 Warner, Augustine, Jr. 239 Warner, Bathsheba 465 Warner, Bathsheba (daughter of General Jonathan, later Mrs. Luke Brown) 465, 465 Warner, Bathsheba (2; later Mrs. Eliakim Spooner) 465 Warner, Bathsheba Allis 465 Warner, Betsey 465 Warner, Daniel 465 Warner, Elijah 465 Warner, Fanny (later Mrs. John A. Parker) 465 Warner, Gideon 13 Warner, Hannah (later Mrs. Pelatia Hitchcock) 465 Warner, Hannah Mandell 465 Warner, Harriet (later Mrs. Alexander Holton) 465 Warner, Major General Jonathan 442, 465 Warner, Jonathan (son of General Jonathan) 465 Warner, Jonathan, Sr. 465 Warner, Joseph Warren 465 Warner, Lucia (later Mrs. Eliphaz Jones) 465 Warner, Lucy (later Mrs. Asa Hatch) 465 Warner, Lydia (later Mrs. Challis Safford) 465 Warner, Mary (granddaughter of George Reade) 239 Warner, Mary (later Mrs. Zurishaddai Doty) 465 Warner, Mary White (later Mrs. Bradley) 465 Warner, Mildred Reade (wife of Augustine, Jr.) 239

Warner, Rhoda 465 Warner, Rhoda (2; later Mrs. Robert McIntyre, then Mrs. Jonathan Lynde) 465 Warner, Sarah (later Mrs. Thomas Wheeler, then Mrs. Elijah Warner) 465 Warner, Colonel Seth 13, 385, 386, 416, 451, 460 Warner, Susanna (later Mrs. Artemus Howe, then Mrs. Moses Robinson) 465 Warner, William Augustus 465 Warner Hall 239 USS Warren (frigate) 249, 319, 458 Warren, Ann 465 Warren, Charles 465, 466 Warren, Ebenezer 466 Warren, Elizabeth 466 Warren, Elizabeth (daughter of Doctor Joseph, later Mrs. Arnold Welles) 466 Warren, Elizabeth Hooton 466, 467 Warren, George 465, 466 Warren, Henry 465 Warren, Henry (son of General James) 465 Warren, Brigadier General James 322, 323, 465, 466 Warren, Colonel James 465 Warren, James (son of General James) 465, 466 Warren, John 319 Warren, Doctor John 466, 467 Warren, Joseph (2) 466 Warren, General (Doctor) Joseph (3) 10, 46, 132, 173, 350, 355, 368, 466, 467, 484 Warren, Joseph, Jr. 466, 467 Warren, Josiah 465 Warren, Mary (later Mrs. Lyman, then Mrs. Richard E. Newcomb) 466 Warren, Mary Stevens 466 Warren, Mercy (Marcia) Otis 465, 466 Warren, Penelope 465 Warren, Peter 466 Warren, Richard 465 Warren, Samuel 466 Warren, Sarah (later Mrs. William Beaver) 465 Warren, Winslow 465 Warren, Winslow (son of General James) 465, 466 Warren Tavern 475 Warwick Fort Manor 177 Washington (vessel) 18, 473 Washington, Augustine 279, 467 Washington, Augustine, Jr. 467, 468 Washington, Betty 467 Washington, Charles 467 Washington, Corbin 237 Washington, Elizabeth (Betty; later Mrs. Fielding Lewis) 281; see also Fielding, Elizabeth Washington Washington, George 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 19, 21, 22, 23, 27, 28, 29, 31, 32, 34, 35, 38, 39, 44, 48, 49, 50, 52, 57, 58, 60, 61, 62, 63, 65, 69, 76, 79, 80, 81, 84, 85, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 96, 97, 100, 102, 108, 113, 114, 115, 118, 121, 126, 127, 129, 130, 131, 133, 134, 135, 136, 137, 138, 139, 140, 142, 143, 144, 145, 149, 150, 152, 153, 154, 157, 161, 162, 163, 165, 166, 167, 168, 169, 172, 174, 175, 180, 182, 184, 185, 187, 188, 189, 190,

