Lachlan McIntosh's Military Honors Get Overshadowed
Lachlan McIntosh was a Brigadier General in the Continental Army.
Although he is best known for killing Button Gwinnett in a duel, McIntosh also spent time as the Commander of the Western Department during the Revolutionary War.
Lachlan McIntosh
Lachlan McIntosh moved from Scotland to Georgia as a child.
This was just a few years after the colony of Georgia was founded, and Lachlan grew up in an area that focused heavily on the militia as it bordered hostile Native American tribes and Spanish Florida.
McIntosh’s father served in the militia, was captured and held for two years, then died shortly after his return.
McIntosh and his brothers were sent to an orphanage but were mentored by the colony’s founder, James Oglethorpe.
When he reached maturity, Lachlan moved to South Carolina to work for Henry Laurens. After his apprenticeship, McIntosh married and returned to Georgia where he established a rice plantation.
He became a leader in the Patriot Movement and joined the militia at the outbreak of the Revolutionary War.
Duel With Gwinnett
McIntosh was a devoted soldier and quickly received appointment as a Brigadier General in the continental Army.
Lachlan became rivals with Button Gwinnett, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, who became Governor of Georgia.
Gwinnett ordered McIntosh to lead the State Militia in a poorly planned invasion of Florida. When the mission was a failure, Button and Lachlan blamed each other publicly.
This hostility eventually led to a duel. Both men were wounded in the exchange, but Gwinnett died three days later while McIntosh survived.
Commander of the Western Department
In an effort to spare one of his best Generals from punishment, George Washington called McIntosh to Pennsylvania where he joined the Continental Army at Valley Forge.
Soon thereafter, McIntosh was placed in charge of the Western Department of the war. He fortified Fort Pitt before leading an abortive attack on Fort Detroit.
Lachlan spent just under a year in the west before Washington moved him to assist in the Southern Theater.
Prisoner of War
McIntosh joined Benjamin Lincoln in defense of Savannah before being captured in the Siege of Charleston.
Lachlan spent two years as a prisoner of war until he was exchanged four months after the Victory at Yorktown.
When he returned home, his plantation had been ruined by the British. He declined an election to the Continental Congress in favor of rebuilding his fortune.
McIntosh was rarely active in politics for the remainder of his life, working instead on treaties with Native American nations and local border disputes.
Do you want to learn about other BRIGADIER GENERALS in the Revolutionary War?
Great!
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Lachlan McIntosh actually has several biographies written about him.
‘Politics of Revolutionary Georgia’ looks at both the man’s military career and the unique divides between Founders of the southernmost State.
Pick up a copy through the Amazon affiliate link below (you’ll support this site, but don’t worry, Amazon pays me while your price stays the same).
