Posted on 08/13/2013 3:43:07 PM PDT by NYer
For the Journal of the American Revolution, Todd Andrlik compiled a list of the ages of the key participants in the Revolutionary War as of July 4, 1776. Many of them were surprisingly young:
Marquis de Lafayette, 18
James Monroe, 18
Gilbert Stuart, 20
Aaron Burr, 20
Alexander Hamilton, 21
Betsy Ross, 24
James Madison, 25
This is kind of blowing my mind...because of the compression of history, I'd always assumed all these people were around the same age. But in thinking about it, all startups need young people...Hamilton, Lafayette, and Burr were perhaps the Gates, Jobs, and Zuckerberg of the War. Some more ages, just for reference:
Thomas Jefferson, 33
John Adams, 40
Paul Revere, 41
George Washington, 44
Samuel Adams, 53
The oldest prominent participant in the Revolution, by a wide margin, was Benjamin Franklin, who was 70 years old on July 4, 1776. Franklin was a full two generations removed from the likes of Madison and Hamilton. But the oldest participant in the war was Samuel Whittemore, who fought in an early skirmish at the age of 80. I'll let Wikipedia take it from here:
Whittemore was in his fields when he spotted an approaching British relief brigade under Earl Percy, sent to assist the retreat. Whittemore loaded his musket and ambushed the British from behind a nearby stone wall, killing one soldier. He then drew his dueling pistols and killed a grenadier and mortally wounded a second. By the time Whittemore had fired his third shot, a British detachment reached his position; Whittemore drew his sword and attacked. He was shot in the face, bayoneted thirteen times, and left for dead in a pool of blood. He was found alive, trying to load his musket to fight again. He was taken to Dr. Cotton Tufts of Medford, who perceived no hope for his survival. However, Whittemore lived another 18 years until dying of natural causes at the age of 98.
!!!
I’m glad somebody finally made that point!
How did we produce such a brilliant crop of men...just when we needed them? Some were educated in England, but many here, e.g, John Adams, Jefferson, Madison, Hamilton. Washington would have gone to England like his older (half) brothers had, but his father died when he was ten and he needed to stay and help Mother Washington on the farm.
The RevWar/Colonial History/General Washington ping list
My GGGGrandfather (I don’t remember how many greats — about 9) was a Col. in VA and already middle aged during the War. He had already achieved his rank in the Fr. & Indian War. I don’t know if he actually fought battles during the RW, but he was a member of the Committees of Correspondance and was the Sheriff of his community periodically and sometimes a judge. (No such thing as life time elected office in those days.) As far as I know, no portrait exists of him, but I’ve visited his plantation and the family graveyard i a remote area of VA.
His detailed 1785 will raises questions in my mind. In it he mentions a “grave illness” that was haunting his household, including the slaves. Smallpox? That disease spread rampant after the war from returning solders at about that time. We’ll never know.
As far as family records show, he was the only one who died, although there are no records of any slaves who might have died at about the same time. He was survived by his 2nd wife. He had already settled his inheritance on the sons of his first wife when they moved to Kentucky to settle lands he owned there and their daughter who was already married. So the 2nd wife and younger chldren inherited the VA plantation.
He had received title to his VA land from Geo. III and received title to the KY land as a reward for his service in the RW from Congress.
Fascinating! What did the HVN stand for?
All you have to do is to add up the ages on old tombstones. Several members of my family have exceeded 100 years. (My mother celebrates her 100th birthday next week.) But the previous centenarians were around in the ealy 1800s.
When we buried my father in the family plot at the tender age of 56, I noticed tombsones of other famil members, going back 3 generations, who had all lived into their 80s and longer.
Only if you are female.
Unbelievable about Whittemore! Doesn’t matter his age!
I’m often dismayed by how Founders continue to be perceived as old.
It’s that most numerous portraits of them, either made later or just based on standards of painting at the time, with dubious talent, make poor George and many other officers in the war seem old. Heck, someone just posted a bunch of pix the other day with a recent painting of Washington at Valley Forge. Nice and pretty, but again George looks 65. And film keeps the stereotype alive, often reenactors I documentaries look old. They all give the wrong impression. George was only my age starting the RevWar. Many of his officers were also quite young.
Heck, even the most prominent British officers were younger than is made out.
Average means little when man died from disease, including as children, and many women died related to childbirth.
MANY people lived to be very old. You can see it in the graveyards. They just had much more death across all ages, while today we tend to get over or never get diseases.
You were also commenting that people weren’t mooching for their living or housing. Thus the response.
And actually, many families stuck together, as it was easiest for all concerned to help each other.
You need the SAR, hon.
Seriously !
And the irony just escaped you...
I think that because they were not lawyers they wrote a nearly perfect Constitution.
It is like when you watch kids and they solve the simplest problems without a ton of legalese.
For example, two kids share an apple- the best way to make sure it is fair is “I cut, you choose”. In four simple words you guarantee fairness and happiness of both parties (you can even choose the smaller part if you like to be the generous sort)
Those old, average life expectancy figures were skewed by high infant mortality rates. A man of the Colonial era who made it to adulthood could expect to live into his mid-50s.
A bit off topic but “pings” is all I can get, anything else I click, I get, “Your query returned no results.”
I’m replying to your reply, from “pings”.
This was happening off and on yesterday too.
By the way, I’ve never even heard of the S.A.R. and just figured the DAR took men into membership too.
I was astounded when I found the info on my g/father, It’s even written on his tomb stone. That alone doesn’t prove it but I have other documentation. A 12 year old infantryman, not a “bugle boy”, in addition, his father was in the war too.
What are you trying to access?
Your computer may have a virus, or a trojan. Some of my computers do that to me. They over-ride my search and send me to an ad, or to a substitute (and inferior) search engine which takes me no where.
Sons of the American Revolution. They’re just not as famous. But then, no genealogical society is as famous as the DAR, period. Closest is probably Sons of Confederate Veterans.
There is also Children of the American Revolution.
Be amazing if a 12yo would be actual infantry. Generally at best they would be musicians (not bugles - they were not really in use), but usually not at all. Such youth was frowned upon in any service. I’m betting more likely militia?
Sorry I can’t tell you about any computer troubles.
“Light Dragoons”, which I think is calvary, not infantry, which I first said. The following info is from the D.A.R. web site, Daniel Agee is my direct paternal ancestor, my last name is Agee also. Wish I had more info on him. Note the date of birth:
AGEE, DANIEL
Ancestor #: A000847
Service:
VIRGINIA Rank: PRIVATE
Birth:
12-29-1764 BUCKINGHAM CO VIRGINIA
Death:
1854 TENNESSEE
Service Source:
NARA, M881, COMP MIL SERV RECS, ROLL #46
Service Description:
1) COL MOYLAND 4TH REGT LIGHT DRAGOONS CL
James Agee also listed on the same page, was his father but Daniel stands out because of his age, Jacob, also listed, was Daniel’s older brother.
http://services.dar.org/public/dar_research/search_adb/default.cfm
What is the muster date? Very possible he made it in later at an older age.
Dragoons are not cavalry, although they often varied and could act purely as mounted troops. The general intention of dragoons, though, was to ride to the scene then dismount and fight.
Standing ovation and eternal thanks to these magnificent men!
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