Edward Hand
From Free net encyclopedia
←Older revision | Newer revision→
Edward Hand (December 31, 1744 –September 3, 1802) was a physician, Major General in the United States Army, Congressman and farmer. He commanded troops in some of the key battles of the American Revolution, including Bunker Hill and Trenton. As Adjutant General of the Continental Army, he assisted General George Washington in the siege of Yorktown, which lead to the surrender of General Charles Cornwallis.
Contents |
His Origins and British Service
Hand was born in Clyduff, County Kings, Ireland, on December 31, 1744. (The present-day County Offaly, County Kings was formed in 1556 as one of the earliest English plantations on Irish soil.) Hand earned a medical certificate from Trinity College, Dublin. In 1767, Hand enlisted as a Surgeon's Mate in the British Army's 18th Royal Irish Regiment of Foot. On May 20, 1767, he sailed with the regiment from the Cove of Cork, Ireland, arriving at Philadelphia on July 11, 1767. In 1772, he was commissioned an Ensign. He marched with the regiment to Fort Pitt, on the forks of the Ohio, returning to Philadelphia in 1774, where he resigned his commission.
The Interim Before the War
In 1774, Hand moved to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where he practiced medicine. On 1775-03-13, he married Catherine Ewing (b. 1751-03-25 in Philadelphia). Lancaster was the region of some of the earliest Irish and Scotch-Irish settlements in Pennsylvania; as a people, they were well-known for their anti-English and revolutionary convictions. Hand was active in forming the Lancaster County Associators, a colonial militia.
Service during the Revolution
He entered the Continental Army as a lieutenant colonel in the Pennsylvinia Line. He was later promoted to colonel and commanded the 1st Pennsylvania Regiment. He was later promoted to brigadier general and served as the commander of Fort Pitt fighting British loyalist and their Indian allies. He was recalled after over 2 years at Fort Pitt to serve as a brigade commander in Major General La Fayette's division.
After a few months he was appointed Adjutant General of the Continental Army and served during the Battle of Yorktown in that capacity. In recognition of his long and distinguished service, he was in, September 1783, promoted by brevet to major general. He resigned from the Army in November 1783.
Life After the Revolution
Hand returned to Lancaster and resumed the practice of medicine. A Federalist, Hand was active in civil affairs, holding posts that included:
- Chief Burgess of Lancaster
- Presidential elector
- Delegate to the convention for the 1790 Pennsylvania Constitution
- Member of the Congress of the Confederation, 1784-1785
- Member of the Pennsylvania Assembly, 1785-1786
Beginning in 1785, he owned and operated "Rock Ford Plantation," a 177-acre farm on the banks of the Conestoga River, one mile south of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The Georgian brick mansion remains today; the farm is a historic site open to the public. Hand died from cholera, on 1802-09-03, at Rock Ford. He is buried in St. James's Episcopal Cemetery, Lancaster.