Elijah Churchill (September 5, 1755 – April 11, 1841) was a soldier for the

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies (the Thirteen Colonies) in the Revolutionary-era United States. It was formed by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, and was establis ...

during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

Early life

Elijah Churchill was born on September 5, 1755, in

Newington, Connecticut Newington is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. Located south of downtown Hartford, Newington is an older, mainly residential suburb located in Greater Hartford. As of the 2020 census, the population was 30,536. The Connecticu ...

. His father was named Giles.

Military career

Churchill entered the 8th Connecticut Regiment as a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

on 7 July 1775. On 7 May 1777, he re-enlisted for the duration of the war as a

corporal Corporal is a military rank in use in some form by many militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. The word is derived from the medieval Italian phrase ("head of a body"). The rank is usually the lowest ranking non ...

in the 2nd Continental Light Dragoons, later the

2nd Legionary Corps The 2nd Continental Light Dragoons, also known as Sheldon's Horse after Colonel Elisha Sheldon, was commissioned by the Continental Congress on December 12, 1776, and was first mustered at Wethersfield, Connecticut, in March 1777 for service ...

, and was promoted to

sergeant Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...

on 2 October 1780. He was cited for gallantry in action at

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near

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, in November 1780, at

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, in July 1781, and at Fort Slongo (now known as Fort Salonga, also on Long Island) on October 2, 1781. He was awarded the

Badge of Military Merit The Badge of Military Merit was a military award of the United States Armed Forces. It is largely considered America's first military decoration, and the second oldest in the world (after the Cross of St. George). The award was only given to non- ...

for his actions, one of only three soldiers to receive the award.

Later life and death

Once the American Revolutionary War was completed, Churchill moved to Massachusetts. In 1784 he lived in

Enfield Enfield may refer to: Places Australia * Enfield, New South Wales * Enfield, South Australia ** Electoral district of Enfield, a state electoral district in South Australia, corresponding to the suburb ** Enfield High School (South Australia) ...

.Churchill (1904), p. 348 He died on April 11, 1841.

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Churchill, Elijah Continental Army soldiers People of Connecticut in the American Revolution 1755 births 1841 deaths People from Enfield, Connecticut