John McClelland (soldier)

Last updated • 5 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

John McClelland (1766–1849) was an officer in the War of 1812. He was the son of American Revolutionary War officer Lieutenant-Colonel John B. McClelland, who was a casualty of Colonel Crawford's ill-fated Sandusky Expedition.

Contents

Early life

McClelland was born in September 1766 in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania (later to become Bedford, afterward Westmoreland, and finally Fayette County) to Lt. Colonel John B. McClelland (1734–1782) and Martha Dale (1741–1822), near the Brown Settlement at Redstone Creek, which was referred to as Union Township at the time. He married Rachel Orr (1770–1843) in 1787.

Like his father and his older brothers Hugh and Alexander, John actively participated in the American Revolutionary War. [1] [2] In 1781, at the age of fifteen, McClelland (sometimes spelled "McClellan") enlisted at Guilford Township (now Franklin County, Pennsylvania) in the Eighth Company of the First Battalion of Cumberland County Militia, commanded by Colonel James Johnston; 6th Class, reporting to Captain James Young.

Whiskey Rebellion

During the early 1790s, John McClelland took part in the Whiskey Rebellion, as a member of the "Whiskey Boys", a group of citizens who were infuriated that Congress had imposed a biased tax on whiskey, intended to pay back government bond holders. [3] While smaller distilleries were to pay taxes by the gallon, larger distillers could take advantage of a flat fee, putting the smaller distilleries at an obvious disadvantage. Their discontent stemmed from factors similar to that which characterized their experience leading up to the Revolutionary War: a sense of isolation and alienation from government authorities that failed to consider their needs and interests.

The excise tax, passed in July 1791, placed a considerable burden on western farmers who converted excess grain into whiskey, which was easier to transport and much more marketable. Despite continued petitions from western counties, Congress refused to repeal the tax and westerners reacted by ignoring the tax, harassing tax collectors, destroying property, and raising liberty poles.

A meeting of key residents of the western counties of Pennsylvania, the proceedings of which plainly indicated that the feeling of opposition had intensified, took place on August 21 and 22, 1794. The following delegates were present: John Canon, William Wallace, Shesbazer Bentley, Benjamin Parkison, John Huey, John Badollet, John Hamilton, Neal Gillespie, David Bradford, Rev. David Phillips, Matthew Jamison, James Marshel, James Robinson, James Stewart, Robert McClure, Peter Lyle, Alexander Long, Samuel Wilson, Edward Cook, Albert Gallatin, John Smilie, Bazil Bowel, Thomas Gaddis, and John McClellan.

In July 1794, approximately 7,000 local militiamen marched on Pittsburgh, whose citizens they believed supported the tax. The mob banished several of the townspeople and news of the uprising prompted George Washington to raise a 15,000-man force to march on Western Pennsylvania.

McClelland, serving as Chair of the committee, attempted to reconcile by submitting the following appeal on September 1, 1794.

Gentleman,

The committee appointed by the Committee of Safety at Redstone, the 28th August last, to confer with the commissioners of the United States and State of Pennsylvania, and agreeable to the resolution of the said committee do request

1st.) That the said commissioners do give an assurance on the part of the general government to an indemnity to all persons as to the arrearage of excise, that have not entered their stills to this date.

2nd.) Will the Commissioners, aforesaid, give to the eleventh day of October next, to take the sense of the people at large, of the four counties west of Pennsylvania, and that part of Bedford west of the Allegheny Mountains, and the Ohio County in Virginia, whether they will accede to the resolution of the said commissioners as stated at large, in the conference, with the committee of conference met at Pittsburgh the 21st day of August last?

By order of the Committee,

John McClelland

Washington's troops didn't reach Pittsburgh until October, however, and the rebel army had already dispersed. Federal officers arrested 150 men they identified as being involved in the rebellion. Of these, twenty-four were taken to Philadelphia for trial, but only two were convicted. Nevertheless, they were then given presidential pardons due to their exceptional service throughout the American Revolutionary War.

War of 1812

John A McClelland served as Captain of a company of volunteer light dragoons, who entered 12 months of Federal service in October 1812. They were attached to Major James V Ball's Squadron of regular United States Light Dragoons and served throughout the campaigns of 1812 and 1813 in the Northwestern frontier, including the Battle of Mississinewa, the Siege of Fort Meigs, and a skirmish near Fort Stephenson in July 1813. The company along with the rest of Ball's light dragoons was dismounted and served as light infantry during the landing of Major General William Henry Harrison's army at Malden and the recapture of Detroit in October 1813. McClelland's company was discharged after the Battle of the Thames, on October 21, 1813.

