He attended the University of Edinburgh and had some training with ⦠19 Feb. 2021 . William Henry Smith, The St. Clair Papers: The Life and Public Services of Arthur St. Clair (2 vols., 1882), ignores St. Clair's weaknesses, presenting only his virtues. Congress enacted its most important piece of legislation, the Northwest Ordinance, during St. Clair's tenure as president. He was the first governor of the Northwest Territory. He named Cincinnati, Ohio, after the Society of the Cincinnati, and it was there that he established his home. This ï¬ag was identiï¬ed at auction as an 1830âs NY State Militia Flag. Yes there was a US President. In retirement St. Clair lived with his daughter, Louisa St. Clair Robb, and her family on the ridge between Ligonier and Greensburg. Proves maker of the ï¬ag, who it symbolized and construction date. Encyclopedia.com. □. By the spring of 1777 St. Clair had been promoted to major general and received command of Ft. Ticonderoga. St. Clair was a member of the Pennsylvania Council of Censors in 1783, and was elected a delegate to the Confederation Congress, serving from November 2, 1785, until November 28, 1787. [9] He thus played no part in the organizing of the state of Ohio in 1803. He was appointed a brigadier general in August 1776, and was sent by Gen. George Washington to help organize the New Jersey militia. Arthur St. Clairâs Flag Symbolic Provenance! Arthur St. Clair was born on March 23, 1736 in Thurso, Scotland. In 1791 a second force of 3,000 men under General Arthur St. Clair carelessly pitched camp south of the Maumee River with few guards the night of November 3. ST. CLAIR, Arthur, a Delegate from Pennsylvania; born in Thurso, Caithness, Scotland, March 23, 1734 (old style); attended the University of Edinburgh and studied medicine; purchased a commission as ensign in the Sixtieth Foot, May 13, 1757, and came to America; served under Gen. Amherst at the capture of Louisburg July 26, 1758, and under Gen. James Wolfe at Quebec in 1759; resigned April 16, 1762; ⦠On 3 November 1783 he retired from the Continental army. When Congress established the Northwest Territory in 1787, St. Clair was appointed territorial governor. ST. CLAIR, ARTHUR. General, politician This made him the largest resident landowner "beyond the mountains," and he soon attained considerable influence. St. Clair met Phoebe Bayard, a member of one of the most prominent families in Boston, and they were married in 1760. Continental general. CLAIR with the many contributions to our great country by Arthur St. Clair, Founder and Patriot, no longer invisiable. St. Clair was born on March 23, 1736, in Scotland. The county seat is Belleville. Badly defeated by the Miami Indians under Little Turtle on 4 November, he was refused a court of inquiry and on 5 March 1792 resigned his military commission. ." Considered a forgotten founding father, Arthur St. Clair was involved in every major event that shaped our nation, from military service in the French and Indian War and the American Revolution, to political posts in the new United States government. It remains the greatest defeat of a US Army by Native Americans in history, with about 623 American soldiers killed in action and about 50 Native Americans killed. On April 17, 1759, he received a lieutenant's commission and was assigned under the command of General James Wolfe, under whom he served at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham which resulted in the capture of Quebec City. 19 Feb. 2021 . They camped along the Wabash River. By: Stanley L. Klos. Amateur historian R.W. He was then made governor of the Northwest Territory in 1788, and then the portion that would become Ohio in 1800. Encyclopedia of the American Revolution: Library of Military History. Politically out-of-step with the Jefferson administration, he was replaced as governor in 1802. Died December 15, 1796 (Presque Isle, Pennsylvania) Richmond, Va.: Garrett and Massie, 1944. Smith, William Henry, ed. They were aided by British collaborators Alexander McKee and Simon Girty. He took part in George Washington's crossing of the Delaware River on the night of December 25–26, 1776, before the Battle of Trenton on the morning of December 26. In October 1791 as an advance post for his campaign, Fort Jefferson (Ohio) was built under the direction of General Arthur St. Clair. âThe Hermitageâ, Arthur St. Clairâs Ligonier Valley estate. DIED: 31 August 1818 in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. A fresh regiment of infantry recruits and additional militiamen accompanied the original expeditionary regiment, but, when St. Clair reached the upper part of the Wabash River, his army was defeated by Little Turtle in a deadly ambush. ." (February 19, 2021). Arthur St. Clair died in poverty in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, on August 31, 1818, at the age of 81. Located in present-day Darke County in far western Ohio, the fort was built of wood and intended primarily as a supply depot; accordingly, it was originally named Fort Deposit. Amateur historian R.W. He first saw service in the later days of the Quebec invasion, where he saw action in the Battle of Trois-Rivières. St. Clair was at Yorktown when Lord Cornwallis surrendered his army. Arthur St. Clair St. Clair was in charge of defending Fort Ticonderoga during the Revolutionary War. He briefly attended the University of Edinburgh and studied medicine before joining the British army in 1757âserving in America during the French and Indian War, before retiring in 1762. [12] His wife Phoebe died shortly after and is buried beside him. (1752–1806). 