Moses Porter (20 March 1756 – 14 April 1822) was a general in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

during 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 ...

. His career lasted for over 40 years and he is one of the few officers who served in both the American Revolution and the War of 1812.

Biography

Moses Porter was born on 20 March 1756 in

Danvers, Massachusetts Danvers is a New England town, town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, located on the Danvers River near the northeastern coast of Massachusetts. The suburb is a fairly short ride from Boston and is also in close proximity to the beach ...

. He was the son of Benjamin Porter and Sarah Brown Porter.

Revolutionary War

On 1 January 1777 Porter was commissioned an ensign in the 6th Massachusetts Regiment (a.k.a. Nixon's Regiment) of 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 ...

, shortly before his 21st birthday. The regiment mostly served in the

Hudson Highlands The Hudson Highlands are mountains on both sides of the Hudson River in New York (state), New York state lying primarily in Putnam County, New York, Putnam County on its east bank and Orange County, New York, Orange County on its west. They conti ...

area of New York and participated in the

Battles of Saratoga The Battles of Saratoga (September 19 and October 7, 1777) were two battles between the American Continental Army and the British Army fought near Saratoga, New York, concluding the Saratoga campaign in the American Revolutionary War. The seco ...

in 1777. He served in the 6th Massachusetts until he was deranged (i.e. involuntarily discharged due to reorganization) from the regiment on 1 March 1779. He was promoted to 2nd Lieutenant in the 3rd Continental Artillery Regiment, commanded by Colonel John Crane on 21 April 1779. He served with the 3rd Artillery, mostly in the Hudson Highlands area of New York, until it was consolidated with other artillery units on 17 June 1783 to form the Corps of Artillery. Porter was discharged from the Continental Army at the end of the Revolution on 3 November 1783. Although he was eligible, for unknown reasons, Porter did not become an Original Member of the

Society of the Cincinnati The Society of the Cincinnati is a lineage society, 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 milita ...

1786 to 1812

Porter was commissioned as a lieutenant in the newly formed United States Artillery Battalion on 20 October 1786. He served in the

Northwest Indian War The Northwest Indian War (1785–1795), also known by other names, was an armed conflict for control of the Northwest Territory fought between the United States and a united group of Native Americans in the United States, Native American na ...

against the Miami Indians in the Northwest Territory (modern day

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

) from 1790 to 1794. He was promoted to captain in command of a company of artillery on 4 November 1791 when a vacancy was created by the promotion of Captain Henry Burbeck to major following the death of Major William Ferguson in

St. Clair's Defeat St. Clair's defeat, also known as the Battle of the Wabash, the Battle of Wabash River or the Battle of a Thousand Slain, was a battle fought on 4 November 1791 in the Northwest Territory of the United States. The U.S. Army faced the Northweste ...

. (Note that companies of artillery were not called batteries until the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

.) Porter's artillery company was originally formed in 1786 and was one of only four artillery companies in the U.S. Army prior to 1794. (The modern day 4th Battalion, 1st Field Artillery Regiment is credited with having Porter's company as its lineal ancestor.) Porter's company was transferred to the 3rd Sublegion when that unit was formed in 1792, and saw service which culminated in the

Battle of Fallen Timbers The Battle of Fallen Timbers (20 August 1794) was the final battle of the Northwest Indian War, a struggle between Indigenous peoples of North America, Native American tribes affiliated with the Northwestern Confederacy and their Kingdom of Gre ...

in 1794. Porter and his company were transferred to the Corps of Artillerists and Engineers when that unit was formed on 1 May 1794. The Corps of Artillerists and Engineers was redesignated as the 1st Regiment of Artillerists and Engineers in 1799. He became a major in command of a battalion of four companies on 26 May 1800. He was retained as a major on 1 April 1802 when the Army was reduced and reorganized in accordance with the

Military Peace Establishment Act The Military Peace Establishment Act documented and advanced a new set of laws and limits for the U.S. military. It was approved by Congress and signed on March 16, 1802, by President Thomas Jefferson, who was fundamental in its drafting and prop ...

War of 1812

On 12 March 1812, shortly before the outbreak of the War of 1812, Porter was promoted to colonel and placed in command of the Light Artillery Regiment. In this capacity he served with distinction in the campaign in

Upper Canada The Province of Upper Canada () was a Province, part of The Canadas, British Canada established in 1791 by the Kingdom of Great Britain, to govern the central third of the lands in British North America, formerly part of the Province of Queb ...

