Ichabod Crane (Colonel)
Encyclopedia
Ichabod Bennet Crane was a military officer and probable namesake of the protagonist in Washington Irving
's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
.
), New Jersey
. He was the son of Gen. William Crane. He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps
in 1809 and was commissioned as a second lieutenant, assigned to the USS United States
, a 44-gun frigate
commanded by Stephen Decatur
. He served aboard the United States for two years. Crane resigned from the Marines in April 1812, to accept a commission in the United States Army
as a captain in command of Company B, 3rd Artillery; the unit designation would later be Battery B, 1st Artillery (today's 2nd Battalion, 1st Air Defense Artillery).
During the War of 1812, Crane served on the Niagara Frontier
. He was assigned command of an artillery battery at Fort Pike, which he helped construct, in Sackets Harbor, New York
, and was involved with the capture on April 27, 1813, of Fort York
, and at the end of May 1813 the capture of Fort George
in Canada. While Crane and the Americans were capturing Fort George a joint British-Canadian force attacked the American positions at Sacket's Harbor in the Second Battle of Sacket's Harbor.
Crane continued to serve in the Northern Department after the war. In 1820 his company was transferred to Fort Wolcott
in Newport, Rhode Island
where Crane served as the fort's commander. While stationed at Fort Wolcott his son Charles was born.
In 1825 he was brevetted to major in the 4th Artillery and was transferred to Fort Monroe
, Virginia
. In 1832 Crane led five companies of troops from Fort Monroe in the Black Hawk War
. He received a promotion to lieutenant colonel in the 2nd Artillery in November 1832, and was transferred to the Buffalo Barracks
in Buffalo, New York
. He commanded the 2nd Artillery unit in the Second Seminole War
(1835–1842)and acted as Commander of the U.S. Army District of Northeast Florida
, serving under Col. Zachary Taylor
who commanded the 1st Infantry Regiment. Ft. Crane south of Rochelle in Alachua county
was named after Crane, the fort was built in January 1837 and was commanded by Lt. John H. Winder
. After service in Florida Crane and his unit were transferred back to the Buffalo Barracks.
During the “Patriot War”
in 1838, an insurrection against British rule in Canada he was tasked with the responsibility of preventing U.S. involvement by preventing the smuggling of arms across the border. In mid-1843 he received his final promotion to colonel and was given command of the 1st Artillery.
Two companies of the 1st Artillery, Co. L and Co. M where assigned to Fort Umpqua
in southwest Oregon
. During a visit there Crane employed a young Umpqua Indian named Juan as a personal valet. Juan died on December 27, 1856, in Staten Island, and is buried with Crane and his wife Charlotte.
Crane was stationed in Washington D.C. in 1851 was and given an additional assignment as acting governor of the Military Asylum
at Washington (later the Soldier’s Home), a position he held until November 1853. He also served a post commander of Governors Island
, an island in New York Harbor
approximately one-half mile south of lower Manhattan
.
Crane and his wife Charlotte (May 25, 1798 – September 25, 1878) had a house built in the New Springville section of Staten Island
, New York
in 1853, while he was still on active duty. The house was located on Victory Blvd; it was demolished in the 1990s. The owner had offered it to Historic Richmond Town
, on the condition they move it off its former site; it never transpired due to a lack of funding.
Crane died in October 1857 while still on active duty, and is buried in Asbury Methodist Cemetery, in New Springville, not far from his former home.
His grave marker bears the inscription:
's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
is named Ichabod Crane
. While Washington Irving did not expressly admit that the character is named after Colonel Crane, the two men had met in 1814 at Fort Pike located on Lake Ontario
in Sackets Harbor, New York. Irving was an aide-de-camp
to New York Gov. Daniel D. Tompkins
, who was inspecting defenses in the Sackets Harbor area on Lake Ontario
. Cranes' somewhat unusual and memorable first name Ichabod
comes from the biblical name of the grandson of Eli the High Priest and son of Phinehas.
Washington Irving
Washington Irving was an American author, essayist, biographer and historian of the early 19th century. He was best known for his short stories "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip Van Winkle", both of which appear in his book The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. His historical works...
's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
"The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" is a short story by Washington Irving contained in his collection The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent., written while he was living in Birmingham, England, and first published in 1820...
.
Personal life
Crane was born in Elizabethtown (now ElizabethElizabeth, New Jersey
Elizabeth is a city in Union County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 124,969, retaining its ranking as New Jersey's fourth largest city with an increase of 4,401 residents from its 2000 Census population of 120,568...
