John Swift (June 17, 1761 – July 12, 1814) was an American military officer during the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. He founded the town of Palmyra, New York.

Early life

Swift was born on June 17, 1761, in

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

, in what was then the

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 ...

. His parents were Elisha Swift and the former Mary Ransom; one of his brothers, born two years later, was

Philetus Swift Philetus Swift (June 26, 1763 in Kent, Litchfield County, Connecticut – July 24, 1828 in Phelps, Ontario County, New York) was an American politician. Life He was the son of Elisha Swift (born 1731) and Mary Ransom (born 1738). One of Swift's ...

, who eventually became a prominent legislator in

New York State New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. stat ...

Revolution

Swift enlisted in 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 ...

and served as a private in Elmore's Regiment (an unnumbered regiment in the

Connecticut Line The Connecticut Line was a formation within the Continental Army. The term "Connecticut Line" referred to the quota of numbered infantry regiments assigned to Connecticut at various times by the Continental Congress, the size of its allocation de ...

) under Captain Lathrop Allen.

Pennamite Wars

Swift was among the Connecticuters who attempted to settle in the

Wyoming Valley The Wyoming Valley is a historic industrialized region of Northeastern Pennsylvania. The region is historically notable for its influence in helping fuel the American Industrial Revolution with its many anthracite coal-mines. As a metropolitan are ...

in northeastern Pennsylvania, sparking the Second Pennamite War. When the Pennsylvania legislature decided the land claims in favor of the Pennsylvania Mennonites, Swift decamped for Western New York (even though the Connecticut settlers were eventually granted Pennsylvania residency).

Palmyra

In the winter of 1788–89, with the Wyoming Valley situation not going in the Connecticuters' favor, John Swift and John Jenkins purchased a large tract within the

Phelps and Gorham Purchase The Phelps and Gorham Purchase was the purchase in 1788 of of land in what is now western New York State from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for $1,000,000 ( £300,000), to be paid in three annual installments, and the pre-emptive right to th ...

in what is now

Wayne County, New York Wayne County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 91,283. The county seat is Lyons. The name honors General Anthony Wayne, an American Revolutionary War hero and American statesman. Wayne Coun ...

, with the intent of helping their fellow Connecticuters settle there instead. When Swift set up residence near

Ganargua Creek Ganargua Creek, also known as Mud Creek, is a main tributary which feeds the Erie Canal and Clyde River in Wayne County, New York, United States. The creek begins just east of the village of Victor in nearby Ontario County and meanders approxim ...

in 1790 (after buying out Jenkins), the area was named "Swift's Landing". It later was named "Tolland" before being renamed "Palmyra" at the first town meeting in 1796.

Life in Palmyra

Swift had married Rhoda Sawyer on March 6, 1784; her brother was the one who proposed the name "

Palmyra Palmyra (; Palmyrene: () ''Tadmor''; ar, تَدْمُر ''Tadmur'') is an ancient city in present-day Homs Governorate, Syria. Archaeological finds date back to the Neolithic period, and documents first mention the city in the early second ...

" in 1796. After Rhoda's death, Swift later married Hepsibah Treat Davidson. He had four children by his first wife and three more by his second.

War of 1812

Skirmish near Fort Niagara

On January 8, 1814, Lt. Colonel Caleb Hopkins and General John Swift who are both militia commanders led a hit-and-run surprise attack on a British contingent that was out collecting wood. Caleb Hopkins and John Swift led 70 American militiamen in this engagement. The American militia surprised the British party. The British suffered 4 killed and 8 captured. The American militia only suffered 1 killed. The Americans withdrew to Canandaigua with their prisoners after their successful surprise attack.

Battle of Pultneyville

On May 14, 1814, a British raiding fleet under Commodore James Lucas Yeo arrived to take away 400 barrels of flour. John Swift who was at this location had 130 militia with him. John knowing that his militia would be easily routed in the open against superior British troops placed his militiamen in the tree line. As the British raiders were gathering the flour. John Swift and his militia opened fire from the tree line. The American militia then divided into two groups. One group of militia positioned themselves below the bank while General Swift's other men were in a nearby ravine. When some British soldiers went beyond the warehouse fence, the Americans opened fire. The British were driven off and withdrew back to sea by their ships with much of the flour. The British suffered 1 killed and 4 wounded. John Swift's men suffered a few slightly wounded.

Failed invasion of Fort George, Ontario

On July 12, 1814, Swift led a charge to take Fort George, near modern-day

Niagara-on-the-Lake Niagara-on-the-Lake is a town in Ontario, Canada. It is located on the Niagara Peninsula at the point where the Niagara River meets Lake Ontario, across the river from New York, United States. Niagara-on-the-Lake is in the Niagara Region of On ...

. After surprising and capturing a picket post, Swift was wounded by one of the defenders, whose weapons he had not confiscated. Swift quickly leveled his pistol and killed the British soldier who had shot him. These loud shots brought the attention of a British patrol of 60 men. Swift launched an attack against the advice of his men telling him to get medical attention. Swift routed the British patrol, but his wound was severe and he collapsed. His second in command took charge and sent the British patrol fully retreating into Fort George. The American force withdrew back to their camp with John Swift's body as he died.Thomson, John Lewis (1848). ''History of the Second War Between the United States and Great Britain''. pgs. 360-361. He was buried initially around the region where he died, but a group of Palmyrans repatriated his remains to the cemetery that today bears his name, the General John Swift Memorial Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Swift, John Continental Army officers from Connecticut American military personnel killed in the War of 1812 United States Army generals People from New York (state) in the War of 1812 1761 births 1814 deaths People from Kent, Connecticut People from Palmyra, New York Military personnel from Connecticut