John Fellows (July 7, 1735 – August 1, 1808) was a Brigadier-General in the Massachusetts Militia who participated in several major battles 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 ...

Biography

Born in Plainfield,

New London County New London County is in the southeastern corner of Connecticut and comprises the Norwich-New London, Connecticut Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Hartford-East Hartford, Connecticut Combined Statistical Area. There i ...

Connecticut Colony The ''Connecticut Colony'' or ''Colony of Connecticut'', originally known as the Connecticut River Colony or simply the River Colony, was an English colony in New England which later became Connecticut. It was organized on March 3, 1636 as a settl ...

, Fellows settled in

Sheffield Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...

, Province of Massachusetts around 1750. He fought in the

French and Indian Wars The French and Indian Wars were a series of conflicts that occurred in North America between 1688 and 1763, some of which indirectly were related to the European dynastic wars. The title ''French and Indian War'' in the singular is used in the U ...

. During the Revolution he was present during the British

Siege of Boston The siege of Boston (April 19, 1775 – March 17, 1776) was the opening phase of the American Revolutionary War. New England militiamen prevented the movement by land of the British Army, which was garrisoned in what was then the peninsular town ...

under

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

. After the

battles of Lexington and Concord The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first military engagements of the American Revolutionary War. The battles were fought on April 19, 1775, in Middlesex County, Province of Massachusetts Bay, within the towns of Lexington, Concord ...

he led a regiment to Boston and fought at the

Battle of Bunker Hill The Battle of Bunker Hill was fought on June 17, 1775, during the Siege of Boston in the first stage of the American Revolutionary War. The battle is named after Bunker Hill in Charlestown, Massachusetts, which was peripherally involved in ...

. In August 1776, Fellows commanded a brigade at the Battle of Long Island covering Washington's retreat after the loss. Fellows commanded a regiment in the

Massachusetts Militia This is a list of militia units of the Colony and later Commonwealth of Massachusetts. *Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts (1638) *Cogswell's Regiment of Militia (April 19, 1775) *Woodbridge's Regiment of Militia (April 20, ...

Roxbury, Massachusetts Roxbury () is a Neighborhoods in Boston, neighborhood within the City of Boston, Massachusetts. Roxbury is a Municipal annexation in the United States, dissolved municipality and one of 23 official neighborhoods of Boston used by the city for n ...

until the end of 1775. On June 25, 1776, he was appointed by the Massachusetts General Court to be brigadier general of the militia reinforcements which was being assembled to support 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 ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. On September 15, 1776, the British General William Howe landed a large force of troops at Kips Bay on the East River near what is now 34th street in NYC. Feeble defense by the American militia of General Parsons and General Fellows soon ended in a rout of American forces. The failure to stop and oppose the enemy was a great disappointment to Washington. General Washington was said to be so distraught at seeing the rout, that he drew his sword and charged down the hill towards the advancing British forces, only to be restrained by an aide at the last moment. His army narrowly escaped annihilation. Fellows also commanded troops at the battle of Battle of White Plains, the Battle of Long Island and in the

Saratoga campaign The Saratoga campaign in 1777 was an attempt by the British high command for North America to gain military control of the strategically important Hudson River valley during the American Revolutionary War. It ended in the surrender of the British ...

. A resident of Massachusetts, Fellows belonged to the Provincial Congress of Massachusetts. Fellows helped in the development and settlement at Canandaiga, New York. In 1790 he built the first saw mill at Mud Creek, East Bloomfield, New York in 1790. The 1790 census shows him living in Ontario County, New York. Fellows was also the Sheriff of

Berkshire County, Massachusetts Berkshire County (pronounced ) is a county on the western edge of the U.S. state of Massachusetts. As of the 2020 census, the population was 129,026. Its largest city and traditional county seat is Pittsfield. The county was founded in ...

for many years. Fellows was appointed proprietor of the town of

Wolcott, Vermont Wolcott is a town in Lamoille County, Vermont, United States. The town was named for General Oliver Wolcott, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. The population was 1,670 at the 2020 census. Geography Wolcott is the easternmost town in La ...

. Fellows died on August 1, 1808, in Sheffield, Massachusetts, and is buried in its Bernard Cemetery.

Slave ownership

According to research conducted by the

Massachusetts Historical Society The Massachusetts Historical Society is a major historical archive specializing in early American, Massachusetts, and New England history. The Massachusetts Historical Society was established in 1791 and is located at 1154 Boylston Street in Bost ...

, Fellows owned at least one

slave Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

. A July 1, 1777 bill of sale shows General John Fellows selling a woman by the name of Ton to the 30-year old Sedgwick.

Controversial book

Fellows' nephew, called John Fellows Jr to distinguish him from is uncle, was also present at the

. He published a book in 1843 entitled ''The Veil Removed'', where he presented numerous letters and statements from veterans of the battle regarding the contested conduct of General Israel Putnam from men who were present at the battle. The letters provided accounts on Putnam's whereabouts and performance during the Battle, the issue of which created a long-standing controversy during the first half of the 19th century. Fellows, 2009, 236 pages Peckham, 2009, p. 6

References

Sources

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Fellows, John Militia generals in the American Revolution Massachusetts militiamen in the American Revolution Brigadier generals Massachusetts in the American Revolution 1735 births 1808 deaths American slave owners

Biography

Slave ownership

Controversial book

See also

References

Sources