Later life

Although he operated a general store prior to the war, and owned property in Monongalia County, Virginia (now West Virginia), John McClelland lived in Uniontown with his wife Rachel, daughter Sarah (1786–1826), and son Andrew (1797–1868) on his farm near Morgantown Road, for nearly thirty years after the war. He died August 15, 1849, in Georges Township, Fayette County, Pennsylvania and is buried at Tent Presbyterian Cemetery (275 Tent Church Road, Uniontown, Pennsylvania 15401).

Notes

  1. ↑ Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth, Pennsylvania Archives, Fifth Series, Volume 6 p. 111.
  2. ↑ Daughters of the American Revolution, Patriot Index: McClellan, John (A075040)
  3. ↑ Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth, Pennsylvania Archives, Second Series, Volume 4 pp. 212-215, 233

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fayette County, Pennsylvania</span> County in Pennsylvania, United States

Fayette County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is located in southwestern Pennsylvania, adjacent to Maryland and West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 128,804. Its county seat is Uniontown. The county was created on September 26, 1783, from part of Westmoreland County and named after the Marquis de Lafayette. The county is part of the Southwest Pennsylvania region of the state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whiskey Rebellion</span> Tax revolt in the United States from 1791 to 1794

The Whiskey Rebellion was a violent tax protest in the United States beginning in 1791 and ending in 1794 during the presidency of George Washington. The so-called "whiskey tax" was the first tax imposed on a domestic product by the newly formed federal government. The "whiskey tax" became law in 1791, and was intended to generate revenue to pay the war debt incurred during the Revolutionary War. Farmers of the western frontier were accustomed to distilling their surplus rye, barley, wheat, corn, or fermented grain mixtures to make whiskey. These farmers resisted the tax.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albert Gallatin</span> American politician, diplomat, and scholar (1761–1849)

Abraham Alfonse Albert Gallatin was a Genevan-American politician, diplomat, ethnologist, and linguist. Often described as "America's Swiss Founding Father", he was a leading figure in the early years of the United States, helping shape the new republic's financial system and foreign policy. Gallatin was a prominent member of the Democratic-Republican Party, represented Pennsylvania in both chambers of Congress, and held several influential roles across four presidencies, most notably as the longest serving U.S. Secretary of the Treasury. He is also known for his contributions to academia, namely as the founder of New York University and cofounder of the American Ethnological Society.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Irvine (general)</span> Irish-American physician, soldier, and statesman (1741–1804)

William Irvine was an Irish-American physician, soldier, and statesman from Carlisle, Pennsylvania. He practiced medicine as a ship's surgeon for the Royal Navy before he sympathized with the American Revolution and fought against the British during the American Revolutionary War. As tensions escalated between the American colonies and the British government during the 1770s, Irvine sympathized and allied himself with the revolutionary cause. He subsequently served as a brigadier general in the American Revolutionary War and served in the western theater. After the war he served in the Continental Congress, and later played an active role in ending the Whiskey Rebellion in Pennsylvania. He also served one term in Congress representing Pennsylvania, and was also active in the state's other public affairs.

Redstone Old Fort — written as Redstone or Red-Stone Fort or Fort Burd — on the Nemacolin Trail, was the name of the French and Indian War-era wooden fort built in 1759 by Pennsylvania militia colonel James Burd to guard the ancient Indian trail's river ford on a mound overlooking the eastern shore of the Monongahela River in what is now Fayette County, Pennsylvania, near, or on the banks of Dunlap's Creek at the confluence. The site is unlikely to be the same as an earlier fort the French document as Hangard dated to 1754 and which was confusedly, likely located on the nearby stream called Redstone Creek. Red sandstones predominate the deposited rock column of the entire region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Neville (general)</span>

John Neville was an American military officer, land speculator, and local official who served in the French and Indian War, Lord Dunmore's War and the American Revolutionary War. As an early federal tax collector he became a central figure in the Whiskey Rebellion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Burd</span>

James Burd was a colonial American soldier in the French and Indian War, during which he played an important role in fortifying the Pennsylvania frontier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Woods (Pennsylvania politician)</span> American politician

John Woods, was a Pennsylvania politician who served in the Pennsylvania State Senate and in the United States House of Representatives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adamson Tannehill</span> American politician (1750–1820)