), New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. He was the son of Gen. William Crane. He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
in 1809 and was commissioned as a second lieutenant, assigned to the USS United States
USS United States (1797)
USS United States was a wooden-hulled, three-masted heavy frigate of the United States Navy and the first of the six original frigates authorized for construction by the Naval Act of 1794...
, a 44-gun frigate
Frigate
A frigate is any of several types of warship, the term having been used for ships of various sizes and roles over the last few centuries.In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and maneuverability, the description often used being "frigate-built"...
commanded by Stephen Decatur
Stephen Decatur
Stephen Decatur, Jr. , was an American naval officer notable for his many naval victories in the early 19th century. He was born on the eastern shore of Maryland, Worcester county, the son of a U.S. Naval Officer who served during the American Revolution. Shortly after attending college Decatur...
. He served aboard the United States for two years. Crane resigned from the Marines in April 1812, to accept a commission in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
as a captain in command of Company B, 3rd Artillery; the unit designation would later be Battery B, 1st Artillery (today's 2nd Battalion, 1st Air Defense Artillery).
Niagara Frontier
The Niagara Frontier refers to the stretch of land south of Lake Ontario and Lake Erie and extending westward to Cleveland, Ohio. The term dates to the War of 1812. This only includes the land east of the Niagara River and south of Lake Erie within the United States...
. He was assigned command of an artillery battery at Fort Pike, which he helped construct, in Sackets Harbor, New York
Sackets Harbor, New York
Sackets Harbor is a village in Jefferson County, New York, United States. The population was 1,386 at the 2000 census. The village was named after land developer and owner Augustus Sackett, who founded it in the early 19th century.The Village of Sackets Harbor is within the western part of the...
, and was involved with the capture on April 27, 1813, of Fort York
Fort York
Fort York is a historic site of military fortifications and related buildings on the west side of downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The fort was built by the British Army and Canadian militia troops in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, to defend the settlement and the new capital of the...
, and at the end of May 1813 the capture of Fort George
Fort George, Ontario
Fort George National Historic Site is a historic military structure at Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, that was the scene of several battles during the War of 1812...
in Canada. While Crane and the Americans were capturing Fort George a joint British-Canadian force attacked the American positions at Sacket's Harbor in the Second Battle of Sacket's Harbor.
Crane continued to serve in the Northern Department after the war. In 1820 his company was transferred to Fort Wolcott
Fort Wolcott
Fort Wolcott was a fortification on the small Goat Island in Newport Harbor of Narragansett Bay less than 1 mile west of the city of Newport, Rhode Island...
in Newport, Rhode Island
Newport, Rhode Island
Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...
where Crane served as the fort's commander. While stationed at Fort Wolcott his son Charles was born.
In 1825 he was brevetted to major in the 4th Artillery and was transferred to Fort Monroe
Fort Monroe
Fort Monroe was a military installation in Hampton, Virginia—at Old Point Comfort, the southern tip of the Virginia Peninsula...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
. In 1832 Crane led five companies of troops from Fort Monroe in the Black Hawk War
Black Hawk War
The Black Hawk War was a brief conflict fought in 1832 between the United States and Native Americans headed by Black Hawk, a Sauk leader. The war erupted soon after Black Hawk and a group of Sauks, Meskwakis, and Kickapoos known as the "British Band" crossed the Mississippi River into the U.S....
. He received a promotion to lieutenant colonel in the 2nd Artillery in November 1832, and was transferred to the Buffalo Barracks
Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site
Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site preserves the Ansley Wilcox House, at 641 Delaware Avenue in Buffalo, New York. Here, after the assassination of William McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt took the oath of office as President of the United States on September 14, 1901...
in Buffalo, New York
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
. He commanded the 2nd Artillery unit in the Second Seminole War
Second Seminole War
The Second Seminole War, also known as the Florida War, was a conflict from 1835 to 1842 in Florida between various groups of Native Americans collectively known as Seminoles and the United States, part of a series of conflicts called the Seminole Wars...
(1835–1842)and acted as Commander of the U.S. Army District of Northeast Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, serving under Col. Zachary Taylor
Zachary Taylor
Zachary Taylor was the 12th President of the United States and an American military leader. Initially uninterested in politics, Taylor nonetheless ran as a Whig in the 1848 presidential election, defeating Lewis Cass...
who commanded the 1st Infantry Regiment. Ft. Crane south of Rochelle in Alachua county
Alachua County, Florida
Alachua County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. The U.S. Census Bureau 2006 estimate for the county is 227,120. Its county seat is Gainesville, Florida. Alachua County is the home of the University of Florida and is also known for its diverse culture, local music, and artisans...
was named after Crane, the fort was built in January 1837 and was commanded by Lt. John H. Winder
John H. Winder
John Henry Winder was a career United States Army officer who served with distinction during the Mexican War...
