Transcriber’s Note: Cover created by Transcriber and placed in the Public Domain.
Biographical Sketches
OF THE
GENERALS
OF THE
CONTINENTAL ARMY OF THE
REVOLUTION.
PRINTED FOR SALE AT MOUNT VERNON.
1889.
University Press:
John Wilson and Son, Cambridge.
A LIST
OF
THE GENERAL OFFICERS OF THE
REVOLUTIONARY ARMY,
And Dates of their Appointment by the Continental
Congress, from June 17, 1775, to the close of the war.
I.
GEORGE WASHINGTON, Commander-in-Chief,
Appointed June 17, 1775.
II. MAJOR-GENERALS.
(Ranked in order as given below.)
| Page | |||||
| George Washington | [11] | ||||
| Artemas Ward | [20] | Mass. | June 17, 1775 | Resigned Apr. 23, 1776. | |
| Charles Lee | [21] | Va. | „ „ „ | Dismissed Jan. 10, 1780. | |
| John Philip Schuyler | [23] | N. Y. | „ 19, „ | Resigned Apr. 19, 1779. | |
| Israel Putnam | [26] | Conn. | „ „ „ | Served to close of war. | |
| (First Brig.-Gens., then Maj.-Gens.) | |||||
| Brig.-Gen. | Maj.-Gen. | ||||
| Rich. Montgomery | [28] | N. Y. | June 22, 1775 | Dec. 9, 1775 | Killed Dec. 31, 1776. |
| John Thomas | [31] | Mass. | „ „ „ | Mar. 6, 1776 | Died June 2, 1776. |
| Horatio Gates | [32] | Va. | „ 17, „ | May 16, „ | Suspended Oct. 5, 1780.‡ |
| William Heath | [36] | Mass. | „ 22, „ | Aug. 9, „ | Served to close of war. |
| *Joseph Spencer | [37] | Conn. | „ „ „ | „ „ „ | Resigned Jan. 13, 1778. |
| John Sullivan | [38] | N. H. | „ „ „ | „ „ „ | Resigned Nov. 30, 1779. |
| Nathaniel Greene | [39] | R. I. | „ „ „ | „ „ „ | Served to close of war. |
| Lord Stirling | [42] | N. J. | Mar. 1, 1776 | Feb. 19, 1777 | Died Jan. 15, 1783. |
| Thomas Mifflin | [43] | Penn. | May 16, „ | „ „ „ | Resigned Feb. 25, 1779. |
| Arthur St. Clair | [45] | Penn. | Aug. 9, „ | „ „ „ | Served to close of war. |
| *Adam Stephen | [47] | Va. | Sept. 4, „ | „ „ „ | Cashiered Oct. —, 1777. |
| Benjamin Lincoln | [48] | Mass. | † | „ „ „ | Served to close of war. |
| Benedict Arnold | [49] | Conn. | Jan. 10, 1776 | May 2, „ | Deserted Sept. 25, 1780. |
| Mar. de Lafayette | [53] | France | † | July 31, „ | Served to close of war. |
| Baron de Kalb | [56] | Germany | † | Sept. 15, „ | Killed Aug. 16, 1780. |
| Du Coudray | [57] | France | † | Aug. 11, „ | Died Sept. 16, 1777. |
| *Robert Howe | [58] | N. C. | Mar. 1, 1776 | Oct. 20, „ | Served to close of war. |
| Alex. McDougal | [60] | N. Y. | Aug. 9, „ | „ „ „ | Served to close of war. |
| *Thomas Conway | [61] | Ireland | May 13, 1777 | Dec. 13, „ | Resigned Apr. 28, 1778. |
| Baron Steuben | [64] | Prussia | † | May 5, 1778 | Served to close of war. |
| William Smallwood | [68] | Maryland | Oct. 23, 1776 | Sept. 15, 1780 | Served to close of war. |
| *Samuel H. Parsons | [70] | Conn. | Aug. 9, „ | Oct. 23, „ | Retired July 22, 1782. |
| Chevalier Duportail | [71] | France | Nov. 17, 1777 | Nov. 16, 1781 | Resigned Oct. 10, 1783. |
| Henry Knox | [72] | Mass. | Dec. 27, 1776 | Mar. 22, 1782 | Served to close of war. |
| William Moultrie | [75] | S. C. | Sept. 16, „ | Oct. 15, „ | Served to close of war. |