Adamson Tannehill was an American military officer, politician, civic leader, and active participant in the early development of Pittsburgh and western Pennsylvania. Born in Frederick County, Maryland, Tannehill was among the first volunteers to join the newly established Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, serving from June 1775 until 1781. He reached the rank of captain and was commander of the Maryland and Virginia Rifle Regiment, the longest-serving Continental rifle unit of the war. He participated in several major engagements, including the battles of Trenton, Princeton, and Saratoga. After the conflict, Tannehill settled in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, his last military posting of the war. He was active in the Pennsylvania state militia, rising to the rank of major general in 1811. Tannehill also served as a brigadier general of United States Volunteers in the War of 1812.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John B. McClelland</span> Executed as captive during American Revolutionary War

John B. McClelland (1734–1782) was an officer in the American Revolutionary War. He was captured by American Indians during the Crawford Expedition and tortured to death at the Shawnee town of Wakatomika, which is currently located in Logan County, Ohio, about halfway between West Liberty, Ohio and Zanesfield, Ohio.

Nicholas Ruxton Moore was a U.S. Representative from Maryland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zachariah Connell</span>

Zachariah Connell (1741–1813) was a Revolutionary War soldier and the founder of Connellsville, Pennsylvania, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Gaddis</span> Continental Army officer

Thomas Gaddis (1742–1834) was a militia officer in the American Revolutionary War. He was born December 28, 1742, in Winchester, Frederick County, Virginia and married Hannah Rice in 1764; the same year he built Fort Gaddis, a refuge from the Indians, located on the Catawba Trail. In fact, Pennsylvania and Virginia had conflicting claims in the area Gaddis settled. Though he maintained his loyalty to Virginia, Gaddis also protected his investment by recording his patent with Pennsylvania authorities. By 1773, both states created new geo-political boundaries in recognition of increased white settlement. Pennsylvania formed Westmoreland County out of the larger Bedford County, and Virginia established the District of West Augusta. In 1776, West Augusta was further divided into three counties: Ohio, Yohogania, and Monongalia, where Gaddis and his family resided.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Gaddis</span> United States historic place

Fort Gaddis is the oldest known building in Fayette County, Pennsylvania and the second oldest log cabin in Western Pennsylvania. It is located 300 yards (270 m) east of old U.S. Route 119, near the Route 857 intersection in South Union Township, Pennsylvania. Fort Gaddis was built about 1769-74 by Colonel Thomas Gaddis who was in charge of the defense of the region, and his home was probably designated as a site for community meetings and shelter in times of emergency, hence the term "Fort Gaddis," probably a 19th-century appellation. It is a 1 1/2-story, 1-room log structure measuring 26 feet long and 20 feet wide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Hopwood</span> American civil servant & Early American pioneer

John Hopwood was an American civil servant during the American Revolutionary War and founded the town of Hopwood, Pennsylvania in western Pennsylvania. John Hopwood was born in Virginia and married Hannah Bearcroft/Barecroft Humphreys, the young widow of Joseph Humphries, in 1770.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church (Dunbar, Pennsylvania)</span> Church in Pennsylvania, USA

Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church is a Presbyterian church in Dunbar, Pennsylvania. One of the first Presbyterian churches west of the Allegheny Mountains, it was founded in 1772 along with its sister Churches Tyrone, Middle, Sewickley, and United Presbyterian Churches. The original church was a simple log structure and was built by Scotch-Irish immigrants.

James Brenton Sr (1741–1782) was an American Revolutionary War officer. He was killed by American Indians during the Battle of Blue Licks in Robertson County, Kentucky. He married Rebecca Scott (1740–1771) abt. 1763 in Frederick County, Virginia, and then married Mary Woodfield (1750–1834) in 1772, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania.

John Paul was a pioneer in Ohio and Indiana, founding Xenia, Ohio and Madison, Indiana. He was a delegate at the convention that drafted the constitution of Ohio, and was a state senator in the first general assembly after statehood. He also served in the first state senate of Indiana. He founded the second newspaper in Indiana. He was known as "Colonel John Paul" for his services in the American Revolutionary War and the War of 1812.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tariff of 1791</span> United States civic duties on distilled spirits

Tariff of 1791 or Excise Whiskey Tax of 1791 was a United States statute establishing a taxation policy to further reduce Colonial America public debt as assumed by the residuals of American Revolution. The Act of Congress imposed duties or tariffs on domestic and imported distilled spirits generating government revenue while fortifying the Federalist Era.

Joseph McClellan was an American soldier, farmer, and politician from Pennsylvania who served as a Continental Army captain during the American Revolutionary War. Wounded during the Yorktown campaign and invalidated out of the army, he later served in the Pennsylvania State Senate and became brevet colonel of militia.

References

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.