Jeremiah Wadsworth Gets Rich Feeding The Continental Army
Updated 7/24/21
Jeremiah Wadsworth was Commissary General of the Continental Army and an inaugural member of the US House of Representatives.
Jeremiah Wadsworth
Jeremiah Wadsworth took to the sea as a young man.
He sailed on one of the ships his wealthy family owned, quickly becoming a Captain.
By the outbreak of the American Revolution, Jeremiah had made enough money for himself to return to his home in Connecticut.
Multiple Armies
While it is easy to look back at the Revolutionary War as being fought and won by the Continental Army, the truth is the State Militias acted independently of (though in conjunction with) the united forces.
As such, each individual army needed to be fed, clothed and armed by the different governments to whom they reported.
It was in this situation that Jeremiah Wadsworth was asked to use his wealth and connections to supply the Connecticut Militia.
Commissary General
George Washington noticed how well-supplied the Connecticut soldiers were and demanded (in his polite way) that Wadsworth be assigned the rank of Deputy Commissary of Provisions for the Continental Army.
After the resignation of Joseph Trumbull, Jeremiah was promoted to Commissary General which placed him in charge of feeding and clothing the Continentals.
Through two years in this position, Wadsworth worked closely with Quartermaster General Nathaniel Greene who was responsible for housing the army as well as distributing the provisions.
When the French Army arrived, Jeremiah took up the task of providing for their soldiers, a job he continued in through the remainder of the war.
Congressman
Jeremiah Wadsworth made a hefty profit which, although it seems shady now, was not uncommon at the time. In fact, it was expected.
He used this money, plus he previous fortune, to make several investments, leading to his status as one of the wealthiest men in Connecticut.
After attending his State’s Constitutional Ratification Convention, Wadsworth was elected to the final session of the Confederation Congress. Here he assisted in the transition from the Articles of Confederation to the new National Government.
This was followed immediately by receiving election as an inaugural member of the United States House of Representatives.
Peace Commissioner
One of Wadsworth’s investments was in a humongous tract of land that spanned the entirety of Western New York.
Jeremiah had sent his nephews out to settle the land but there were several conflicts with the Native Americans.
After Isaac Smith turned down the opportunity, Wadsworth was asked by President Washington to act as the United States Representative to a meeting which ended with the Treaty of Big Tree. This would be Jeremiah’s only time visiting the land he owned.
Before retirement, Jeremiah Wadsworth spent five six years on the Connecticut Executive Council which we would know today as the State Senate.
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