. After service in Florida Crane and his unit were transferred back to the Buffalo Barracks.
During the “Patriot War”
Upper Canada Rebellion
The Upper Canada Rebellion was, along with the Lower Canada Rebellion in Lower Canada, a rebellion against the British colonial government in 1837 and 1838. Collectively they are also known as the Rebellions of 1837.-Issues:...
in 1838, an insurrection against British rule in Canada he was tasked with the responsibility of preventing U.S. involvement by preventing the smuggling of arms across the border. In mid-1843 he received his final promotion to colonel and was given command of the 1st Artillery.
Two companies of the 1st Artillery, Co. L and Co. M where assigned to Fort Umpqua
Fort Umpqua
Fort Umpqua was a trading post built by the Hudson's Bay Company in the company's Columbia District , in what is now the U.S. state of Oregon. It was first established in 1832 and moved and rebuilt in 1836....
in southwest Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
. During a visit there Crane employed a young Umpqua Indian named Juan as a personal valet. Juan died on December 27, 1856, in Staten Island, and is buried with Crane and his wife Charlotte.
Crane was stationed in Washington D.C. in 1851 was and given an additional assignment as acting governor of the Military Asylum
Armed Forces Retirement Home
The Armed Forces Retirement Home , formerly the U.S. Soldiers' and Airmen's Home, the U.S. Soldiers' Home, and the U.S. Military Asylum, is an independent establishment in the executive branch of the federal government of the United States...
at Washington (later the Soldier’s Home), a position he held until November 1853. He also served a post commander of Governors Island
Governors Island
Governors Island is a island in Upper New York Bay, approximately one-half mile from the southern tip of Manhattan Island and separated from Brooklyn by Buttermilk Channel. It is legally part of the borough of Manhattan in New York City...
, an island in New York Harbor
New York Harbor
New York Harbor refers to the waterways of the estuary near the mouth of the Hudson River that empty into New York Bay. It is one of the largest natural harbors in the world. Although the U.S. Board of Geographic Names does not use the term, New York Harbor has important historical, governmental,...
approximately one-half mile south of lower Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
.
Crane and his wife Charlotte (May 25, 1798 – September 25, 1878) had a house built in the New Springville section of Staten Island
Staten Island
Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in 1853, while he was still on active duty. The house was located on Victory Blvd; it was demolished in the 1990s. The owner had offered it to Historic Richmond Town
Historic Richmond Town
Historic Richmond Town is a living history village and museum complex in the neighborhood of Richmond, Staten Island, in New York City. It is located near the geographical center of the island, at the junction of Richmond Road and Arthur Kill Road....
, on the condition they move it off its former site; it never transpired due to a lack of funding.
Crane died in October 1857 while still on active duty, and is buried in Asbury Methodist Cemetery, in New Springville, not far from his former home.
His grave marker bears the inscription:
He served his country for 48 years and was much beloved and respected by all who knew him.
Family
- Stephen CraneStephen Crane (delegate)Stephen Crane was an American politician from Elizabethtown who was a delegate to the Continental Congress from 1774 to 1776. He also served in the New Jersey General Assembly and New Jersey Legislative Council...
(1709 – July 1, 1780); grandfather, a delegate to the First Continental CongressContinental CongressThe Continental Congress was a convention of delegates called together from the Thirteen Colonies that became the governing body of the United States during the American Revolution....
. Bayoneted by British troops passing through Elizabethtown on their way to SpringfieldBattle of Springfield (1780)The Battle of Springfield was fought during the American Revolutionary War on June 23, 1780. After the Battle of Connecticut Farms, on June 7, 1780, had foiled Lieutenant General Wilhelm, Baron von Knyphausen’s expedition to attack General George Washington’s army at Morristown, New Jersey,...
on June 23, 1780, died of his wounds on July 1, 1780. - Gen. William Crane, father; born 1748 in Elizabethtown, served as major of an Essex County, New JerseyEssex County, New JerseyEssex County is a county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the United States 2010 Census, the population was 783,969, ranking it third in the state after Bergen County and Middlesex County; Essex County's population has declined from 786,147 as of the bureau's...
regiment. Fought with Richard MontgomeryRichard MontgomeryRichard Montgomery was an Irish-born soldier who first served in the British Army. He later became a brigadier-general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War and he is most famous for leading the failed 1775 invasion of Canada.Montgomery was born and raised in Ireland...
in the Battle of QuebecBattle of Quebec (1775)The Battle of Quebec was fought on December 31, 1775 between American Continental Army forces and the British defenders of the city of Quebec, early in the American Revolutionary War. The battle was the first major defeat of the war for the Americans, and it came at a high price...
