Edward Hand: Difference between revisions
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{{Short description|Irish-born American | {{Short description|Irish-born American army officer and politician}} | ||
{{Infobox military person | {{Infobox military person | ||
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| allegiance = | | allegiance = [[Kingdom of Great Britain|Great Britain]] <br /> [[United States]] | ||
| branch = | | branch = [[British Army]] <br /> [[Continental Army]] | ||
| branch_label = Service/branch | | branch_label = Service/branch | ||
| serviceyears = | | serviceyears = | ||
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| rank = [[Major | | rank = [[Major general (United States)|Major General]] | ||
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'''Edward Hand''' (December 31, 1744 – September 3, 1802) was an Irish-born American | |||
'''Edward Hand''' (December 31, 1744 – September 3, 1802) was an Irish-born American army officer and politician who served in the [[Continental Army]] during the [[American Revolutionary War]]. Rising to the rank of [[Major general (United States)|major general]], Hand served as [[United States Army Adjutant General's Corps|Adjutant General]] of the Continental Army under [[George Washington]]. After the war, Hand retired to farm his estate, [[Historic Rock Ford|Rock Ford]], and served in the [[Pennsylvania General Assembly]] and [[Lancaster, Pennsylvania|Lancaster]] city government. | |||
==Early life and career== | ==Early life and career== | ||
Hand was born in Clyduff, King's County (now [[County Offaly]]), [[Kingdom of Ireland]], on 31 December 1744, and was baptised in [[Shinrone]]. His father was John Hand. | Hand was born in Clyduff, King's County (now [[County Offaly]]), [[Kingdom of Ireland]], on 31 December 1744, and was baptised in [[Shinrone]]. His father was John Hand. | ||
=== Education and British military service === | === Education and British military service === | ||
Hand earned a medical certificate from [[Trinity College Dublin|Trinity College, Dublin]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Edward Hand |url=https://www.historicrockford.org/edward-hand |access-date=2025-06-14 |website=Historic Rock Ford |language=en-US}}</ref> In 1767, Hand enlisted as a [[Surgeon's mate]] in the [[Royal Irish Regiment (1684–1922)|18th (Royal Irish) Regiment of Foot]]. On May 20, 1767, he sailed with the regiment from Cobh, Cork, Ireland, arriving at [[Philadelphia]] on July 11. While serving in Pennsylvania, he befriended Colonel [[George Washington]], becoming lifelong friends with the future [[President of the United States|President]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Zervanos |first=Nikitas |date=Spring 2018 |title=General Edward Hand: An Extraordinary Lancaster Patriot, Military Officer, Physician, and Surgeon |url=https://www.jlgh.org/Past-Issues/Volume-13-Issue-1/Gen-Edward-Hand.aspx |access-date=2025-06-14 |website=www.jlgh.org}}</ref> | Hand earned a medical certificate from [[Trinity College Dublin|Trinity College, Dublin]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Edward Hand |url=https://www.historicrockford.org/edward-hand |access-date=2025-06-14 |website=Historic Rock Ford |language=en-US}}</ref> In 1767, Hand enlisted as a [[Surgeon's mate]] in the [[Royal Irish Regiment (1684–1922)|18th (Royal Irish) Regiment of Foot]]. On May 20, 1767, he sailed with the regiment from Cobh, Cork, Ireland, arriving at [[Philadelphia]] on July 11. While serving in Pennsylvania, he befriended Colonel [[George Washington]], becoming lifelong friends with the future [[President of the United States|President]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Zervanos |first=Nikitas |date=Spring 2018 |title=General Edward Hand: An Extraordinary Lancaster Patriot, Military Officer, Physician, and Surgeon |url=https://www.jlgh.org/Past-Issues/Volume-13-Issue-1/Gen-Edward-Hand.aspx |access-date=2025-06-14 |website=www.jlgh.org}}</ref> | ||
