Seth Pomeroy

Seth Pomeroy (May 20, 1706 – February 9, 1777) was an American gunsmith and soldier from Northampton, Massachusetts. His military service included the French and Indian War and the early stages of the American Revolutionary War. He served as a Brigadier General in the Continental Army.

Revolutionary War

Although a senior officer in the Massachusetts army at the start of the war, Pomeroy had a limited role. He was, after all, nearly seventy years old. But when the Siege of Boston began in 1775, he was among the volunteers that went in support of it. On June 17 a British naval bombardment marked the start of the Battle of Bunker Hill. He borrowed a horse from General Ward and set out for Charlestown. When he reached the neck of the peninsula he found troops piled up since the narrow strip was under fire from British warships. Giving the horse to a soldier to return, he shouldered his musket and marched through the barrage. He declined any command, but took a post at the rail fence, fighting with John Stark's regiment.

Related Topics:
Siege of Boston - 1775 - June 17 - Battle of Bunker Hill - Ward - Musket - John Stark

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The next week, the Continental Congress named him a Brigadier General in the Continental Army. Since his health was not the best, when difficulties arose about seniority, he resigned this commission.

Related Topics:
Continental Congress - Continental Army

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

But, when General George Washington asked for support in New Jersey the following year, he marched with his militia unit. He didn't complete the trip, but fell ill and died in Peekskill, New York. He was buried in St. Peter's Churchyard there. The churchyard is now part of Hillside Cemetery.

Related Topics:
General - George Washington - New Jersey - Peekskill, New York

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~