192, 193, 198, 199, 202, 203, 204, 207, 212, 213, 214, 215, 216, 219, 220, 221, 222, 223, 224, 225, 226, 227, 228, 229, 230, 231, 233, 234, 235, 236, 237, 238, 239, 240, 241, 243, 244, 246, 247, 251, 253, 259, 260, 264, 265, 266, 267, 269, 271, 272, 273, 274, 278, 279, 280, 281, 282, 283, 285, 286, 287, 288, 289, 292, 294, 295, 296, 297, 299, 302, 303, 304, 309, 312, 313, 314, 315, 316, 317, 318, 320, 321, 325, 327, 328, 329, 331, 332, 333, 336, 337, 338, 341, 343, 345, 346, 347, 348, 349, 352, 353, 355, 359, 361, 362, 363, 365, 366, 367, 369, 371, 372, 374, 375, 377, 379, 382, 383, 384, 387, 388, 389, 391, 395, 398, 404, 405, 406, 407, 409, 410, 413, 416, 417, 418, 420, 421, 424, 425, 426, 427, 428, 429, 431, 434, 435, 436, 437, 438, 442, 445, 447, 448, 450, 451, 454, 455, 456, 457, 461, 462, 464, 465, 467, 468, 469, 470, 471, 472, 474, 475, 477, 479, 480, 484, 485, 486, 487, 489, 491, 492, 493, 494, 495, 499, 500 Washington, Jane 467 Washington, Jane Butler 467 Washington, John 467 Washington, John Augustine 467 Washington, Lawrence 467, 468 Washington, Martha Dandridge Custis 169, 215, 222, 239, 247, 304, 309, 469, 472 Washington, Mary Ball 279, 467, 468 Washington, Mildred 467 Washington, Samuel 467 Washington, Colonel William 32, 131, 150, 188, 210 Washington, Colonel William Augustus 237 Washington and Lee College (University) 292 USS Wasp 353 Watauga Association 373 Waterbury, Brigadier General David 18, 103, 130, 165, 472, 473 Waterbury, Elizabeth 472 Waterbury, Hannah 472 Waterbury, Isaac 472 Waterbury, John 472 Waterbury, John, Jr. 472 Waterbury, Mary Holly 473 Waterbury, Mary Maltby 472 Waterbury, Molly 472 Waterbury, Peter 472 Waterbury, Sarah 472 Waterbury, Susanna Newkirk 472 Waterbury, Sylvanus 472 Waterbury, William 472 Waterman, Colonel John 245 Waterman, Joseph 437 Waterman, Sarah Snow 437 Watkins, Colonel Robert 197 Watson, British Colonel John 146, 255, 256 HMS Watt 445 Watters, Henry Hyrne 179 Watters, William 242, 293 Watts, Catherine 473 Watts, David 473 Watts, Elizabeth (later Mrs. Thomas Hulings) 473 Watts, Brigadier General Frederick 287, 473, 474 Watts, Jane Murray 473, 474 Watts, Juliana Miller 473

551 Watts, Margaret (later Mrs. George Smiley) 473 Watts, Margery 473 Watts, Mary 473 Watts, Sarah 473 Wayles, John 200 Wayles, Martha Epes 200 Wayne, Anne 474 Wayne, Brigadier General Anthony 27, 32, 39, 42, 47, 57, 69, 82, 93, 97, 110, 116, 131, 137, 146, 150, 187, 193, 197, 219, 221, 222, 228, 235, 242, 251, 258, 266, 268, 272, 273, 286, 297, 308, 309, 310, 321, 328, 336, 352, 358, 359, 367, 370, 375, 381, 387, 388, 394, 421, 422, 423, 440, 470, 472, 473, 474, 475, 476, 477, 478, 486 Wayne, Anthony (grandfather of General Anthony) 474 Wayne, Elizabeth Iddings 474 Wayne, Gilbert (Gabriel) 474 Wayne, Hannah 474 Wayne, Colonel Isaac 474, 478 Wayne, Mary “Polly” Penrose 474 Wayne, William 474 Weare, Colonel (Chief Justice) Meshech 305, 442 