Gold Selleck Silliman (1732–1790) was a Connecticut militia General during the

American War for Independence 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 ...

Biography

Silliman was born in

Fairfield, Connecticut Fairfield is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It borders the city of Bridgeport and towns of Trumbull, Easton, Weston, and Westport along the Gold Coast of Connecticut. Located within the New York metropolitan area ...

, graduated from

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

and practiced law and served as a crown attorney before the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...

. He was appointed Colonel of the Fourth Regiment, Connecticut

militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

, in May 1775 and became

Brigadier General Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

in 1776. He patrolled the southwestern border of

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

, where the loyalists of Westchester County, New York, caused constant irritation and concern for patriot towns and farms along the Connecticut coast. He also fought with the main army during the

New York Campaign The New York and New Jersey campaign in 1776 and the winter months of 1777 was a series of American Revolutionary War battles for control of the Port of New York and the state of New Jersey, fought between British forces under General Sir Willia ...

of 1776 and opposed the British raid on Danbury in 1777. At the beginning of

Tryon's raid Tryon's Raid occurred in July 1779, during the American Revolutionary War, in which 2700 men, led by British Major General William Tryon, raided the Connecticut ports of New Haven, Fairfield, and Norwalk. They destroyed military and public sto ...

Danbury, Connecticut Danbury is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, located approximately northeast of New York City. Danbury's population as of 2022 was 87,642. It is the seventh largest city in Connecticut. Danbury is nicknamed the "Hat City ...

, Silliman was at his home in Fairfield. As soon as he heard word of the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

landing on the coast, he sent out expresses to alarm the nearby towns and to collect the militia. By noon the next day he arrived in

Redding, Connecticut Redding is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 8,765 at the 2020 census. History Early settlement and establishment At the time colonials began receiving grants for land within the boundaries of present-d ...

, with five hundred men and was joined by

Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

David Wooster David Wooster ( – May 2, 1777) was an American general who served in the French and Indian War and in the American Revolutionary War. He died of wounds sustained during the Battle of Ridgefield, Connecticut. Several cities, schools, and public ...

and Brigadier General

Benedict Arnold Benedict Arnold ( Brandt (1994), p. 4June 14, 1801) was an American military officer who served during the Revolutionary War. He fought with distinction for the American Continental Army and rose to the rank of major general before defect ...

in the

Battle of Ridgefield The Battle of Ridgefield was a battle and a series of skirmishes between American and British forces during the American Revolutionary War. The main battle was fought in the village of Ridgefield, Connecticut, on April 27, 1777. More skirmishin ...

. One night in May 1779, nine

Tories A Tory () is a person who holds a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalism and conservatism, which upholds the supremacy of social order as it has evolved in the English culture throughout history. Th ...

crossed the sound in a whale boat from Lloyd's Neck. One of the Tories had been previously employed by Silliman as a carpenter, so he knew the house well. Eight of the men forced their way into the house at midnight and took the general and his adult son. They were taken to Oyster Bay, New York, and finally to Flatbush. The Americans had no prisoner of equal rank to exchange for Silliman, so they captured one. Thomas Jones, a highly reputed loyalist, was captured in November 1779 by

Continental Navy The Continental Navy was the navy of the United States during the American Revolutionary War and was founded October 13, 1775. The fleet cumulatively became relatively substantial through the efforts of the Continental Navy's patron John Adams ...

Captain

David Hawley David Hawley (1741–1807) was a captain in the Continental Navy and a privateer during the American Revolutionary War. He commanded in the 1776 Battle of Valcour Island, which is generally regarded as one of the first naval battles of the Amer ...

and brought back to Connecticut. Silliman and Jones were exchanged in May 1780, with Silliman's son being exchanged as well. These events were accurately depicted in the 1994 TV film ''Mary Silliman's War'' by Heritage Films, based on the 1984 biography of Silliman's second wife by Joy and Richard Buel. Silliman died on July 21, 1790.

Family

Silliman was the son of Abigail Selleck (the daughter of Abigail Gold and Jonathan Selleck) and Ebenezer Silliman (the son of Sara Hull and Robert Silliman). His son

Benjamin Silliman Benjamin Silliman (August 8, 1779 – November 24, 1864) was an early American chemist and science educator. He was one of the first American professors of science, at Yale College, the first person to use the process of fractional distillat ...

was born in a

tavern A tavern is a place of business where people gather to drink alcoholic beverages and be served food such as different types of roast meats and cheese, and (mostly historically) where travelers would receive lodging. An inn is a tavern that h ...

, originally the home of Ebenezer Hawley in

Trumbull, Connecticut Trumbull is a town located in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It borders on the cities of Bridgeport and Shelton and the towns of Stratford, Fairfield, Easton and Monroe. The population was 36,827 during the 2020 census. Trumbul ...

, after Benjamin's mother, Mary Silliman, fled Fairfield ahead of a British and Loyalist raiding party. Benjamin was the first professor of science at

and the first American to distill petroleum.

References

* Baker, Mark Allen, "Connecticut Families of the Revolution, American Forebears from Burr to Wolcott," The History Press, Charleston, SC, 2014 *Lossing, Pictorial Field-Book of The Revolution, New York, 1860 *Who Was Who in the American Revolution, 1993 *Herbert Thoms, ''Yale Men and Landmarks in Old Connecticut'', Yale University Press, New Haven, 1967 {{DEFAULTSORT:Silliman, Gold Selleck 1732 births 1790 deaths Militia generals in the American Revolution People of Connecticut in the American Revolution American Revolutionary War prisoners of war held by Great Britain Lawyers from Fairfield, Connecticut Silliman family