(modern day

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

) and was brevetted (i.e. given an honorary promotion) to brigadier general on 10 September 1813 for "distinguished service in the campaign of 1813". In 1814 Porter was sent to

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. It had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Virginia, third-most populous city ...

to take command of the defenses of that critical seaport. His headquarters was at Fort Norfolk. He served there until the conclusion of the war early in 1815.

Post war

After the war, most units of the Light Artillery Regiment were transferred to garrison coastal forts in New England. As he was one of the senior officers in the Army, Porter was appointed as a department commander. He commanded the 3rd Military Department (Southern New York and Northern New Jersey) from 31 July to 31 October 1816, he then commanded Army troops in Western New York from December 31, 1816 to March 1817. He then commanded the 4th Military Department (New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut) from 30 April 1817 to 30 April 1818. His next assignment was as commander of the 4th Department (Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, and Southern New Jersey) from May 31, 1818 to May 31, 1821. On 1 June 1821, the Artillery units of the U.S. Army were reorganized into four artillery regiments and Porter was given command of the

1st Regiment of Artillery The 1st Air Defense Artillery is an air defense artillery regiment in the United States Army first formed as a field artillery unit in 1821. Lineage Constituted 1 June 1821 in the Regular Army as the 1st Regiment of Artillery, and organized fro ...

Death and burial

General Moses Porter died on 14 April 1822 at

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is a suburb in the Greater Boston metropolitan area, located directly across the Charles River from Boston. The city's population as of the 2020 United States census, ...

. He was 66 years old and had served over 42 years in uniform. He is buried in the Walnut Grove Cemetery in Danvers, Massachusetts. General Porter's gravestone inscription reads as follows -

Battles

Although a definitive listing of the battles General Porter fought in has not been found, he probably participated in most or all of the following battles -

Revolution

(1777) *

Battle of Springfield (1780) A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

Northwest Indian War The Northwest Indian War (1785–1795), also known by other names, was an armed conflict for control of the Northwest Territory fought between the United States and a united group of Native Americans in the United States, Native American na ...

* Harmar campaign (1790) *

(1791) *

(1794)

War of 1812

Battle of Queenston Heights The Battle of Queenston Heights was the first major engagement of the War of 1812. The battle took place on 13 October 1812 at Queenston in Upper Canada (now Ontario) and was a decisive British victory. United States regulars and New York (state ...

, Oct. 13, 1812 * Capture of York (now Toronto), April 27, 1813 *

Siege of Fort Meigs The siege of Fort Meigs took place in late April to early May 1813 during the War of 1812 in northwestern Ohio, in present-day Perrysburg. A small British Army unit with support from Indians attempted to capture the recently constructed fort to ...

, Ohio, May 5, 1813 *

Battle of Fort George The Battle of Fort George was fought during the War of 1812, in which the Americans defeated a British force and captured Fort George in Upper Canada. The troops of the United States Army and vessels of the United States Navy cooperated in ...

, May 27, 1813 *

Battle of Stony Creek The Battle of Stoney Creek was a British victory over an American force fought on 6 June 1813, during the War of 1812 near what is now Stoney Creek, Ontario, Canada. British units made a night attack on the American encampment, and due in larg ...

, June 6, 1813 * Battle of Chrystler's Fields, Nov. 11, 1813 *Defense of

Fort Oswego Fort Oswego was an 18th-century trading post in the Great Lakes region in North America, which became the site of a battle between French and British Army forces in 1756 during the North American phase of the Seven Years' War, known in the United ...

, New York, May 5 and 6, 1814 *

Battle of Plattsburgh The Battle of Plattsburgh, also known as the Battle of Lake Champlain, ended the final British invasion of the northern states of the United States during the War of 1812. Two British forces, an army under Lieutenant General Sir George Prévos ...

, New York, Sept. 11, 1814

Dates of rank

*Ensign, 6th Massachusetts - 1 January 1777 *2nd Lieutenant, 3rd Continental Artillery - 21 April 1779 *Discharged from Continental Army - 3 November 1783 *Lieutenant, US Artillery Battalion - 20 October 1786 *Captain, Artillery - 4 November 1791 *Major, Artillerists and Engineers - 26 May 1800 *Colonel, Light Artillery - 12 March 1812 *Brevet Brigadier General - 10 September 1813

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Porter, Moses 1756 births 1822 deaths People from Massachusetts in the War of 1812 People from Danvers, Massachusetts United States Army personnel of the War of 1812 United States Army generals Military personnel from Massachusetts