Richard Clough Anderson Sr. (January 12, 1750 – October 16, 1826) was an American lawyer, soldier, politician, and surveyor from

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the East Coast of the United States, Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography an ...

Revolutionary War

He was chosen to be a captain in the Hanover County,

5th Virginia Regiment The 5th Virginia Regiment was raised on December 28, 1775, at Richmond, Virginia, for service with the U.S. Continental Army. The regiment saw action at the Battle of Trenton, Battle of Princeton, Battle of Brandywine, Battle of Germantown, ...

on January 29, 1776. Anderson fought in the battles of Brandywine and Germantown. He crossed the Delaware River with George Washington. He was aide-de-camp to Lafayette at the

Battle of Yorktown The Siege of Yorktown, also known as the Battle of Yorktown, the surrender at Yorktown, or the German battle (from the presence of Germans in all three armies), beginning on September 28, 1781, and ending on October 19, 1781, at Yorktown, Virgi ...

. After the

Siege of Savannah The siege of Savannah or the Second Battle of Savannah was an encounter of the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783) in 1779. The year before, the city of Savannah, Georgia, had been captured by a British expeditionary corps under Lieutena ...

, was on board the ''Wasp'' when

Casimir Pulaski Kazimierz Michał Władysław Wiktor Pułaski of the Ślepowron coat of arms (; ''Casimir Pulaski'' ; March 4 or March 6, 1745 Makarewicz, 1998 October 11, 1779) was a Polish nobleman, soldier, and military commander who has been called, to ...

was taken north to be treated for the mortal wound he received. He attended Pulaski in his last hours and received from him his sword as an evidence of friendship. At the end of the war, Anderson was promoted to lieutenant colonel.

Later years

In 1788 he was a member of the state convention, and in 1793 a presidential elector. He was the principal surveyor of the

Virginia Military District The Virginia Military District was an approximately 4.2 million acre (17,000 km²) area of land in what is now the state of Ohio that was reserved by Virginia to use as payment in lieu of cash for its veterans of the American Revolutionary ...

from 1783 until 1819. Anderson Township is named after him, as is Clough Creek. His first wife was Elizabeth Clark, sister of

George Rogers Clark George Rogers Clark (November 19, 1752 – February 13, 1818) was an American surveyor, soldier, and militia officer from Virginia who became the highest-ranking American patriot military officer on the northwestern frontier during the Ame ...

and

William Clark William Clark (August 1, 1770 – September 1, 1838) was an American explorer, soldier, Indian agent, and territorial governor. A native of Virginia, he grew up in pre-statehood Kentucky before later settling in what became the state of Misso ...

. His second wife was Sarah Marshall (1779–1854), a cousin of

John Marshall John Marshall (September 24, 1755July 6, 1835) was an American politician and lawyer who served as the fourth Chief Justice of the United States from 1801 until his death in 1835. He remains the longest-serving chief justice and fourth-longes ...

, the fourth Chief Justice of the United States. He is the father of

Richard Clough Anderson Jr. Richard Clough Anderson Jr. (August 4, 1788 – July 24, 1826) was an American lawyer, politician, and diplomat from Jefferson County, Kentucky. He served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Kentucky. He is the son of ...

, Charles Anderson (27th governor of Ohio), William Marshall Anderson, and Robert Anderson (who surrendered to Confederate forces at

Fort Sumter Fort Sumter is a sea fort built on an artificial island protecting Charleston, South Carolina from naval invasion. Its origin dates to the War of 1812 when the British invaded Washington by sea. It was still incomplete in 1861 when the Battl ...

). He is the great grandfather of

Larz Anderson Larz Anderson (August 15, 1866 – April 13, 1937) was an American diplomat and ''bon vivant''. He served as second secretary at the United States Legation to the Court of St James's, London; as first secretary and later ''chargé d'affaire ...

, an American diplomat involved in foreign affairs, who had the Larz Anderson House built for him and his wife

Isabel Weld Perkins Isabel Anderson (March 29, 1876 – November 3, 1948), , was a Boston heiress, author, and society hostess who left a legacy to the public that includes a park and two museums. Life Early life Born at 284 Marlborough Street in Boston's B ...

, which was bequeathed to the Society of Cincinnati as their international headquarters. He is the father-in-law of Allen Latham who helped him with surveying and administered his estate. He was a charter member of the Society of Cincinnati. Their home near Louisville was known as " Soldiers' Retreat."

References

Books

* Anderson, Edward L.
''The Andersons of Gold Mine, Hanover County, Virginia''
1913. * Anderson, Edward L.
''Soldier And Pioneer: a Biographical Sketch of Lt.-Col. Richard C. Anderson of the Continental Army''
New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1879.
"Anderson, Richard Clough."
''Kentucky Encyclopedia''. John E. Kleber, Ed. University Press of Kentucky, 1992, p. 21. * Hill, Edwin C. ''The Historical Register: A Biographical Record of the Men of Our Time Who Have Contributed to the Making of America''. New York: 1919. Virginia militiamen in the American Revolution 1750 births 1826 deaths American surveyors {{US-law-bio-stub