Born in New Jersey to a Welsh family, Morgan settled in Winchester, Virginia. Daniel and Abigail Morgan had two daughters. A detachment of Morgan's regiment, commanded by Morgan, was reassigned to the army's Northern Department and on Aug 30 he joined General Horatio Gates to aid in resisting Burgoyne's offensive. Stay up-to-date on the American Battlefield Trust's battlefield preservation efforts, travel tips, upcoming events, history content and more. He soon became known as the Old Wagoner. He accompanied General Edward Braddock on his ill-fated campaign against the French and Indians at Fort Duquesne. The tactic resulted in a double envelopment. On the second day of the attack, the enemy made a furious assault on the fort. Reverend William Hill, first pastor of the Stone Presbyterian Church, to which Morgan belonged, became a close friend in the riflemans last years of his life. The Americans split up into three divisions, two to make the attack and one held in reserve to support either. While Greene withdrew north, Morgan was instructed to campaign in the South Carolina back country with the goal of building support for the cause and irritating the British. Morgan came upon Freemans Farm, a large clearing amidst the tangled forests, before the British could make the field and quickly hid his men in the woods. The groove-bore rifle on the other hand, could not be loaded as quickly. Morgan and many of his men were later captured by Governor Sir Guy Carleton's forces. With the outbreak of the American Revolution after the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the Continental Congress called for the formation of 10 rifle companies to aid in the Siege of Boston. An avid drinker and fighter, he was employed in various trades in the Shenandoah Valley before beginning a career as a teamster. He had ignored Gates orders and hastened to the crash of arms. Historian James Frassett wrote that Daniel Morgan, or the, as he called himself, was the most successful field leader of the American Revolution and perhaps the least remembered. James Graham, author of. When the ship landed at Elizabethtown Point, New Jersey, Morgan met with Washington in New York before heading to his family at Winchester. His company, known as Morgans riflemen marched from Virginia to Boston in 21 days. The Arnold Expedition[16] started with about 1,050 men; by the time they reached Quebec on November 9, that had been reduced to 675. On the morning of January 17, 1781, they met Tarleton in the Battle of Cowpens. Morgan and his men wore hunting shirts, a distinctly American garment that soon struck fear in the British Army because of the known accuracy of the American riflemen, and soon became a common uniform item in the Continental Army. Early in the war, Morgan served in Benedict Arnold's expedition to Quebec and in the Saratoga campaign. There was another factor that worked against Morgans promotion to brigadier; Virginia had already filled their quota of brigadiers and the standing policy observed by Congress was that a state could only have as many brigadier generals as units supplied by that state. : Two Southern Towns Battle Over Grave of Daniel Morgan, Herow of Cowpens. On Nov. 28, 1758, he entered the burned-out fort and ordered it rebuilt naming it Fort Pitt, after British Secretary of State William Pitt the Elder. Besides, he was now in great pain from sciatica, which had worsened the past year. The only recorded reference to his birth date was given by Morgan after his capture in the failed attack on Quebec in which during the prisoner exchange, he gave his age as 40 years. Such a thrashing would have killed most men. On March 25, 1790, Morgan finally received a gold medal that had been struck by Congress in recognition of his victory at Cowpens. They were forced to surrender and Laws turned back on Morgan. General John Hunt Morgan (CSA), "Daniel Morgan - Cowpens National Battlefield (U.S. National Park Service)", "Daniel Morgan Middle School - Winchester Public Schools", "National Register of Historic Places Listings", Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, Nomination form for Saratoga to the National Historic Register, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Daniel_Morgan&oldid=1138286077, American Revolutionary War prisoners of war held by Great Britain, People from Bethlehem Township, New Jersey, People of Virginia in the French and Indian War, Federalist Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Virginia, Burials at Mount Hebron Cemetery (Winchester, Virginia), Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 8 February 2023, at 22:13. Morgan used the mistaken order to his advantage. It has been romantically recorded that when Burgoyne was introduced to Morgan, he seized him by the hand and exclaimed, My dear sir, you command the finest regiment in the world. Gates, who never took part in either battle, officially took all the credit for the victory. Tarleton and Morgans forces faced each other at