Ebenezer Learned
Encyclopedia
Ebenezer Learned was a brigadier general in the American Continental Army
during the Revolutionary War
.
, and lived his entire life in the area. On October 5, 1749, he married Jerusha Baker (1732–1789) and they had nine children. When his grandfather died in 1750, he inherited 200 acres (0.8 km²) known as Prospect Hill, and built his home there.
Learned was an active member of the local militia
, and raised and drilled a company at Oxford during the French and Indian War
. In the summer of 1756 he led his company to Fort Edward
at Lake George
. There is little record of his service, except that he served sporadically from then until 1763. He fell ill with smallpox in 1757 and was hospitalized for a month.
After that war, he remained at home for several years, farming and operating a tavern at Oxford.
He was prominent in both church and community, and served as a town selectman for 25 of the years between 1758 and 1794.
and authorized him to organize a regiment the 4th Massachusetts Regiment
. His regiment was adopted into the Continental Army
in June. In 1776 those who re-enlisted were augmented by men from Danielson's Regiment to form the 3rd Massachusetts Regiment
.
By the end of the Siege of Boston
, General Washington
had given Learned command of the important Dorchester Heights position. When the British evacuated Boston on March 17, 1776, Colonel Learned was the first to enter the city. He led a battalion
of 500 specially selected men, to clean out the traps, abatis, caltrops, and garbage left by the British. He and the men were selected because they had all had survived smallpox or had been inoculated.
Learned resigned in May 1776 due to ill health, but returned to duty on April 2, 1777.
He was named a brigadier general
and assigned to the Northern Department. In the first phase of the Battle of Saratoga
, the Battle of Freeman's Farm, his brigade
was not very effective. Working forward in the center of the line, they mainly got lost in the woods, and exchanged light fire near the end of the battle.
At the Battle of Bemis Heights his brigade was in the center of the left division, commanded by General Benjamin Lincoln
. Learned's own brigade (the 2nd
, 8th
, and 9th
Massachusetts line), was expanded by James Livingston (American Revolution)
's 1st New York Regiment
and 2 regiments of New Hampshire Militia
the 2nd
and 4th
. The attack on the American far left was turned by Daniel Morgan
's men, but the enemy's center was held by Hessian troops. Benedict Arnold
came onto the field and encouraged the men. Arnold and Learned led a joint charge on the Hessian positions, and, even though Arnold fell wounded, Learned and his men carried through and broke the enemy lines. Burgoyne's forces had to retreat to their starting fortifications around Freeman's Farm. When their charge carried the first bunker, Burgoyne's forces withdrew to the positions they had held before the Freeman's Farm battle.
After Saratoga, his was the first unit to guard and escort the surrendered Convention Army on its trek to the south. In 1777–78, he commanded a brigade of Massachusetts troops in Major General deKalb's division at Valley Forge
. On March 24, 1778, his continuing health problems led to his final resignation.
. In 1783 he was elected to the Massachusetts General Court (the state's House of Representatives).
He died at home in Oxford in 1801.
Continental Army
The Continental Army was formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen Colonies in...
during the Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
.
Early life and career
He was the son of Ebeneezer and Deborah Haynes Learned, and was born at Oxford, MassachusettsOxford, Massachusetts
Oxford is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 13,709 at the 2010 census.For geographic and demographic information on the census-designated place Oxford, please see the article Oxford , Massachusetts.-History:...
, and lived his entire life in the area. On October 5, 1749, he married Jerusha Baker (1732–1789) and they had nine children. When his grandfather died in 1750, he inherited 200 acres (0.8 km²) known as Prospect Hill, and built his home there.
Learned was an active member of the local militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
, and raised and drilled a company at Oxford during the French and Indian War
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...
