Abraham Drake (December 4, 1715 – August 1, 1781) was an officer in the

New Hampshire New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

militia that served with the

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies representing the Thirteen Colonies and later the United States during the American Revolutionary War. It was formed on June 14, 1775, by a resolution passed by the Second Continental Co ...

during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

Biography

Drake was born in

Hampton, New Hampshire Hampton is a New England town, town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 16,214 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. On the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast, Hampton is ho ...

to Abraham Drake and his wife, Theodate Roby. Abraham Drake married Abigail Weare, the sister of future New Hampshire "president"

Meshech Weare Meshech Weare (June 16, 1713January 14, 1786) was an American farmer, lawyer, and statesman from Seabrook and Hampton Falls, New Hampshire. He served as the first president of New Hampshire. Before 1784 the position of governor was referred t ...

, on January 13, 1738. They had two children before her death in 1740. On November 25, 1742, Abraham Drake remarried to Abigail Dearborn and together they would have thirteen children. During the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War, 1754 to 1763, was a colonial conflict in North America between Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of France, France, along with their respective Native Americans in the United States, Native American ...

, he served as a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

and, later, as a

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

in the

Dragoon Dragoons were originally a class of mounted infantry, who used horses for mobility, but dismounted to fight on foot. From the early 17th century onward, dragoons were increasingly also employed as conventional cavalry and trained for combat wi ...

company of Majo
Thomas Tash
battalion of the

New Hampshire Provincial Regiment The New Hampshire Provincial Regiment was a provincial military regiment made up of men from the New Hampshire Militia during the French and Indian War for service with the British Army in North America. It was first formed in 1754 with the sta ...

. With the start of the

in 1775 and 1776, Abraham Drake was Lt. Col. in Jonathan Moulton's 3rd New Hampshire Militia Regiment that guarded the

seacoast from

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

attack. In 1777, he was promoted to

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

of the 2nd New Hampshire Militia Regiment and commanded them during the

Saratoga Campaign The Saratoga campaign in 1777 was an attempt by the British to gain military control of the strategically important Hudson River valley during the American Revolutionary War. It ended in the surrender of a British army, which historian Edmund M ...

, serving in Ebenezer Learned's brigade. Later, he served as a delegate to the New Hampshire Provincial Congress. Col. Abraham Drake died on August 1, 1781.

References

State Builders: An Illustrated Historical and Biographical Record of the State of New Hampshire. State Builders Publishing Manchester, NH 1903
1715 births 1781 deaths People from colonial New Hampshire People of New Hampshire in the French and Indian War New Hampshire militiamen in the American Revolution People of New Hampshire in the American Revolution People from Hampton, New Hampshire {{NewHampshire-stub