Robert Magaw (1738 – January 7, 1790) was an American lawyer from Carlisle, Pennsylvania who served as a colonel in the Continental Army during the U.S. Revolutionary War.

Early life and education

Robert was born in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, in 1738. His parents, William and Elizabeth Magaw, had earlier immigrated from Strabane,

County Tyrone, Ireland County Tyrone (; ) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the thirty-two traditional counties of Ireland. It is no longer used as an administrative division for local government but retains ...

, to the eastern shore of

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

. He later settled in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and practiced law there. His brother was the Rev. Samuel Magaw.

Career

Magaw served several years in the militia, and when the war broke out he was made a colonel in command of the 5th Pennsylvania Battalion. During the

New York campaign The New York and New Jersey campaign in 1776 and the winter months of 1777 was a series of American Revolutionary War battles for control of the Port of New York and the state of New Jersey, fought between British forces under General Sir Willi ...

he was in command of the U.S. garrison at Fort Washington. He was forced to surrender it, and became a prisoner on November 16, 1776. Based on his parole he was set at liberty in New York City, but could not leave the city until he was exchanged. This did not happen until October 1780.

Personal life

While a prisoner on parole, Magaw met and courted Marritje Van Brunt (1762–1803) of Kings County, New York. They married in April 1779, and would later have two children.

Later life and death

After he was exchanged, he returned home to New Carlisle and continued his law practice. He served two years in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives (1781–1782) and was for many years a trustee of Dickinson College. He died at home in Carlisle on January 7, 1790. After his death, Marritje returned to New York to live with their son, Robert Van Brunt Magaw, at Gravesend.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Magaw, Robert 1738 births 1790 deaths People from Carlisle, Pennsylvania Lawyers from Philadelphia American people of Irish descent People of colonial Pennsylvania American Revolutionary War prisoners of war held by Great Britain Continental Army officers from Pennsylvania Pennsylvania lawyers