Lachlan McIntosh (March 17, 1725 – February 20, 1806) was a
Scottish American military and political leader during the
American Revolution and the early United States. In a 1777 duel, he fatally shot
Button Gwinnett, a signer of the
Declaration of Independence.
Early life
Arrival in Georgia
Lachlan McIntosh was born near
Raits
Kingussie ( ; gd, Ceann a' Ghiùthsaich ) is a small town in the Badenoch and Strathspey ward of the Highland council area of Scotland. Counties of Scotland, Historically in Inverness-shire, it lies beside the A9 road (Great Britain), A9 road, ...
,
Badenoch,
Scotland. McIntosh's father,
John Mòr McIntosh
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Second E ...
, moved the family to
Georgia in 1736 with a group of 100
Scottish settlers
The Scots ( sco, Scots Fowk; gd, Albannaich) are an ethnic group and nation native to Scotland. Historically, they emerged in the early Middle Ages from an amalgamation of two Celtic-speaking peoples, the Picts and Gaels, who founded t ...
; they founded the town of
New Inverness (which was later renamed Darien) at the mouth of the
Altamaha River. John McIntosh led the colonists as they carved out the new settlement from dense forest. The dangers of frontier life were brought home to Lachlan in 1737 when his younger brother Lewis McIntosh was killed by an
alligator while swimming in the river.
[Jackson p.3]
Georgia was then governed by
James Oglethorpe, who had founded the colony in 1732. It was a highly militarized colony, as clashes with neighboring
Spanish Florida
Spanish Florida ( es, La Florida) was the first major European land claim and attempted settlement in North America during the European Age of Discovery. ''La Florida'' formed part of the Captaincy General of Cuba, the Viceroyalty of New Spain, ...
and its fortress city of
St. Augustine
Augustine of Hippo ( , ; la, Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430), also known as Saint Augustine, was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North Afri ...
to the south were common. In
one of these clashes in 1740, during the
War of Jenkins' Ear, Lachlan's father was captured by the Spanish and held
prisoner for two years. The elder McIntosh was eventually released, but his health had deteriorated during his captivity, and he died a few years later. Before his death he had supported the
Georgia Trustees in their opposition to the introduction of
slavery into Georgia, which was demanded by an increasing number of colonists in need of labor. This earned him the gratitude of Oglethorpe.
The "Mòr" of his title is Scots Gaelic for "big".
After his father's death, McIntosh was sent to the
Bethesda Orphanage
Bethesda Academy (previously known as Bethesda Home for Boys) is a boys' school and former orphanage located in unincorporated Chatham County, Georgia, in the United States, near Savannah. Its historic building was listed on the National Registe ...
in Savannah under the care of the noted
evangelist
Evangelist may refer to:
Religion
* Four Evangelists, the authors of the canonical Christian Gospels
* Evangelism, publicly preaching the Gospel with the intention of spreading the teachings of Jesus Christ
* Evangelist (Anglican Church), a c ...
George Whitefield
George Whitefield (; 30 September 1770), also known as George Whitfield, was an Anglican cleric and evangelist who was one of the founders of Methodism and the evangelical movement.
Born in Gloucester, he matriculated at Pembroke College at th ...
. His elder brother, Colonel William McIntosh, served under Oglethorpe and helped to
repulse a Spanish invasion of the colony. Lachlan spent two years at the orphanage before traveling to
Fort Frederica
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
to serve as a military cadet. During this time, the
Jacobite Rebellion
, war =
, image = Prince James Francis Edward Stuart by Louis Gabriel Blanchet.jpg
, image_size = 150px
, caption = James Francis Edward Stuart, Jacobite claimant between 1701 and 1766
, active ...
broke out in Scotland. Lachlan and his brother William planned to travel to Scotland and join the rebellion, but General
James Oglethorpe, who had become a friend and mentor to the young McIntosh, convinced them to remain in Georgia.
Lachlan's brother William has sometimes been confused with
William McIntosh of the
Creek Nation, who was their cousin. The Creek William McIntosh was the son of Capt. William McIntosh, a Tory in the
Revolutionary War, and a high-status Creek woman. The senior William McIntosh was the son of Capt. John McIntosh, who had immigrated with his brother Roderick, and with John "Mòr" McIntosh from Scotland.
Confusion about the names stems from the fact that on their ship ''The Prince of Wales'', at least five males were named John McIntosh in one form or another.
In 1748, McIntosh moved to
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...
, where he took a position as a clerk for
Henry Laurens, a wealthy merchant and slave trader. Laurens became a lifelong friend and mentor. In 1756, McIntosh married Sarah Threadcraft. He soon returned with her to Georgia, where he studied surveying. He acquired land in the
Altamaha River delta and
slaves
Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...
to work it; he became a prosperous rice
planter.