. In the summer of 1756 he led his company to Fort Edward
Fort Edward
Fort Edward could refer to:* A historic site located in Windsor, Nova Scotia* A temporary fort in South Africa, ca. 1901. It was established in 1901 by British forces during the Boer War...
at Lake George
Lake George (New York)
Lake George, nicknamed the Queen of American Lakes, is a long, narrow oligotrophic lake draining northwards into Lake Champlain and the St. Lawrence River Drainage basin located at the southeast base of the Adirondack Mountains in northern New York, U.S.A.. It lies within the upper region of the...
. There is little record of his service, except that he served sporadically from then until 1763. He fell ill with smallpox in 1757 and was hospitalized for a month.
After that war, he remained at home for several years, farming and operating a tavern at Oxford.
He was prominent in both church and community, and served as a town selectman for 25 of the years between 1758 and 1794.
American Revolution
He remained active in the militia, and led his own and a neighboring company of minutemen to Boston, where he received the news of the Battle of Lexington on April 19, 1775. On April 24, the Massachusetts committee of safety named him a colonelColonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
and authorized him to organize a regiment the 4th Massachusetts Regiment
4th Massachusetts Regiment
The 4th Massachusetts Regiment also known as 3rd Continental Regiment was raised on April 23, 1775 under Colonel Ebenezer Learned outside of Boston, Massachusetts. The regiment would see action at the Battle of Bunker Hill, New York Campaign, Battle of Trenton, Battle of Princeton, Battle of...
. His regiment was adopted into the Continental Army
Continental Army
The Continental Army was formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen Colonies in...
in June. In 1776 those who re-enlisted were augmented by men from Danielson's Regiment to form the 3rd Massachusetts Regiment
3rd Massachusetts Regiment
The 3rd Massachusetts Regiment also known as the 24th Continental Regiment was raised, on April 23, 1775, under Colonel William Heath outside of Boston, Massachusetts. The regiment would see action at the Battle of Bunker Hill, Battle of Trois-Rivières, Battle of Valcour Island and the Battle of...
.
By the end of the Siege of Boston
Siege of Boston
The Siege of Boston was the opening phase of the American Revolutionary War, in which New England militiamen—who later became part of the Continental Army—surrounded the town of Boston, Massachusetts, to prevent movement by the British Army garrisoned within...
, General Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
had given Learned command of the important Dorchester Heights position. When the British evacuated Boston on March 17, 1776, Colonel Learned was the first to enter the city. He led a battalion
Battalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
of 500 specially selected men, to clean out the traps, abatis, caltrops, and garbage left by the British. He and the men were selected because they had all had survived smallpox or had been inoculated.
Learned resigned in May 1776 due to ill health, but returned to duty on April 2, 1777.
He was named a brigadier general
Brigadier general (United States)
A brigadier general in the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, is a one-star general officer, with the pay grade of O-7. Brigadier general ranks above a colonel and below major general. Brigadier general is equivalent to the rank of rear admiral in the other uniformed...
and assigned to the Northern Department. In the first phase of the Battle of Saratoga
Battle of Saratoga
The Battles of Saratoga conclusively decided the fate of British General John Burgoyne's army in the American War of Independence and are generally regarded as a turning point in the war. The battles were fought eighteen days apart on the same ground, south of Saratoga, New York...
, the Battle of Freeman's Farm, his brigade
Brigade
A brigade is a major tactical military formation that is typically composed of two to five battalions, plus supporting elements depending on the era and nationality of a given army and could be perceived as an enlarged/reinforced regiment...
was not very effective. Working forward in the center of the line, they mainly got lost in the woods, and exchanged light fire near the end of the battle.
At the Battle of Bemis Heights his brigade was in the center of the left division, commanded by General Benjamin Lincoln
Benjamin Lincoln
Benjamin Lincoln was an American army officer. He served as a major general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War...
. Learned's own brigade (the 2nd
2nd Massachusetts Regiment
The 2nd Massachusetts Regiment was a unit of the Massachusetts Line in the 1777 establishment of the Continental Army. It was a successor to a number of Massachusetts provincial regiments from the army's 1775 establishment , and was known as the 23rd Continental Regiment during the 1776...
