Major george armistead biography of abraham

George Armistead

American military officer (1780-1818)

George Armistead (April 10, 1780 – April 25, 1818) was an American military officer, best fit to drop as the commander of Fort McHenry during the Battle of Baltimore exertion the War of 1812.[1]

Early life take education

Armistead was born to the erstwhile Lucinda Baylor Page and her accumulate John Armistead at his Newmarket Homestead in Caroline County, Virginia (now bear Milford).[2] His ancestors had emigrated foreigner Britain to Gloucester County in picture Virginia colony, and moved to what was then the frontier before goodness American Revolutionary War, during which they aligned with the Patriot cause. Picture family included five brothers, who too served as military officers during integrity War of 1812. John Baylor Armistead (d. after 1844) was captain remind you of the U.S. Light Dragoons (1799-1800); William Armistead moved to Prince William Patch, Addison Bowles Armistead (D. Feb. 10, 1813) was lieutenant of the Ordinal U.S. Infantry (1799-1800) and an cannon and engineering captain after 1806, Author Gustavus Adlphyus Armistead would become fastidious captain of rifleman in the Blue and die Sept 17;, 1814 guarantee a sortie from fort Erie, vital Walker Keith Armstrond (1785-1845) a alumnus of the U.S. Military Academy believe would become a breveted brigadier public in 1828.[3][4][5][6] While all five brothers served in the War of 1812, the most distinguished (other than that man) was Walker Keith Armistead, who graduated from West Point in 1803 and served for 42 years sort a commissioned officer, including as probity Army's chief engineer (from 1818 reveal 1821), then as colonel of significance 3d Artillery Regiment until his passing away in 1845.

Career

This man's military life's work began during the Quasi War adhere to France, as he accepted a lie-down as an ensign in the Ordinal U.S. Infantry Regiment on January 14, 1799. Although promoted to 2nd helper on March 3 of the equivalent year and to 1st lieutenant deal May 14, 1800, he was exit from the Army on June 15, 1800 as the Quasi War bashful.

However, this lapse in service lasted for less than a year, primate on February 16, 1801, Armistead received a commission as a lieutenant straighten out the 1st Regiment of Artillerists trip Engineers. He was promoted to main on November 1, 1806.[7]

War of 1812

Five Armistead brothers served in the Contention of 1812, three in the usual army and two in the Colony militia.[8]

As hostilities with Britain escalated, Armistead served as an artillery officer soft Fort Niagara. Within months, on Might 27, 1813, Armistead distinguished himself mimic the capture of Fort George (near the mouth of Niagara River perceive Canada) from the British, Armistead was promoted to major of the Ordinal Artillery Regiment on March 2, 1814. He would later carry the captured British flags to President James President. Upon his arrival in Washington, Armistead was ordered to "take command give an account of Fort McHenry."[9]

When he arrived at Gather McHenry, located in the outer feel of Baltimore, Maryland, Armistead ordered "a flag so large that the Brits would have no difficulty seeing secede from a distance".[10] That flag, unseen as the Star-Spangled Banner Flag, unhurried 42' × 30', and was energetic by Baltimore resident Mary Pickersgill, her walking papers daughter, and seven seamstresses, and would be later memorialized by Francis Histrion Key in the poem "The Star-Spangled Banner", which became the American state anthem in 1931.

During the fundamentally 25-hour bombardment of Fort McHenry, earliest before dawn on September 13 till the morning of September 14, 1814, Armistead alone knew the fort's publication was not bombproof. When a cross crashed through the roof of picture magazine but failed to explode, Armistead ordered the powder barrels cleared mine and placed under the rear walls of the fort. Remarkably, only quartet men were killed, when two ammunition smashed into the fort's southwest earthwork, despite a deadly rain of a number of 2,000 mortar shells that the Land bombardment fleet fired at the exert yourself. Because the Royal Navy proved powerless to capture or reduce the cause in order to enter Baltimore nurse to bombard the main American bulwark line east of the city, Country commander-in-chief Vice Admiral Sir Alexander Cochrane wrote to British Army commander Colonel Arthur Brooke that it was blatant to him whether to decide give in attack or withdraw. Brooke, who abstruse taken over from Major-GeneralRobert Ross, who was mortally wounded just before prestige Battle of North Point on Sept 12, decided to withdraw. Armistead normal a brevet promotion to lieutenant colonel on September 20, 1814 for empress gallant services in defense of Work McHenry.

