John Mott (captain)
Encyclopedia
John Mott was a Captain in the 1st Hunterdon Regiment of the New Jersey militia during the American Revolutionary War
. He served as a guide to General George Washington
and the Continental Army
during their march down along the Delaware River prior to the Battle of Trenton
.
from 1743 to 1754. John Mott had two brothers, Gershom and Asher, and a sister, Sarah. John Mott moved to the Trenton
area and purchased two flour or grist mills located along the River Road several miles north of Trenton. He lived near his mills and was a neighbor of General
Philemon Dickinson
, a militia officer. David Laning, another guide at the Battle of Trenton
, was a cooper
who lived nearby and worked at one of Mott's mills. In March 1776, John Mott, along with other members of the New Jersey militia, were on the Committee of Correspondence
for Trenton.
Isaac Smith
. In June 1776, two companies of the 1st Hunterdon Militia were detached to become part of General Nathaniel Heard's Brigade. John Mott replaced Robert Hoops as a Captain of one of the companies that remained under Col. Isaac Smith in General Philemon Dickinson's Brigade.Captain Mott's company was at Perth Amboy, New Jersey
in July 1776 when the Declaration of Independence
was read to the militia. Mott and his militia company participated in several skirmishes around the Perth Amboy and Elizabethtown
area throughout the summer and early fall of 1776. This included a raid on Staten Island led by Adjutant Elias Phillips (a guide at the Battle of Trenton) that resulted in several British
prisoners being captured.
They crossed the Delaware River
during the first week of December 1776 and were stationed in Yardley, Pennsylvania
. Their militia regiment was commanded by Col. Isaac Smith and Lt. Col. Joseph Phillips. General Philemon Dickinson also had his headquarters at Yardley, Pennsylvania. Some of the men in the 1st Hunterdon Militia made excursions across the Delaware River over the next few weeks to obtain intelligence on the British and Hessian soldiers due to their knowledge of the local area. On one of these excursions, Adjutant Elias Phillips captured three British soldiers in his deserted hometown of Maidenhead
. On another excursion, David Laning was caught by the British and taken to Trenton on around December 20, 1776. He escaped the next day and brought back valuable information.
General Philemon Dickinson sent a letter to General George Washington
on December 24, 1776 which was carried by Capt. John Mott to introduce Mott and offer his service and that of his men as guides. All of the guides except two were in the 1st Hunterdon Militia and all except one lived in Hunterdon County, New Jersey
. The guides included Col. Joseph Phillips, Capt. Philip Phillips, and Adjutant Elias Phillips, of Maidenhead; John Muirheid, Joseph Inslee, Eden Burroughs, Stephen Burroughs, Ephraim Woolsey, and Henry Simmons, of Hopewell; and Capt. John Mott, David Laning, Amos Scudder, and William Green, of Trenton. John Guild of Hopewell and James Slack of Bucks County, PA were the other two guides. Henry Simmons, Stephen Burrows, Ephraim Woolsey, Uriah Slack, David Laning, William Green, and Amos Scudder were all under Capt. John Mott.
Capt. Mott and the other guides rendezvoused with General Washington's troops at McKonkey's Ferry
on December 25, 1776 and crossed the Delaware River. General Washington's plan called for two guides to accompany each brigade. When the army divided at Birmingham, David Laning, John Muirheid, and John Guild rode in front of the army down the Scotch and Pennington Roads with General Washington and General Green's Division. Capt. John Mott served as guide to General John Sullivan
's Division down the River Road.
After the split of the two divisions of the army, Capt. Mott discovered that his priming powder was wet. He was then sent by Gen. Sullivan to ask Gen. Washington for orders since none of the rifles would be capable of being fired. Gen. Washington’s emphatic reply was to “tell the General to use the bayonet and penetrate into the town; for the town must be taken and I am resolved to take it”. Capt. Mott then continued to guide Gen. Sullivan’s Division down the River Road passing his own house and mills as well as passing Gen. Dickinson’s house where some Hessian Jäger
were posted. Both divisions of the army attacked the Hessian outposts on the River Road and Pennington Road simultaneously at 8 a.m. after their four hour march. They then continued into Trenton where the battle continued for over an hour. After the Battle of Trenton, Gen. Washington’s army returned to Johnson’s Ferry by the River Road along with their Hessian prisoners.
. Capt Mott's company may have then crossed back over the Delaware River. His company was apparently not at the Battle of Princeton
since they were on the Pennsylvania side of the Delaware River guarding the baggage wagons and supplies. As part of the foraging war in early 1777, Capt. Mott and his company were in the 1st Hunterdon Regiment under Col. Joseph Phillips. They helped Gen. Dickinson harass the British coming out of New Brunswick, New Jersey
foraging for food and supplies.