Cowpens in South Carolina on January 17, 1781. As a result, he was court-martialed and sentenced to 500 lashes. He hade a altercation with a British officer and struck him, he was given 500 lashes. So too, Congress finally realized the importance Morgan was to the war effort and on Oct. 13th, 1780, they promoted him to brigadier. Held as a prisoner until September 1776, Morgan was initially paroled before being formally exchanged in January 1777. Morgan worked as a teamster, hauling freight to the eastern part of the colony and eventually received the nickname "The Old Wagoner". Accordingly, his parents were James Morgan (1702-1782) and Eleanor (Lloyd) Morgan (1712-1764), Welsh Quaker immigrants who settled in America in 1720 in Bucks County, north of Philadelphia. After knocking out a British Lieutenant with a single blow, retaliation for being smacked with the flat of a sword, Daniel received a typically-fatal sentence of 500 lashes. After Camden, the last of the American forces had been driven out of South Carolina. As the militia approached the regulars, they veered off to either side, allowing the regulars a clean shot. Weve all seen the images Continental Soldiers huddled around winter fires, starving, distraught, Americas darkest hour; these are the times that try a mans soul, taught in every classroom of American History. The Americans lost over four hundred men including their finest officers in either killed, wounded, or captured. He ordered the 3rd line to retreat to a place which he chose and then to fire. After violence erupted at Lexington & Concord, Massachusetts on April 19th, the Second Continental Congress assembled on June 10th and named George Washington on the 14th as its Commander in Chief of the Continental Army. The ground pitched down from the Americans forcing the British to slog up the long slope. The main British army had been confined into two comparatively small regions of the colonies while a second army had faced total annihilation earlier in the fall of 1777. The whole body of men at General Gates command totaled 1,400 men. The first opportunity occurred on the 27th, but had to be called off. In June 1780, he was urged to re-enter the service by General Gates but declined. He kept the Americans at bay, allowing four heavy cannon to come up and blast away, halting the rebel momentum. Morgan knew his men and his opponent, knew how they would react in certain situations, and used this knowledge and the terrain to his advantage. On the night of the 13th, Braddock died and was buried in the middle of the road to prevent the discovery of his body by hostile tribes. Colonial interest in the rebellion had stalled, recruits were at their lowest, desertion their highest, entire companies then regiments mutinied, the money ran out, military and civilian leaders squabbled and resigned, and Frances intervention on the American side proved a bust; for it became clear that they were more interested in acquiring land in the Caribbean and bloodying Englands nose than assisting the American cause. ", 71st Regiment of Foot, Fraser's Highlanders, "Lebanon Township, New Jersey Revolutionary War Sites | Lebanon Township Historic Sites", "Major General Daniel Morgan Historical Marker", "Key to the Surrender of General Burgoyne", "Officers Represented in the Society of the Cincinnati", "Eyewitness 1818: No jail could hold this Pittsburgh thief", http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h407.html, GENi: Brig. Washington gave him three rifle companies, collectively led by Morgan, to augment his force. On December 21, 1780, he left Charlotte in command of a little over six hundred men. However, they faced challenges advancing through the narrow twisting streets while trying to control thirty prisoners, plus their power was too wet to fire. In response, General Braddock sentenced him to 499 lashes. He left home around 1753 after a bitter argument with his father. By 1780, Patriot forces in the South were desperate for Morgans services. Morgan reluctantly ordered Fraser shot by a sniper, and Timothy Murphy obliged him. Gates supposedly said Well then, order on Morgan to begin the game. Once more, Gates kept most of his troops within the Bemis Heights defenses. Morgan, his company second in line, demonstrated his aggressive skills under combat and pressed his men forward, rallying Woods troops and driving the Native Americans from their positions and pushing them to retreat. I think we may venture to assert, that he has not left another behind him to whom we are so much indebted for our independence and liberty., Click Here for Preview on Amazon: Revolutionary Rangers: Daniel Morgans Riflemen and Their Role on the Northern Frontier, 1778-1783, Road to Camden: The Southern War of the American Revolution, American Revolution: In the South, Not a War for Liberty, But a Brutal Civil War Between Patriots and Loyalists, Brigadier Simon Fraser and the Battle of Saratoga, Muskets & Rifles of the American Revolution: Difference and