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24th Generation
617. Joseph
SPENCER, MAJ.GEN.42
was born on 3 Oct 1714 in East Haddam, Middlesex Co., CT. He died
on 13 Jan 1789 in Millington, East New London Co., CT. Joseph was
a Major General in the Revolutionary War. (From Colonial Families of the United
States)
Revolutionary War Patriot Major General Spencer, Part 2
Monument Erected In General Spencer's Honor
Local History by Kevin Tulimieri
EAST HADDAM - Joseph Spencer was born in East Haddam in 1714, the son
of prominent Congregational Church Deacon Isaac Spencer. As a descendant of Sergeant
Jared Spencer, a proprietor of Haddam in 1662, Joseph also learned of the importance
of the militia in colonial New England. He began to expand his education, studying
with Rev. Hosmer of the East Haddam First Church and then later going on to study
law at Yale. In 1746, Spencer was named Deacon in the new Millington Parish and
the next year he began his military career, serving in the local militia. He
reached the rank
of Lieutenant in the Millington Company of Militia in 1747 and was named Captain
in 1752. In 1758, Spencer acted as Major of the Second Regiment and Captain as
the Third Company in at least three campaigns during the French and Indian Wars.
By the time the conflict was over, Spencer had reached the rank of Colonel and
earned the reputation as a brave and good officer. Spencer's years of service
and valuable combat experience were quickly sought after as the country headed
toward war against England.
As tensions with the King escalated, General George Washington, the
newly elected Commander-in-Chief, asked the Congress to appoint four Major Generals
and eight Brigadier Generals. Washington recommended men who were well known
to him personally and highly respected for their military expertise. Spencer's
excellent service was rewarded and he was suggested as a candidate for one of
the positions as General. In June 1775, the Congress had finished debate and
named all 12 Generals. However, the Congress had changed the order of the Generals
recommended by Washington.
The four Major Generals appointed to report directly to General Washington
were: Ward, C. Lee, Schuyler and Israel Putnam. The other Brigadier Generals
appointed with Spencer were: Pomeroy, Mongomery, Wooster, Heath, Thomas, Sullivan
and Green. However, Brigadier General Spencer was now outranked by Major General
Putnam, who was four years his junior in age and less experienced in the military.
Putnam had received much attention during the early fighting in Boston, but to
skip Spencer in rank was a serious breach of military etiquette.
Spencer's friends at Governor Jonathan Trumbull's Safety Council wrote
a letter to General Washington on July 13, 1775 and asked him to address the
situation: "I have observed to your Excellency, that the Honorable Congress
have altered the arrangement of the Generals appointed by our Assembly. We wish
the order we adopted had been pursued,
and fear Generals Wooster and Spencer will think they have reason to complain.
They are gentlemen held in high estimation by our Assembly, and by the officers
and troops under their command. There are reasons to fear that inconveniences
will arise from the alterations, made by the Congress, in the rank and relation
of those Generals; at the same time they have the highest sense of General Putnam's
singular merit and services." Spencer was indeed offended by what he saw
as an insult to his rank and dignity. Spencer was so upset with Congress' decision
that he actually left the Roxbury camp and headed back home without telling Washington.
He prepared to resign his commission and retire, but 49 fellow officers
at Roxbury sent a letter to the Connecticut General Assembly urging them to take
up the issue with Congress. A result was that two members of the Trumbull's Safety
Council were sent to negotiate with Spencer: "Two of the Council, Samuel
Huntington and William Williams, were appointed to wait upon General Spencer
at Gray's, the tavern where he had just arrived, and confer with him on the subject-matter
of his dissatisfaction, etc., and endeavor to remove, etc., and reconcile him
to cheerfully pursue the service, which he did accordingly.... In the afternoon
of the same day they met again at the Governor's, where General Spencer attended,
and had a long conference with him on the subject-matter of being superseded
by the General Congress, putting General Israel Putnam above him, etc.,
which he thinks is very hard and results, etc., and is at length persuaded to
return to the army, and not present quit the service as he proposed."
General Spencer was convinced to stay in Boston and he commanded a
group of four regiments. His troops were involved in the Battle of Bunker Hill
on June 17, 1775 and they were also part of Arnold's Quebec Expedition from September
to December 1775. Spencer fulfilled his duties honorably and his regiment was
the last one to leave Boston on April 4, 1776. He marched his entire division
along the Connecticut coast and took up positions in New York. General Spencer
was placed in charge of the defenses on the north end of Manhattan. His troops
occupied a string of barriers, or redoubts, which stretched from Harlem to the
Hudson River. A section of the defenses were called Spencer's redoubt, which
was located on present day Pike Street, between Monroe and Cherry Streets. Another
section of Spencer's line was called McGowan's Pass which is now located in the
north end of Central Park.
Spencer's duty in Boston and New York was rewarded and he was named
Major General on August 9, 1776. Unfortunately, the struggle to keep New York
from the British was not going well for the Continental Army. After a heavy defeat
at the Battle of long Island, Washington called a meeting of his generals at
the Dutch Stone Church in Brooklyn. The subject of the meeting was to decide
whether or not New York City was worth defending. Spencer was one of the nine
generals to aid Washington in this tough decision. On September 7, 1776, the
majority of the war council voted to maintain their presence in the city. However
another vote was taken five days later, and the majority voted to evacuate.