In 1772, he was commissioned an ensign. He marched with the regiment to [[Fort Pitt (Pennsylvania)|Fort Pitt]], on the forks of the [[Ohio River]]. While stationed at Fort Pitt, Hand thrived as a merchant along the Ohio River, making lucrative land deals. Hand returned to Philadelphia in 1774, where he resigned and sold his commission for | In 1772, he was commissioned an ensign. He marched with the regiment to [[Fort Pitt (Pennsylvania)|Fort Pitt]], on the forks of the [[Ohio River]]. While stationed at Fort Pitt, Hand thrived as a merchant along the Ohio River, making lucrative land deals. Hand returned to Philadelphia in 1774, where he resigned and sold his commission for £400.<ref name=":1" /> | ||
==== Arrival in Lancaster ==== | ==== Arrival in Lancaster ==== | ||
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Hand entered the [[Continental Army]] in 1775 as a [[Lieutenant colonel (United States)|lieutenant colonel]] in the [[1st Pennsylvania Regiment]] under Colonel [[William Thompson (general)|William Thompson]]. He was promoted to [[Colonel (United States)|colonel]] in 1776 and placed in command of the 1st Continental (then designated the 1st Pennsylvania).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.benning.army.mil/infantry/magazine/issues/2013/Oct-Dec/Hannum.html |title=America's First Company Commanders |last=Hannum |first=Patrick H. |access-date=2 February 2020 |archive-date=19 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210519024127/https://www.benning.army.mil/infantry/magazine/issues/2013/Oct-Dec/Hannum.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> | Hand entered the [[Continental Army]] in 1775 as a [[Lieutenant colonel (United States)|lieutenant colonel]] in the [[1st Pennsylvania Regiment]] under Colonel [[William Thompson (general)|William Thompson]]. He was promoted to [[Colonel (United States)|colonel]] in 1776 and placed in command of the 1st Continental (then designated the 1st Pennsylvania).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.benning.army.mil/infantry/magazine/issues/2013/Oct-Dec/Hannum.html |title=America's First Company Commanders |last=Hannum |first=Patrick H. |access-date=2 February 2020 |archive-date=19 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210519024127/https://www.benning.army.mil/infantry/magazine/issues/2013/Oct-Dec/Hannum.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> | ||
Promoted to [[Brigadier general (United States)|brigadier general]] in March 1777, he served as the commander of [[Fort Pitt (Pennsylvania)|Fort Pitt]], fighting British loyalists and their Indian allies. In early 1778, Hand led an expedition into the Ohio country to capture a small British magazine on the Cuyahoga River near Lake Erie, which could be used to supply Native American nations who had allied with the British, such as the Wyandot and the Shawnee. However, failing to distinguish among Native American groups, the unruly militiamen under Hand's command attacked the neutral [[Lenape]] village of [[Kuskusky]], killing the mother, brother, and a child of Chief Hopocan, known as [[Captain Pipe]]. The expedition became derisively known as the Squaw Campaign.<ref name=Squaw>[https://emergingrevolutionarywar.org/tag/squaw-campaign/ "General Edward Hand: The Squaw Campaign"],''Emerging Revolutionary War Era Blog'', accessed 16 December 2024</ref> Hand was later recalled after serving over a year at Fort Pitt (June 1777 to August 1778),<ref name=Cincinnati>[https://pasocietyofthecincinnati.org/gallery_post/b-gen-edward-hand/ "B. Gen. Edward Hand"],''The State Society of the Cincinnati of Pennsylvania'', accessed 16 December 2024</ref> to command a [[brigade]] in [[Major general (United States)|Major General]] [[ | Promoted to [[Brigadier general (United States)|brigadier general]] in March 1777, he served as the commander of [[Fort Pitt (Pennsylvania)|Fort Pitt]], fighting British loyalists and their Indian allies. In early 1778, Hand led an expedition into the Ohio country to capture a small British magazine on the Cuyahoga River near Lake Erie, which could be used to supply Native American nations who had allied with the British, such as the Wyandot and the Shawnee. However, failing to distinguish among Native American groups, the unruly militiamen under Hand's command attacked the neutral [[Lenape]] village of [[Kuskusky]], killing the mother, brother, and a child of Chief Hopocan, known as [[Captain Pipe]]. The expedition became derisively known as the Squaw Campaign.