Daniel Morgan

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Daniel Morgan bigraphy, stories - Was an American general in the Revolution

Daniel Morgan : biography

July 6, 1736 – July 6, 1802

Daniel Morgan (July 6, 1736 – July 6, 1802) was an American pioneer, soldier, and United States Representative from Virginia. One of the most gifted battlefield tacticians of the American Revolutionary War, he later commanded troops during the suppression of the Whiskey Rebellion.

After the Revolution

Spartanburg, South Carolina]]

Morgan Square in Spartanburg

North Daniel Morgan Avenue sign in Spartanburg

After Morgan returned home to Charles Town, he turned his attention to investing in land, rather than clearing it, and eventually built an estate of more than . As part of his settling down in 1782, he joined the Presbyterian Church and built a new house near Winchester, Virginia. He named the home Saratoga after his victory in New York. The Congress awarded him a gold medal in 1790 to commemorate his victory at Cowpens.

In 1794 he was briefly recalled to national service to help suppress the Whiskey Rebellion. Serving under General "Light-Horse Harry" Lee, Morgan led one wing of the militia army into Western Pennsylvania.Higginbotham, pp. 189–91. The massive show of force brought an end to the protests without a shot being fired. After the uprising had been suppressed, Morgan commanded the remnant of the army that remained for a time in Pennsylvania.Higginbotham, pp. 193–98.

Morgan ran for election to the United States House of Representatives twice as a Federalist. He lost in 1794, but won next time to serve a term from 1797 to 1799. He died in 1802 at his daughter’s home in Winchester on his 66th birthday. Daniel Morgan was buried in Old Stone Presbyterian Church graveyard. The body was moved to the Mt. Hebron Cemetery in Winchester, Virginia, after the American Civil War.

Footnotes

Early years

Most authorities believe that Morgan was born in Hunterdon County, New Jersey. All four of his grandparents were Welsh immigrants who lived in Pennsylvania., Genealogy, accessed November 12, 2011. Morgan was the fifth of seven children of James Morgan (1702–1782) and Eleanor Lloyd (1706–1748). When Morgan was 17, he left home following a fight with his father. After working at odd jobs in Pennsylvania, he moved to the Shenandoah Valley. He finally settled on the Virginia frontier, near what is now Winchester, Virginia.

He worked clearing land, in a sawmill, and as a teamster. In just a year, he saved enough to buy his own team. Morgan had served as a civilian teamster during the French and Indian War. After returning from the advance on Fort Duquesne (Pittsburgh) by General Braddock’s command, he was punished with 499 lashes (a usually fatal sentence) for punching his superior officer. Morgan thus acquired a hatred for the British Army.

He later served as a rifleman in the Provincial forces assigned to protect the western border settlements from French-backed Indian raids. Some time after the end of the war, he purchased a farm situated between Winchester and Battletown. By 1774, he had grown so prosperous that he owned ten slaves.Higginbotham p.13-15 That year he served in Dunmore’s War taking part in raids on Shawnee villages in the Ohio Country.

American Revolution

After the American Revolutionary War began at the Battles of Lexington and Concord in 1775, the Continental Congress created the Continental Army. They called for the formation of 10 rifle companies from the middle colonies to support the Siege of Boston, and late in June 1775 Virginia agreed to send two. The Virginia House of Burgesses chose Daniel Morgan to form one of these companies and serve as its commander with the rank of captain. Morgan had served as an officer in the Virginia Colonial Militia since the French and Indian War. He recruited 96 men in 10 days and assembled them at Winchester on July 14. He then marched them to Boston, Massachusetts in only 21 days, arriving on Aug. 6, 1775.McCullough, David. 1776 (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2005) p. 38 He led this outstanding group of marksmen nicknamed "Morgan’s Riflemen." What set Morgans Riflemen apart from other companies was the technology they had with their rifles. They had rifle barrels with thin walls and curved grooves inside the barrels which made them light and much more accurate than the British muskets. Morgan used this advantage to initiate guerrilla tactics by which he first killed the Indian guides the British used to find their way through the rugged terrain and also to kill the British officers that led the troops. While this tactic was viewed as dishonorable by the British elites, it was in fact an extremely effective method that created chaos and discord for the British Army.