| * No engraving exists. | |||||
| † Original appointment as Major-General. | |||||
| ‡ Restored Aug. 14, 1782, but did not serve. | |||||
III. BRIGADIER-GENERALS.
| Page | ||||
| *Seth Pomeroy | [77] | Mass. | June 22, 1775 | Died February, 1777. |
| David Wooster | [78] | Conn. | „ „ „ | Died (wounds) May 2, 1777. |
| *Joseph Frye | [80] | Mass. | Jan. 10, 1776 | Resigned April 23, 1776. |
| *John Armstrong | [81] | Penn. | Mar. 1, „ | Resigned April 4, 1777. |
| *William Thompson | [82] | Penn. | „ „ „ | Died Sept. 4, 1781. |
| *Andrew Lewis | [83] | Va. | „ „ „ | Resigned April 15, 1777. |
| *James Moore | [85] | N. C. | „ „ „ | Died Jan. 15, 1777. |
| *Baron de Woedtke | [86] | Prussia | „ 16, „ | Died July 28, 1776. |
| *John Whitcomb | [87] | Mass. | June 5, „ | Resigned shortly after. |
| Hugh Mercer | [88] | Va. | „ „ „ | Died (wounds) Jan. 12, 1777. |
| Joseph Reed | [90] | N. H. | Aug. 9, „ | Retired shortly after. |
| *John Nixon | [91] | Mass. | „ „ „ | Resigned Sept. 12, 1780. |
| James Clinton | [91] | N. Y. | „ „ „ | Served to close of war. |
| Christopher Gadsden | [93] | S. C. | Sept. 16, „ | Resigned Oct. 2, 1777. |
| Lachlan McIntosh | [95] | Georgia | „ „ „ | Served to close of war. |
| *William Maxwell | [96] | N. J. | Oct. 23, „ | Resigned July 25, 1780. |
| *Roche de Fermoy | [97] | France | Nov. 5, „ | Resigned Jan. 31, 1778. |
| Enoch Poor | [98] | N. H. | Feb. 21, 1777 | Died Sept. 8, 1780. |
| John Glover | [100] | Mass. | „ „ „ | Retired July 22, 1782. |
| *John Paterson | [101] | Mass. | „ „ „ | Served to close of war. |
| James M. Varnum | [102] | Mass. | „ „ „ | Resigned March 5, 1779. |
| Anthony Wayne | [104] | Penn. | „ „ „ | Served to close of war. |
| *John P. de Haas | [107] | Penn. | „ „ „ | Served to close of war. |
| Peter Muhlenburg | [107] | Penn. | „ „ „ | Served to close of war. |
| *Francis Nash | [109] | N. C. | „ 5, „ | Killed Oct. 4, 1777. |
| George Weedon | [110] | Va. | „ 21, „ | Retired Aug. 18, 1778. |
| John Cadwalader | [111] | Penn. | „ „ „ | Refused to accept. |
| *William Woodford | [113] | Va. | „ „ „ | Died Nov. 13, 1780. |
| George Clinton | [113] | N. Y. | Mar. 25, „ | Served to close of war. |
| Edward Hand | [115] | Penn. | April 1, „ | Served to close of war. |
| Charles Scott | [116] | Va. | „ „ „ | Served to close of war. |
| *Ebenezer Larned | [117] | Mass. | „ 2, „ | Resigned March 24, 1778. |
| *Chevalier de Borre | [118] | France | „ 11, „ | Resigned Sept. 14, 1777. |
| Jedediah Huntington | [119] | Conn. | May 12, „ | Served to close of war. |
| *Joseph Reed | [120] | Penn. | „ „ „ | Resigned June 7, 1777. |
| Count Pulaski | [124] | Poland | Sept. 15, „ | Killed Oct. 9, 1779. |
| John Stark | [126] | N. H. | Oct. 4, „ | Served to close of war. |
| James Wilkinson (Brevet) | [129] | Maryland | Nov. 6, „ | Resigned March 6, 1778. |
| *Chev. de la Neuville (Brevet) | [134] | France. | Oct. 14, 1778 | Resigned Dec. 4, 1778. |
| *Jethro Sumner | [135] | N.C. | Jan. 9, 1779 | Served to close of war. |
| *James Hogan | [136] | N. C. | „ „ „ | |
| Isaac Huger | [137] | S. C. | „ „ „ | Served to close of war. |
| Mordecai Gist | [139] | Maryland | „ „ „ | Served to close of war. |
| William Irvine | [140] | Penn. | May 12, „ | Served to close of war. |
| Daniel Morgan | [142] | Va. | Oct. 13, 1780 | Retired March, 1781. |
| *Moses Hazen (Brevet) | [145] | Canada | June 29, 1781 | Served to close of war. |
| Otho H. Williams | [146] | Maryland | May 9, 1782 | Retired Jan. 16, 1783. |
| John Greaton | [146] | Mass. | Jan. 7, 1783 | Served to close of war. |
| Rufus Putnam | [147] | Mass. | „ „ „ | Served to close of war. |
| Elias Dayton | [149] | N. J. | „ „ „ | Served to close of war. |
| *Armand (Mar. de Rouerie) | [150] | France | Mar. 26, „ | Served to close of war. |
| Thaddeus Kosciusko (Brevet) | [151] | Poland | Oct. 13, „ | Served to close of war. |
| *Stephen Moylan | [154] | Penn. | Nov. 3, „ | Served to close of war. |
| *Samuel Elbert | [155] | Georgia | „ „ „ | Served to close of war. |
| C. C. Pinckney | [156] | S. C. | „ „ „ | Served to close of war. |
| *William Russell | [158] | Va. | „ „ „ | Served to close of war. |
| Francis Marion | [160] | Non-commissioned. | ||
| Thomas Sumter | [163] | Non-commissioned. | ||
| * No engraving exists. | ||||
(The following-named officers of the above were Major-Generals in commission at the end of the war.)
