Mordecai Buckner (ca. 1735 – 1787) was born in colonial Virginia and served as an officer in the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War, 1754 to 1763, was a colonial conflict in North America between Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of France, France, along with their respective Native Americans in the United States, Native American ...

. After the start of 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 appointed

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 6th Virginia Regiment. He served in this capacity for about one year before he was cashiered and dismissed from 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 ...

. Buckner was the son of Thomas Buckner (died ca. 1755), a planter of Caroline Co., Virginia, who served as a justice of the peace and

sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland, the , which is common ...

of that county, and Mary Timson. He married Elizabeth Beverly Chew in 1767 and the couple had at least two known children.

Career

Buckner was first appointed quartermaster in 1755, then ensign later that year for then-Capt. Adam Stephen's militia company, and in 1758 during the

, he was promoted to

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 ...

in Adam Stephen's Virginia regiment. He either rejoined the regiment or was still serving in 1762, for which he received 3,000 acres of land. In 1767, he married Elizabeth Beverly Chew, widow of Beverly Stanard.See inter alia court case
''Stanard v. Stanard &c.'' (1818)
an
''Stanard v. Stanard'' (1820)
During the colonial militia buildup at the onset of the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

, on 12 Sep 1775, Buckner was elected lieutenant colonel of the

minutemen Minutemen were members of the organized New England colonial militia companies trained in weaponry, tactics, and military strategies during the American Revolutionary War. They were known for being ready at a minute's notice, hence the name. Min ...

raised by the combined Virginia counties of Spottsylvania, Caroline, Stafford, and King George under Col.

Hugh Mercer Hugh Mercer (January 16, 1726 – January 12, 1777) was a Scottish brigadier general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He fought in the New York and New Jersey campaign and was mortally wounded at the Battle of Pri ...

. Both Buckner and Mercer were members of the Spottsylvania County

committee A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly or other form of organization. A committee may not itself be considered to be a form of assembly or a decision-making body. Usually, an assembly o ...

. Having served under

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 ...

during the earlier war, he was not long after appointed commander of the 6th Virginia Regiment in the nascent

. His colonel's commission dated from 13 February 1776. The two other field officers were Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Elliott and

Major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

James Hendricks.Heitman (1914), 57-58 The regiment came into existence on 28 December 1775. It was organized at

Williamsburg, Virginia Williamsburg is an Independent city (United States), independent city in Virginia, United States. It had a population of 15,425 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located on the Virginia Peninsula, Williamsburg is in the northern par ...

in the strength of ten companies from men of ten different eastern and southern counties. Initially assigned to the Southern Department, the unit transferred to Stephen's Brigade in Washington's main army on 3 September 1776. Buckner commanded the 191-strong 6th Virginia at the Battle of Trenton on 26 December 1776. At that time, Hendricks was lieutenant colonel and Richard Parker was major. For reasons not given, Parker led the regiment at the battles of Assunpink Creek and Princeton on 2 and 3 January 1777. On 23 January, separate actions were fought at Bonhamtown, Quibbletown, and

Woodbridge, New Jersey Woodbridge Township is a Township (New Jersey), township in northern Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The township is a regional hub of transportation and commerce for Central Jersey, central New ...

during the Forage War. In one of these encounters, Buckner's subordinate, Lt. Col. Parker, engaged British troops but was unable to press what he felt was a significant advantage because Buckner failed to bring up support, having in fact fled the battle. Buckner was accused of misbehavior in combat and subsequently arrested for trial. While on parole, he attempted to flee and was reapprehended by a troop of light horse sent by General Washington. Buckner wrote a letter to the commander-in-chief pleading to be dismissed from the service without trial, but on 28 January 1777, Washington wrote him a curt letter in reply.

Sir: It is not in my power to comply with your request on three Accounts, yourself, the Country at large, and the State you come from, Were the matter to remain undetermined, your Reputation must be ruined; at all events, every Officer would have reason to expect equal favor, and I shall be justly taxed with partiality. Would you reflect on the Impropriety of your Petition, you would certainly withdraw it. Resolved as I am to reward merit, and punish demerit, I shall refer your case to the judgment of a Court Martial, and shall be happy to hear that it acquits you. I am, etc.

On 8 February Buckner was tried before a

court martial A court-martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of members of the mili ...

and found guilty.

The General Court Martial held at Chatham, the 8th. Inst: whereof Brigadier General St. Clair was President, for the trial of Col Mordecai Buckner, accused of "Shamefully Misbehaving before the Enemy, in the Action of the 23rd. of Jan'y last," And of "Quitting his post and party in time of engagement," have after mature consideration, sentenced the said Col Mordecai Buckner, to be cashiered, and declared incapable of any military office, in the service of the United States. The General and Commander in Chief approves the sentence, and orders the said Col Mordecai Buckner, forthwith to depart the American Army.

Capt. John Chilton, who sat on the court martial, opined that "there was but a single circumstance that saved him being shot."T. Triplett Russell and John K. Gott, ''Fauquier County in the Revolution'' (1977), p. 159. Buckner left the army on 9 February 1777 and Hendricks succeeded him as acting commander. During his life Buckner amassed considerable wealth, but he lost much of it by the time he died around 1787. His will was proven on 1 January 1788. He and his wife had two surviving children, John Chew (1770–1820) and Baldwin Matthews (20 April 1772–27 December 1827). Baldwin was born at the family estate at Roxbury in Spotsylvania County and died at Chestnut Hill in Greene County, Virginia.genealogy.com, ''Mordecai Buckner''

Notes

References

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Buckner, Mordecai 1787 deaths Continental Army officers from Virginia People from colonial Virginia Year of birth unknown