Samuel Hammond (September 21, 1757 – September 11, 1842) was a

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

during 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 ...

, governor and leader in the

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

and Missouri Territories, and

United States Representative 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 ...

from

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

in the

8th United States Congress The 8th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1803, ...

Early life

He was born in Farnham Parish in the

Virginia Colony The Colony of Virginia, chartered in 1606 and settled in 1607, was the first enduring English colonial empire, English colony in North America, following failed attempts at settlement on Newfoundland (island), Newfoundland by Sir Humphrey GilbertG ...

, to Elizabeth Hammond Steele and Charles Hammond; his parents were second cousins. Charles Hammond worked for the

Virginia House of Delegates The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two parts of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbe ...

as a secretary. Like his son and three additional sons, Charles served during the Revolutionary War. Samuel attended the common schools.

Adult life

Virginia

Hammond served as a volunteer under Governor Dunmore against Native Americans and "distinguished himself" at the Battle of Kanawha, now more commonly known as the

Battle of Point Pleasant The Battle of Point Pleasant, also known as the Battle of Kanawha, was the only major action of Dunmore's War. It was fought on October 10, 1774, between the Virginia militia and Shawnee and Mingo warriors. Along the Ohio River near modern-day P ...

. The battle took place on October 10, 1774. In July 1776, Hammond fought against the Cherokee under Colonel Andrew Williamson. During the

, he served 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 ...

. In December 1776, led a company of

minutemen 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 ...

he raised in the

Battle of Great Bridge The Battle of Great Bridge was fought December 9, 1775, in the area of Great Bridge, Virginia, early in the American Revolutionary War. The victory by colonial Virginia militia forces led to the departure of Royal Governor Lord Dunmore and any r ...

in an area since named

Great Bridge, Virginia Great Bridge is a community located in the independent city of Chesapeake in the U.S. state of Virginia. Its name is derived from the American Revolutionary War Battle of Great Bridge, which took place on December 9, 1775, and resulted in the fi ...

. He served several years in Pennsylvania and New Jersey with his troops from Virginia.

Carolinas

In 1779 Charles Hammond moved to South Carolina. Samuel moved with his family and served the Revolutionary War in his new home state. He was promoted to Assistant Quartermaster at the

siege of Savannah The siege of Savannah or the Second Battle of Savannah was an encounter of the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783) in 1779. The year before, the city of Savannah, Georgia, had been captured by a British expeditionary corps under Lieutenan ...

. He served as member of the "council of capitulation" at

Charleston Charleston most commonly refers to: * Charleston, South Carolina * Charleston, West Virginia, the state capital * Charleston (dance) Charleston may also refer to: Places Australia * Charleston, South Australia Canada * Charleston, Newfoundlan ...

and was made

. He commanded troops in battle at Augusta, Blackstock's Farm,

Cowpens Cowpens may refer to: * Battle of Cowpens, a battle in the American Revolution * Cowpens National Battlefield, a unit of the National Park Service that protects the battlefield. * Cowpens, South Carolina * USS Cowpens (CG-63), USS ''Cowpens'' (CG-63 ...

, Eutaw Springs,

Guilford Courthouse 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 ...

Hanging Rock Hanging Rock may refer to: Australia * Hanging Rock, New South Wales, a mining village on the Northern Tablelands * Hanging Rock, Victoria, a rock formation **''Picnic at Hanging Rock (novel)'', a 1967 novel by Australian author Joan Lindsay ** ...

, and Kings Mountain. Shortly after the war he settled in Savannah, Georgia.

Georgia

He served during the conflict with the Creek or

Muscogee The Muscogee, also known as the Mvskoke, Muscogee Creek, and the Muscogee Creek Confederacy ( in the Muscogee language), are a group of related indigenous (Native American) peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands Hammond was Surveyor General of Georgia in 1796. He was a member of the

Georgia House of Representatives The Georgia House of Representatives is the lower house of the Georgia General Assembly (the state legislature) of the U.S. state of Georgia. There are currently 180 elected members. Republicans have had a majority in the chamber since 2005. T ...