Webb, Abigail 478 Webb, Catherine Louisa 479 Webb, Catherine Louisa (2) 479 Webb, Catherine Hogeboom 479 Webb, Colonel Charles 48 Webb, General Daniel 22, 125 Webb, Eliza Bancker 479 Webb, Helen Lispenard 479 Webb, Henry Livingston 479 Webb, James Watson 479 Webb, Jane 479 Webb, John 478 Webb, John (2) 478 Webb, Joseph, Jr. 478 Webb, Joseph, Sr. 91, 478 Webb, Lt. Colonel 310 Webb, Maria 479 Webb, Mehetable 478 Webb, Mehetable Nut 478 Webb, Richard 478 Webb, Brigadier General Samuel Blanchley 366, 478, 479, 480 Webb, Sarah 478 Webb, Stephen Hogeboom 479 Webb, Walter Whimple 479 Webb House (Hospitality Hall) 479 Webster, British Lt. Colonel James 188 Weedon, Catherine Gordon 279, 480 Weedon, Lt. Colonel (later Major General) George 279, 281, 309, 475, 480, 500 Weiser, Peter 308 Welcome (vessel) 460 Welles, General Arnold 466 Welles, Elizabeth Warren 466 Wells, David 413 Wells, Lt. Governor George 196 Wells, Captain Thomas 11 Welsh Fusiliers 416 Wemyss, British Major James 255 Wentworth, Governor Benning 22, 33, 305, 414 Wentworth, Frances 441 Wentworth, Governor John 29, 33, 66, 223, 428, 441 Wentworth, John (cousin of Governor John Wentworth) 442 Wentworth, John (son of Governor John Wentworth) 29

Wentworth, John Hunting 442 Wereat, John 196 Wesson, Colonel James 195, 229 West, Eleanor (Elinor) 480 West, Brigadier General William 413, 480, 481 West House 480 Westmoreland Resolves 232 Weston, Colonel 171 Wetmore, Henry 404 Wetmore, Lucy 404 Wetmore, Prosper 190 Wetmore, Seth 404 Wetmore, Warham 404 Wharton, Samuel 100 Wheatley, William 375 Wheaton, Chris 289 Wheeler, Benjamin 111 Wheeler, Thomas 465 Whetcomb, John 483 Whipple, Captain Abraham 52, 127, 180, 244, 307, 384, 442, 481, 482 Whipple, Catherine Moffat 482 Whipple, Hannah 482 Whipple, Joseph 482 Whipple, Mary 482 Whipple, Mary Cutt 482 Whipple, Mary Tufton Moffatt 482 Whipple, Robert 482 Whipple, William (son of General William) 482 Whipple, General William, Jr. 29, 224, 416, 442, 482, 483 Whipple, William, Sr. 482 Whiskey Act 286 Whitaker, Mrs. (1st wife of William Woodford, Sr.) 500 Whitcomb, Abigail 483 Whitcomb, Asa 484 Whitcomb, Becky 483 Whitcomb, Benjamin 165 Whitcomb, Dorothy 483 Whitcomb, Brigadier General John 463, 483, 484 Whitcomb, Mary 483 Whitcomb, Mary Carter 483 White, Abigail (later Mrs. Moses Hazen) 164 White, Brigadier General Anthony 40, 88, 333, 484, 485 White, Captain Benjamin 327 White, Elliza (later Mrs. Thomas Moody) 485 White, Elizabeth Morris 484 White, Ester (Esther) Hewlings Newman 302 White, Euphemia (later Mrs. William Paterson) 484 White, Isabella 484 White, Margaret Ellis 485 White, Mary (later Mrs. Robert Morris) 302 White, Joanna (later Mrs. John Bayard) 484 White, John 164 White, Joseph 164 White, Lydia Gilman 164 White, Mr. 308 White, Rebecca (later Mrs, Timothy Pickering) 337 White, Sarah (later wife of John White) 337 White, Sophia 302 White, Thomas 410 White, Colonel Thomas 302 White, Bishop William 172, 251, 424 White Horse Tavern 266 White House (trading post) 71 White House burned by British 253

