Ebenezer Huntington (December 26, 1754 – June 17, 1834) was an officer in the Continental Army 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 a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of ...

, and afterwards

United States Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together the ...

from

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

Early life

Ebenezer was born on December 26, 1754, in

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the Episcopal see, See of ...

in the

Connecticut Colony The ''Connecticut Colony'' or ''Colony of Connecticut'', originally known as the Connecticut River Colony or simply the River Colony, was an English colony in New England which later became Connecticut. It was organized on March 3, 1636 as a settl ...

Jabez Jabez or Jabes is a character in the biblical Books of Chronicles. Jabez may also refer to: Mononym * Eric Nicol (1919–2011), Canadian author, wrote under the pen-name "Jabez" Given name People *Jabez Balfour (1843–1916), British businessma ...

and Hannah (Williams) Huntington. His brothers were Joshua (who also served during the Revolution) and Zachariah. His half brothers were Jedediah and Andrew, whose mother Elizabeth (Backus) Huntington died in 1746. The Backuses were a prominent family from the area whose heirs would found Backus Hospital. Ebenezer attended

Yale College Yale College is the undergraduate college of Yale University. Founded in 1701, it is the original school of the university. Although other Yale schools were founded as early as 1810, all of Yale was officially known as Yale College until 1887, ...

, leaving without permission on April 21, 1775. After communication with the college, he would receive his degree on August 8 of the same year. He would later receive an honorary

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

from

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher ...

and in 1785,

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. ...

from both colleges.

Military service

After leaving Yale, Ebenezer arrived in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the capital city, state capital and List of municipalities in Massachusetts, most populous city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financ ...

, where he received an appointment as a

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a ...

in Captain Chester's Company of General Joseph's

2nd Connecticut Regiment The 2nd Connecticut Regiment was a regiment in the Continental Army during the American Revolution. It is not to be confused with the 2nd Connecticut Volunteer Infantry Regiment which served during the American Civil War. History The 2nd Con ...

. He participated in the

Siege of Boston The siege of Boston (April 19, 1775 – March 17, 1776) was the opening phase of the American Revolutionary War. New England militiamen prevented the movement by land of the British Army, which was garrisoned in what was then the peninsular tow ...

until its close, when he marched with General Washington to

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. In May 1776, he was promoted to captain and fought in the

Battle of Long Island The Battle of Long Island, also known as the Battle of Brooklyn and the Battle of Brooklyn Heights, was an action of the American Revolutionary War fought on August 27, 1776, at the western edge of Long Island in present-day Brooklyn, New Yo ...

on August 27 under Colonel Samuel Wyllys. By the end of the battle, he was promoted to

brigade major A brigade major was the chief of staff of a brigade in the British Army. They most commonly held the rank of major, although the appointment was also held by captains, and was head of the brigade's "G - Operations and Intelligence" section dire ...

under Brigadier General

Samuel Holden Parsons Samuel Holden Parsons (May 14, 1737 – November 17, 1789) was an American lawyer, jurist, generalHeitman, ''Officers of the Continental Army'', 428. in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, and a pioneer to the Ohio Count ...

. The regiment suffered significant casualties in Long Island. On October 26, 1776, he was temporarily promoted to Deputy Adjutant General under Major General Heath in defense of the Highlands and also served as Deputy Paymaster. In January 1777 he was promoted to major of Webb's Additional Continental Regiment which was part of Major General

Israel Putnam Israel Putnam (January 7, 1718 – May 29, 1790), popularly known as "Old Put", was an American military officer and landowner who fought with distinction at the Battle of Bunker Hill during the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783). He als ...

's division. During the summer of 1778, he participated in the

Battle of Rhode Island The Battle of Rhode Island (also known as the Battle of Quaker Hill) took place on August 29, 1778. Continental Army and Militia forces under the command of Major General John Sullivan had been besieging the British forces in Newport, Rhode Is ...

, where he took temporary command of the regiment. He was promoted to lieutenant colonel of the regiment in October 1778. Under his command, the unit fought in the Battle of Springfield in 1780 in

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York (state), New York; on the ea ...

. Now a lieutenant colonel, he was given command of a light infantry regiment and marched with Washington to Yorktown, where he witnessed the surrender of

Cornwallis Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis, (31 December 1738 – 5 October 1805), styled Viscount Brome between 1753 and 1762 and known as the Earl Cornwallis between 1762 and 1792, was a British Army general and official. In the United ...

. He is represented in the painting by

John Trumbull John Trumbull (June 6, 1756November 10, 1843) was an American artist of the early independence period, notable for his historical paintings of the American Revolutionary War, of which he was a veteran. He has been called the "Painter of the Re ...

as one of the American officers. He remained on duty with his troops until the unit was disbanded in May 1783 and was admitted shortly thereafter as an original member of The

Society of the Cincinnati The Society of the Cincinnati is a 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 military officers wh ...

in the state of Connecticut.

