John Lamb (general)
Encyclopedia
John Lamb was an American soldier, politician, and Anti-Federalist organizer.
Prior to the Revolutionary War, Lamb was a leading member of the Sons of Liberty
. He wrote articles in the and published anonymous handbills. When the news of the Battle of Lexington was received he and his men seized the military stores at Turtle Bay
.
He was commissioned a captain of an artillery company and served under Richard Montgomery
and Benedict Arnold
in the attack on Quebec
. He was wounded and captured at the assault on Quebec city and was released on parole a few months later. He was appointed major of artillery on January 9, 1776. In January 1777 he was appointed colonel of the 2nd Continental Artillery. He commanded the artillery at West Point in 1779 and 1780. During the Yorktown campaign, Lamb continued to command the Second Regiment of the Continental Artillery. On October 9th, Lamb was the Officer of the Day when General Washington fired the first American cannon to open the siege. During the siege, the artillery served with distinction.
The artillery detachment, and Lamb's artillery in particular, were accorded high praise by both Washington and General Henry Knox, chief of artillery for the Continental army. A General Order from the Commander-in-Chief relayed his thanks and appreciation to Lamb artillery unit.
After the British surrender, Lamb was placed in temporary command of all the artillery, and oversaw its return to New York.
He was brevet
ed a brigadier general
on September 30, 1783.
In 1784 he was appointed Collector of the Port of New York
by the Congress of the Confederation
, and retained the post during the Washington
administration. He was dismissed by President John Adams
in 1797 after his deputy was accused of defrauding the government of tax revenues.
, Lamb was a prominent Anti-Federalist. He served as chairman of the Federal Republican Committee of New York, which operated to distribute Anti-Federalist writing and coordinate opposition to the Constitution with Anti-Federalists in other states. Between the fall of 1787 and June 1788 Lamb spread Anti-Federalist pamphlets through New York and New England and as far away as South Carolina; his correspondents included Aedanus Burke
, Patrick Henry
, Richard Henry Lee
, and other prominent Anti-Federalists.
He died in poverty May 31, 1800.
Career
He was born January 1, 1735 in New York City. He was the son of Anthony Lamb. His father was a convicted burglar who was transported to the colonies in the 1720s. John was initially trained as an optician and instrument maker in New York City and became a prosperous wine merchant.Prior to the Revolutionary War, Lamb was a leading member of the Sons of Liberty
Sons of Liberty
The Sons of Liberty were a political group made up of American patriots that originated in the pre-independence North American British colonies. The group was formed to protect the rights of the colonists from the usurpations by the British government after 1766...
. He wrote articles in the and published anonymous handbills. When the news of the Battle of Lexington was received he and his men seized the military stores at Turtle Bay
Turtle Bay, Manhattan
Turtle Bay is a neighborhood in New York City, on the east side of Midtown Manhattan. It extends between 41st and 54th Streets, and eastward from Lexington Avenue to the East River, across from Roosevelt Island...
.
He was commissioned a captain of an artillery company and served under Richard Montgomery
Richard Montgomery
Richard 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...
and 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...
in the attack on Quebec
Battle 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...
. He was wounded and captured at the assault on Quebec city and was released on parole a few months later. He was appointed major of artillery on January 9, 1776. In January 1777 he was appointed colonel of the 2nd Continental Artillery. He commanded the artillery at West Point in 1779 and 1780. During the Yorktown campaign, Lamb continued to command the Second Regiment of the Continental Artillery. On October 9th, Lamb was the Officer of the Day when General Washington fired the first American cannon to open the siege. During the siege, the artillery served with distinction.
The artillery detachment, and Lamb's artillery in particular, were accorded high praise by both Washington and General Henry Knox, chief of artillery for the Continental army. A General Order from the Commander-in-Chief relayed his thanks and appreciation to Lamb artillery unit.
After the British surrender, Lamb was placed in temporary command of all the artillery, and oversaw its return to New York.
He was brevet
Brevet (military)
In many of the world's military establishments, brevet referred to a warrant authorizing a commissioned officer to hold a higher rank temporarily, but usually without receiving the pay of that higher rank except when actually serving in that role. An officer so promoted may be referred to as being...
ed 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...
on September 30, 1783.
In 1784 he was appointed Collector of the Port of New York
Collector of the Port of New York
The Collector of Customs at the Port of New York, most often referred to as Collector of the Port of New York, sometimes also as Collector of Customs for the Port of New York or Collector of Customs for the District of New York, was a federal officer who was in charge of the collection of import...
by the Congress of the Confederation
Congress of the Confederation
The Congress of the Confederation or the United States in Congress Assembled was the governing body of the United States of America that existed from March 1, 1781, to March 4, 1789. It comprised delegates appointed by the legislatures of the states. It was the immediate successor to the Second...
, and retained the post during the 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...
administration. He was dismissed by President John Adams
John Adams
John Adams was an American lawyer, statesman, diplomat and political theorist. A leading champion of independence in 1776, he was the second President of the United States...
in 1797 after his deputy was accused of defrauding the government of tax revenues.
Anti-Federalism
During the 1787-1788 debates over the ratification of the proposed United States ConstitutionUnited States Constitution
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It is the framework for the organization of the United States government and for the relationship of the federal government with the states, citizens, and all people within the United States.The first three...
, Lamb was a prominent Anti-Federalist. He served as chairman of the Federal Republican Committee of New York, which operated to distribute Anti-Federalist writing and coordinate opposition to the Constitution with Anti-Federalists in other states. Between the fall of 1787 and June 1788 Lamb spread Anti-Federalist pamphlets through New York and New England and as far away as South Carolina; his correspondents included Aedanus Burke
Aedanus Burke
Aedanus Burke was a soldier, judge, and United States Representative from South Carolina. Born in Galway, Ireland, he attended the theological college at Saint-Omer, France, visited the West Indies, and immigrated to the American Colonies, settling in Charles Town, South Carolina He served in the...
, Patrick Henry
Patrick Henry
Patrick Henry was an orator and politician who led the movement for independence in Virginia in the 1770s. A Founding Father, he served as the first and sixth post-colonial Governor of Virginia from 1776 to 1779 and subsequently, from 1784 to 1786...
, Richard Henry Lee
Richard Henry Lee
Richard Henry Lee was an American statesman from Virginia best known for the motion in the Second Continental Congress calling for the colonies' independence from Great Britain. He was a signatory to the Articles of Confederation and his famous resolution of June 1776 led to the United States...
, and other prominent Anti-Federalists.
He died in poverty May 31, 1800.
Further reading
- Leake, Isaac Q. Memoir of the Life and Times of General John Lamb. Albany, 1857.