1796-1798 and a member of the

Georgia Senate The Georgia State Senate is the upper house of the Georgia General Assembly, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Legal provisions The Georgia State Senate is the upper house of the Georgia General Assembly, with the lower house being the Georgia Ho ...

1799 and 1800. He was elected as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

to the Eighth Congress and served from March 4, 1803, until February 2, 1805.

Louisiana and Missouri Territories

February 2, 1805 he became Colonel Commandant of the St. Louis District of the

Louisiana Territory The Territory of Louisiana or Louisiana Territory was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 4, 1805, until June 4, 1812, when it was renamed the Missouri Territory. The territory was formed out of the ...

where he served from 1805 to 1824. He was made the first president (governor) of the Missouri Territorial Council in 1813. He was a receiver of public moneys in

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

and president of the Bank of St. Louis.

South Carolina

Hammond moved to

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

in 1824 and became a member of the

South Carolina House of Representatives The South Carolina House of Representatives is the lower house of the South Carolina General Assembly. It consists of 124 representatives elected to two-year terms at the same time as U.S. congressional elections. Unlike many legislatures, seati ...

. He then served as Surveyor General of South Carolina in 1825 and

Secretary of State of South Carolina The secretary of state of South Carolina is an elected position that is responsible to maintain clear records of statewide corporations, supply to the public with customer service, and administrate the Solicitation of Charitable Funds Act. Since ...

in 1831–1835.

Marriage and children

Hammond married widow Rebecca Rae in 1783 and they settled in Savannah, Georgia. Rebecca's deceased husband was Colonel John Rae of Augusta, Georgia. Rebecca died in 1798. Then, Hammond moved to Rae's Hall Plantation. He married a second time to Eliza Amelia O'Keefe on May 5, 1802. He had eight children.

Freemason

Samuel Hammond was also a

Freemason Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

and member of Solomon's Lodge No. 1, F. & A. M. at Savannah, Georgia. This lodge was established by the renowned Freemason and founder of the

Georgia colony Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

James Edward Oglethorpe James Edward Oglethorpe (22 December 1696 – 30 June 1785) was a British soldier, Member of Parliament, and philanthropist, as well as the founder of the colony of Georgia in what was then British America. As a social reformer, he hoped to re ...

, on February 21, 1734, and is now the "Oldest Continuously Operating English Constituted Lodge of Freemasons in the Western Hemisphere".

Death

He retired from public life and died in 1842 at his home, "Varello Farm," at

Beech Island, South Carolina Beech Island is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Aiken County, South Carolina, United States.Walter Edgar, Ed.: ''The South Carolina Encyclopedia'', The University of South Carolina Press, Columbia, S.C., 2006, p. 6 ...

, which is on the South Carolina side of the

Savannah River The Savannah River is a major river in the southeastern United States, forming most of the border between the states of South Carolina and Georgia. Two tributaries of the Savannah, the Tugaloo River and the Chattooga River, form the norther ...

, near

Augusta, Georgia Augusta ( ), officially Augusta–Richmond County, is a consolidated city-county on the central eastern border of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. The city lies across the Savannah River from South Carolina at the head of its navig ...

. He is now buried near the Hammond Cemetery at the Charles Hammond House, North Augusta,

. A memorial commemorates the heroic actions of Colonel Samuel Hammond, Colonel LeRoy Hammond, Jr., and Colonel LeRoy Hammond, Sr.

Bibliography

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hammond, Samuel 1757 births 1842 deaths Continental Army soldiers Georgia (U.S. state) state senators Members of the Georgia House of Representatives Members of the South Carolina House of Representatives Secretaries of State of South Carolina Virginia colonial people People of Virginia in the American Revolution South Carolina Democratic-Republicans Democratic-Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Georgia (U.S. state) Members of the United States House of Representatives who owned slaves People from Farnham, Virginia People from Beech Island, South Carolina