Elijah Wadsworth (November 14, 1747 – December 30, 1817) was a captain in 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 ...

and a major general in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

. He was a prominent military officer, Ohio pioneer, local organizer and leader, and wealthy land speculator.

Family

Elijah Wadsworth was born in

Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...

on November 14, 1747, a member of the wealthy and prominent

Wadsworth Wadsworth may refer to: People * Wadsworth (given name) * Wadsworth (surname) Places * Wadsworth, Illinois, United States, a village * Wadsworth, Kansas, United States * Wadsworth, Nevada, United States, a census-designated place * Wadswort ...

family of Connecticut and a descendant of one of the founders of Hartford, William Wadsworth. Elijah was the son of Joseph Wadsworth, III and Elizabeth Cook. His father was the grandson of Captain Joseph Wadsworth of

Charter Oak The Charter Oak was an enormous Quercus alba, white oak tree growing on Wyllys Hill in Hartford, Connecticut, from around the 12th or 13th century until it fell during a storm in 1856. Connecticut colonists hid Connecticut Constitutional Histor ...

fame. His son

Frederick Wadsworth Frederick Elijah Wadsworth (March 7, 1786 in Litchfield, Connecticut – February 3, 1869 in Edinburg Township, Ohio) was an Ohio militia officer, businessman, banker, and politician. Family Frederick was born in 1786 at the family home in L ...

later became the Mayor of Akron. Elijah married Rhoda Hopkins in 1780, and the two had five children together.

Revolutionary War

Elijah was a resident of

Litchfield, Connecticut Litchfield is a town in and former county seat of Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 8,192 at the 2020 census. The town is part of the Northwest Hills Planning Region. The boroughs of Bantam and Litchfield are ...

at the outbreak of the

. He immediately volunteered after news of the

Battle of Bunker Hill The Battle of Bunker Hill was fought on June 17, 1775, during the Siege of Boston in the first stage of the American Revolutionary War. The battle is named after Bunker Hill in Charlestown, Boston, Charlestown, Massachusetts, which was peri ...

. During this time he became friends with Colonel Elisha Sheldon and became a co-founder of Sheldon's Horse, also known as the 2nd Continental Light Dragoons. The two remained friends for the rest of their lives, staying in contact with one another long after the close of the war. Elijah served in this regiment from its founding until the surrender of the British as the

Battle of Yorktown The siege of Yorktown, also known as the Battle of Yorktown and the surrender at Yorktown, was the final battle of the American Revolutionary War. It was won decisively by the Continental Army, led by George Washington, with support from the Mar ...

in 1781. During his time in the regiment, Wadsworth earned the rank of

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 ...

and served directly underneath Major

Benjamin Tallmadge Benjamin Tallmadge (February 25, 1754 – March 7, 1835) was an American military officer, spymaster, and politician. He is best known for his service as an officer in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He acted as lead ...

. He would have seen action on several battlefields, including the battles of

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...

Monmouth Monmouth ( or ; ) is a market town and community (Wales), community in Monmouthshire, Wales, situated on where the River Monnow joins the River Wye, from the Wales–England border. The population in the 2011 census was 10,508, rising from 8 ...

, and Yorktown. He would have been ordered to provide escorts of French and other officers to

General George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot forces to victory in the American Revolutionary War agai ...

as well as serving as a troop commander for other dragoons. It is highly likely that he witnessed the

Benedict Arnold Benedict Arnold (#Brandt, Brandt (1994), p. 4June 14, 1801) was an American-born British military officer who served during the American Revolutionary War. He fought with distinction for the American Continental Army and rose to the rank of ...

plot and the death of Major John Andre in 1780. Wadsworth would have been serving as a bodyguard for Washington during this time and it is possible that he had been a part of the additional dragoons sent to secure the area while Andre remained in custody awaiting his trial and subsequent execution. At the end of the war, Elijah returned to his home in Litchfield, Connecticut where he had moved to in 1770. There he built a house of his own that was later sold to Dr. Lyman Beecher and was the birthplace of both

Henry Ward Beecher Henry Ward Beecher (June 24, 1813 – March 8, 1887) was an American Congregationalist clergyman, social reformer, and speaker, known for his support of the Abolitionism, abolition of slavery, his emphasis on God's love, and his 1875 adultery ...

and

Harriet Beecher Stowe Harriet Elisabeth Beecher Stowe (; June 14, 1811 – July 1, 1896) was an American author and Abolitionism in the United States, abolitionist. She came from the religious Beecher family and wrote the popular novel ''Uncle Tom's Cabin'' (185 ...

