Gabriel Long
Encyclopedia
Gabriel Long was born to Reuben Long and his only wife Mary Harrison in 1751 in Culpeper County, Virginia
. He was of strong Irish stock and of direct decent from the Longs of Wraxall. He came of age during the French and Indian War
, in which his father and grandfather were both heavily involved, and he tasted war for the first time in it as a color-bearer and private soldier in the state militia. Long grew to be an excellent marksmen and horse rider and into the frontier soldier he would later become.
. Gabriel Long had the distinction of signing the document very first and very boldly as Hancock
would do two years later. His father and grandfather also signed the petition and were members of the Culpeper Minutemen. As a member of the militia he fought at the Battle of Point Pleasant
, and in Lord Dunmore's War he saw heavy action at the seaport Battles of Hampton and Norfolk.
By the time Virginia began raising troops for service in the Continental Army
, Long already had a rather long service record and was renowned as one of the best riflemen in Virginia and for that matter the colonies so it was natural that when Daniel Morgan
was recruiting his rifle battalion he chose Gabriel Long as his senior captain and as later remarked by his men his "favourite captain and good friend". Long began recruiting he would take a board draw a target on it ,usually in the shape of a human nose, in the middle of the board and set it up at several hundred yards and those who shot the closest to the nose would be chosen. Long himself was also known to have shot apples off of men's heads at a considerable range, a practice which was said to have "wasted many apples" and was also known to be accurate up to 300 yards with a target the size of an orange.
Long went with Morgan to join Washington
's army besieging Boston
and was heavily involved in the Boston area. Long's fame and the fame of Morgan's rifles began to grow about this time in early 1776. He became good friends with George Washington and Marquis de Lafayette
and was often sent out on detached services as an independent commander. He became famous for his willingness to kill officers and his hatred of Tories as well as his fondness of scalping the officers he killed. He went on to serve with distinction and to be the vanguard of the army and protect its encampments.
During the Battle of Trenton
he was the first across the river, and his company led the assault, and it is believed that he is the mysterious marksmen who killed Colonel Johann Rall. He helped unite Sullivan
's and Washington's columns by holding back the British and thus greatly contributed to the victory at Princeton
. When Washington settled into camp at Valley Forge
, Long led his men as a detached company under his independent command who scouted and skirmished all around the camp and prevented the British from taking Washington's Army in such a vulnerable state. After the encampment at Valley Forge he helped defend Philadelphia from an expected attack, but through his and others' efforts it was repulsed.
At Millstone, New Jersey
, while leading a detachment he came across a column of British soldiers under Lord Cornwallis
whose intentions were to draw Washington's army out of fortified position to an open area for a general engagement. Long, realizing this, raised the alarm and stood his ground and held back the enemy while awaiting reinforcements which would come and completely drive out the British. Long once again saved Washington's army and would continue to do so in the future.
Culpeper County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 34,262 people, 12,141 households, and 9,045 families residing in the county. The population density was 90 people per square mile . There were 12,871 housing units at an average density of 34 per square mile...
. He was of strong Irish stock and of direct decent from the Longs of Wraxall. He came of age 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 which his father and grandfather were both heavily involved, and he tasted war for the first time in it as a color-bearer and private soldier in the state militia. Long grew to be an excellent marksmen and horse rider and into the frontier soldier he would later become.
The Revolutionary War
Long was an ardent patriot, as were his father and grandfather. In 1774 there was a petition sent to the Royal Governor of the colony and the King of England himself by the men who would form the Culpeper MinutemenCulpeper Minutemen
The Culpeper Minutemen was a militia group formed in 1775 in the district around Culpeper, Virginia. Like minutemen in other British colonies, the men drilled in military tactics and trained to respond to emergencies "at a minute's notice."-Organization:...
. Gabriel Long had the distinction of signing the document very first and very boldly as Hancock
John Hancock
John Hancock was a merchant, statesman, and prominent Patriot of the American Revolution. He served as president of the Second Continental Congress and was the first and third Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts...
would do two years later. His father and grandfather also signed the petition and were members of the Culpeper Minutemen. As a member of the militia he fought at the Battle of Point Pleasant
Battle of Point Pleasant
The Battle of Point Pleasant, known as the Battle of Kanawha in some older accounts, was the only major battle of Dunmore's War. It was fought on October 10, 1774, primarily between Virginia militia and American Indians from the Shawnee and Mingo tribes...
, and in Lord Dunmore's War he saw heavy action at the seaport Battles of Hampton and Norfolk.
By the time Virginia began raising troops for service in 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...
, Long already had a rather long service record and was renowned as one of the best riflemen in Virginia and for that matter the colonies so it was natural that when 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...
was recruiting his rifle battalion he chose Gabriel Long as his senior captain and as later remarked by his men his "favourite captain and good friend". Long began recruiting he would take a board draw a target on it ,usually in the shape of a human nose, in the middle of the board and set it up at several hundred yards and those who shot the closest to the nose would be chosen. Long himself was also known to have shot apples off of men's heads at a considerable range, a practice which was said to have "wasted many apples" and was also known to be accurate up to 300 yards with a target the size of an orange.
Long went with Morgan to join 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...
's army besieging Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
and was heavily involved in the Boston area. Long's fame and the fame of Morgan's rifles began to grow about this time in early 1776. He became good friends with George Washington and Marquis de Lafayette
Gilbert du Motier, marquis de La Fayette
Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette , often known as simply Lafayette, was a French aristocrat and military officer born in Chavaniac, in the province of Auvergne in south central France...
and was often sent out on detached services as an independent commander. He became famous for his willingness to kill officers and his hatred of Tories as well as his fondness of scalping the officers he killed. He went on to serve with distinction and to be the vanguard of the army and protect its encampments.
During the Battle of Trenton
Battle of Trenton
The Battle of Trenton took place on December 26, 1776, during the American Revolutionary War, after General George Washington's crossing of the Delaware River north of Trenton, New Jersey. The hazardous crossing in adverse weather made it possible for Washington to lead the main body of the...
he was the first across the river, and his company led the assault, and it is believed that he is the mysterious marksmen who killed Colonel Johann Rall. He helped unite Sullivan
John Sullivan
John Sullivan was the third son of Irish immigrants, a United States general in the Revolutionary War, a delegate in the Continental Congress and a United States federal judge....
's and Washington's columns by holding back the British and thus greatly contributed to the victory at Princeton
Battle of Princeton
The Battle of Princeton was a battle in which General George Washington's revolutionary forces defeated British forces near Princeton, New Jersey....
. When Washington settled into camp 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:...
, Long led his men as a detached company under his independent command who scouted and skirmished all around the camp and prevented the British from taking Washington's Army in such a vulnerable state. After the encampment at Valley Forge he helped defend Philadelphia from an expected attack, but through his and others' efforts it was repulsed.
At Millstone, New Jersey
Millstone, New Jersey
Millstone is a Borough in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, the borough population was 418.Millstone was incorporated as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on May 14, 1894, from portions of Hillsborough Township, based on the results of...
, while leading a detachment he came across a column of British soldiers under Lord Cornwallis
Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis
Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis KG , styled Viscount Brome between 1753 and 1762 and known as The Earl Cornwallis between 1762 and 1792, was a British Army officer and colonial administrator...
whose intentions were to draw Washington's army out of fortified position to an open area for a general engagement. Long, realizing this, raised the alarm and stood his ground and held back the enemy while awaiting reinforcements which would come and completely drive out the British. Long once again saved Washington's army and would continue to do so in the future.