Spencer was one of the three dissenting generals who voted to stay and defend
the city. As the Continental Army was leaving New York, Spencer's troops were
involved in the disastrous Battle of White Plains in October 1776.
Two months later, Spencer was ordered to Rhode Island and placed in
charge of all the troops at the Providence Plantations. At the time, the Rhode
Island coast line and the Newport Harbor were controlled by the English Navy.
The city of Newport was occupied by British regulars and an entire British squadron
was stationed on the island in the harbor. After the defeats in New York, Washington
was determined to drive the English out of Rhode Island. In the spring of 1777,
Spencer organized a large force of Continental troops and volunteers at the Providence
Plantation. In July 1777, Spencer's troops were responsible for the capture of
British commander Major General Prescott. The English General was sent to Washington
and exchanged for one of Spencer's peers, General Charles Lee, who was captured
in December 1776.
In September 1777, Spencer planned an attack against the forces on
the island in Newport Harbor. With about 9,000 troops, Spencer's ships actually
embarked on their way to confront the British. But a series of difficulties hampered
the expedition, including bad weather and one entire brigade not showing up on
time. However, the worst news for Spencer came from his British spies while they
were on route to the battle. They reported that the English forces on the island
were aware of the invasion plans. The spies informed Spencer that he would be
allowed to land, but then the English would burn the ships, cutting off the Americans'
retreat. As the general in charge, Spencer made the decision to turn his
ships around and return to camp.
The military immediately ordered a court of inquiry to investigate
why the attack was not finished. Spencer welcomed the inquiry and proposed another
effort against the British in Newport. On December 2, 1777, Governor Jonathan
Trumbull wrote to Washington: "The expedition to Newport hath unhappily
failed. An inquiry hath been made into the reasons. General Spencer was exculpated.
A Brigadier Palmer failed in his duty." Spencer was officially exonerated
by the military on November 15, 1777. However, Congress ordered its own investigation
on December 11, 1777. Spencer was not pleased with Congress' choice to get involved
and felt it was another breach of military etiquette. Spencer sent in his letter
of resignation on December 20, and it was accepted in January 1778. The letter
Spencer sent to Congress is an impassioned appeal concerning the neglected state
of the Continental Army. His concern for the welfare of the soldiers under his
care reveals that his resignation was motivated by more than personal pride.
After returning to Connecticut, Governor Trumbull appointed Spencer to an important
position on the Council of Safety. As the war continued to rage on, Spencer's
military experience could not be wasted. Trumbull also named Spencer to the head
of the state's forces as First Major General of the Connecticut Militia. Later
that year, Spencer was elected to serve as a Delegate to the Congress by the
General Court.
Meanwhile, in Rhode Island, General Sullivan was put in charge of the
troops and given the mission to remove the British. Shortly after Sullivan took
control, Washington decided that the effort to dislodge the English forces was
futile.In what seems like a gesture of reconciliation, Washington himself asked
Spencer to aid Sullivan in his retreat from Providence. The retreat from
Rhode Island was Spencer's last act of service in the Continental Army.
In 1779, Spencer earned one of his highest honors when he was elected
as a representative of Connecticut in the Continental Congress. He was re-elected
to this position every year as long as he continued to run. Spencer was the first
of three East Haddam men to be elected to serve the state in Congress.
Major General Joseph Spencer lived out his final days in Millington
where he died in 1789. He was originally buried with his wives and children in
the Millington Cemetery. About 1900, Spencer's invaluable service to his country
was uncovered and promoted by Israel Foote Loomis of East Hampton. Loomis was
a descendant of a Revolutionary War soldier and Colchester proprietor Nathaniel
Foote. Considering the Millington Cemetery forgotten, Loomis began a movement
to have the state construct an appropriate monument to this important military
leader. The impressive monument was built on a prominent site next to the Nathan
Hale School House in the spring of 1901. Shortly after the monument was finished,
the tombstones and remains of Joseph Spencer and his wife, Hannah, were moved
to the
location. Keeping company with the memory of fellow patriot Nathan Hale, the
Spencer monument still stands as a proud reminder of one of East Haddam's greatest
citizens.
Sources;
The Connecticut Valley Advertiser, letters by Israel Foote Loomis,
Nov. 1900.
The History of Middlesex County by J. B. Beers 1884
Register of the sons of the Revolution in Connecticut, Sketch of Joseph
Spencer, 1913
Address to the East Haddam Historical Society, Introduction and Brief
Biography of Gen. Spencer by Karl Stofko DDS,
1993
An Introduction to Major General Joseph Spencer of East Haddam by Katherine
Day Chaffee, 1901
Joseph SPENCER, MAJ.GEN. and Hannah SOUTHMYD (BROWN) were married in 1756
in Kinderhook, Columbia Co., NY. Joseph SPENCER,
MAJ.GEN. and Hannah SOUTHMYD (BROWN) had the following children:
Joseph SPENCER, MAJ.GEN. and Martha BRAINERD
were married in 1756 in Kinderhook, Columbia Co., NY. Martha
BRAINERD was born about 1715. Joseph SPENCER, MAJ.GEN. and Martha
BRAINERD had the following children:
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