Capt. Mott’s company also participated in the Battle of Somerset Court House in January 1777 and the Battle of Short Hills
in June 1777. When the Continental Army left New Jersey in the fall, Capt. Mott's company remained in New Jersey with the rest of the New Jersey militia to help protect that side of the Delaware River.
John Mott became a Justice of the Peace for Hunterdon County in September 1777. For a week in early June 1778, Capt. Mott's company provided bodyguard protection for Gen. Dickinson. They then participated with the General and the rest of his New Jersey militia in harassing the British, who were crossing New Jersey after their evacuation of Philadelphia. This included skirmishes at Crosswicks
and Englishtown
.
Mott's company participated in the Battle of Monmouth
in June 1778 and the Battle of Springfield in June 1780. In March 1781, Capt. Mott was on the Board of Court Martial of Lt. Col. William Chamberlain
along with Col. Joseph Phillips, who was president of the board. In June 1781, Capt. Mott became a recruiting officer
for Hunterdon County.
Captain Charles Alexander, on June 7, 1784. Mott and his wife wife had two sons, Gershom (born 1785) and William (born 1790). Gershom Mott married Phebe Rose Scudder, the granddaughter of guide Amos Scudder, and was the father of Union Civil War
General Gershom Mott
. John Mott and his wife, Eleanor, joined the Quakers in Trenton after the war, as did Gen. Philemon Dickinson and his wife. All four were buried in the Quaker burial ground in Trenton.
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...
. He served as a guide to General George 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...
and 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...
during their march down along the Delaware River prior to 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...
.
Early life
Captain Mott was born in Middletown, New Jersey. He was the son of William Mott of Middletown and Margaret Hartshorne. His father was a member of the New Jersey State AssemblyNew Jersey Legislature
The New Jersey Legislature is the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, as defined by the New Jersey Constitution of 1947, the Legislature consists of two houses: the General Assembly and the Senate...
from 1743 to 1754. John Mott had two brothers, Gershom and Asher, and a sister, Sarah. John Mott moved to the Trenton
Trenton, New Jersey
Trenton is the capital of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Trenton had a population of 84,913...
area and purchased two flour or grist mills located along the River Road several miles north of Trenton. He lived near his mills and was a neighbor of General
General (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, general is a four-star general officer rank, with the pay grade of O-10. General ranks above lieutenant general and below General of the Army or General of the Air Force; the Marine Corps does not have an...
Philemon Dickinson
Philemon Dickinson
Philemon Dickinson was an American lawyer and politician from Trenton, New Jersey. As a brigadier general of the New Jersey militia, he was one of the most effective militia officers of the American Revolutionary War. He was also a Continental Congressman from Delaware and a United States Senator...
, a militia officer. David Laning, another guide at 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...
, was a cooper
Cooper (profession)
Traditionally, a cooper is someone who makes wooden staved vessels of a conical form, of greater length than breadth, bound together with hoops and possessing flat ends or heads...
who lived nearby and worked at one of Mott's mills. In March 1776, John Mott, along with other members of the New Jersey militia, were on the Committee of Correspondence
Committee of correspondence
The Committees of Correspondence were shadow governments organized by the Patriot leaders of the Thirteen Colonies on the eve of American Revolution. They coordinated responses to Britain and shared their plans; by 1773 they had emerged as shadow governments, superseding the colonial legislature...
for Trenton.
Early Revolutionary War
During the Revolutionary War, John Mott was a member of the 1st Regiment of the Hunterdon County Militia, which was under the command of ColonelColonel (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, colonel is a senior field grade military officer rank just above the rank of lieutenant colonel and just below the rank of brigadier general...
Isaac Smith
Isaac Smith (New Jersey)
Isaac Smith was a United States Representative from New Jersey. Born in Trenton, he graduated from Princeton College in 1755, was a teacher in that institution from 1755 to 1758, studied medicine, and commenced practice in Trenton...
. In June 1776, two companies of the 1st Hunterdon Militia were detached to become part of General Nathaniel Heard's Brigade. John Mott replaced Robert Hoops as a Captain of one of the companies that remained under Col. Isaac Smith in General Philemon Dickinson's Brigade.Captain Mott's company was at Perth Amboy, New Jersey
Perth Amboy, New Jersey
Perth Amboy is a city in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. The City of Perth Amboy is part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 50,814. Perth Amboy is known as the "City by the Bay", referring to Raritan Bay.-Name:The Lenape...
in July 1776 when the Declaration of Independence
Declaration of independence
A declaration of independence is an assertion of the independence of an aspiring state or states. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the territory of another nation or failed nation, or are breakaway territories from within the larger state...
was read to the militia. Mott and his militia company participated in several skirmishes around the Perth Amboy and Elizabethtown
Elizabeth, 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...
area throughout the summer and early fall of 1776. This included a raid on Staten Island led by Adjutant Elias Phillips (a guide at the Battle of Trenton) that resulted in several British
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
prisoners being captured.