1736] â August 31, 1818) was an American soldier and politician. Meanwhile, his efforts to govern the territory caused considerable difficulty. Arthur St. Clair. Encyclopedia.com. Therefore, be sure to refer to those guidelines when editing your bibliography or works cited list. The most recent and only book-length biography of St. Clair is Frazer Ellis Wilson, Arthur St. Clair: Rugged Ruler of the Old Northwest (1944), which presents a laudatory account of his checkered career. Returning to civilian life, St. Clair reentered politics. When he evacuated that post, Congress recalled him. After the war, he served as ⦠He attended the University of Edinburgh and had some training with ⦠Arthur St. Clair, of Pennsylvania: Feb. 2, 1787: Cyrus Griffin, of Virginia: January 22, 1788: Laurel President St. Clair An addition to Laurel's run down of Sinclair/St Clair history. [3] St. Clair was promoted to major general in February 1777. Encyclopedia.com gives you the ability to cite reference entries and articles according to common styles from the Modern Language Association (MLA), The Chicago Manual of Style, and the American Psychological Association (APA). However, he was opposed by Ohio Democratic-Republicans for what were perceived as his partisanship, high-handedness, and arrogance in office. St. Clair's career as governor was stormy. (1733–1804). In 1774, the colony of Virginia took claim of the area around Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and some residents of Western Pennsylvania took up arms to eject them. General Arthur St. Clair, governor of Northwest Territory, is badly defeated by a large Indian army under Indian Chief Little Turtle near Fort Wayne Little Turtle , St. Clair's Defeat , Arthur St. Clair , November 4 , Year 1791 , Indigenous peoples of the Americas , 1790s , Battles , ⦠He also sought to end Native American claims to Ohio land and clear the way for white settlement. ." Arthur St. Clair (1736-1818), Scottish-born American soldier and politician, was the first territorial governor in United States history. Continental general. Any descendants or others interested in the family history and genealogy of Arthur and Phoebe Bayard St. Clair, please email me at jrstclair@aol.com Arnold, Benedict . Within the “Cite this article” tool, pick a style to see how all available information looks when formatted according to that style. Much of the militia deserted, the soldiers were sick, there were no pack horses and the tents leaked. Born in Thurso, Scotland, he served in the British Army during the French and Indian War before settling in Pennsylvania, where he held local office. (1737–1818). Arthur St. Clair. Mutual hostilities led to a campaign by General Josiah Harmar, whose 1,500 militiamen were defeated by the Native Americans in October 1790. Born in Thurso, Scotland, he served in the British Army during the French and Indian War before settling in Pennsylvania, where he held local office. He became the first governor of the Northwest Territory, serving in 1789–1802. General in the Continental and British armies, traitor. Dick Phillipsâ 2014 book Arthur St. Clair: The Invisible Patriot which details the meteoric rise of this Scottish born revolutionary thinker, who would challenge the dogmatic American institution to bring about the abolition of slavery. In 1802, St. Clair remarked the U.S. Congress had no power to interfere in the affairs of those in the Ohio Territory. After his Massachusetts wife inherited fourteen thousand pounds, he moved to the Pennsylvania frontier, where he used this money and his own military service claims to buy some four thousand acres in the Ligonier Valley. In 1757, St. Clair purchased a commission in the British Army, Royal American Regiment, and came to America with Admiral Edward Boscawen's fleet for the French and Indian War. Pennsylvania and Virginia. Retrieved February 19, 2021 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/st-clair-arthur. It was the creation and namesake of Arthur St. Clair: soldier, politician, and egotist. A portion of the Hermitage, St. Clair's home in Oak Grove, Pennsylvania (north of Ligonier), was later moved to Ligonier, Pennsylvania, where it is now preserved, along with St. Clair artifacts and memorabilia at the Fort Ligonier Museum. In 1789, he succeeded in getting