Ohio land speculator

He was a part owner of lands of the "

Connecticut Western Reserve The Connecticut Western Reserve was a portion of land claimed by the Colony of Connecticut and later by the state of Connecticut in what is now mostly the northeastern region of Ohio. Warren, Ohio was the Historic Capital in Trumbull County. T ...

" in Ohio, he being a member of the

Connecticut Land Company The Connecticut Company or Connecticut Land Company (est. 1795) was a post-colonial land speculation company formed in the late eighteenth century to survey and encourage settlement in the eastern parts of the newly chartered Connecticut Western ...

. He moved to Ohio in 1799 to survey his lands and lived at the village of

Warren, Ohio Warren is a city in Trumbull County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. The population was 39,201 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located along the Mahoning River, Warren lies approximately northwest of Youngstown, Ohio, Y ...

for some time. He moved to a portion of his properties at

Canfield, Ohio Canfield is a city in central Mahoning County, Ohio, United States. The population was 7,699 as of the 2020 census. It is a suburb surrounded by Canfield Township located at the intersection of U.S. Routes 62 and 224. It is part of the Youn ...

in October 1802 and made his permanent home there. He owned the largest share of the lands that became

Medina County, Ohio Medina County () is a county located in the northeastern region in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 182,470. Its county seat is Medina, and its largest city is Brunswick. The county was created in 1812 and la ...

. Though he never lived there, the city of

Wadsworth, Ohio Wadsworth is a city in Medina County, Ohio, United States. Founded on March 1, 1814, the city was named after General Elijah Wadsworth, a American Revolutionary War, Revolutionary War hero and War of 1812 officer who owned the largest share of the ...

was named in his honor. He was heavily involved in organizing the local government of that area and in the creation of its post offices, schools and militia. He was the Postmaster at Canfield for several years. In 1813 Elijah was a founding member and elected the first

Master Master, master's or masters may refer to: Ranks or titles In education: *Master (college), head of a college *Master's degree, a postgraduate or sometimes undergraduate degree in the specified discipline *Schoolmaster or master, presiding office ...

of Western Star Lodge #21 in Canfield, Ohio of the Free Masons of Ohio. The Lodge he founded is still active to this day in the greater Youngstown area. Prior to this he was a member of Erie Lodge of the Connecticut Grand Lodge in Warren, Ohio, which eventually became Old Erie Lodge #3 of Ohio when Ohio founded its own Grand Lodge. His was the first wood-frame house built in Ohio, just south of the green in Canfield. He was chosen Major General of the 4th Division of the State militia on January 7, 1804. He served in this capacity when the

broke out.

War of 1812

Under General Wadsworth's command the military infrastructure of

Northeast Ohio Northeast Ohio is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural region that comprises the northeastern counties of the U.S. state of Ohio. Definitions of the region consist of 16 to 23 counties between the southern shore of Lake Erie and the foothills ...

was built. He recruited and organized the 3,000-man militia and was responsible for the defense of one third of the state of Ohio. He ordered several forts and

blockhouse A blockhouse is a small fortification, usually consisting of one or more rooms with loopholes, allowing its defenders to fire in various directions. It is usually an isolated fort in the form of a single building, serving as a defensive stro ...

s built for the protection of its citizens. He ordered roads to be built and networked between them. He procured the munitions and supplies necessary for the maintenance of the militia. He commanded at the "Battle of the Peninsula" on September 10, 1812, at the mouth of the

Huron River The Huron River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed November 7, 2011 river in southeast Michigan, southeastern Michigan, rising out of the Huron Swamp in Springfie ...

. He had to resign his position in February 1814, before the war was seen through, due to his age and failing health. He died at his home in

on December 30, 1817 at the age of 70. In honor of General Elijah Hill Wadsworth's service during the War of 1812, a group of Daughters of the War of 1812 created a new chapter #472 of the United States Daughters of the War of 1812 with General Wadworth's name. This chapter holds regular meetings to this day in the Canfield/Poland area in honor of General Wadsworth and all veterans of the War of 1812.

References

* ''History of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley, Ohio'', Volume 1, by Joseph Green Butler, American Hist. Soc., Chicago, 1921 * ''Lossing's Pictorial Field Book of the War of 1812'' by Benson John Lossing * ''A History of the City of Cleveland: its Settlement, Rise, and Progress, 1796 ...'' by James Harrison Kennedy * ''Roster of Ohio soldiers in the War of 1812, By Adjutant General of Ohio'', By Adjutant General's Dept., Heritage Books Inc., 1995 {{DEFAULTSORT:Wadsworth, Elijah United States Army personnel of the War of 1812 Continental Army officers from Connecticut Businesspeople from Hartford, Connecticut People from Warren, Ohio 1747 births 1817 deaths Connecticut Land Company Military personnel from Hartford, Connecticut People from Canfield, Ohio United States Army officers