Battle of Trenton
The companies in General Dickinson's Brigade were divided into two divisions that served on alternating one month tours of duty. The 1st Hunterdon Militia Regiment was one of the few regiments of the New Jersey Militia to turn out and serve all of their tours of duty throughout the summer and fall of 1776. On December 1, 1776, their service expired. Soon afterwords, both divisions of the 1st Hunterdon, including Captain Mott and his company, were called out to serve as volunteers.They crossed the Delaware River
Delaware River
The Delaware River is a major river on the Atlantic coast of the United States.A Dutch expedition led by Henry Hudson in 1609 first mapped the river. The river was christened the South River in the New Netherland colony that followed, in contrast to the North River, as the Hudson River was then...
during the first week of December 1776 and were stationed in Yardley, Pennsylvania
Yardley, Pennsylvania
Yardley is a borough in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The small community of Yardley is bordered by the Delaware River and Ewing, New Jersey on the east, and by Lower Makefield Township on the north, west, and south...
. Their militia regiment was commanded by Col. Isaac Smith and Lt. Col. Joseph Phillips. General Philemon Dickinson also had his headquarters at Yardley, Pennsylvania. Some of the men in the 1st Hunterdon Militia made excursions across the Delaware River over the next few weeks to obtain intelligence on the British and Hessian soldiers due to their knowledge of the local area. On one of these excursions, Adjutant Elias Phillips captured three British soldiers in his deserted hometown of Maidenhead
Lawrenceville, New Jersey
Lawrenceville is a census-designated place and unincorporated area located within Lawrence Township in Mercer County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the CDP population was 3,887...
. On another excursion, David Laning was caught by the British and taken to Trenton on around December 20, 1776. He escaped the next day and brought back valuable information.
General Philemon Dickinson sent a letter to General George 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...
on December 24, 1776 which was carried by Capt. John Mott to introduce Mott and offer his service and that of his men as guides. All of the guides except two were in the 1st Hunterdon Militia and all except one lived in Hunterdon County, New Jersey
Hunterdon County, New Jersey
Hunterdon County is a county located in the western section of the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 128,349. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Flemington....
. The guides included Col. Joseph Phillips, Capt. Philip Phillips, and Adjutant Elias Phillips, of Maidenhead; John Muirheid, Joseph Inslee, Eden Burroughs, Stephen Burroughs, Ephraim Woolsey, and Henry Simmons, of Hopewell; and Capt. John Mott, David Laning, Amos Scudder, and William Green, of Trenton. John Guild of Hopewell and James Slack of Bucks County, PA were the other two guides. Henry Simmons, Stephen Burrows, Ephraim Woolsey, Uriah Slack, David Laning, William Green, and Amos Scudder were all under Capt. John Mott.
Capt. Mott and the other guides rendezvoused with General Washington's troops at McKonkey's Ferry
Washington Crossing, Pennsylvania
Washington Crossing, Pennsylvania, is a small unincorporated village located in Upper Makefield Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, with a zip code of 18977. Formerly known as "Taylorsville," it is most famous for Washington's crossing of the Delaware River on Christmas of 1776 during the...
on December 25, 1776 and crossed the Delaware River. General Washington's plan called for two guides to accompany each brigade. When the army divided at Birmingham, David Laning, John Muirheid, and John Guild rode in front of the army down the Scotch and Pennington Roads with General Washington and General Green's Division. Capt. John Mott served as guide to General John 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 Division down the River Road.
After the split of the two divisions of the army, Capt. Mott discovered that his priming powder was wet. He was then sent by Gen. Sullivan to ask Gen. Washington for orders since none of the rifles would be capable of being fired. Gen. Washington’s emphatic reply was to “tell the General to use the bayonet and penetrate into the town; for the town must be taken and I am resolved to take it”. Capt. Mott then continued to guide Gen. Sullivan’s Division down the River Road passing his own house and mills as well as passing Gen. Dickinson’s house where some Hessian Jäger
Jäger (military)
Jäger is a term that was adopted in the Enlightenment era in German-speaking states and others influenced by German military practice to describe a kind of light infantry, and it has continued in that use since then....
were posted. Both divisions of the army attacked the Hessian outposts on the River Road and Pennington Road simultaneously at 8 a.m. after their four hour march. They then continued into Trenton where the battle continued for over an hour. After the Battle of Trenton, Gen. Washington’s army returned to Johnson’s Ferry by the River Road along with their Hessian prisoners.