<ref name=Squaw>[https://emergingrevolutionarywar.org/tag/squaw-campaign/ "General Edward Hand: The Squaw Campaign"],''Emerging Revolutionary War Era Blog'', accessed 16 December 2024</ref> Hand was later recalled after serving over a year at Fort Pitt (June 1777 to August 1778),<ref name=Cincinnati>[https://pasocietyofthecincinnati.org/gallery_post/b-gen-edward-hand/ "B. Gen. Edward Hand"],''The State Society of the Cincinnati of Pennsylvania'', accessed 16 December 2024</ref> to command a [[brigade]] in [[Major general (United States)|Major General]] [[Marquis de Lafayette|La Fayette]]'s division. [[File:Correspondence from General Edward Hand to Major General John Sullivan.jpg|thumb|Letter from General Edward Hand,1779]] | ||
Planning for a campaign against the Iroquois was already under way, and | Planning for a campaign against the Iroquois was already under way, and Hand's frontier experience naturally recommended him as a participant. In the resulting [[Sullivan Expedition |Sullivan-Clinton Iroquois Expedition]] (May-November 1779) through the [[Southern Tier]] and [[Finger Lakes]] regions of New York, Edward Hand commanded the Third Brigade, composed of the Fourth and Eleventh Pennsylvania Regiments, the [[German Battalion |German Regiment]], [[Thomas Proctor (general)|Proctor's Artillery]], Captain James Parr's Riflemen, Captain Anthony Selin's Riflemen, and two Wyoming companies. The brigade composed the "Light Corps" of Sullivan's army and formed its [[vanguard]]. The journals kept by the officers on the expedition indicate that Hand played a major role in the success of the campaign. When he rejoined his family in Lancaster at the close of the year he was thirty-five years old, the youngest of the brigadiers.<ref name=Cincinnati></ref> | ||
'''Adjutant General of the Continental Army''' | '''Adjutant General of the Continental Army''' | ||
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* Member of the [[Pennsylvania General Assembly|Pennsylvania Assembly]], 1785–1786 | * Member of the [[Pennsylvania General Assembly|Pennsylvania Assembly]], 1785–1786 | ||
Beginning in 1785, he owned and operated [[Historic Rock Ford|Rock Ford]], a {{convert|177|acre|km2|adj=on}} plantation{{refn|group=nb|[[Historic Rock Ford]] was variously described as a farm or plantation in contemporary sources. However, the definition of plantation has evolved considerably | Beginning in 1785, he owned and operated [[Historic Rock Ford|Rock Ford]], a {{convert|177|acre|km2|adj=on}} plantation{{refn|group=nb|[[Historic Rock Ford]] was variously described as a farm or plantation in contemporary sources. However, the definition of plantation has evolved considerably over time.<ref>https://www.etymonline.com/word/plantation</ref> When describing Rock Ford, the term "plantation" does not imply that slaves were used to cultivate the farmland, although the Hands owned up to four slaves for non-agriculture purposes.<ref>https://www.historicrockford.org/edward-hand</ref>}} on the banks of the [[Conestoga River]], one mile (1.6 km) south of [[Lancaster, Pennsylvania]]. The [[Georgian architecture|Georgian]] brick mansion remains today; the farm is a historic site open to the public. Hand was also an [[Slavery in the United States|enslaver]], owning several enslaved people, one of whom, Frank, ran away in 1802.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://historicrockford.org/enslavement/ | title=Slavery & Servitude in Early Lancaster County {{pipe}} Historic Rock Ford | date=25 June 2020 }}{{Dead link|date=August 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> | ||
==Civic life== | ==Civic life== | ||
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==External links== | ==External links== | ||
*[http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=H000153 | *[http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=H000153 Hand's congressional biography] | ||
*{{Find a Grave|6709798|access-date=17 May 2009}} | *{{Find a Grave|6709798|access-date=17 May 2009}} | ||
*[http://www.rockfordplantation.org Rock Ford Plantation] | *[http://www.rockfordplantation.org Rock Ford Plantation] | ||