, received a leg wound that required amputation years later. Promoted to brigadier general in the New Jersey militia after the war. - Abigail (Miller) Crane; mother
- Charlotte; wife (May 25, 1798 - September 25, 1878).
- William Montgomery CraneWilliam M. CraneCommodore William Montgomery Crane was an officer in the United States Navy during the First Barbary War and the War of 1812. He was the son of Gen. William Crane who was wounded at the Battle of Quebec while serving under Richard Montgomery in honor of whom he was given the middle name of...
(February 1, 1776 - March 18, 1846) brother, naval officer, fought in War of 1812, born in Elizabethtown died in Washington. Middle name in honor of Richard Montgomery. - Joseph Halsey CraneJoseph Halsey CraneJoseph Halsey Crane was an attorney, soldier, jurist, and legislator. He was born in Elizabethtown, New Jersey He was the son of General Wiliam Crane and Abigail Crane and the grandson of Stephen Crane, member of the First Continental Congress, his brother was Colonel Ichabod B. Crane...
, brother; OhioOhioOhio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
congressman. - Mariah Crane, sister
- Joanna Crane (died about 1818),sister;married John Magie.
- Phoebe Crane,sister
- Charles Henry CraneCharles H. CraneCharles Henry Crane B.A. M.A. M.D. was an American physician and the 13th Surgeon General of the United States Army . He was the son of Colonel Ichabod B. Crane...
(19 July 1825 - October 10, 1883) son; Would rise through the ranks to become a Brigadier General and Surgeon General of the United StatesSurgeon General of the United StatesThe Surgeon General of the United States is the operational head of the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and thus the leading spokesperson on matters of public health in the federal government...
(1882–1883). One of the attending physicians of Abraham LincolnAbraham LincolnAbraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
after he was shot. - Mrs. John M. Brannan, daughter, disappeared on July 20, 1858 after taking a ferry from Staten Island to Manhattan. Her husband General Brannan was in command of the Department of Key WestKey WestKey West is an island in the Straits of Florida on the North American continent at the southernmost tip of the Florida Keys. Key West is home to the southernmost point in the Continental United States; the island is about from Cuba....
in FloridaFloridaFlorida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
assigned to Fort Zachary TaylorFort Zachary TaylorThe Fort Zachary Taylor State Historic Site, better known simply as Fort Taylor, , is a Florida State Park and National Historic Landmark centered on a Civil War-era fort located near the southern tip of Key West, Florida....
. She had been living at the fort with her husband but went to Staten Island to stay with her mother due to illness.
Sleepy Hollow
The character of Washington IrvingWashington Irving
Washington Irving was an American author, essayist, biographer and historian of the early 19th century. He was best known for his short stories "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip Van Winkle", both of which appear in his book The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. His historical works...
's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
"The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" is a short story by Washington Irving contained in his collection The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent., written while he was living in Birmingham, England, and first published in 1820...
is named Ichabod Crane
Ichabod Crane
Ichabod Crane is a fictional character in Washington Irving's short story The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, first published in 1820.-Origin:...
. While Washington Irving did not expressly admit that the character is named after Colonel Crane, the two men had met in 1814 at Fort Pike located on Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south by the American state of New York. Ontario, Canada's most populous province, was named for the lake. In the Wyandot language, ontarío means...
in Sackets Harbor, New York. Irving was an aide-de-camp
Aide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
to New York Gov. Daniel D. Tompkins
Daniel D. Tompkins
Daniel D. Tompkins was an entrepreneur, jurist, Congressman, the fourth Governor of New York , and the sixth Vice President of the United States .-Name:...
, who was inspecting defenses in the Sackets Harbor area on Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south by the American state of New York. Ontario, Canada's most populous province, was named for the lake. In the Wyandot language, ontarío means...
. Cranes' somewhat unusual and memorable first name Ichabod
Ichabod
Ichabod is named by the Books of Samuel as the brother of Ahitub. Ichabod is also identified by the Books of Samuel as having been the son of Phinehas, and as having been born on the day that the Ark was taken into Philistine captivity. His mother went into labour due to the shock of hearing that...
comes from the biblical name of the grandson of Eli the High Priest and son of Phinehas.