Remainder of the Revolutionary War
Capt. John Mott's company may have been involved in the Second Battle of Trenton, but it is not clear. It is possible that he and his men were at the battle and remained at Trenton (due to their knowledge of the area), allowing Gen. Washington and the army to march towards Princetown, New YorkPrincetown, New York
Princetown is a town in Schenectady County, New York, United States. The population was 2,132 at the 2000 census.The Town of Princetown is in the central part of the county, west of the City of Schenectady.-Geography:...
. Capt Mott's company may have then crossed back over the Delaware River. His company was apparently not at the Battle of 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....
since they were on the Pennsylvania side of the Delaware River guarding the baggage wagons and supplies. As part of the foraging war in early 1777, Capt. Mott and his company were in the 1st Hunterdon Regiment under Col. Joseph Phillips. They helped Gen. Dickinson harass the British coming out of New Brunswick, New Jersey
New Brunswick, New Jersey
New Brunswick is a city in Middlesex County, New Jersey, USA. It is the county seat and the home of Rutgers University. The city is located on the Northeast Corridor rail line, southwest of Manhattan, on the southern bank of the Raritan River. At the 2010 United States Census, the population of...
foraging for food and supplies.
Capt. Mott’s company also participated in the Battle of Somerset Court House in January 1777 and the Battle of Short Hills
Battle of Short Hills
The Battle of Short Hills was a conflict between a Continental Army force commanded by Brigadier General William Alexander , and an opposing British force commanded by Lieutenant General William Howe...
in June 1777. When the Continental Army left New Jersey in the fall, Capt. Mott's company remained in New Jersey with the rest of the New Jersey militia to help protect that side of the Delaware River.
John Mott became a Justice of the Peace for Hunterdon County in September 1777. For a week in early June 1778, Capt. Mott's company provided bodyguard protection for Gen. Dickinson. They then participated with the General and the rest of his New Jersey militia in harassing the British, who were crossing New Jersey after their evacuation of Philadelphia. This included skirmishes at Crosswicks
Crosswicks, New Jersey
Crosswicks Village is an unincorporated area within Chesterfield Township in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States. The area is served as United States Postal Service ZIP code 08515....
and Englishtown
Englishtown, New Jersey
Englishtown is a borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 1,847....
.
Mott's company participated in the Battle of Monmouth
Battle of Monmouth
The Battle of Monmouth was an American Revolutionary War battle fought on June 28, 1778 in Monmouth County, New Jersey. The Continental Army under General George Washington attacked the rear of the British Army column commanded by Lieutenant General Sir Henry Clinton as they left Monmouth Court...
in June 1778 and the Battle of Springfield in June 1780. In March 1781, Capt. Mott was on the Board of Court Martial of Lt. Col. William Chamberlain
William Chamberlain (politician)
William Chamberlain was a United States Representative from Vermont. He was born in Hopkinton, Massachusetts and attended the common schools there. He moved with his father to Loudon, New Hampshire in 1774. He served as a sergeant during the American Revolutionary War and later engaged in land...
along with Col. Joseph Phillips, who was president of the board. In June 1781, Capt. Mott became a recruiting officer
Military recruitment
Military recruitment is the act of requesting people, usually male adults, to join a military voluntarily. Involuntary military recruitment is known as conscription. Many countries that have abolished conscription use military recruiters to persuade people to join, often at an early age. To...
for Hunterdon County.
After the war
John Mott became a Justice of the Peace for Hunterdon County, New Jersey again in June 1782. He married Eleanor Johnson Alexander, the widow of Continental NavyContinental Navy
The Continental Navy was the navy of the United States during the American Revolutionary War, and was formed in 1775. Through the efforts of the Continental Navy's patron, John Adams and vigorous Congressional support in the face of stiff opposition, the fleet cumulatively became relatively...
Captain Charles Alexander, on June 7, 1784. Mott and his wife wife had two sons, Gershom (born 1785) and William (born 1790). Gershom Mott married Phebe Rose Scudder, the granddaughter of guide Amos Scudder, and was the father of Union Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
General Gershom Mott
Gershom Mott
Gershom Mott was a United States Army officer and a General in the Union Army, a commander in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War.-Early life:...
. John Mott and his wife, Eleanor, joined the Quakers in Trenton after the war, as did Gen. Philemon Dickinson and his wife. All four were buried in the Quaker burial ground in Trenton.