Joseph Eggleston
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Joseph Eggleston (November 24, 1754February 13, 1811) was an American farmer, soldier, and politician from
Amelia County, Virginia Amelia County is a county located just southwest of Richmond in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. The county is located in Central Virginia and is included in the Greater Richmond Region. Its county seat is Amelia Court House. Amel ...
. He represented
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
in the
U.S. Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is Bicameralism, bicameral, composed of a lower body, the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives, and an upper body, ...
from 1798 until 1801. He was the uncle of
William S. Archer William Segar Archer (March 5, 1789March 28, 1855) was a slave owner, politician, planter and lawyer from Amelia County, Virginia who served several times in the Virginia House of Delegates, as well as in the United States House of Representativ ...
. Joseph Eggleston was born in Middlesex County to Joseph (1721–1792) and Judith (Segar, 1729–1806) Eggleston. In 1759 his parents moved to the newly built plantation house named ''Egglestetton'' in Amelia County. Joseph was tutored at home and then attended
William and Mary College The College of William & Mary (officially The College of William and Mary in Virginia, abbreviated as William & Mary, W&M) is a public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia. Founded in 1693 by letters patent issued by King William III a ...
where he graduated with honors in 1776. That same year he joined
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 ...
in the cavalry commanded by Henry "Light Horse Harry" Lee.


Revolutionary War

Eggleston became a captain when Lee organized his own irregular unit (
Lee's Legion Lee's Legion (also known as the 2nd Partisan Corps) was a military unit within the Continental Army during the American Revolution. It primarily served in the Southern Theater of Operations, and gained a reputation for efficiency, bravery on t ...
) of 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 ...
in 1778. He served with them throughout the war, but earned distinction in the Southern Campaign. He was cited for gallantry for his actions in the
Battle of Guilford Court House The Battle of Guilford Court House was on March 15, 1781, during the American Revolutionary War, at a site that is now in Greensboro, the seat of Guilford County, North Carolina. A 2,100-man British force under the command of Lieutenant General ...
on March 15, 1781. He won praise again in the siege of Augusta in June, as well as a promotion to Major. The initial American success in the
Battle of Eutaw Springs The Battle of Eutaw Springs was a battle of the American Revolutionary War, and was the last major engagement of the war in the Carolinas. Both sides claimed victory. Background In early 1781, Major General Nathanael Greene, commander of the ...
in September came from Major Eggleston's attack of the British advance units. Unfortunately the outcome of the battle was indecisive, even though the British casualties were twice those of the American forces.


Personal life

After the war Eggleston returned home to Egglestetton, and on February 23, 1788 he married Sarah "Sally" Meade. They had three children: Joseph Everard (1790), Charles (1791) and William (1792). When his father (Joseph Sr.) died in 1792 he inherited the family seat and . Over the years he would buy land and expand his holding to . Sally Eggleston died in 1794. In 1798, Joseph remarried, to his first cousin, Ann Cary Eggleston (daughter of his uncle John). She gave him two more children: Francis (1798) and Sarah Meade Eggleston (1802, named after his first wife. Egglestetton was added to the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
in 1980.


Political career

Eggleston was elected to the Virginia state House of Delegates several times as a representative for Amelia County. In all he served thirteen years in the House (1785–88 and 1791–99). He was in the state Senate when U.S. Congressman William B. Giles resigned that post on October 2, 1798. In a special election, Eggleston won the rest of the term. Then he won the regular election for the next term, to serve in the
U.S. House The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...
in the Sixth Congress. Eggleston declined to be nominated in 1800, so his service in Congress extended from December 3, 1798 to March 3, 1801. He returned home, but was made a Justice of the Peace for Amelia County, and held that post until he died in 1811. Joseph died at home and was buried in the Churchyard of St. John's Episcopal Church. The church was also known as St. John's of Grub Hill, and the cemetery is now known as the ''Grub Hill Cemetery''. The main house at ''Egglestetton'' still stands in Egglestetton Road (Route 630) about 4 km north of Amelia Court House. The home is on the National Register of Historic Places but is a private residence. The
Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
general,
Joseph Eggleston Johnston Joseph Eggleston Johnston (February 3, 1807 – March 21, 1891) was an American career army officer, serving with distinction in the United States Army during the Mexican–American War (1846–1848) and the Seminole Wars. After Virginia seceded ...
, was named for him, since Johnston's father had served in Eggleston's command in the Revolution.


External links


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eggleston, Joseph 1754 births 1811 deaths People from Middlesex County, Virginia College of William & Mary alumni Continental Army officers from Virginia Virginia lawyers American planters Democratic-Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Virginia People from Amelia County, Virginia 18th-century American lawyers 18th-century American politicians