IV. MAJOR-GENERALS AT THE CLOSE OF THE WAR.
| Date of Commission. | ||
| George Washington, Commander-in-Chief | Virginia | June 17, 1775. |
| Israel Putnam | Connecticut | „ 19, „ |
| Horatio Gates | Virginia | May 16, 1776. |
| William Heath | Massachusetts | Aug. 9, „ |
| Nathaniel Greene | Rhode Island | „ „ „ |
| Arthur St. Clair | Pennsylvania | Feb. 19, 1777. |
| Benjamin Lincoln | Massachusetts | „ „ „ |
| Marquis de Lafayette | France | July 31, „ |
| Robert Howe | North Carolina | Oct. 20, „ |
| Alexander McDougal | New York | „ „ „ |
| Baron Steuben | Prussia | May 5, 1778. |
| William Smallwood | Maryland | Sept. 15, 1780. |
| Henry Knox | Massachusetts | Mar. 22, 1782. |
| William Moultrie | South Carolina | Oct. 15, 1782. |
| Lachlan McIntosh | Georgia(Brevet) | Sept. 30, 1783. |
| James Clinton | New York „ | „ „ „ |
| John Paterson | Massachusetts „ | „ „ „ |
| Anthony Wayne | Pennsylvania „ | „ „ „ |
| Peter Muhlenburg | Virginia „ | „ „ „ |
| George Clinton | New York „ | „ „ „ |
| Edward Hand | Pennsylvania „ | „ „ „ |
| Charles Scott | Virginia „ | „ „ „ |
| Jedediah Huntington | Connecticut „ | „ „ „ |
| John Stark | New Hampshire „ | „ „ „ |
PREFACE.
New York, Oct. 5, 1888.
Dear Mrs. Leiter,—According to promise, I have sent you by express to-day a list of the general officers in the Revolution who were commissioned by the Continental Congress. There were others, not in the list, and well known as generals who served through the Revolution, but they held their commissions in the State Militia.
The list is made in the order of the date of commission, and their rank was determined by this date. The collection of portraits I have sent you for Mount Vernon is of great historical value, from the fact that it is made up to a great extent of portraits issued as “private,” or “club portraits,” of which the plates were destroyed. It would be almost impossible to get another set together which would be as complete as this is, in containing the authentic likeness of every general of whom a portrait is known to exist. For years I have been engaged with others in tracing out the descendants of these men, and with the object of having their portraits engraved whenever a likeness could be found. For a long time nothing new has turned up, and I believe we have accomplished about all it is possible to do in this line.
Yours very truly,
Thomas Addis Emmet.
The rare and valuable gift of engravings from Dr. Thomas Addis Emmet has been placed in the old mansion at Mount Vernon; and as this is the only complete collection on exhibition of the generals of the Continental Army, it seemed fitting that there should be a concise history compiled to enable the visitor at Mount Vernon not alone to view this valuable collection, but to refer to dates of birth and death, commissions of service, and battles of importance, in which these generals distinguished themselves. In this small book the author has sought to enable the reader to obtain information of most importance, and also maintain her original design of a pocket edition, to encumber as little as possible the pilgrim to Mount Vernon.
The following books have been consulted for the compilation of the papers:—
Journals of the Continental Congress.
Records of the Revolution, War Department.
Narrative and Critical History of America. (Justin Winsor.)
The Biography of the American Military and Naval Heroes, 1817. (Thomas Wilson.)
Washington and his Generals. (J. T. Headley.)
Lossing’s American Revolution.
Washington and his Masonic Compeers. (Sidney Hayden.)
Appleton’s Cyclopædia of American Biography.
The Memorial History of Boston. (Justin Winsor.)
Sparks’ Life of Washington.
Correspondents who have rendered assistance:
Hon. W. Frye, Maine.
General Drum, War Department.
Dr. T. A. Emmet.
H. C. Spofford, Congressional Librarian.
Justin Winsor.
Prof. Edward Channing.
F. D. Stone, Librarian of Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
Dr. Toner, Washington.
Charles J. Hoadly, Connecticut.
Mary Theresa Leiter,
Vice-Regent of Ladies’ Mount Vernon Association.
August 7, 1889.