Moses Porter (20 March 1756 – 14 April 1822) was a general in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

. His career lasted for over 40 years and he is one of the few officers who served in both the American Revolution and the War of 1812.

Biography

Moses Porter was born on 20 March 1756 in

Danvers, Massachusetts Danvers is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, located on the Danvers River near the northeastern coast of Massachusetts. The suburb is a fairly short ride from Boston and is also in close proximity to the renowned beaches of Glo ...

. He was the son of Benjamin Porter and Sarah Brown Porter.

Revolutionary War

On 1 January 1777 Porter was commissioned an ensign in the

6th Massachusetts Regiment The 6th Massachusetts Regiment also known as the 4th Continental Regiment was raised on April 23, 1775, under Colonel John Nixon outside of Boston, Massachusetts. The regiment would see action at the Battle of Bunker Hill, New York Campaign, B ...

(a.k.a. Nixon's Regiment) 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 ...

, shortly before his 21st birthday. The regiment mostly served in the

Hudson Highlands The Hudson Highlands are mountains on both sides of the Hudson River in New York state lying primarily in Putnam County on its east bank and Orange County on its west. They continue somewhat to the south in Westchester County and Rockland County ...

area of New York and participated in the

Battles of Saratoga The Battles of Saratoga (September 19 and October 7, 1777) marked the climax of the Saratoga campaign, giving a decisive victory to the Americans over the British in the American Revolutionary War. British General John Burgoyne led an invasion ...

in 1777. He served in the 6th Massachusetts until he was deranged (i.e. involuntarily discharged due to reorganization) from the regiment on 1 March 1779. He was promoted to 2nd Lieutenant in the

3rd Continental Artillery Regiment The 3rd Continental Artillery Regiment also known as Crane's Continental Artillery Regiment became part of the Continental Army on January 1, 1777, as Colonel John Crane's Continental Artillery Regiment. The regiment was made up of 12 artillery c ...

, commanded by Colonel John Crane on 21 April 1779. He served with the 3rd Artillery, mostly in the Hudson Highlands area of New York, until it was consolidated with other artillery units on 17 June 1783 to form the Corps of Artillery. Porter was discharged from the Continental Army at the end of the Revolution on 3 November 1783. Although he was eligible, for unknown reasons, Porter did not become 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 ...

1786 to 1812

Porter was commissioned as a lieutenant in the newly formed United States Artillery Battalion on 20 October 1786. He served in the

Northwest Indian War The Northwest Indian War (1786–1795), also known by other names, was an armed conflict for control of the Northwest Territory fought between the United States and a united group of Native American nations known today as the Northwestern ...

against the Miami Indians in the Northwest Territory (modern day

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

) from 1790 to 1794. He was promoted to captain in command of a company of artillery on 4 November 1791 when a vacancy was created by the promotion of Captain

Henry Burbeck Henry Burbeck (June 10, 1754 – October 2, 1848) was a senior officer of the United States Army who served as the Commandant of the Corps of Artillerists and Engineers from 1798 to 1802. Early life Henry Burbeck was born in Boston on June 10 ...

to major following the death of Major William Ferguson in St. Clair's Defeat. (Note that companies of artillery were not called batteries until the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

.) Porter's artillery company was originally formed in 1786 and was one of only four artillery companies in the U.S. Army prior to 1794. (The modern day 4th Battalion, 1st Field Artillery Regiment is credited with having Porter's company as its lineal ancestor.) Porter's company was transferred to the 3rd Sublegion when that unit was formed in 1792, and saw service which culminated in the

Battle of Fallen Timbers The Battle of Fallen Timbers (20 August 1794) was the final battle of the Northwest Indian War, a struggle between Native American tribes affiliated with the Northwestern Confederacy and their British allies, against the nascent United States ...

in 1794. Porter and his company were transferred to the Corps of Artillerists and Engineers when that unit was formed on 1 May 1794. The Corps of Artillerists and Engineers was redesignated as the 1st Regiment of Artillerists and Engineers in 1799. He became a major in command of a battalion of four companies on 26 May 1800. He was retained as a major on 1 April 1802 when the Army was reduced and reorganized in accordance with the

Military Peace Establishment Act The Military Peace Establishment Act documented and advanced a new set of laws and limits for the U.S. military. It was approved by Congress and signed on March 16, 1802, by President Thomas Jefferson, who was fundamental in its drafting and prop ...

War of 1812

On 12 March 1812, shortly before the outbreak of the War of 1812, Porter was promoted to colonel and placed in command of the Light Artillery Regiment. In this capacity he served with distinction in the campaign in

Upper Canada The Province of Upper Canada (french: link=no, province du Haut-Canada) was a part of British Canada established in 1791 by the Kingdom of Great Britain, to govern the central third of the lands in British North America, formerly part of the ...