Whitehead, Captain Benjamin 473 Whitney, Rev. Josiah 354, 357 Whittingham, Mary Lawrence 389 Whittingham, William 389 Wickes, Captain Lambert 27, 121 Wickham, John 267 Wickham, Miss 480 Wigglesworth, Colonel Edward 356, 456 Wightman, Philip 176 USS Wild Duck (later Lexington) 27 Wilde, Samuel 78 Wildes, Captain William 249 Wilkins, General John 322 Wilkinson, Anne Biddle 486 Wilkinson, Betty Heije 485 Wilkinson, Celeste Laveau Trudeau 487 Wilkinson, General James 53, 129, 131, 216, 394, 403, 406, 473, 483, 485, 486, 487 Wilkinson, John 486 Wilkinson, Joseph 485 Wilkinson, Joseph (son of General James) 486 Willard, Colonel Abijah 350 Willard, Counselor 350 Willard, Henry 35 Willard, Josiah 35 Willard, Lockhart 365 Willard, Samuel, Jr. 483, 484 Willard, Major Simon 35 Willet, Colonel Marinus 128, 170, 171, 268 Willey, Captain 453 William and Mary College 363 Williams, Colonel Abraham 123 Williams, Benjamin 88 Williams, David 19 Williams, Rev. Ebenezer 189 Williams, Edward Greene 487 Williams, Elie 487 Williams, Colonel Ephraim 344, 488 Williams, Faith (later Mrs. John McClellan) 488, 489 Williams, Henry Lee 487 Williams, General James 59, 71, 433 Williams, John (North Carolina) 409 Williams, John (South Carolina) 283 Williams, Joseph (father of General Otho) 487 Williams, Joseph John 335 Williams, Mary “Polly” Smith 487 Williams, Mary Porter 488 Williams, Mary Trumbull 445, 446, 488, 489 Williams, Nathaniel 68 Williams, Oliver 374 Williams, Brigadier General Otho H. 297, 487, 488 Williams, Otho, Jr. 487 Williams, Penelope Chester 189 Williams, Priscilla Holland 487 Williams, Richard 276 Williams, Robert (son of General Otho) 487, 488 Williams, Rev. Robert 488 Williams, Roger 17, 182 Williams, Rev. Solomon 445, 488 Williams, Solomon (son of William Williams, signer) 488, 489 Williams, Colonel William (signer of the Declaration of Independence) 191, 444, 445, 463, 488, 489, 499 Williams, William (son of General Otho) 487 Williams, William Trumbull 488, 489 Williamson, Brigadier General Andrew 343, 432, 489, 490

Index Williamson, Andrew, Jr. 489 Williamson, Benjamin 492 Williamson, Benjamin (2) 492 Williamson, Eliza Tyler 489 Williamson, Hugh (signer of the U.S. Constitution) 87, 412, 490, 491, 492 Williamson, Isaac 492 Williamson, John 490 Williamson, Margaret De Hart 492 Williamson, Margretta 492 Williamson, Maria Apthorpe 491 Williamson, Mary Anne 489 Williamson, Mary Davison 490 Williamson, Brigadier General Matthias 492 Williamson, Matthias, Jr. 492 Williamson, Matthias Halsted 492 Williamson, Susanna 492 Williamson, Susanna Halsted 492 Williamson, William (father of General Matthias) 492 Williamson, William (son of General Andrew) 489 Williamson, William (son of General Matthias) 492 Williamson’s Plantation 433 Willing, Charles 301 Willing, Thomas 27, 36, 121, 237, 246, 282, 301, 302, 304, 305, 493 Willis, John 49 Willis, Mary 49 Wilmington (vessel) 