Tactics, Forgotten Warriors of the American Revolution: Major Benjamin Whitcomb of Whitcombs Rangers. The British Legion, among the best units in Cornwallis's army, was effectively useless. So too, once the regular troops opened up on the advancing British, the militia were to advance on the British flank and open up with. On June 22, 1775, Morgan was selected by unanimous vote to head one of Virginias rifle companies chosen from Frederick County. He eventually became adept at card games and enjoyed strong drink. He was given permission by Gates to escort patriot supply wagons. One of his favorite stories to tell in later years was that the British miscounted and gave him only 499 lashes and they owed him another lash. Daniel Morgan kept his childhood a mystery, the poor, illiterate teenager left home and wandered alone to the Shenandoah Valley. Daniel Morgan, an American hero of the southern theater during the American Revolution, grew up with a rebellious streak. He told the militia that he would put them up front. He and his men wore Indian disguises and used hit-and-run maneuvers against the British in New York and New Jersey throughout 1777. [5] When his men were done training Morgan used them as snipers, shooting mostly British officers who thought they were out of range; sometimes they killed 10 British in a day. Unaware that Montgomery was dead, their halt allowed the defenders to recover. Meanwhile, thinking that they had won the battle, the British broke ranks and charged forward. With the beginning of the French and Indian War, Morgan found employment as a teamster for the British Army. In 1757, Morgan joined the British army, and several influential men recommended to the governor that Morgan be made a captain, but the only rank available was that of ensign. Morgan actually never saw the land, but his daughter's cousin-in-law,[32] Presley O'Bannon, the "Hero of Derna" in the Barbary War, acquired the land, drew up a plan for the town and donated the land for the streets and public square. As the Americans continued the fight, one by one, their ammunition ran out and they were forced to give up. Morgans biographer Graham put it colorfully, the hardships and privations which they were occasionally called upon to endure, gave a dash of intrepidity and recklessness to their character, and made them regard courage and other soldier-like qualities as those entitled to the highest praise and honor. Morgan grew quickly into a tall, strong, strapping young man who was built like a rock and who exhibited self-confidence, carelessness, decisiveness, and the courage admired by others as a born leader. At that stage of the battle, Learneds men assaulted the British center with Benedict Arnold at their lead. Morgan chose to make his stand at Cowpens, South Carolina. He, of course, survived and began building a legend. He often hung out in taverns and became renowned as a hell-raiser who loved a good time and bruising fist fight. Disaster soon struck British plans to press north. . Morgan worked as a teamster, hauling freight to the eastern part of the colony. Gaffney, Shortly after Morgans arrival, Gates offered the overall command of this small corps to Morgan who accepted. , leaving the third line of more than 500 regulars occupying a hill to contend with the advancing British. Under increasing heavy fire and losing men, Morgan ordered his force into the houses. Reprint from Vol. On May 7, 1780, Congress ordered Morgan to join General Horatio Gates in June. Morgan immediately kept himself and his corps busy. The scar certainly enhanced his repute. He later said that when done, his flesh hung in strips or as he put it, tags. 338 New Pleasant Road Tarleton must have been overjoyed to see Morgan had placed his militia out front and ordered his hardened veterans to advance. While his escort was being scalped, and with blood flowing freely from his wound, Morgan was able to hang onto his horse and though weakened, was able to spur him from the scene. (One, Nancy, married Presley Neville, a Revolutionary War veteran. On December 2, command of the department passed to Major General Nathanael Greene. He and his men never saw action during the Whiskey Rebellion; their mere presence quickly put an end to the short-lived revolt. Morgan had quickly raised a company of men and marched off with McDonalds force. 