David Forman (November 3, 1745 – September 12, 1797) was an American Continental soldier from New Jersey 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 ...

Early life

Forman was born in Englishtown in Monmouth County,

Province of New Jersey The Province of New Jersey was one of the Middle Colonies of Colonial history of the United States, Colonial America and became the U.S. state of New Jersey in 1776. The province had originally been settled by Europeans as part of New Netherla ...

, to Joseph Forman and Elizabeth Lee. His father was a wealthy shipowner and he was educated at

Princeton Princeton University is a private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the Unit ...

American Revolution

At the start of the

he rallied to the patriot cause and was appointed lieutenant colonel of a New Jersey state regiment. When his commander assumed command of the brigade, he was promoted

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 regiment during the

New York and New Jersey Campaign The New York and New Jersey campaign in 1776 and the winter months of 1777 was a series of American Revolutionary War battles for control of the Port of New York and New Jersey, Port of New York and the state of New Jersey, fought between Kingdom ...

in 1776. At the time of the battles of Trenton and

Forman's regiment waged a merciless war against the

American Loyalists Loyalists were refugee colonists from thirteen of the 20 British American colonies who remained loyal to the British crown during the American Revolution, often referred to as Tories, Royalists, or King's Men at the time. They were opposed by ...

of Monmouth County. Then and later he became known as "Devil David" or "Black David" for his zeal in suppressing the local Tories. In January 1777, the

Continental Congress The Continental Congress was a series of legislature, legislative bodies, with some executive function, for the Thirteen Colonies of British America, Great Britain in North America, and the newly declared United States before, during, and after ...

authorized him to raise

Forman's Additional Continental Regiment Forman's Additional Continental Regiment was an American infantry unit that served for little more than two years during the American Revolutionary War. Authorized on 11 January 1777, the unit was recruited from southern New Jersey and Maryland. ...

with the rank of colonel in 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 ...

. In March 1777 he was promoted brigadier general of New Jersey militia. He led a militia brigade in an unsuccessful attack at Germantown in October 1777. He resigned his general's commission because of political troubles but continued to assist the revolutionary cause. At the

Battle of Monmouth The Battle of Monmouth, also known as the Battle of Monmouth Court House, was fought near the Village of Monmouth Court House, New Jersey, Monmouth Court House in modern-day Freehold Borough, New Jersey and Manalapan, New Jersey, Manalapan, on J ...

he served on the staff of Charles Lee as an adviser. When local guides failed to appear on time, he directed the vanguard on the correct route. When

Charles Hector, comte d'Estaing Jean Baptiste Charles Henri Hector, Count of Estaing (24 November 1729 – 28 April 1794) was a French military officer and writer. He began his service as a soldier in the War of the Austrian Succession, briefly spending time as a prisoner of wa ...

's French fleet appeared off the coast soon afterward, Forman stepped in as a liaison between the French and

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

. His regiment was absorbed by

Spencer's Additional Continental Regiment Spencer's Additional Continental Regiment, sometimes referred to as the 5th New Jersey Regiment, was an American infantry unit that served for four years in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. The Continental Congress au ...

in April 1779. He organized a system of outposts on the coast in 1780 that reported British and French ship movements. This information was passed on to Washington. Late in the war, he played a small role in the Asgill Affair.

Association of Retaliation

Forman was the leader of the "Association of Retaliation," a vigilante group that persecuted

Loyalists Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cr ...

during the American Revolution. Forman established the Retaliators, in 1780, to act as a shadow government to the duly elected county representatives. The Retaliators were largely centered around Monmouth County and faced much aggression from a rival faction of Loyalists, known as the "Board of Associated Loyalists."

Career

Toward the end of the American Revolution and after the end of the war, he was a judge of the Monmouth County Court of Common Pleas, which he was first elected to in 1781. He was a member of the New Jersey State Council from 1780 to 1785.

Personal life

After the war he had portraits done by James Sharples and in about 1784 by

Charles Willson Peale Charles Willson Peale (April 15, 1741 – February 22, 1827) was an American painter, military officer, scientist, and naturalist. In 1775, inspired by the American Revolution, Peale moved from his native Maryland to Philadelphia, where he set ...

. He and his wife Ann Marsh had eleven children; of these only five daughters survived him. A slaveowner, he bought a property at

Natchez, Mississippi Natchez ( ) is the only city in and the county seat of Adams County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 14,520 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located on the Mississippi River across from Vidalia, Louisiana, Natchez was ...

and sent 60 of his slaves to work there in 1789. He was admitted as an honorary and then original member of The

Society of the Cincinnati The Society of the Cincinnati is a lineage society, fraternal, hereditary society founded in 1783 to commemorate the American Revolutionary War that saw the creation of the United States. Membership is largely restricted to descendants of milita ...

in the state of New Jersey and served as Vice President of the New Jersey Society from 1791 to 1793. He was also a freemason and member of Trinity Lodge #3 in Freehold, New Jersey. In 1794, he moved to Maryland. In 1796 he traveled to Natchez where he had a debilitating stroke the following spring. He took a ship home, but it was captured by a British privateer and brought into

The Bahamas The Bahamas, officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic and island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean. It contains 97 per cent of the archipelago's land area and 88 per cent of ...

where he died on September 12, 1797.

References

Notes

* * * * *

External links

The Society of the Cincinnati

The American Revolution Institute
{{DEFAULTSORT:Forman, David 1745 births 1797 deaths Continental Army officers from New Jersey People from colonial New Jersey People from Monmouth County, New Jersey Militia generals in the American Revolution Patriots in the American Revolution Burials at Old Tennent Cemetery