After the war

Ebenezer Huntington retired from the Army to pursue a career in merchandise. But in 1792, he was appointed a general by the

Governor of Connecticut The governor of Connecticut is the head of government of Connecticut, and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Conne ...

, Samuel Huntington, to be the

Adjutant General An adjutant general is a military chief administrative officer. France In Revolutionary France, the was a senior staff officer, effectively an assistant to a general officer. It was a special position for lieutenant-colonels and colonels in staf ...

after Congress passed an act in 1792 authorizing the states to maintain a militia. He held the position for the next 30 years under seven different governors. On July 19, 1798, he was commissioned a brigadier general in the United States Army when it was expanded during the Quasi War with France. He was discharged on June 15, 1800, when the Army was reduced at the end of hostilities.

Political career

Concurrently, while serving as the state's Adjutant General, Ebenezer twice served as a member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together the ...

Connecticut's At-large congressional district During the first twenty-four Congresses (from 1789 to 1837), Connecticut elected all its Representatives in Congress from a single multi-member Connecticut at-large congressional district. Connecticut elected a varying number of representatives ...

. His first tenure was for less than five months, when he filled the vacancy created when Samuel W. Dana was appointed to the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and ...

to complete the term of James Hillhouse who had resigned. He would serve again as the at-large congressman five years later, when he was elected as a

Federalist The term ''federalist'' describes several political beliefs around the world. It may also refer to the concept of parties, whose members or supporters called themselves ''Federalists''. History Europe federation In Europe, proponents of de ...

in November 1816, beginning his term on March 4, 1817. He would only serve one term.

Personal life

Ebenezer Huntington was married twice. He first married Sarah Isham of

Colchester Colchester ( ) is a city in Essex, in the East of England. It had a population of 122,000 in 2011. The demonym is Colcestrian. Colchester occupies the site of Camulodunum, the first major city in Roman Britain and its first capital. Colc ...

on December 10, 1791, with whom he had one son, Alfred Isham Huntington. Sarah died in 1793. Ebenezer married Lucretia Mary McClellan of

Woodstock Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held during August 15–18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, United States, southwest of the town of Woodstock, New York, Woodstock. ...

on October 7, 1795. They had nine children: Wolcott (b. August 20, 1796), Louisa Mary (b. February 20, 1798), George Washington (b, November 22, 1799), Nancy (b. April 6, 1803), Walter (b. November 11, 1804), Sarah (b. May 1, 1806), Elizabeth (b. August 24, 1808) and Maria (b. December 13, 1810). Lucretia died on November 5, 1819. General Huntington died on June 17, 1834.

Dates of rank

*1st Lieutenant,

- September 8, 1775 *1st Lieutenant,

22nd Continental Regiment The 22nd Continental Regiment was formed on 1 January 1776 when the 2nd Connecticut Regt (1775) of Spencer's Brigade in the Main Continental Army was re-designated. On 12 August 1776 Spencer's Brigade was re-designated as Parson's Brigade and on ...

- January 1, 1776 *Captain, 22nd Continental Regiment - May 1776 *Brigade Major to Brigadier General Parsons - August 1776 *Major, Webb's Additional Continental Regiment - January 1, 1777 *Lieutenant Colonel, Webb's Additional Continental Regiment - October 10, 1778 *Lieutenant Colonel,

3rd Connecticut Regiment The 3rd Connecticut Regiment was authorized on 16 September 1776 and was organized between 1 January - April 1777 of eight companies of volunteers from the counties of Windham and Hartford in the state of Connecticut. On 3 April 1777 it was as ...

- January 1, 1781 *Lieutenant Colonel,

1st Connecticut Regiment The 1st Connecticut Regiment was a unit of the Continental Army, and was involved in the American Revolutionary War. The regiment was initially formed in 1776, and was active in various forms until 1783. 1776–1780 The 1st Connecticut Regiment ...

- January 1, 1783 *Lieutenant Colonel,

Swift's Connecticut Battalion JBS USA Holdings, Inc. is an American food processing company and a wholly owned subsidiary of the multinational company JBS S.A. The subsidiary was created when JBS entered the U.S. market in 2007 with its purchase of Swift & Company. JBS speci ...

- June 1783 *Retired - November 3, 1783 *Brigadier General, United States Army - July 19, 1798 *Resigned - June 15, 1800

References

*Sage, Henry W. ''Letters written by Ebenezer Huntington''. Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Library, 1891 Retrieved on 2008-04-07 *Purcell, L. Edward. ''Who Was Who in the American Revolution''. New York: Facts on File, 1993. . *

External links

The Society of the Cincinnati

The American Revolution Institute
{{DEFAULTSORT:Huntington, Ebenezer 1754 births 1834 deaths People of colonial Connecticut Continental Army officers from Connecticut Military personnel from Norwich, Connecticut Yale College alumni Federalist Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Connecticut Connecticut Adjutant Generals