Horatio Gates Armstrong (June 1, 1790 – April 6, 1858) was an American soldier who fought 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 ...

Early life and career

John Wesley Jarvis - John Armstrong - NPG

Armstrong was born on June 1, 1790, and was named after General

Horatio Gates Horatio Lloyd Gates (July 26, 1727April 10, 1806) was a British-born American army officer who served as a general in the Continental Army during the early years of the American Revolutionary War, Revolutionary War. He took credit for the Ameri ...

, whom his father had been aide to 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 ...

. He was the eldest of seven children born to

John Armstrong Jr. John Armstrong Jr. (November 25, 1758April 1, 1843) was an American soldier, diplomat and statesman who was a delegate to the Continental Congress, U.S. Senator from New York, and United States Secretary of War under President James Madison. A m ...

and Alida (

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Livingston Livingston or Livingstonemay refer to: Businesses * Livingston Energy Flight, an Italian airline (2003–2010) * Livingston Compagnia Aerea, an Italian airline (2011–2014), also known as Livingston Airline * Livingston International, a North Am ...

) Armstrong (1761–1822), who married in 1789. His father served as a

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 ...

man, a

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...

U.S. Secretary of War The secretary of war was a member of the U.S. president's Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's administration. A similar position, called either "Secretary at War" or "Secretary of War", had been appointed to serve the Congress of the C ...

, U.S. Minister to France. Among his siblings was Henry Beekman Armstrong, also a soldier in the War of 1812; John Armstrong III, who became a gentleman farmer at La Bergerie; Robert Livingston Armstrong; Margaret Rebecca Armstrong (who married

William Backhouse Astor Sr. William Backhouse Astor Sr. (September 19, 1792 – November 24, 1875) was an American business magnate who inherited most of his father John Jacob Astor's fortune. He worked as a partner in his father's successful export business. His massive in ...

); James Kosciuszko Armstrong and William Armstrong. His paternal grandparents were General John Armstrong and Rebecca (née Lyon) Armstrong. Among his Armstrong family, who were of "distinguished Scottish descent," was uncle James Armstrong, a physician who became a U.S. Congressman. His paternal grandparents were Judge Robert Livingston and Margaret (née Beekman) Livingston. Among his Livingston family members were uncles Chancellor Robert R. Livingston and

Edward Livingston Edward Livingston (May 28, 1764May 23, 1836) was an American jurist, statesman and slaveholder. Database at He was an influential figure in the drafting of the Louisiana Civil Code of 1825, a civil code based largely on the Napoleonic Code. Li ...

. During the

, Armstrong fought on the American side, heading a company known as the Capt. Horatio G. Armstrong Co. with the 23rd Regiment Infantry. He was eventually promoted to Major.

Personal life

In 1814, Armstrong was married to Baltimore native Mary Hughes (1791–1866). Mary was the youngest daughter of Margaret (née Sanderson) Hughes and Christopher Hughes, a banker and investor in real estate originally from

County Wexford County Wexford () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. Named after the town of Wexford, it was ba ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. Among her siblings was older brother, Christopher Hughes (who served as the U.S. Minister to Sweden and

the Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

), and older sister Louisa Hughes (the wife of

George Armistead George Armistead (April 10, 1780 – April 25, 1818) was an American military officer, best known as the commander of Fort McHenry during the Battle of Baltimore in the War of 1812. Early life and education Armistead was born to the former ...

). Together they had three children: * John Horatio Armstrong (1815–1886), who married Caroline Amelia Scheldt (1828–1912) in 1844. * Margaret Hughes Armstrong (1817–1870) * Christopher Hughes Armstrong (1821–1884) Armstrong died at his residence near Baltimore on April 6, 1858. His widow was the

administratrix The administrator of an estate is a legal term referring to a person appointed by a court to administer the estate of a deceased person who left no will. Where a person dies intestate, i.e., without a will, the court may appoint a person to settl ...

of his estate.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Armstrong, Horatio Gates 1790 births 1858 deaths Livingston family United States Army personnel of the War of 1812 United States Army officers