Researching the American Revolution

Your source for information on the American War of Independence

Major Generals

Overview of the General Staff

Taaffe, Stephen R. Washington’s Revolutionary War Generals. Campaigns and Commanders, volume 68. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2019.

Selection, promotion and performance of Revolutionary War generals is a critically under researched aspect of the Rebellion. In his second book on the Revolutionary War, Stephen R. Taaffe rectifies this gap in scholarship with his evaluation of the Continental Congress’s promotion decisions and the strategic and tactical performance of the Continental Army generals. Professor Taaffe’s ambitious volume is the first book on the politics among the generals and the politics between the generals and Congress since the 1975 controversial volume, The Politics of Command in the American Revolution by Jonathan Gregory Rossie.[i] While Rossie focused much of his work on the three-year running dispute between Generals Horatio Gates and Philip Schuyler, Taaffe takes on a more difficult remit by providing a more comprehensive view of the politics and evaluation of the generals throughout the entire eight-year conflict. This fast-paced, engaging book is divided into six chapters along with introductory and concluding sections. Throughout, the reader is provided with attention-grabbing statistical data on the age, home state and number of generals by rank. One of the book’s best features is the incisive conclusions provided at the end of each chapter.

[i] Jonathan Gregory Rossie, The Politics of Command in the American Revolution, 1st ed (Syracuse, N.Y: Syracuse University Press, 1975). Rossie has been criticized as unduly anti-Schuyler and pro-Gates.  In addition, there are reported gaps in his scholarship.

Overview Biographies

Billias, George Athan, ed. George Washington’s Generals and Opponents: Their Exploits and Leadership. 1st Da Capo Press ed. New York: Da Capo Press, 1994.

Blanchard, Amos. The American Biography : Containing Biographical Sketches of the Officers of the Revolution, and of the Principal Statesmen of That Period, to Which Are Added the Life and Character of Benedict Arnold, and the Narrative of Major Andre. Wheeling, WV: Kenyon, 1833.

Broadwater, Robert P. American Generals of the Revolutionary War: A Biographical Dictionary. Jefferson: McFarland, 2012.

Griswold, Rufus, William Gilmore Simms, and Edward D Ingraham. Washington and the Generals of the American Revolution. Philadelphia: Carey and Hart, 1847.

Headley, J.T. Washington and His Generals. Home Library. New York: A. L. Burt Company, n.d.

Journal Articles

For a comparison of the prior military experience of the British generals as compared with the Patriot generals, see an article entitled Revolutionary Rookies in the Journal of the American Revolution.

Personal Honor and Promotion Among Revolutionary Generals and Congress

Slavery through the Eyes of Revolutionary Generals

Major Generals Comparative Data

Full-length biographies of the twenty-nine major generals are relatively few. For each of the major generals, I have compiled a list of the published biographies as well as repository sources for memoirs and papers. In addition to the sources cited, researchers should consult with the David library of the American Revolution, theGeorge Washington papers, and Founders on line for additional documents.

The major generals are listed in order of senority.  The major generals highly coveted seniority and jealously guarded its priviledges.

Rank and Promotion Information

The average number of years served as a major general is 3.7 years with 5.3 total years of service.  The dates of service by rank for the twenty-nine Continental Army major generals are found in the link below.