326 Wilson, Alison Landale 492 Wilson, Archbishop of Calcutta 241 Wilson, Bird 492 Wilson, Charles 492, 494 Wilson, David 86 Wilson, Eleanor 320 Wilson, Elizabeth Crawford Rodney 376 Wilson, Emily 494 Wilson, Hannah Gray 494 Wilson, Henry 494 Wilson, James 50, 57, 63, 77, 191, 193, 201, 226, 252, 259, 305, 367, 371, 382, 387, 391, 440, 492, 493, 494 Wilson, James, Jr. 492, 494 Wilson, John 439 Wilson, Margaret (Peggy) 266 Wilson, Martha Stewart 266 Wilson, Mary (later Mrs. Paschal Hollingsworth) 492 Wilson, Matthew 334 Wilson, Rachael Bird 492, 494 Wilson, Captain Robert 266 Wilson, Samuel 86 Wilson, Captain Samuel (Augusta County Regiment) 239 Wilson, Thomas 376 Wilson, William (trader) 329 Wilson, William (father of James the signer) 492 Wilson, William (son of James the signer) 492, 494 Wilson, William, Jr. (brother of James the signer) 492 Wilson, President Woodrow 320 Wiltbank, Rev. Edwin Wilson 251 Winchester, Major George 375 Winchester, General James 375, 395 Winds, Ruhamah 495 Winds, Brigadier General William 11, 12, 118, 265, 494, 495, 496 Windsor Hill Convention 308 Winn, Captain (later colonel and governor) Richard 275, 433 Winslow, General John 346, 349, 465

Index Winston, Judge Edmund 169 Winston, Isaac 168 Winston, Joseph 59, 398 Winston, Mary Dabney 168 Winter, Captain 489 Winthrop, Governor Fitz-John 389 Wise, William 439 Wisner, Henry 240 Wister, Anna Rubenkam 287 Wister, John 287 Wister, William 287 Witherspoon, Anna (later Mrs. James (Reverend) Smith) 496, 497 Witherspoon, Anne Walker 496 Witherspoon, David 496, 497 Witherspoon, Elizabeth Montgomery 496, 498 Witherspoon, Frances (later Mrs. David Ramsay) 496 Witherspoon, Major James 312 Witherspoon, Rev. James 496 Witherspoon, James (son of John the signer) 496, 498 Witherspoon, John 497 Witherspoon, Rev. John (signer of the Declaration of Independence) 70, 312, 424, 486, 487, 496, 497, 498 Witherspoon, John, II 497, 497, 498 Witherspoon, Mary (later Mrs. James S. Woods) 497, 498 Witherspoon, Sarah Moore Nash 498 Wolcott, Abigail Abbott 106 Wolcott, Albert 498 Wolcott, Alexander 498 Wolcott, Arodi 498 Wolcott, Betsey Huntington 499 Wolcott, Brigadier General Erastus 205, 389, 406, 457, 498, 499 Wolcott, Erastus (son of Oliver the signer) 498 Wolcott, Erastus (2) 498 Wolcott, Fluvia 498 Wolcott, Fluvia (2; later Mrs. Roswell Grant) 498 Wolcott, Frederick 498, 499 Wolcott, Henry 498 Wolcott, Hephzibah 498

552 Wolcott, Jerusha (later Mrs. Samuel Wolcott) 498 Wolcott, Jerusha Wolcott 498 Wolcott, Josiah 498 Wolcott, Laura (later Mrs. William Moseley) 498, 499 Wolcott, Laura (Lorraine) Collins 498, 499 Wolcott, Mariann 498 Wolcott, Mary Ann (Mariana, later Mrs. Chauncey Goodrich) 498, 499 Wolcott, Oliver (signer of the Declaration of Independence) 107, 164, 191, 205, 273, 329, 362, 389, 498, 499 Wolcott, Oliver, Jr. 498 Wolcott, Oliver, Jr. (2) 498, 499 Wolcott, Governor Roger 316, 449, 498 Wolcott, Sally Worthington 498 Wolcott, Samuel 498 Wolcott, Sarah 