Phineas Lyman (1716–1774) was a colonial American soldier known for his service in the provincial British Army of the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the st ...

. He later led a group of

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian province ...

veterans of the war to settle in the new colony of

West Florida West Florida ( es, Florida Occidental) was a region on the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico that underwent several boundary and sovereignty changes during its history. As its name suggests, it was formed out of the western part of former S ...

where he died shortly before the outbreak 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 a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of ...

. He earned a reputation as the most experienced colonial American officer during the war.

Early life

Lyman was born at

Durham, Connecticut Durham is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. Durham is a former farming village on the Coginchaug River in central Connecticut. The population was 7,152 at the 2020 census. Every autumn, the town hosts the Durham Fair, th ...

. He graduated at

Yale Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

in 1738, was a tutor there until 1741, studied law and began practice at Suffield (which was then within the boundaries of

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

). In 1749 he advocated the annexation of Suffield from Massachusetts. From 1749 to 1755 he was a member of the upper chamber of the Connecticut Legislature.

French and Indian War

In March, 1755 he was appointed a major general and was made commander in chief of the Connecticut militia force of 1000 men, which participated in the unsuccessful expedition against Crown Point. At the

Battle of Lake George The Battle of Lake George was fought on 8 September 1755, in the north of the Province of New York. It was part of a campaign by the British to expel the French from North America, in the French and Indian War. On one side were 1,584 French, Can ...

(8 September 1755), after

Sir William Johnson Sir William Johnson, 1st Baronet of New York ( – 11 July 1774), was a British Army officer and colonial administrator from Ireland. As a young man, Johnson moved to the Province of New York to manage an estate purchased by his uncle, Royal Na ...

suffered a slight wound, Lyman took command of the forces and repulsed the attack of the French and Indians. He was for a time in 1757 in command of Fort Edward, and in 1758 commanded the Connecticut forces in the expedition of General Abercrombie which resulted in the disastrous repulse at Ticonderoga. The following year he was with Lord Amherst at the capture of Crown Point and Ticonderoga and in 1760 took part in the expeditions to Oswego and

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...

. In 1762 he commanded the colonial contingent of

Lord Albemarle Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or ...

's army in the capture of

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

Later life

In 1763, he went to

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

where he remained until 1772, endeavoring to obtain a grant of land for himself and other New England veterans in the newly created colony of

. A tract near Natchez (now

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Mis ...

) was granted by

royal charter A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, but ...

in 1772. Lyman led a band of settlers to the region in 1773. He died the following year and was buried near to the Big Black River in West Florida. When the American War broke out in 1775, West Florida was one of the colonies which remained loyal to the crown. In the post-war Peace of Paris it was transferred to Spanish control. {{DEFAULTSORT:Lyman, Phineas 1716 births 1774 deaths People from Durham, Connecticut People of Connecticut in the French and Indian War Colonial American generals People of colonial Connecticut Connecticut state senators Yale College alumni People of pre-statehood Florida Military personnel from Connecticut 18th-century American politicians