Memorial Day: Remembering the Scottish Generals of the US War of Independence

[MacBean]

Today is Decoration or Memorial Day where the people of the United States remember those who fell in wars. Yesterday we decorated the Grave of the Unknown Solider of the Revolution in Washington Park, Philadelphia. Today we decorated the memorial stone for the North Carolina Regiments under General Lachlan McIntosh (McIntosh and MacBean and many others are closely affilliated under the Clan Chattan Confederation).

I looked up Patriot Generals of the War of Independence who were probably Scottish in descent. There are surely others, and at least one on this list came from Ireland.

Major General Lachlan McIntosh
-Born in Raits, Badenoch, Scotland, son of John Mohr McIntosh, "the head of Clan MacKintosh" (I don't think this is true). Immigrated with father to New Inverness (Darien) Georgia with Oglethorpe's party

Major General Charles Scott - presumed Scottish

Major General William Alexander (Lord Stirling, disputed)

Major General Arthur St.Clair - born Thurso, Scotland

Brigadier General Henry Knox (First Secretary of War, presumed Scottish)

Brigadier General Alexander McDougal - born Islay

Freedom is a light for which many men have died in darkness.

(photos to follow)

[MacBean]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lachlan_McIntosh
" General Lachlan McIntosh's great-great-nephews, James M. McIntosh and John Baillie McIntosh, were generals on opposite sides in the American Civil War."

One of my father's deathbed memories was picking peonies for Decoration Day in the fields planted by my great grandfather. Peonies have long been a traditional flower for this purpose; those in the picture are from my own garden. My best peonies bloomed three weeks ago.

[Mael Coluim]

Brigadier-General Hugh Mercer

[ThistleDown]

Major General Lachlan McIntosh
-Born in Raits, Badenoch, Scotland, son of John Mohr McIntosh, "the head of Clan MacKintosh" (I don't think this is true). Immigrated with father to New Inverness (Darien) Georgia with Oglethorpe's party

Best wishes to you, Mark, and our American cousins, near the end of this Memorial Day weekend.

You are correct in disbelieving this bit of historical narrative. Lacklan Mcintosh (sic) of Revolutionary War fame was the second son of John Mohr Mackintosh who was born 1700 at Raits in Badenoch, emigrated to Georgia in 1736, was a prisoner in Spain from 1740 to 1748 and who died in 1761.

John was the eldest son of Lachlan Mackintosh, who was the second son of the well-known and much beloved Brigadier Mackintosh of Borlum and Raits, an important gentleman of the clan Mackintosh and the Clanchattan, but not its "head".

Rex

[MacBean]

There you are Rex (we've missed you and yours)!

So he descends from Borlum does he? That's most helpful, thanks. There is a lot on him on the web, and much of it interesting reading, particularly his efforts against Detroit in the western marches.

An Alexander MacBean was appointed as recruiter for the Darien colony in Georgia, and returned to Inverness for that purpose.

[MacBean]

Thanks for the great inclusion and link for Hugh Mercer. Cut down on the field of battle was he? I think I'll make a little space for him in my mind and heart next to DeKalb who was cut down while defending the disastrous retreat of the Southern part of the Continental Army.

[macwilkin]

While he wasn't a general, John Paul Jones certainly deserves a mention here as well:

http://www.history.navy.mil/bios/jones_jp.htm
http://www.jpj.demon.co.uk/jpjlife.htm

Fair winds and following seas,

T.