American Revolution
Early war
By 1770, McIntosh had become a leader in the independence movement in Georgia. In January 1775 he helped organize delegates to the Provincial Congress from the Darien District of St. Andrew Parish. On January 7, 1776, McIntosh was commissioned as a
colonel in the Georgia Militia. He raised the
1st Georgia Regiment
The 1st Georgia Regiment, or as it was also known, the 1st Georgia was a regiment of the Continental Army, and formed part of the Georgia Line.
History
On 4 November 1775, the Georgia Regiment was authorised in the Continental Army, and organise ...
of the
Georgia Line,
organized the defense of
Savannah
A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the Canopy (forest), canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to rea ...
, and helped repel a British assault at the
Battle of the Rice Boats
The Battle of the Rice Boats, also called the Battle of Yamacraw Bluff, was a land and naval battle of the American Revolutionary War that took place in and around the Savannah River on the border between the Province of Georgia and the Province ...
in the
Savannah River
The Savannah River is a major river in the southeastern United States, forming most of the border between the states of South Carolina and Georgia. Two tributaries of the Savannah, the Tugaloo River and the Chattooga River, form the norther ...
. He was promoted to the rank of
brigadier general in the
Continental Army
The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies (the Thirteen Colonies) in the Revolutionary-era United States. It was formed by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, and was establis ...
, charged with defense of Georgia's southern flank from British incursions from Florida, by then a British possession. On October 22, 1776, McIntosh ordered his brother William to construct a fort on the
Satilla River to protect Georgia from Florida. The fort was the first to be named
Fort McIntosh.
Duel with Button Gwinnett
During the period of 1776 to 1777, McIntosh became embroiled in a bitter political dispute with
Button Gwinnett, the Speaker of the Georgia Provisional Congress and a
radical
Radical may refer to:
Politics and ideology Politics
*Radical politics, the political intent of fundamental societal change
*Radicalism (historical), the Radical Movement that began in late 18th century Britain and spread to continental Europe and ...
Whig leader. Their bitter personal rivalry began when McIntosh succeeded Gwinnett as commander of Georgia's Continental Battalion in early 1776. The two men represented opposing factions in a deeply divided Patriot movement in Georgia. Gwinnett had been forced to step aside after his election had been called into question by opposing forces within the independence movement. Gwinnett, thwarted in his military ambitions, became a
delegate to the
Continental Congress
The Continental Congress was a series of legislative bodies, with some executive function, for thirteen of Britain's colonies in North America, and the newly declared United States just before, during, and after the American Revolutionary War. ...
and a signer of the
United States Declaration of Independence. He returned to Georgia after his allies gained control of the Provisional Congress and succeeded in electing him speaker. Shortly afterward, he was elected president and commander-in-chief of the Committee of Safety.
Gwinnett began purging the government and the military of his political rivals. One of his early targets was George McIntosh, Lachlan's brother, who had opposed Gwinnett's election. Gwinnett had George arrested and charged with treason against the revolution. In addition, Gwinnett had ordered Lachlan McIntosh to lead a poorly planned military expedition into
British Florida. The operation was a disaster; and Gwinnett and McIntosh publicly blamed each other for the failure, straining the already tenuous relationship between the two men.
On May 1, 1777, Lachlan McIntosh, a staunch supporter of
John Treutlen
John Adam Treutlen, born Hans Adam Treuettlen (January 16, 1734 – March 1, 1782), arrived in Colonial America as an indentured servant and rose to become a wealthy merchant and landowner. He was a leader in Georgia during the American Revoluti ...
for Governor, addressed the Georgia assembly and denounced Gwinnett in the harshest terms, calling Gwinnett a "
scoundrel
Scoundrel or Scoundrels may refer to:
Books
* ''Scoundrel'', a 1996 romance novel by Elizabeth Elliott
* ''Scoundrel'' (book), a 2022 book by Sarah Weinman
* ''Scoundrel'' (novel), a 2004 novel by Bernard Cornwell
* ''Scoundrels'' (novel), a 2 ...
and lying
rascal
Rascal or rascals may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Rascal'' (book), a 1963 children's book by Sterling North
** ''Rascal'' (film), a 1969 Walt Disney adaptation of Sterling North's book
* ''Rascals'' (1938 film), an American comedy-dra ...
." Gwinnett sent a written challenge to McIntosh demanding an apology or satisfaction. McIntosh refused to apologize, and Gwinnett challenged him to a
duel
A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two people, with matched weapons, in accordance with agreed-upon Code duello, rules.
During the 17th and 18th centuries (and earlier), duels were mostly single combats fought with swords (the r ...
