Everything about John Sullivan totally explained
» For other men with the same name, see: John Sullivan (disambiguation).
John Sullivan (b.
February 17 1740,
Somersworth, New Hampshire – d.
January 23 1795,
Durham, New Hampshire) was an
American general in the
Revolutionary War and a
delegate in the
Continental Congress.
Sullivan served as a
major general in the
Continental Army and as Governor (or "President") of
New Hampshire. He is most famous for leading the
Sullivan Expedition in
1779, a
scorched earth campaign against the
Iroquois towns that had taken up arms against the American revolutionaries.
Early career
Sullivan was the third son of a schoolmaster. He read law with Samuel Livermore of
Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and began its practice in
1764 when he moved to
Durham. He annoyed many neighbors in his early career, when he was the only lawyer in town, with numerous suits over foreclosures. But by
1772, he was firmly established and began work to improve his relations with the community. In
1773 Alexander Scammel joined John Sullivan's law practice.
He was sent by Durham to the colony's general assembly, and built a friendship with the royal governor
John Wentworth. As the American Revolution grew nearer, he began to side more with the radicals. In
1774 the first Provincial (or rebel) Congress sent him as a delegate to the Continental Congress.
In
1775 he was returned to the Congress, but when they appointed him a
brigadier general in June, he left to join the army at the
siege of Boston.
Revolutionary War
After the British evacuated Boston in the spring of
1776,
Washington sent General Sullivan north to replace the fallen
John Thomas as commander in
Canada. He took command of the sick and faltering invasion force, led an unsuccessful counterattack against the British at
Trois-Rivières, and withdrew the survivors to
Crown Point. This led to the first of several controversies between Congress and General Sullivan, as they sought a scapegoat for the failed
invasion of Canada. He was exonerated and promoted to major general on
August 9 1776.
Sullivan rejoined Washington and was placed in command of the troops on
Long Island to defend against British
General Howe's forces about to envelop
New York City. But then, on
August 23, Washington split the command between Sullivan and General
Israel Putnam. Confusion about the distribution of command contributed to the American defeat at the
Battle of Long Island four days later. Sullivan's personal bravery was unquestioned, as he engaged the
Hessian attackers with a pistol in each hand, however he was captured.
As a prisoner under parole, he carried letters from Admiral
Richard Howe to the Congress. When the resulting peace discussions on
Staten Island fell apart in September
1776 some in the Congress, particularly
John Adams, found fault with Sullivan.
War with the Main Army
General Sullivan was released in a prisoner exchange in time to rejoin Washington before the
Battle of Trenton. There his division secured the important bridge over the
Assunpink Creek
to the north of the town. This prevented escape and ensured the high number of Hessian prisoners captured. This route is now the main road in
Ewing Township, New Jersey called "Sullivans Way". In January
1777, Sullivan also performed well in the
Battle of Princeton.
In August, he led a failed attempt to retake
Staten Island. Again Congress found fault, but he was exonerated by the court of inquiry. This was followed by American losses at
Brandywine and
Germantown. Congress was frustrated by the continued British occupation of
Philadelphia, but since Washington was the only man holding the army together, they made Sullivan the scapegoat.
In early
1778 he was transferred to the unimportant post of Rhode Island where he commanded the largely unsuccessful
Battle of Rhode Island in August
1778.
In the summer of
1779, Sullivan led the
Sullivan Expedition, a massive campaign against the Iroquois in western
New York. During this campaign, troops destroyed a very large
Cayuga settlement, called Coreorgonel, on what is now the southwest side of
Ithaca, New York.
He pushed his troops so hard that their horses became unusable, and killed them on this campaign, creating the namesake for
Horseheads, New York. The lukewarm response of the Congress was more than he could accept. Broken, tired, and again opposed by Congress, he retired from the Army in
1779 and returned to
New Hampshire.
After the war
At home Sullivan was a hero. New Hampshire returned him as a delegate to the Continental Congress in
1780. But he still had opponents there. In
1781 when he borrowed money from the French minister to Congress, they accused him of being a foreign agent. He resigned from the Congress in August
1781.
Back home again, he was named the state's attorney general in
1782 and served until
1786. During this same time he was elected to the state assembly, and served as speaker of the house. He led the drive in New Hampshire that led to ratification of the
United States Constitution on
June 21 1788. He was elected President of New Hampshire
(now Governor) in
1786,
1787, and in
1789.
When the new federal government was created, Washington named him federal judge for the District Court in New Hampshire in
1789. While his health prevented his sitting on the bench after
1792, he held the post until he died on
January 23 1795, aged 54, at his home in Durham. He was interred in the family cemetery there.
Legacies
Sullivan County, New York,
Sullivan County, Pennsylvania,
Sullivan County, New Hampshire,
Sullivan County, Tennessee, and
Sullivan County, Missouri were all named for him, as was Sullivan Street in
Greenwich Village,
Manhattan and the
General Sullivan Bridge spanning the
Piscataqua River nearby to his home town of
Durham, New Hampshire.
Further Information
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