5, 2023, thoughtco.com/brigadier-general-daniel-morgan-2360604. He lost in 1794, but won in 1796 with 70% of the vote by defeating Democratic-Republican Robert Rutherford. Of siblings, Daniel supposedly had a brother who he visited once shortly after returning from the Battle of Saratoga in 1777. This was even larger than authorized strength. He also served in the Philadelphia campaign before resigning from the army in 1779. Mounted on his grey horse, he rode back and forth across the field while calmly reassuring the light infantry and his own 24th Regiment. Arnolds Connecticut men slammed against the enemys center; however, the Germans had no intention of giving way. Having proven himself time and again in battle and having run a brigade successfully, he felt his accomplishments had earned him a promotion and a larger command. Morgan and his 11th Regiment was placed on the west side of the Schuylkill River and scouted for the army, often engaged in Indian-style fighting with British patrols and foraging parties. Sign up for our quarterly email series highlighting the environmental benefits of battlefield preservation. He, along with around three hundred other teamsters, arrived with designated supplies at Fort Cumberland (present day West Virginia near Pennsylvania) at the beginning of May, 1755 and awaited the army. . The artillery corps was annihilated with a couple of brass and a few field pieces remaining placed under the command of Captain Anthony Singleton. The victory was complete and was a turning point in the war in the South. Major General Benjamin Lincoln had previously surrendered the southern army at Charleston, South Carolina, and the British fanned out over the south, capturing territory and gradually pushing north, jeopardizing Virginia and beyond in the hope of collapsing the rebellion. In later years, Morgan delighted in telling that the drummer who was counting the lashes miscounted, and he only received 499. Congress refused to accept and instead granted him a furlough to go home; basically, figuring that he just needed some time off and would be of use later in the war. Arnold soon chose Morgan to command all three rifle companies and lead the advance party through the wilderness. Historians have never reached a consensus on the use of a standard name for this epic journey, "Who Will Get the General's Body? No one truly knows exactly when Daniel Morgan (circa 1736-1802) was born. After rejoining Washington, Morgan found that he had been promoted to colonel in recognition of his actions at Quebec. The Royal Government in Virginia rigorously raised another regiment of sixteen companies and placed them under Colonel Washington with orders to defend settlements along the wilderness. McDonalds orders were for him to take a defensive position, but he soon moved to attack. It was also open for several hundred yards, offering the riflemen a clean shot from a few hundred yards out. Upon arrival at Fort Pitt (former Ft. Duquesne), they were informed that Parliament had closed the Port of Boston and that the Virginia House of Burgesses passed an order condemning this despotic action. They also learned that a Congress had been called from the thirteen colonies to take action against the measures and tyrannical encroachments of the British government. Morgan penned in his journal that we, as an army victorious [perhaps referring to their recent victories against the Native Americans], formed ourselves into a society, pledging our words of honor to each other to assist our brethren of Boston in case hostilities should commence. During the winter and spring of 1775, Morgan was at home with his family, however was intently involved with escalating developments as sabers rattled throughout the colonies. Captain Henry Dearborn, who was in reserve and coming to aid Morgan, was confronted by this force. [24][25] He turned his attention to investing in land rather than clearing it, and eventually built an estate of more than 250,000 acres (1,000km2). Deploying his forces in a pasture area known as the Cowpens, Morgan formed his men in three lines. During this time, a British force of five hundred men, including the famed Royal Highlanders, led by Captain George Laws, reoccupied the first barricade, trapping Morgan and his men in the city. The Burgesses complied and ordered up four regiments of militia to pacify the hostile Indian war bands. General Andrew Lewis was called to lead the militia. With Fraser dead, the heart went out of the British forces. The astute backwoodsman spent the next three weeks playing a cat and mouse game with Tarleton, wearing out the aristocrats troops while infuriating him in hopes that the overconfident commander would make a rash move. Increasingly pressured by Lieutenant General Lord Charles Cornwallis's forces, Greene elected to divide his army, with Morgan commanding one part, in order to give it time to rebuild after the losses incurred at Camden. By 1774, he was so prosperous that he owned ten slaves. At the dawn of the American Revolution, he left his farm and organized and trained one of the finest fighting forces in America; British General Burgoyne would call his regiment the finest in the world. After that he became a wagoner, a person who drove a wagonload of supplies across the mountains to the settlers. Gates had divided his army into two divisions, the right, he commanded personally in the absence of General Lincoln, and the left under Major General Benedict Arnold. The combat, however, resulted in his capture along with 400 other Americans. While still a colonel with Washington, he had temporarily commanded Weedon's brigade and