certain Native Americans to sign the Treaty of Fort Harmar, but many native leaders had not been invited to participate in the negotiations, or had refused to do so. BORN: 23 March 1737 in Thurso, Caithness, Scotland. In addition to the MLA, Chicago, and APA styles, your school, university, publication, or institution may have its own requirements for citations. He took part in Amherst's capture of Louisburg and Wolfe's attack on Quebec, was promoted to lieutenant on 17 April 1759, resigned on 16 April 1762, and settled in Boston. Interior of General St. Clair Home. https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/st-clair-arthur, "St. Clair, Arthur . St. Clair then retired to his home near Ligonier, Pa., where he died on Aug. 31, 1818. [1] He reportedly attended the University of Edinburgh before being apprenticed to the renowned physician William Hunter.[1]. During the American Revolutionary War, he rose to the rank of major general in the Continental Army, but lost his command after a controversial retreat from Fort Ticonderoga. Arthur St. Clair, Rugged Ruler of the Old Northwest: An Epic of the American Frontier. https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/arthur-st-clair, "Arthur St. Clair (b. The county is named for Arthur St. Clair (1737-1818), major general in the American Revolutionary War and first Governor of the Northwest Territory. Arthur St. Clairâs life and key achievements were perfectly laid out in the recently deceased author R.W. New York. St. Clair was born Thurso, Caithness, Scotland on March 23, sometime between 1734 and 1736.He attended the University of Edinburgh and studied medicine under the renowned anatomist William Hunter.In 1757, St. Clair purchased a commission in the British Army and came to America with Admiral Edward Boscawen's fleet for the French and Indian War.He served under General Jeffrey Amherst at ⦠Arthur St. Clair (March 23, 1737[1] [O.S. Posts about Arthur St. Clair written by Commonplace Fun Facts. Gaining recognition as a general in the Contine…, SIMCOE, JOHN GRAVES. Arthur St. Clair 9th President of the United States in Congress Assembled February 2, 1787 to October 29, 1787 Revolutionary War Major General. Places named in honor of Arthur St. Clair include: For the murdered community leader from Brooksville, Florida, see, "President of the United States in Congress Assembled", Leroy V. Eid, "American Indian Military Leadership: St. Clair's 1791 Defeat. A Federalist, St. Clair hoped to see two states made of the Ohio Territory in order to increase Federalist power in Congress. The U.S. casualty rate was⦠Wilson, Frazer Ells. Kent State University, 2005), This page was last edited on 31 January 2021, at 15:30. Lodge #10 in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1791. Unable to gain remuneration from Congress for his many financial losses, St. Clair retired to a simple log cabin in Chestnut Ridge, Pennsylvania, where he died in a carriage accident on 31 August 1818. Rather than settling the Native Americans' claims, the treaty provoked them to further resistance in what is also sometimes known as the "Northwest Indian War" (or "Little Turtle's War"). St. Clair issued an order for the arrest of the officer leading the Virginia troops. In 1778 he was court-martialed for the loss of Ticonderoga. Some scholars credit the name as honoring the American Revolutionary War General Arthur St. Clair, later Governor of the Northwest Territory, but the name Lake St. Clair was in use with this current spelling long before St. Clair became a notable figure. Scotland-Massachusetts-Pennsylvania. Three years later he married Phoebe Bayard, who bore him seven children. He was born and educated in Scotland. He opposed the move for statehood and, to delay it, tried to split the territory into smaller political units. 3 March 1895 in Fort Monroe, Virginia; d. 26 July 1993 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), U.S. Army officer who served as comm…, Schuyler, Philip John His abandonment of Ticonderoga on 2-5 July 1777 climaxed his career as a field commander. One month later, near modern-day Fort Recovery, his force advanced to the location of Native American settlements near the headwaters of the Wabash River, but on November 4 they were routed in battle by a tribal confederation led by Miami Chief Little Turtle and Shawnee chief Blue Jacket. GIBSON, JOHN. Dick Phillips has taken on the task of rediscovering the life and legacy of the Scottish-born Revolutionary War General and American Statesman Arthur St. Clair, while at the same time chronicling his family genealogy with facts on the Sinclair and St. Clair clans. An American Civil War steamer was named USS St. Clair. Randolph C. Downes discusses frontier Indian affairs in Council Fires on the Upper Ohio (1940). Phoebe Bayard, his wife, who was born in 1743, survived him ⦠", William O. Odo, "Destined for Defeat: an Analysis of the St. Clair Expedition of 1791. A court-martial in 