(modern day

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

) and was brevetted (i.e. given an honorary promotion) to brigadier general on 10 September 1813 for "distinguished service in the campaign of 1813". In 1814 Porter was sent to

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...

to take command of the defenses of that critical seaport. His headquarters was at Fort Norfolk. He served there until the conclusion of the war early in 1815.

Post war

After the war, most units of the Light Artillery Regiment were transferred to garrison coastal forts in New England. As he was one of the senior officers in the Army, Porter was appointed as a department commander. He commanded the 3rd Military Department (Southern New York and Northern New Jersey) from 31 July to 31 October 1816, he then commanded Army troops in Western New York from December 31, 1816 to March 1817. He then commanded the 4th Military Department (New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut) from 30 April 1817 to 30 April 1818. His next assignment was as commander of the 4th Department (Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, and Southern New Jersey) from May 31, 1818 to May 31, 1821. On 1 June 1821, the Artillery units of the U.S. Army were reorganized into four artillery regiments and Porter was given command of the

1st Regiment of Artillery First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number 1 (number), one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, D ...

Death and burial

General Moses Porter died on 14 April 1822 at

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston, ...

. He was 66 years old and had served over 42 years in uniform. He is buried in the Walnut Grove Cemetery in Danvers, Massachusetts. General Porter's gravestone inscription reads as follows -

Battles

Although a definitive listing of the battles General Porter fought in has not been found, he probably participated in most or all of the following battles -

Revolution

(1777) *

Battle of Springfield (1780) The Battle of Springfield was fought during the American Revolutionary War on June 23, 1780, in Union County, New Jersey. After the Battle of Connecticut Farms, on June 7, 1780, had foiled Lieutenant General Wilhelm, Baron von Knyphausen’ ...

Northwest Indian War The Northwest Indian War (1786–1795), also known by other names, was an armed conflict for control of the Northwest Territory fought between the United States and a united group of Native American nations known today as the Northwestern ...

* Harmar campaign (1790) * St. Clair's Defeat (1791) *

(1794)

War of 1812

Battle of Queenston Heights The Battle of Queenston Heights was the first major battle in the War of 1812. Resulting in a British victory, it took place on 13 October 1812 near Queenston, Upper Canada (now Ontario). The battle was fought between United States regulars wit ...

, Oct. 13, 1812 * Capture of York (now Toronto), April 27, 1813 *

Siege of Fort Meigs The siege of Fort Meigs took place in late April to early May 1813 during the War of 1812 in northwestern Ohio, present-day Perrysburg. A small British Army unit with support from Indians attempted to capture the recently constructed fort to fores ...

, Ohio, May 5, 1813 *

Battle of Fort George The Battle of Fort George was a battle fought during the War of 1812, in which the Americans defeated a British force and captured the Fort George in Upper Canada. The troops of the United States Army and vessels of the United States Navy c ...

, May 27, 1813 *

Battle of Stony Creek The Battle of Stoney Creek was a British victory over an American force fought on 6 June 1813, during the War of 1812 near present-day Stoney Creek, Ontario. British units made a night attack on the American encampment, and due in large part to ...

, June 6, 1813 * Battle of Chrystler's Fields, Nov. 11, 1813 *Defense of

Fort Oswego Fort Oswego was an 18th-century trading post in the Great Lakes region in North America, which became the site of a battle between French and British forces in 1756 during the French and Indian War. The fort was established in 1727 on the orders o ...

, New York, May 5 and 6, 1814 *

Battle of Plattsburgh The Battle of Plattsburgh, also known as the Battle of Lake Champlain, ended the final British invasion of the northern states of the United States during the War of 1812. An army under Lieutenant General Sir George Prévost and a naval squadro ...

, New York, Sept. 11, 1814

Dates of rank

*Ensign, 6th Massachusetts - 1 January 1777 *2nd Lieutenant, 3rd Continental Artillery - 21 April 1779 *Discharged from Continental Army - 3 November 1783 *Lieutenant, US Artillery Battalion - 20 October 1786 *Captain, Artillery - 4 November 1791 *Major, Artillerists and Engineers - 26 May 1800 *Colonel, Light Artillery - 12 March 1812 *Brevet Brigadier General - 10 September 1813

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Porter, Moses 1756 births 1822 deaths People from Massachusetts in the War of 1812 People from Danvers, Massachusetts United States Army personnel of the War of 1812 United States Army generals Burials in Massachusetts Military personnel from Massachusetts