felt himself ready for the position. *See Daniel Morgan: Revolutionary Rifleman by Don Higginbotham. Bryce Metcalf, Bryce Original Members and Other Officers Eligible to the Society of the Cincinnati, 1783-1938: With the Institution, Rules of Admission, and Lists of the Officers of the General and State Societies (Strasburg, Va.: Shenandoah Publishing House, Inc., 1938), page 108. When Morgan was 17, he left home following a fight with his father. [5] As they were handmade, calibres varied, requiring differently sized bullets. His artillery could not be brought up and just as he was about to scale the walls into the lower part of town, a bullet ricocheted and he was severely wounded in the leg and had to be taken from the field. In 1759 Morgan bought a two-story house (which he named Soldiers Rest) in Winchester, and by 1763 he had set up housekeeping with Abigail Bailey. Following the Revolution, Morgan organized and led a group of militia against the protesters during the Whiskey Rebellion. About 1762, Morgan obtained a grant of land a few miles east of Winchester, and devoted himself to farming and raising stock. That spark came when then Provisional Colonel George Washington, leading a militia of Virginians, surprised a detachment of French & Canadians on May 28, 1754 during a diplomatic mission and killed the leader, Joseph Coulon Jumonville. Shades of Liberty Series. Washington, well aware of Morgans abilities, used his rifle corps as light infantry to harass British foragers and patrols throughout New Jersey. After a delay waiting for additional supplies to arrive, the army set off through the wilderness. Morgan met his new Department Commander, Nathanael Greene, on December 3, 1780, at Charlotte, North Carolina. During his parole, towards the end of 1776, Morgan learned, due to his actions at Quebec, that Congress awarded him with a commission as colonel of the 11th Virginia Regiment. Without Montgomerys leadership, his attack quickly faded. Gates had begun reorganizing his little army and had set about forming a battalion of handpicked light infantry out of the ranks of the regular army. However, the redcoats had suffered a large loss of men they could not hope to replenish whereas the American losses were readily replaced with additional forces coming up from New England. Young Daniel, just 20 years old, already had a fearsome reputation as a fighter with a gun, knife, or his fists. The year Daniel Morgan received his 499 lashes was 1756. Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Over 100 Great Books on the American Revolution, 50+ Great Books In African American Studies, Visit Historical Artist Don Troiani and View his Outstanding Artistic Portrayals by Clicking Here. He was supposed to have fired all three shots, the last finding its mark, doubling the Scotsman over. The commander-in-chief appointed Morgan colonel of the 7th Virginia Regiment, but he was continually passed over for promotion, forcing him to resign. He and Gates had reached an impasse with Gates ordering the combative general to his quarters. Arnold spotted him and called to Morgan: "That man on the grey horse is a host unto himself and must be disposed of direct the attention of some of the sharpshooters amongst your riflemen to him!" [8][9] During the retreat from Fort Duquesne (Pittsburgh), he was punished with 500 lashes (a usually fatal sentence) for attacking an officer. For his actions at Cowpens, the Virginia legislature granted Morgan land and an estate that had been abandoned by a Tory. While I was in his service, upon a certain occasion, he promised to give me 500 lashes. Hundreds of Great Books on the American Revolution. In the spring of 1756, while hauling supplies to Fort Chiswell, Morgan fell into a confrontation with a British Lieutenant who verbally abused him then struck him with the flat of his sword. Morgan talked with militia who had fought Tarleton. [26], In 1794, he was briefly recalled to national service to help suppress the Whiskey Rebellion, and the same year, he was promoted to major general. he decked a British officer and was given a death sentence for it. Although the light infantry broke, General Fraser was trying to rally them, encouraging his men to hold their positions when Benedict Arnold arrived. Unique to the American design, labeled Kentucky Long Rifles, were changes implemented by these German immigrants who settled in the Lancaster, Pennsylvania area. He was finally allowed to resign on June 30, 1779, and returned home to Winchester. Arnold, not knowing Montgomerys fate, pressed on. Morgan was the last, giving up to a Catholic priest who had been sent under a flag of truce to ask for the stubborn Virginians surrender. Eager for a command of his own, he was excited to learn that a new light infantry brigade was being formed. Montgomery and Arnold faced a dilemma in that by December 31, most of their mens enlistments were up and would go home. He finally settled on the Virginia frontier, near what is now