1778 cleared him, but in their search for a scapegoat, many people suspected St. Clair of disloyalty. . Stories about . [4] The court exonerated him and he returned to duty,[4] although he was no longer given any battlefield commands. Little is known of his early life. He attended the University of Edinburgh and had some training with the prominent London anatomist William Hunter. In April 1777, St. Clair was sent to defend Fort Ticonderoga. Born in Thurso, Scotland, he served in the British Army during the French and Indian War before settling in Pennsylvania, where he held local office. For several years he represented Pennsylvania in its fight with Virginia over the territory at Pittsburgh, but he had little success. Portrait by Charles Willson Peale, 1782â84. His remains are buried under a Masonic monument in St. Clair Park in downtown Greensburg. At the treaty they signed at St Clair-sur-Epte, whence the family takes its name, Rollo was created 1st Duke of Normandy and he later married Gizelle, one of Charlesâ daughters. ARNOLD, BENEDICT. ", George Washington's crossing of the Delaware River, National Museum of the United States Army, "Buried in Greensburg, Arthur St. Clair a forgotten Revolutionary", "General Arthur St. Clair, Soldier, Surveyor, Territorial Governor, and Freemason", "About Our Lodge – Nova Caesarea Harmony #2", Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness, Washington's crossing of the Delaware River, African Americans in the Revolutionary War, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Arthur_St._Clair&oldid=1003970214, Adjutants general of the United States Army, Continental Army officers from Pennsylvania, Continental Army personnel who were court-martialed, Continental Congressmen from Pennsylvania, People from Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, American people of the Northwest Indian War, British military personnel of the French and Indian War, British emigrants to the Thirteen Colonies, Commanding Generals of the United States Army, Short description is different from Wikidata, Wikipedia articles with SNAC-ID identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SUDOC identifiers, Wikipedia articles with USCongress identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, St. Clair Street in Indianapolis, Indiana. In March 1791, St. Clair succeeded Harmar as commander of the United States Army and was commissioned as a major general. Although a court-martial cleared him in 1778, he received no further army assignments. In 1762 he resigned his army commission and bought 4,000 acres of land in western Pennsylvania, which made him the largest resident landholder in that area. Encyclopedia of the American Revolution: Library of Military History. Encyclopedia of World Biography. This distinction brought St. Clair local responsibilities. Knowing that the British were preparing to attack, Washington asked for his advice. © 2019 Encyclopedia.com | All rights reserved. Arthur St. Clair (1736-1818), Scottish-born American soldier and politician, was the first territorial governor in United States history. Step into the parlor. 9. Retrieved February 19, 2021 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/arthur-st-clair. During his military service, St. Clair was elected a member of the American Philosophical Society in 1780.[5]. Furthermore, his plans for this difficult operation were excellent, though ruined by incompetent subordinates. Signature is a secretarial Arthur St. Clair on a 14â by 12â document folded into two leaves, text only on pages 1 & 4. (1740–1822). A congressional investigation cleared him of responsibility for the disaster. Born in Scotland, he served in the British Army during the French and Indian War before settling in Pennsylvania, where he held local office. On April 16, 1762, he resigned his commission, and, in 1764, he settled in Ligonier Valley, Pennsylvania, where he purchased land and erected mills. Son of a Royal Navy captain who died at Quebec in 1759, John Simcoe was s…, Ridgway, Matthew Bunker Therefore, it’s best to use Encyclopedia.com citations as a starting point before checking the style against your school or publication’s requirements and the most-recent information available at these sites: http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html. "St. Clair, Arthur Cayton, Andrew R. L. Frontier Republic: Ideology and Politics in the Ohio Country, 1780–1825. More than 600 soldiers and scores of women and children were killed in the battle, which has since borne the name "St. Clair's Defeat", also known as the "Battle of the Wabash", the "Columbia Massacre," or the "Battle of a Thousand Slain". . He was the largest landowner in Western Pennsylvania. In 1757, he became a soldier in the British army and came to America to fight in the French and Indian War.After being raised to a lieutenant and fighting in such historic battles as the Capture of Louisburg and the Battle of the Plains of Abraham, St. Clair resigned, married a Boston heiress and settled in Pennsylvania. British commander of the Queen's Rangers. He attended the University of Edinburgh and had some training with the prominent London anatomist William Hunter. Kent, Ohio: Kent State University Press, 1986. Arthur St. Clair, Scottish-born American soldier and politician, was the first territorial governor in United States history. Most online reference entries and articles do not have page numbers. 