Benjamin Lincoln

Infobox_Lt_Governor
name = Benjamin Lincoln


caption =
order = 2nd
office = Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts
term_start = 1788
term_end = 1789
governor = John Hancock
predecessor = Thomas Cushing
successor = Samuel Adams
birth_date = January 24 1733
birth_place = Hingham, MA
death_date = death date and age|1810|5|9|1733|1|24|mf=y
death_place = Hingham, Massachusetts|Hingham, MA
party =
profession =
spouse =
footnotes =

Benjamin Lincoln (January 24 1733-May 9 1810) was an American army officer. He served as a major general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He is notable for overseeing the largest US surrender of the war at Siege of Charleston and for being the officer who formally accepted the British surrender at Yorktown.

Early life

Lincoln was born on January 24 1733, in Hingham, Massachusetts. Lincoln's ancestors were among those who first settled in Hingham, beginning with Lincoln family patriarch Samuel Lincoln. In his early life, Lincoln worked on the family farm; he attended the local school. Later in life, he felt the lack of further education and got a Master's degree at Harvard. In 1756, at the age of 23, Lincoln married Mary Cushing, whose ancestors were also among the founders of Hingham. They had eleven children.

He followed in his father's footsteps into local political office. At 21, Lincoln became the town constable and in 1755, Lincoln entered the 3rd Regiment of the Suffolk militia as an adjutant. In 1757, he was elected the town clerk of Hingham and was elected Justice of the Peace in 1762, also, in 1772, Lincoln was promoted to lieutenant colonel of the 3rd Regiment of the Suffolk militia. Being in the Suffolk militia allowed Lincoln to gain military experience which he used in three major battles of the American Revolution.

American Revolution

Northern Theatre (1776-78)

In 1776, he was promoted to brigadier general, then major general, then commander of all Massachusetts troops in the Boston area. After the British evacuation of Boston, Lincoln joined General George Washington at New York, commanding the right wing at the Battle of White Plains. Shortly after seeing action at Fort Independence, he was commissioned into the Continental Army as a major general.

In April 1777 he was defeated at the Battle of Bound Brook by a much larger force under the command of Lord Cornwallis. In September 1777, Lincoln joined Horatio Gates's camp near Saratoga to take part in the Battles of Saratoga. Lincoln's ankle was shattered by a musket ball during the Second Battle of Saratoga, permanently leaving him with one leg shorter than the other.

Southern Theatre (1778-81)

After recovering from the severe wound, Lincoln was appointed Southern Department Commander in September 1778. Lincoln participated in the attack on Savannah, Georgia on October 9 1779 and was forced to retreat to Charleston, South Carolina. He took command of the garrison of Charleston. In March the city was surrounded by a sizeable British force dispatched from the northern colonies. After a relatively brief siege Lincoln was forced to surrender to Lieutenant General Henry Clinton on May 12 1780.

Interestingly enough, Lincoln, desperate for more troops, had pleaded with the South Carolina legislature to arm 1,000 African Americans to ward off the approaching British. Rather than see armed slaves, the legislature began negotiations with the British commanders to allow the British forces to pass through South Carolina. This was one of the worst Continental defeats of the war. He was denied the honors of war in surrendering, which deeply rankled him. Lincoln was exchanged as a prisoner of war, was paroled, and in the court of inquiry no charges were ever brought against him. Ironically it was the British who subsequently adopted his policy of recruiting large numbers of black soldiers.

After being exchanged, Lincoln soon returned to Washington's main army, even leading it south to Virginia and playing a major role in the Yorktown surrender on October 19, 1781. Cornwallis surrendered on October 19, 1781 Lord Cornwallis pleading illness, did not attend the surrender ceremony instead, sending his second-in-command, the Irish General Charles O'Hara, in his stead. In response, General Washington refused to accept O'Hara's sword and sent his own subordinate, Benjamin Lincoln to receive the surrender.

Secretary of War (1781-83)

From 1781 to late 1783, Lincoln served as the first "Secretary of War," also called the "Secretary at War". He was appointed by the Confederation Congress under the Articles of Confederation. [ [http://www.history.army.mil/books/RevWar/ss/ch3.htm The Articles of Confederation] ] [ [http://www.rebelswithavision.com/CharlesThomson.com/BenjaminLincoln.com/ Benjamin Lincoln] ] He was succeeded in the post by Henry Knox.

Post-war

In 1787, Lincoln was a member of the Massachusetts state convention that ratified the United States Constitution. Earlier in 1787, Lincoln helped put an end to an uprising of farmers known as Shays' Rebellion. The uprising, which led to calls for a stronger central U.S. government, ended when the militia under Major General Benjamin Lincoln attacked the rebels and forced them to surrender in February.

He stayed active in public life in various capacities, including a term as Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts and many years as the Collector of the Port of Boston. He retired from public life in 1809 and died in Hingham on May 9 1810.

Legacy

He was no direct relation of Abraham Lincoln, as he is sometimes wrongly stated to be.

He was one of the few men to have been present at the three major surrenders of the American Revolutionary War. Twice as a Victor (at Yorktown and Saratoga) and once as the defeated party (at Charleston). In spite of the major role he played during the war, he tends to be less well-remembered than many of his contemparies in the Continental Army.

Places named for Benjamin Lincoln:
* General Benjamin Lincoln House
* Lincoln County, Georgia
* Lincoln County, Kentucky
* Lincoln County, Missouri
* Lincoln County, North Carolina
* Lincoln County, Tennessee
* Lincoln, Vermont
* Lincoln Street in downtown Columbia, South Carolina
* Lincoln Street in Savannah, Georgia

References

External links

* [http://books.google.com/books?id=deeAOjCEW1wC&pg=PA121&lpg=PA121&dq=%22 Benjamin Lincoln and the American Revolution]
* [http://www.nps.gov/history/museum/exhibits/revwar/image_gal/indeimg/lincoln.html National Park Service Museum Collections]