General Michael Jackson (18 December 1734 – 10 April 1801) was a soldier from

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

Early life

Jackson was born in

Newton Newton most commonly refers to: * Isaac Newton (1642–1726/1727), English scientist * Newton (unit), SI unit of force named after Isaac Newton Newton may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Newton'' (film), a 2017 Indian film * Newton ( ...

Province of Massachusetts The Province of Massachusetts Bay was a colony in British America which became one of the thirteen original states of the United States. It was chartered on October 7, 1691, by William III and Mary II, the joint monarchs of the kingdoms of E ...

and served in the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the ...

as a lieutenant. He married Ruth Parker, daughter of Ebenezer Parker, on January 31, 1759.

American Revolution

In 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 ...

he was captain of a

minuteman Minutemen were members of the organized New England colonial militia companies trained in weaponry, tactics, and military strategies during the American Revolutionary War. They were known for being ready at a minute's notice, hence the name. Mi ...

company and took part in the final part of 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 ...

, harassing the British retreat to Boston. He was wounded 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 ...

. He served as the major of the Gardner's Regiment of the Massachusetts line from June 3, 1775 to December 31, 1775. He was lieutenant colonel of the 16th Continental Infantry from January 1 to December 31, 1776. He was seriously wounded in the attack on Montresor's Island, New York on September 23, 1776. He was promoted to colonel in the

Massachusetts Line The Massachusetts Line was those units within the Continental Army that were assigned to Massachusetts at various times by the Continental Congress during the American Revolutionary War. These, together with similar contingents from the other twel ...

on January 1, 1777 and given command of the

8th Massachusetts Regiment The 8th Massachusetts Regiment also known as 16th Continental Regiment and Sargent's Regiment, was raised on April 23, 1775, under Colonel Paul Dudley Sargent at Cambridge, Massachusetts. The regiment would see action at the Battle of Bunker Hill ...

the same date. He was transferred to the 3rd Massachusetts Regiment on June 12, 1783 and commanded it until it was mustered out of service later that year. On September 30, 1783 he received a brevet (honorary promotion) to

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 ...

and finished his country's service as a

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

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 ...

and 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 ...

on November 3, 1783. He was one of the very few individuals to have served in the

for the entirety of its existence - from its inception in June 1775 to its disbanding in November 1783. Jackson was admitted as an original member of The

Society of the Cincinnati The Society of the Cincinnati is a fraternal, hereditary society founded in 1783 to commemorate the American Revolutionary War that saw the creation of the United States. Membership is largely restricted to descendants of military officers wh ...

in the state of Massachusetts when it was established in 1783. He died in 1801 in

Newton, Massachusetts Newton is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is approximately west of downtown Boston. Newton resembles a patchwork of thirteen villages, without a city center. According to the 2020 U.S. Census, the population of Ne ...

Family

His five brothers and five sons, including Michael Jackson Jr., also all served in the war. The family granted some farm lands in its possession to

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

to help found the institution. After the Revolutionary War, some members of the famous, mostly doctors, Jackson family moved to

Madison, WI Madison is the county seat of Dane County and the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census the population was 269,840, making it the second-largest city in Wisconsin by population, after Milwaukee, and the 80th-large ...

, where they helped establish city institutions including Methodist Hospital and the Jackson Clinics, now Meriter Hospital and two of them married into the Hobbins family, which like them included doctors and surgeons, bank founders, and well known business leaders. Madison's Dr. Will Hobbins served in the infamous Wisconsin Eagle Brigade as asst Doctor Surgeon, with Brother in Law Surgeon James A. Jackson and Quartermaster Colonel James Mears. Will's older brother Dr. Joseph Hobbins served at Camp Randall as Union Chief Doctor Surgeon in charge at Camp Randall, and at the end of the war, treating 1400 Confederate soldiers captured on the Mississippi at Island 11 at Camp Randall at the end of American Civil War. These men sought to establish the University of Wisconsin's first medical college (a 1st effort that failed), founded the Wisconsin Horticulture Society and Madison Literary Club, President and Doctor Surgeons founding Wisconsin's St George's Society under charter approved by the Wisconsin Legislature. Other Hobbins' offspring founded many of the state capital's first banks, such as the American Exchange Bank (1st German Bank (Fred Suhr) merger) with many preserved historic family homes on Mansion Hill. James R Hobbins, son of Mary and Joseph W. Hobbins traveled to Butte, MT with his nephew John Suhr Hobbins who married a local girl, Margaret Perham, and return to Madison as 1st Cashier at the American Exchange Bank, later to become Vice President with older brother Wm Suhr Hobbins as President. James R. Hobbins started as post hole digger for Anaconda and later became CEO of the corporation, CEO of Union Pacific Railroad and sit on the Board of Governors for the New York Federal Reserve. In the early 1900s, Mary (Mears) Hobbins (married Joseph William Hobbins son of Will Hobbins) promoted, fought for, raised funds and founded the city's first hospital Madison General Hospital, and founded the Badger Chapter of the

American Red Cross The American Red Cross (ARC), also known as the American National Red Cross, is a non-profit humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. It is the desi ...

. A book detailing the Jackson Hobbins blood lines, ''300 Years American'', by Alice F. and Bettina Jackson chronicles some of these sons and daughters of the American Revolution dating from Jamestown to the 1950s.

References

*Purcell, L. Edward. ''Who Was Who in the American Revolution''. New York: Facts on File, 1993. . *Heitman, Francis B. ''Historical Register of Officers of the Continental Army''. Washington, D.C. 1914. pg. 316. *''

Appleton's Encyclopedia Appleton's or Appletons may refer to several publications published by D. Appleton & Company, New York, including: *''Appletons' Journal'' (1869–1881) *''Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography'' (1887–1889) *''Appleton's Magazine'' (1905 ...

'' *Jackson, Alice F. and Bettina. ''Three Hundred Years American: The Epic of a Family'' (1951). State Historical Society of Wisconsin

External links

The Society of the Cincinnati

The American Revolution Institute
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson, Michael 1734 births 1801 deaths Continental Army officers from Massachusetts People of Massachusetts in the French and Indian War People from Newton, Massachusetts People of colonial Massachusetts