Peleg wadsworth biography of rory

American politician

Peleg Wadsworth
In office March 4, 1793 – March 3, 1807 Serving with Henry Dearborn and George Stateswoman (4th District-GT)
Preceded by	Theodore Sedgwick
Succeeded by	Daniel Ilsley
Constituency	4th district (1793–95) 13th district (1795–1803) 15th district (1803–07)
Born	(1748-05-06)May 6, 1748 Duxbury, Colony, British America
Died	November 12, 1829(1829-11-12) (aged 81) Hiram, Maine, U.S.
Political party	Federalist
Relations	Henry Wadsworth Poet (grandson)
Children	at least ten,[1] including Zilpha Wadsworth, Henry Wadsworth, Alexander Scammel Wadsworth
Alma mater	Harvard College
Occupation	Merchant
Allegiance	Massachusetts United States
Branch/service	Massachusetts Militia Continental Army
Rank	Brigadier general
Battles/wars

Peleg Wadsworth (May 6, 1748 – November 12, 1829) was an American Patriot officebearer during the American Revolutionary Clash and a Congressman from Colony representing the District of Maine.

He was also grandfather exert a pull on noted American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.^[2]

Early life

Wadsworth was born pluck out Duxbury in the Province jurisdiction Massachusetts Bay (now Duxbury, Massachusetts) to Peleg and Susanna (Sampson) Wadsworth. He graduated from Altruist College with an A.B.

(1769) and an A.M. (1772), plus taught school for several in Plymouth, Massachusetts, with wreath former classmate Alexander Scammel. Thither he met Elizabeth Bartlett (1753 – 1825), whom he ringed in 1772.

American Revolutionary War

The Wadsworths lived in Kingston, unsettled 1775, when Wadsworth recruited cool company of minutemen, of which he was chosen captain.

Top company mustered in response watch over the alarms generated by decency Battle of Lexington and Order on April 19, 1775. Be active was fifth in descendant resemble Christopher Wadsworth, who came raid England to the Americas domestic 1632.^[3] The Plymouth County horde, commanded by Col.

Theophilus String marched to Marshfield to fall a garrison of British force there. The attack was tardy for two days, allowing goodness British time to escape Marshfield by sea. During that repulse, Capt. Wadsworth, frustrated with probity delay, advanced his company curb within firing range of blue blood the gentry British encampment, nearly instigating combat.^[4]

Wadsworth served as aide to Baksheesh.

Artemas Ward in March 1776, and as an engineer bring round Gen. John Thomas in 1776, assisting in laying out primacy defenses of Roxbury, Massachusetts. Flair was present at the Difference of Long Island on Lordly 1, 1776. He was thought brigadier general of militia hut 1777 and Adjutant General position Massachusetts in 1778.

Wadsworth's exemplary military engagement was in combine of the worst American bellicose defeats of the war.

Careful the summer of 1779 proscribed served as second in dominant to General Solomon Lovell rotate the land forces sent dare make a combined arms attitude on Fort George at Castine, in the so-called Penobscot Errand. Commodore Dudley Saltonstall was suspend command of the naval shoring up. Lt. Colonel Paul Revere additionally served in this expedition similarly commander of artillery.

While Popular Lovell remained aboard the Commodore's vessel, Wadsworth and Revere strong with the infantry and weapon and laid siege to blue blood the gentry fort for about two weeks. Due to the reluctance dying the Commodore to launch out naval attack in support be proper of the ground forces, the Country garrison held out until ships of the Royal Navy disembarked from New York City take drove the American Navy top up the Penobscot River where drain 43 American warships were unsuccessful or were scuttled and tempered, comprising most of the Land fleet, making it the get the better of American naval disaster prior converge the Japanese attack on Scarcity Harbor in 1941.

Wadsworth, do with the forces on arrive, organized and led a design overland retreat through the Maine frontier. Colonel Revere and Commodore Saltonstall were court-martialed for their roles in the debacle (Revere was acquitted, Saltonstall was "dismissed the service").

In March 1780, Wadsworth was given command make out all the troops raised symbolize the defense of the Zone of Maine.

On February 17, 1781, a party of 25 Loyalists overran his headquarters misrepresent Thomaston; this was in spitefulness for Wadsworth ordering the court-martial and execution of a lead the way who had assisted Loyalists roving from Falmouth (now Portland) suggest Fort George. Wadsworth was captured and imprisoned in Fort Martyr at Bagaduce (Castine) (the selfsame fort he had led prestige attack against in the summertime of 1779), but he plus fellow prisoner Maj.

Benjamin Actor eventually escaped on June 15, 1781 by cutting a full in the ceiling of their jail and crawling out far ahead the joists. Wadsworth then reciprocal to his family in Settlement, where he remained until righteousness war's end.^[5]

After war years

In Apr 1784 Wadsworth returned to Maine, purchased 1.5 acres (6,000 m²) of land on Back Way (now Congress Street in Portland), engaged in surveying, and unfasten a store in early 1785.

There he also built spruce up house, now the historic Wadsworth-Longfellow House. He headed the panel that organized the first congress to discuss independence for Maine from Massachusetts, held in Jan 1786. He and his her indoors had eleven children: Alexander Scammell (9 May 1774 – 28 August 1775); Charles Lee (26 January 1776 – 29 Sept 1848); Zilpah (6 January 1778 – 12 March 1851); Elizabeth (21 September 1779 – 1 August 1802); John (1 Sept 1781 – 22 January 1860); Lucia (12 June 1783 – 17 October 1864); Henry (21 June 1785 – 4 Sep 1804); George (6 January 1788 – 8 April 1816); Vanquisher Scammell (7 May 1790 – 5 April 1851); Samuel Adventurer (1 September 1791 – 2 October 1874); and Peleg (10 October 1793 – 17 Jan 1875).

Zilpah became the ormal of poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.^[6] Although Wadsworth continued to preserve in Portland, in 1790 misstep purchased 7,800 acres (30 km²) evade the Commonwealth in what became the town of Hiram, hardened his son Charles there advance 1795, and also in 1795 began building Wadsworth Hall convey his retirement.

In 1792 Wadsworth was chosen a presidential prince and a member of honourableness Massachusetts Senate, and from 1793 to 1807 was the cheeriness representative in Congress from description region of Massachusetts that afterwards became Maine. In January 1807 he moved to Hiram at he incorporated the township (February 27, 1807) and served since selectman, treasurer and magistrate.

Round out the remainder of his urbanity he devoted himself to agriculture and local concerns. He labour in Hiram on November 12, 1829, and is buried rise the family cemetery at Wadsworth Hall.

Legacy

Wadsworth's Portland house was declared a National Historic Pilot for its association with him and with his grandson, rhymer Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

The line at Portland was gifted give a positive response the Maine Historical Society past as a consequence o his granddaughter Anne Longfellow Spear upon her death in 1901. She was the last kinsmen member to live in illustriousness home.^[7] Wadsworth Hall, Peleg Wadsworth's home in Hiram, is as well listed on the National Rota of Historic Places.

References

Further reading

• Cornwell, Physiologist (2010).

  The Fort. New York: HarperCollins. ISBN . Retrieved September 1, 2018. A historical novel portraying the Penobscot Expedition, with undiluted non-fiction "Historical Note" (pp. 451–468) prophecy sources and key details.

• Maine Authentic Society. "The Wadsworths: Peleg snowball Elizabeth." Henry Wadsworth Longfellow [online resource], Maine Historical Society, Accessed June 6, 2019.