John Simpson (soldier)

For other people named John Simpson, see John Simpson (disambiguation).

John Simpson
Born	December 1, 1748(1748-12-01) Deerfield, New Hampshire
Died	October 28, 1825(1825-10-28) (aged 76)
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	1775–1783
Rank	Major
Battles/wars	American Revolutionary War Battle of Bunker Hill Battles of Lexington and Concord
Other work	Farmer

Major John Simpson (December 1, 1748 – October 28, 1825) was an American Revolutionary War soldier from Deerfield, New Hampshire. He is one of several men traditionally described as having fired the first shot on the American side at the Battle of Bunker Hill.^[1]

After the shooting in the war began at Lexington and Concord, Simpson joined a company of militiamen under Captain Henry Dearborn. The company marched to Boston and joined the siege of that town. At the Battle of Bunker Hill, Colonel John Stark instructed his men of the 1st New Hampshire Regiment to hold their fire until the British had reached a certain point. According to the story, Simpson fired early and was arrested the next day for disobeying orders, but was not punished.

Simpson eventually rose to the rank of major in the New Hampshire state troops. After the war he returned to his farm.

Later life

In 1785, Simpson married Mary Whidden.^[2] Two blacks were given to them by Whidden's mother.^[2] They were not considered slaves; however, they were considered a part of his family.^[2] While married, the two had 6 children: Joseph Langdon (February 8, 1787 – February 28, 1808), Thomas (August 2, 1788 – December 1, 1872), John Jr. (March 2, 1790 – February 8, 1868), Samuel (January 29, 1729 – January 13, 1872), Mary (June 5, 1794 – November 11, 1832), and Hannah (April 29, 1797 – July 18, 1872).^[2]

Simpson died on October 28, 1825 and was originally buried in his family lot.^[2] This graveyard was not taken care of and eventually one of his ancestors moved him to the Old Center cemetery.^[3]

See also

• New Hampshire historical marker #25

Notes

1. ^ According to the 15th edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica, "Joseph Spalding of Chelmsford is said to have fired the first shot in the Battle of Bunker Hill." ("Chelmsford, Massachusetts" entry, 2005 printing, vol. 3, p. 152). According to historian Richard Ketchum, a Lieutenant [James?] Dana claimed to have fired first in order to cause the British to fire prematurely (Decisive Day: The Battle for Bunker Hill, p. 159).
2. ^ ^{a b c d e} Smith (1906), p. 18
3. ^ Smith (1906), pp. 18–19

References

• Smith, Chellis Vielle (July – December 1906). Broune, George Waldo. ed. "Major John Simpson: The Man Who Fired the First Shot at Bunker Hill". Granite State Magazine (Manchester, New Hampshire: Granite State Publishing) 2. http://books.google.com/books?id=PYsMAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false. 

Persondata
Name	Simpson, John
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	December 1, 1748
Place of birth
Date of death	October 28, 1825
Place of death