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{{Portal|Biography}}{{S-start}} | {{Portal|Biography}}{{S-start}} | ||
{{s-mil}} | {{s-mil}} | ||
{{Succession box|title=[[List of | {{Succession box|title=[[List of Adjutants General of the United States Army|Adjutant Generals of the U. S. Army]]|before=[[Alexander Scammel]] |after=[[William North]]|years=8 January 1781 – 3 November 1783}} | ||
{{S-end}} | {{S-end}} | ||
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[[Category:1792 United States presidential electors]] | [[Category:1792 United States presidential electors]] | ||
[[Category:Irish emigrants to the Thirteen Colonies]] | [[Category:Irish emigrants to the Thirteen Colonies]] | ||
[[Category:Physicians from Pennsylvania]] | [[Category:Physicians from Pennsylvania]] | ||
[[Category:Continental Army personnel of the Sullivan Expedition]] | [[Category:Continental Army personnel of the Sullivan Expedition]] | ||
[[Category:Physicians from colonial Pennsylvania]] | |||
Latest revision as of 14:57, 22 December 2025
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Edward Hand (December 31, 1744 – September 3, 1802) was an Irish-born American army officer and politician who served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. Rising to the rank of major general, Hand served as Adjutant General of the Continental Army under George Washington. After the war, Hand retired to farm his estate, Rock Ford, and served in the Pennsylvania General Assembly and Lancaster city government.
Early life and career
Hand was born in Clyduff, King's County (now County Offaly), Kingdom of Ireland, on 31 December 1744, and was baptised in Shinrone. His father was John Hand.
Education and British military service
Hand earned a medical certificate from Trinity College, Dublin.[1] In 1767, Hand enlisted as a Surgeon's mate in the 18th (Royal Irish) Regiment of Foot. On May 20, 1767, he sailed with the regiment from Cobh, Cork, Ireland, arriving at Philadelphia on July 11. While serving in Pennsylvania, he befriended Colonel George Washington, becoming lifelong friends with the future President.[2]
In 1772, he was commissioned an ensign. He marched with the regiment to Fort Pitt, on the forks of the Ohio River. While stationed at Fort Pitt, Hand thrived as a merchant along the Ohio River, making lucrative land deals. Hand returned to Philadelphia in 1774, where he resigned and sold his commission for £400.[2]
Arrival in Lancaster
In 1774, Hand moved to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where he practiced medicine.[2] On March 13, 1775, he married Katherine Ewing (born March 25, 1751 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania). Katherine was the niece of Jasper Yeates,[1] a prominent Lancaster attorney and later justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, who became Hand's political mentor.[3][4]
Establishing himself in the community, Hand was active in forming the Lancaster County Associators, a colonial militia. After arriving in Lancaster, Hand joined one the growing Freemasonry lodges in the frontiertown.[5]
American Revolution
Hand entered the Continental Army in 1775 as a lieutenant colonel in the 1st Pennsylvania Regiment under Colonel William Thompson. He was promoted to colonel in 1776 and placed in command of the 1st Continental (then designated the 1st Pennsylvania).[6]
Promoted to brigadier general in March 1777, he served as the commander of Fort Pitt, fighting British loyalists and their Indian allies. In early 1778, Hand led an expedition into the Ohio country to capture a small British magazine on the Cuyahoga River near Lake Erie, which could be used to supply Native American nations who had allied with the British, such as the Wyandot and the Shawnee. However, failing to distinguish among Native American groups, the unruly militiamen under Hand's command attacked the neutral Lenape village of Kuskusky, killing the mother, brother, and a child of Chief Hopocan, known as Captain Pipe. The expedition became derisively known as the Squaw Campaign.[7] Hand was later recalled after serving over a year at Fort Pitt (June 1777 to August 1778),[8] to command a brigade in Major General La Fayette's division.