498 Wolcott, Sarah Drake 316, 498 Wolcott, Simon 498 Wolcott, Ursula 498 Wolcott, William 106 Wolfe, British General James 33, 291, 386 Wood, Colonel Joseph 82 Woodbridge, Rev. Timothy 503 Woodford, Anne Cocke 500 Woodford, Catesby 500 Woodford, Henry 500 Woodford, John 500 Woodford, John Thornton 500 Woodford, Mary Thornton 500 Woodford, Thomas 500 Woodford, Brigadier General William 187, 238, 240, 258, 279, 307, 309, 310, 394, 480, 500, 501 Woodford, Major William (father of General William) 500 Woodford, William Catesby (son of General William) 500 Woodgate, Captain 333 Woodhull, Nathaniel, Sr. (1) 501 Woodhull, Brigadier General Nathaniel (2) 501 Woodhull, Richard 501

Woodhull, Ruth (later Mrs. Henry Nicholl, then Mrs. William Smith) 501 Woodhull, Ruth Floyd 501 Woodhull, Sarah Smith 501 Woodhull, Temperance Fordham 501 Woods, Rev. James S. 498 Woods, Mary Witherspoon 498 Wooster, Abraham 501 Wooster, Ann 501 Wooster, General David 18, 94, 97, 100, 103, 189, 328, 355, 389, 391, 407, 412, 413, 438, 457, 501, 502, 503 Wooster, Edward 501 Wooster, George 503 Wooster, Hannah 501 Wooster, Joseph 501 Wooster, Lydia Sheldon 503 Wooster, Mary (later Mrs. John C. Ogden) 503 Wooster, Mary Clapp 501, 503 Wooster, Mary Walker 501 Wooster, Ruth 501 Wooster, Sarah 501 Wooster, Tabitha Tomlinson 501 Worcester, John 428 Worcester, Lydia Remick 428 Wormeley, James 361 Wormeley, Miss (later Mrs. Beverly Randolph) 363 Wormeley, Rear Admiral Ralph Randolph 361 Worth, Joseph 171 Wright, Governor James 26, 71, 151, 152, 274, 353, 423, 461 Wright’s Plantation 275 Wurmser, Baron de (Lt. General French army) 315 Wyandot Indians 42 Wyatt, Doctor Edward 40 Wye Plantation 324 Wyllis, Colonel Hezekiah 103 Wyllys, George 205, 503 Wyllys, Royal Governor George 503 Wyllys, Hezekiah 503 Wyllys, Mary Woodbridge 503 Wyllys, Ruth Belden 503 Wyllys, Brigadier General Samuel 91, 503

Wyman, Colonel 365 Wynian, Lt. Colonel Isaac 415 Wynkoop, Henry 371 Wynkoop, Commodore Jacobus 130, 473 Wythe, Anne Lewis (daughter of Zachary of Spotsylvania County) 504 Wythe, Elizabeth Taliaferro 504 Wythe, George (signer of the Declaration of Independence) 38, 191, 200, 201, 264, 267, 361, 503, 504 Wythe, Margaret 503 Wythe, Thomas 503 Wythe (George) House 504 Xavier, St. Francis see St. Francis Xavier XYZ Affair 342 HMS Yarmouth 24, 37 Yates, Mayor Abraham 437 Yates, Jannetje Van Ness 504, 505 Yates, John Van Ness 505 Yates, Joseph 504 Yates, Maria 504 Yates, Robert (framer of the U.S. Constitution) 225, 504, 505 Yates, Colonel William 123, 128 Yazoo Land Bill (Scheme) 150 Yonge (Young), Henry 460 York (slave) 50 York Hall 314 Young, Alexander 347 Young, John 34 Young, Notley 62 Young, William 197 Younger, Mr. 207 Yrujo, Don Carlos Martinez de Marquis de Casa 276 Yrujo, Sarah McKean (Marchioness de Casa Yrujo) 276 Zabriskie, John 422 Zedwitz, Colonel 18 Zeltner, Ambassador 218 Zieenhagen, Doctor 308 Ziegler’s Station 375 Zubly, Reverend John Joachim 67, 68, 151, 152