Timothy Danielson Declines to Attend Congress Thrice
Whelp, I did it again.
I had already written this article on Timothy Danielson when I realized I had written about him a year ago.
This is the second time it has happened to me this month, so I guess I have to check my 900 or so articles from now on to see if I’ve covered someone yet.
That being said, I did edit this to make sure I’m not repeating much. If you’d like to learn more about Timothy Danielson’s time at war, check this article out: Timothy Daniels Leads The Hampshire County Militia.
Timothy Danielson
Timothy Danielson was one of the original Patriots in Hampton County, Massachusetts.
Danielson worked as the Chairman of his local Committee of Correspondence and served in the Colonial Assembly where he was specifically targeted for removal by the Royal Governor.
When the Lexington Alarm came through town, Timothy led eight companies to drive the British back into Boston.
He was awarded with a commission as Lieutenant Colonel in the Continental Army.
At War
Danielson’s stay in the Continental Army was fairly brief.
He returned to Massachusetts and was given the title of Brigadier General in the State Militia.
Timothy did work with the Continental Army, serving at the head of his State’s Committee of Arrangement.
Declining Congress
Danielson had been selected to attend the Continental Congress on three separate occasions but never attended.
The first two times he declined seemed to have been related to the war effort but the third, in 1783, was after the true hostilities were over.
Unfortunately, Timothy had focused too much on the war and not enough on his finances. He lost a substantial portion of his money and nearly went to debtor’s prison.
Associated with Sullivan
While he was able to avoid jail time (and recover much of his fortune), Danielson’s reputation took a hit and he thought it best to stay home.
It also didn’t help that he was associated with John Sullivan who, while an amazingly important Founder, was known to be hard to work with and was in the middle of a scandal of his own.
Timothy rehabilitated public opinion and went on to serve at the highest levels of the State Militia and sit on the Massachusetts General Court.
Follow this site to read about another Founder tomorrow!
Until then, check out one of these articles on other Brigadier Generals in the Revolution.
William Woodford Wins the First Battle in Virginia
George Clinton Governs New York
Enoch Poor Dies Under Suspicious Circumstances
Want to read more about the Battle of Lexington and Concord?
‘The Road to Concord’ is a great account of little known events that contributed to the shot heard round the world.
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) but be warned, it is very rare and therefore expensive.