2 vols. Arthur St. Clair was born on March 23, 1736, in Thurso. On 9 August he was appointed brigadier general and in November he joined Washington's army. Because each style has its own formatting nuances that evolve over time and not all information is available for every reference entry or article, Encyclopedia.com cannot guarantee each citation it generates. Thank you, Dick Phillips, job well done! On February 2, 1787, the delegates finally gathered into a quorum and elected St. Clair to a one-year term as President of the Continental Congress. He personally led a punitive expedition involving two Regular Army regiments and some militia. Arthur St. Clair was born on March 23, 1736, in Thurso. Authorized by the commander in chief to raise the New Jersey militia, he was at Trenton and Princeton. ." As Governor, he formulated Maxwell's Code (named after its printer, William Maxwell), the first written laws of the territory. St. Clair was born in Thurso, Caithness, Scotland. 1736] â August 31, 1818) was an American soldier and politician. 1736] – August 31, 1818) was a Scottish-American soldier and politician. Born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, on 23 May 1740, Gibson joine…, Wayne, Anthony St Clair County was created on April 27, 1790. During the American Revolutionary War, he rose to the rank of major general in the Continental Army, but lost his command after a controversial retreat from Fort Ticonderoga. In July 1775 he became colonel of a militia regiment, and in the fall he played a minor role in negotiations with Indians at Fort Pitt. St. Clair County is part of the American Bottom or Metro-East area of the St. Louis, MO-IL Metropolitan Statistical Area. The wounded were many, including St. Clair and Capt. [11] This Lodge exists today, as Nova Caesarea Harmony #2. . He had a minor part in settling the mutiny of the Pennsylvania Line, helped raise troops for the Yorktown campaign, and joined Washington a few days before Cornwallis surrendered. By the 4th of November 1791, the army was down to 1400 men. During the American Revolutionary War, he rose to the rank of major general in the Continental Army, but lost his command after a controversial retreat. St. Clair was forced to retreat at the Siege of Fort Ticonderoga on July 5, 1777. Connecticut. However, his small number of troops was no match for the power of the British force at the time, and St. Clair and his men were forced to retreat. Lord Dunmore's War eventually settled the boundary dispute. Here are 13 facts about Arthur St. Clair: 1. There is some discrepancy regarding his birth year (1734 to 1736), however, the information presented at this site states Arthur St. Clair was descended from the St. Clair family of Roslin Chapel fame via a common ancestor with the Earl of Roslin. Arthur St Clair, 1772 Manuscript court order for men to lay off the rout of a road. St. Clair joined the British army as an ensign in 1757 and served with Col. Jeffery Amherst in Canada. Continental officer. Arthur St. Clair (March 23, 1737 [O.S. Encyclopedia.com. Arthur St. Clair was born on March 23, 1736, in Thurso. In 1791, St. Clair commanded the American forces in what was the United States's worst ever defeat by the Native Americans. Encyclopedia of the American Revolution: Library of Military History. He was involved in the ugly land disputes between Pennsylvania and Virginia, but the latter province had gained the upper hand and St. Clair, an advocate of Pennsylvania's rights, accomplished little. The Revolution made that dispute moot. St. Encyclopedia of World Biography. Schuyler, Philip John He used his authority to obstruct legislation designed to curtail his power and democratize the territorial government. Chaos ruled the day in early 1787 with Shays's Rebellion in full force and the states refusing to settle land disputes or contribute to the now six-year-old federal government. After the war, he served as President of the Continental Congress, which during his term passed the Northwest Ordinance. He withdrew his forces and played no further part in the campaign. Arthur St. Clair was a political and military leader in the Ohio country in the years of the American Revolution and the new nation. This led President Thomas Jefferson to remove him from office as territorial governor. He served as the agent for Governor William Penn in 1771 and justice of the Westmoreland County Court 2 years later. On 4 March 1791 he was named major general and commander of the U.S. Army.