Planning for a campaign against the Iroquois was already under way, and Hand's frontier experience naturally recommended him as a participant. In the resulting Sullivan-Clinton Iroquois Expedition (May-November 1779) through the Southern Tier and Finger Lakes regions of New York, Edward Hand commanded the Third Brigade, composed of the Fourth and Eleventh Pennsylvania Regiments, the German Regiment, Proctor's Artillery, Captain James Parr's Riflemen, Captain Anthony Selin's Riflemen, and two Wyoming companies. The brigade composed the "Light Corps" of Sullivan's army and formed its vanguard. The journals kept by the officers on the expedition indicate that Hand played a major role in the success of the campaign. When he rejoined his family in Lancaster at the close of the year he was thirty-five years old, the youngest of the brigadiers.[8]
Adjutant General of the Continental Army
After a few months, he was appointed Adjutant General of the Continental Army and served during the siege of Yorktown in that capacity. In recognition of his long and distinguished service, he was, in September 1783, promoted by brevet to major general. He resigned from active duty military service in November 1783.
After the Revolution
Hand returned to Lancaster and resumed the practice of medicine. Hand was an original member of the Society of the Cincinnati, with his membership card signed by George Washington.[9] A Federalist, Hand was active in civil affairs, holding posts that included:
- Chief Burgess of Lancaster
- Presidential elector
- Delegate to the convention for the 1790 Pennsylvania Constitution
- Member of the Congress of the Confederation, 1784–1785
- Member of the Pennsylvania Assembly, 1785–1786
Beginning in 1785, he owned and operated Rock Ford, a Script error: No such module "convert". plantationTemplate:Refn on the banks of the Conestoga River, one mile (1.6 km) south of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The Georgian brick mansion remains today; the farm is a historic site open to the public. Hand was also an enslaver, owning several enslaved people, one of whom, Frank, ran away in 1802.[10]
Civic life
Hand was an early benefactor of Franklin & Marshall College, then called "Franklin College." Hand served on the college's Board of Trustees, alongside other prominent Lancaster figures.[11][12] Three of Hand's daughters eventually attended the former Franklin College.
Death
Hand is suspected to have died from typhoid, dysentery or pneumonia at Rock Ford in 1802. Medical records are unclear, but some sources state Hand died of cholera. There is no evidence Lancaster County suffered from a cholera epidemic in 1802. Hand is buried in St. James's Episcopal Cemetery in Lancaster, the same church where he had served as a deacon.
Notes
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References
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- ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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- ↑ "General Edward Hand: The Squaw Campaign",Emerging Revolutionary War Era Blog, accessed 16 December 2024
- ↑ a b "B. Gen. Edward Hand",The State Society of the Cincinnati of Pennsylvania, accessed 16 December 2024
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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- ↑ https://archives.fandm.edu/repositories/2/resources/21
- ↑ https://archives.fandm.edu/repositories/2/resources/48
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External links
- Hand's congressional biography
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- Rock Ford Plantation
- The Edward Hand papers, which cover Hand's military career during the 1770s and 1780s, are available for research use at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
- American Revolution Institute
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- Pages with script errors
- Pages with broken file links
- 1744 births
- 1802 deaths
- Military personnel from County Offaly
- Irish soldiers in the British Army
- American slave owners
- 18th-century Irish people
- 19th-century Irish people
- Politicians from County Offaly
- Adjutants general of the United States Army
- Physicians in the American Revolution
- Royal Irish Regiment (1684–1922) officers
- Continental Army generals
- Continental Army officers from Pennsylvania
- Continental Army officers from Ireland
- Continental Congressmen from Pennsylvania
- Politicians from Lancaster, Pennsylvania
- 1789 United States presidential electors
- 1792 United States presidential electors
- Irish emigrants to the Thirteen Colonies
- Physicians from Pennsylvania
- Continental Army personnel of the Sullivan Expedition
- Physicians from colonial Pennsylvania