, 8th
8th Massachusetts Regiment
The 8th Massachusetts Regiment also known as 16th Continental Regiment was raised on April 23, 1775 under Colonel Sargent at Cambridge, Massachusetts. The regiment would see action at the Battle of Bunker Hill, New York Campaign, Battle of Trenton, Battle of Princeton and the Battle of Saratoga...
, and 9th
9th Massachusetts Regiment
The 9th Massachusetts Regiment of the Continental Line was created on November 1, 1776. The unit served until January 1, 1783 when, in compliance with the general order of December 24, 1782, the unit was disbanded....
Massachusetts line), was expanded by James Livingston (American Revolution)
James Livingston (American Revolution)
Colonel James Livingston was born in the French province of Canada to New York-born parents. He was living in Quebec when the American Revolutionary War broke out...
's 1st New York Regiment
1st New York Regiment
The 1st New York Regiment was authorized on 25 May 1775 and organized at New York City from 28 June to 4 August, for service with the Continental Army under the command of Colonel Alexander McDougall...
and 2 regiments of New Hampshire Militia
New Hampshire Militia
The New Hampshire Militia was first organized in March 1680, by New Hampshire Colonial President John Cutt. The King of England authorized the Provincial President to give commissions to persons who shall be best qualified for regulating and discipline of the militia. President Cutt placed Major...
the 2nd
Drake's Regiment of Militia
Drake's Regiment of Militia also known as the 2nd New Hampshire Militia Regiment was called up at Portsmouth, New Hampshire on September 8, 1777 as reinforcements for the Continental Army during the Saratoga Campaign. The regiment marched quickly to join the gathering forces of General Horatio...
and 4th
Evans' Regiment of Militia
Evans' Regiment of Militia also known as the 4th New Hampshire Militia Regiment was called up at Exeter, New Hampshire on September 8, 1777 as reinforcements for the Continental Army during the Saratoga Campaign. The regiment marched quickly to join the gathering forces of General Horatio Gates as...
. The attack on the American far left was turned by Daniel Morgan
Daniel Morgan
Daniel Morgan was an American pioneer, soldier, and United States Representative from Virginia. One of the most gifted battlefield tacticians of the American Revolutionary War, he later commanded troops during the suppression of the Whiskey Rebellion.-Early years:Most authorities believe that...
's men, but the enemy's center was held by Hessian troops. Benedict Arnold
Benedict Arnold
Benedict Arnold V was a general during the American Revolutionary War. He began the war in the Continental Army but later defected to the British Army. While a general on the American side, he obtained command of the fort at West Point, New York, and plotted to surrender it to the British forces...
came onto the field and encouraged the men. Arnold and Learned led a joint charge on the Hessian positions, and, even though Arnold fell wounded, Learned and his men carried through and broke the enemy lines. Burgoyne's forces had to retreat to their starting fortifications around Freeman's Farm. When their charge carried the first bunker, Burgoyne's forces withdrew to the positions they had held before the Freeman's Farm battle.
After Saratoga, his was the first unit to guard and escort the surrendered Convention Army on its trek to the south. In 1777–78, he commanded a brigade of Massachusetts troops in Major General deKalb's division at Valley Forge
Valley Forge
Valley Forge in Pennsylvania was the site of the military camp of the American Continental Army over the winter of 1777–1778 in the American Revolutionary War.-History:...
. On March 24, 1778, his continuing health problems led to his final resignation.
Later life and activities
Ebenezer returned home to Oxford, and represented the town at the Massachusetts Convention of 1779 that adopted a new constitution for the state. He served as a Judge of Common Pleas for Worcester County, MassachusettsWorcester County, Massachusetts
-Demographics:In 1990 Worcester County had a population of 709,705.As of the census of 2000, there were 750,963 people, 283,927 households, and 192,502 families residing in the county. The population density was 496 people per square mile . There were 298,159 housing units at an average density...
. In 1783 he was elected to the Massachusetts General Court (the state's House of Representatives).
He died at home in Oxford in 1801.