Winchester, Virginia. At the conclusion of Lord Dunmores War, Morgans company was released from duty and were on their way home. Donations to the Trust are tax deductible to the full extent allowable under the law. Dearborns mens powder was damp and their weapons would not fire. After working at odd jobs in Pennsylvania, he moved to the Shenandoah Valley. The German rifles were shorter, thereby their velocity was less with a lower range of effectiveness. Six miles out of the Shawnee village of Wappatomica, his column was ambushed. In 1794, he returned to active duty as Major General, leading an army of militia against protesters in western Pennsylvania. As a youth, barely out of his teens, he lived and worked in a thinly populated wilderness, inhabited by a people who, for the most part, were rough and uncultivated as the country they lived. He later built another house which he named Saratoga for the famous battles in New York at which he had distinguished himself. She also taught him to properly read and write. [5] He then met Abigail Curry; they married and had two daughters, Nancy and Betsy. Washington promptly posted troops at varying points all along the Virginia frontier. Callahan, North. Graham, James. Once Nathanael Greene assumed command of the Southern Department, he gave Morgan command of a "flying army" and assigned him to the South Carolina backcountry. He served with the British in the French & Indian War, but got in trouble for sassing an officer and received 500 lashes. After having an argument with his father when he was about seventeen years old, he left home without his parents knowledge or permission and moved to Virginia. By June, he had sufficiently recovered to return to active duty and commanded the troops that suppressed Claypools Loyalist insurrection in the Shenandoah Valley. He then reported to Lafayette at his headquarters near Jamestown on July 7th, and was put in command of all the light troops and cavalry in the young generals army. By skillful maneuvers, Morgan reached the river first and crossed it, keeping his force whole to return to Greene in North Carolina. The advance of such a large army through the wilderness called for an extensive support system of axe men, workers, and of course, hundreds of wagons to haul supplies and armaments. Only 270 would escape, Tarleton among them after a furious single exchange of swords with Lt. As the fight raged, Burgoyne and Gates were both so worried as to what the other might do next, that neither committed their entire armies. The order was mistaken, and the entire line began an orderly retreat. Two years later, Morgan joined a colonial ranger unit that was attached to the British. Another company was raised from Shepherdstown by his rival, Hugh Stephenson. Their loss was nearly equal to the number of American forces engaged. It assured patriots that their rebellion and vision of new government would not perish, claiming a democracy elected by the people that would endure long after the final guns were silenced. The militia fired as ordered and retreated. Fraser ignored the intense firing and rode among his men to rally them. Morgan was court-martialed and sentenced to 500 lashes. Within six months, he saved enough money to buy his own cart and team of four horses and went into business for himself, hauling his own wagon along The Great Wagon Road from Philadelphia, through Lancaster PA, southward through Maryland, Winchester and the Valley of Virginia, ending in Yadkin River, North Carolina. When British General William Howe abandoned Philadelphia in June of 1778 and retreated his army across New Jersey, Washington followed cautiously. Once Morgan resumed the attack, his advance was soon blocked by approximately fifty sailors led by one named Anderson. Morgan was one of those who then followed Arnold's lead to turn a counter-attack from the British middle. His father was an iron master and soon after Daniel was born, the family moved across the Delaware River to Hunterdon County, New Jersey. (2023, April 5). A musket ball went through the back of his neck, grazed the left side of his neck, and passed through his mouth near the jaw bone, coming out through his cheek but not before dislodging some teeth of his left jaw. Morgan was greeted by Greene at Charlotte and the astute commander soon put Morgans talents to good use. Because of that, only a couple companies of the 24th, the grenadiers and light infantry from Frasers force, saw major action. Tarleton's legion was supplemented with the light infantry from several regiments of regulars. He spoke little about his childhood, so details are vague. Morgan would see service in the war first as a wagoner and later, an armed soldier. In 1756, during the advance on Fort Pitt, he was scourged with four hundred ninety-nine lashes (a usually fatal event) for punching his superior officer, by Burgoyne's command. Later in 1777, Morgan was assigned to General Horatio Gates' army and participated in the pivotal Battle of Saratoga.