.
On May 16, in a field owned by
James Wright a few miles east of Savannah, Gwinnett and McIntosh met to duel with pistols. At a distance of 12 paces, the two men leveled and fired virtually simultaneously. Gwinnett received a ball to the thigh and McIntosh was struck in the leg. McIntosh would recover from his wounds, but Gwinnett's wound was mortal and he died three days later. Gwinnett's allies had McIntosh charged with murder, but he was acquitted in the ensuing trial.
George Washington
George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...
, fearing Gwinnett's allies would take revenge on McIntosh, ordered him to report to Continental Army headquarters on October 10. He spent the winter of 1777–1778 with the Continental Army at
Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, where he commanded several regiments of
North Carolina troops.
Military service on the western frontier and in the South
On May 26, 1778, McIntosh was given command of the
Western Department of the Continental Army, headquartered at
Fort Pitt (present-day
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) on the
Pennsylvania frontier. He restored order along the frontier and conceived a plan to attack the British stronghold of
Fort Detroit. He established several new forts including
Fort Laurens
Fort Laurens was an American Revolutionary War fort on a northern tributary of the Muskingum River in what would become Northeast Ohio, United States. The fort's location is in the present-day town of Bolivar, Ohio, along the Ohio and Erie Can ...
, named for his friend and mentor
Henry Laurens, who had become President of the Continental Congress, and
Fort McIntosh (near present-day
Beaver, Pennsylvania) to prepare for the attack. The expedition against Fort Detroit was doomed however, and the troops were forced to turn back before reaching the fort.
McIntosh was replaced as commander of the Western Department by Colonel
Daniel Brodhead on March 5, 1779. Washington ordered McIntosh to return to the south to join General
Benjamin Lincoln in
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...
. He marched to
Augusta, Georgia, in command of the Georgia troops, and then proceeded to Savannah, where he commanded the 1st and 5th South Carolina regiments during the
siege of Savannah.
After the battle, he retired his troops to Charleston, where he remained to defend the city from the
British Army. On May 12, 1780, General Lincoln was forced to surrender the city to British General Sir
Henry Clinton. McIntosh was taken prisoner and remained in captivity until he was exchanged on February 9, 1782, for
Charles O'Hara
General Charles O'Hara (1740 – 25 February 1802) was a British Army officer who served in the Seven Years' War, the American War of Independence, and the French Revolutionary War and later served as governor of Gibraltar. He served with di ...
. The war was brought to an end in 1783 with the
Peace of Paris which recognized American independence and transferred East and West Florida to Spain.
Later years

McIntosh returned to his
plantation to find it ruined by the occupying British. McIntosh tried to restore his property and business interests, but he would spend the rest of his life in relative poverty. He was elected to the Continental Congress in 1784, but never attended. In 1785, he was appointed a commissioner to treat with the southern American Indian tribes. In 1787, he was asked to help settle a boundary dispute between Georgia and South Carolina. McIntosh was 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 ...
and in 1791 he was part of the delegation that officially welcomed President George Washington to Georgia.
McIntosh died in
Savannah, Georgia, on February 20, 1806.
McIntosh is buried alongside his great-nephew Colonel James S. McIntosh (1784–1847) at
Colonial Park Cemetery in Savannah's historic district. His great-great-nephews,
James M. McIntosh
James McQueen McIntosh (c. 1828 – March 7, 1862) was a career American soldier who served as a brigadier general in the Confederate Army during the Civil War. Noted as an aggressive and popular leader of cavalry, he was killed in action at t ...
and
John Baillie McIntosh, were generals on opposite sides in the
American Civil War.
Legacy and honors
*The state of Georgia named
McIntosh County in honor of his family. (The state also has
a county named for Button Gwinnett, the man he killed in a duel.)
References
Further reading
*Jackson, Harvey; ''Lachlan McIntosh and the Politics of Revolutionary Georgia'' 1979, Univ of Georgia Press, ; (2003 paperback edition, ).
Meserve, John Bartlett. "The MacIntoshes" ''Chronicles of Oklahoma'', Volume 10, No. 3, September 1932.
*Parker, Anthone W. ''Scottish Highlanders in Colonial Georgia: The Recruitment, Emigration, and Settlement at Darien, 1735–1748'', Athens, GA: The University of Georgia Press, 2002.
External links
Gen. Lachlan McIntoshhistorical marker
The Society of the CincinnatiThe American Revolution Institute
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mcintosh, Lachlan
1725 births
1806 deaths
American duellists
American Revolutionary War prisoners of war held by Great Britain
American slave owners
British emigrants to the Thirteen Colonies
Continental Army generals
Continental Army officers from Georgia (U.S. state)
People from Kingussie