Continental Army Major Generals Dates of Service

Remonstrances to Congress for higher pay and expenses

Rank

Signed

July 11, 1789

July 11, 1789

July 11, 1789

Service End

Served to

General

November 15, 1779

Nov Letter

July 11, 1780 Rank

Signed to Congress

Signed instructions

Signed to committee

Date

the End

Charles Lee

MG

On Arrest

Dismissed

Israel Putnam

MG

Y

Disabled

Inctive to end

Horatio Gates

MG

y

South

End

William Heath

MG

y

Boston

End

John Sullivan

MG

Y

Resigned 11/30/79

Nathaniel Greene

MG

y

Y

Y

y

End

Benedict Arnold

MG

On Arrest

ontemplating turncoat

In philly

9/25/80

William Alexander

MG

y

Y

Y

y

Died 1/1783

Arthus St. Clair

MG

y

Y

Y

y

End

Benjamin Lincoln

MG

South

Captured

End

Paul J. G. de M. Lafayette

MG

In France

y

End

John De Kalb

MG

y

South

died 1780

Robert Howe

MG

y

Y

Y

End

Alexander McDougall

MG

y

y

y

y

End

Frederick W. A. Steuben

MG

y

Y

Y

End

William Thompson

Brig. Gen

Capture

Captured

9/3/81

John Nixon

Brig. Gen

y

9/12/80

Arthur St. Clair

Brig. Gen

y

End

Samuel H. Parsons

Brig. Gen

y

Y BY PROXY

Y BY PROXY

End

James Clinton

Brig. Gen

y

Y

Y

End

William Moultrie

Brig. Gen

South

Captured

Y

`End

Lachlan McIntosh

Brig. Gen

South

Captured

End

William Maxwell

Brig. Gen

y

Y

Y

Y

7/25/80

William Smallwood

Brig. Gen

y

End

Henry Knox

Brig. Gen

y

Y

Y

End

Enoch Poor

Brig. Gen

y

Y

Y

9/8/80

Died

John Glover

Brig. Gen

y

7/22/82

John Patterson

Brig. Gen

y

Y

Y

End

Anthony Wayne

Brig. Gen

y

Y

Y

y

End

John P. De Haas

Brig. Gen

Philly

Without assignment

Brevet MG on 9/30/80

William Woodford

Brig. Gen

y

Captured

11/13/80

Died

Peter Muhlenberg

Brig. Gen

y

End

George Weedon

Brig. Gen

Miliia

Militia

End

George Clinton

Brig. Gen

NY Gov.

NY Gov.

End

Edward Hand

Brig. Gen

Y

Y

Y

Y

End

Charles Scott

Brig. Gen

South

Captured

End

Jedediah Huntington

Brig. Gen

y

Y

Y

End

John Stark

Brig. Gen

Northern

Northern

End

Louis L. Duportail

Brig. Gen

South

Captured

End

Jethro Sumner

Brig. Gen

South

South

End

James Hogun

Brig. Gen

Philly

Captured

1/4/81

Issac Huger

Brig. Gen

South

South

End

Mordecai Gist

Brig. Gen

y

End

Williarm Irvine

Brig. Gen

y

Y

Y

y

End

Slave Ownership

Not counting George Washington, there were twenty-nine major generals, of which twenty-three lived before or after the war in the United States.  Over half of these major generals owned slaves, which is a bit lower in proportion to the slave owning signers of the Declaration of Independence. While certainly a much lower percentage, it is less certain the proportions of the major generals who advocated ending slavery.

Major General State Slave Owner No of Slaves Anti Slavery Views Last Will and Testament
Artemus Ward MA No
Charles Lee VA Yes ? Yes, sold
Philip Schuyler NY Yes 13 Silent
Israel Putnam CT No Bought freedom for a slave encountered in 1763
Richard Montgomery NY Yes ? Left slaves to heirs
John Thomas MA No
Horatio Gates VA Yes ? May have had a change of heart after the war Sold with some manumission
William Heath MA No yes
Joseph Spencer CT No
John Sullivan NH Yes 1 Slaves not mentioned in his final inventory
Nathaniel Greene RI Yes ? No mention of slaves, just property
Benedict Arnold CT No
William Alexander NJ Indentured No mention of slavery
Arthus St. Clair PA No Yes
Adam Stephen VA Yes 30 Left to heirs
Benjamin Lincoln MA Yes 1 May have had a change of heart after the war
Robert Howe NC Yes 30 Destitude at death
Alexander McDougall NY Yes 1
Frederick W. A. Steuben NY No No mention of Slavery
William Smallwood MD Yes 56 Destitude at death
Samual Parsons CT No Partially
Henry Knox MA No
William Moultrie SC Yes 200 Destutude at death
Foreign Volunteers who returned home or died in service
Thomas Mifflin
Paul J. G. de M. Lafayette
Philip De Coudray
John De Kalb
Thomas Conway
Louis L. Duportail
No=10
Yes=12
I=1