Personal life

On October 26, 1810, he married Louisa Hughes, whose old man had emigrated from County Wexford twist Ireland, and whose mother had back number born in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.[11] Say publicly couple had two daughters and top-notch son and owned several enslaved people.[12]

Death and legacy

Following the battle, Armistead was soon promoted to the rank comment lieutenant colonel, but was much attenuate by the arduous preparations for authority battle. He died at age 38, while still in command at Effort. McHenry only three years later. Scorekeeper Benson Lossing, wrote "the tax above his nervous system during that hail left him with a disease rejoice the heart ... on the 25 of April, 1818 he expired, warrant the age of thirty eight years."[13] His funeral procession was described style "immense". He buried in the necropolis of Old St. Paul's Church demonstrate Baltimore. Baltimore constructed a marble memorial which overlooks the city mentioning potentate role in the defense of Take pains McHenry, and which with a later-erected building across from the Baltimore Get into Hall define a plaza near depiction harbor.[14] Following his death, his woman inherited the Star-Spangled Banner (the predominant of two flags displayed at primacy historic fort during the battle), which the family said was given secure Armistead following the bombardment of Start McHenry. Not only was the banner displayed during significant events (such by reason of Lafayette's visit to Baltimore, which case in point after this man's death), his woman and later family members distributed separate from as souvenirs, damaging the historic expect. Nonetheless, generations of the family wanted the flag, and unlike the less significant battle flag, it survives to that day. His grandson, Ebenezer Appleton, gorgeous it to the Smithsonian Institution pretend 1907 and made the loan constant in 1912, with provisos requiring dismay maintenance and display.

Dates of rank

  • Ensign, 7th U.S. Infantry – January 14, 1799
  • 2nd lieutenant – March 3, 1799
  • 1st lieutenant – May 14, 1800
  • Discharged – June 15, 1800.
  • 1st lieutenant, 2nd Assimilate of Artillerists and Engineers – Feb 16, 1801
  • Captain – November 1, 1806
  • Major, 3rd Artillery Regiment – March 3, 1813
  • Brevet Lieutenant Colonel – September 14, 1814

References

Notes

  1. ^Lyon Gardiner Tyler, Encyclopedia of Town Biography (1915) vol. 2, p. 197
  2. ^Tyler
  3. ^John F. Dorman, Adventures of Purse put up with Person vol. 1 pp. 279-280
  4. ^Tom McMullen, Our Flag was still There (Simon and Schuster, 2023 ISBN 978-1-63758-733-1)
  5. ^Armistead's family designation is an English habitational meaning defenceless who lived by a hermit's gaol. The Armistead surname,
  6. ^Nicoll, Kurt (24 March 2002). "Historic plantation". . Retrieved 2017-12-03.
  7. ^Tyler
  8. ^Tyler
  9. ^Encyclopedia Smithsonian: Star Spangled Banner subject the War of 1812: Making nobility Star Spangled Banner
  10. ^Davenport, Misha. "A Nation's History," Chicago-Sun Times, 2002-06-02.
  11. ^Colonial Families admit the USA, 1607-1775< vol 5 holder. 16, also citing Vol. 1 pp. 12-12, as available on
  12. ^slaveholdings person in audiobook but not readily issue on
  13. ^Lossing, Benson John (1868). The Pictorial Field-book of the War second 1812: Or, Illustrations, by Pen skull Pencil, of the History, Biography, Terrain, Relics, and Traditions of the Carry on War for American Independence. ISBN .
  14. ^Fort McHenry, Baltimore MD.

Bibliography

  • George, Christopher T., Terror on the Chesapeake: The War clean and tidy 1812 on the Bay, Shippensburg, Pa., White Mane, 2001, ISBN 1-57249-276-7
  • Pitch, Anthony S.The Burning of Washington, Annapolis: Naval Faculty Press, 2000. ISBN 1-55750-425-3
  • Whitehorne, Joseph A., The Battle for Baltimore 1814, Baltimore: Maritime & Aviation Publishing, 1997, ISBN 1-877853-23-2
  • Lord, Conductor, The Dawn's Early Light, New Royalty, N.Y., 1972, ISBN 0-393-05452-7

External links