Samuel Strong (July 17, 1762 - December 5, 1832) was an American businessman, farmer, militia officer, and politician from

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

. He attained the rank of

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

, and was most notable for his leadership of a contingent of Vermont militia soldiers 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 ...

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 ...

Early life

Samuel Strong was born in

Salisbury, Connecticut Salisbury () is a town situated in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The town is the northwesternmost in the state of Connecticut; the Massachusetts-New York-Connecticut tri-state marker is located at the northwest corner of the town ...

on July 17, 1762, the son of John Strong (1738-1816) and Agnes (McCure) Strong (1740-1829). His parents moved to

Addison, Vermont Addison is a town in Addison County, Vermont, Addison County, Vermont, United States. It was founded October 14, 1761. The population was 1,365 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. History Addison was chartered on October 14, 1761. Ben ...

in 1766, and were among the town's first white settlers. Samuel Strong was raised and educated in Addison and became a farmer. In 1787, he was elected

Sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...

Addison County Addison County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Vermont. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 37,363. Its shire town (county seat) is the town of Middlebury (town), Vermont, Middle ...

, and he served a two-year term.

Move to Vergennes

In 1793, Strong moved to Vergennes, where he farmed and became involved in several business ventures. Strong's enterprises included timberlands, a sawmill, and a wool

carding Carding is a mechanical process that disentangles, cleans and intermixes fibres to produce a continuous web or sliver (textiles), sliver suitable for subsequent processing. This is achieved by passing the fibres between differentially moving su ...

factory, where he was among the first in

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...

to make use of mechanical carding machines rather than disentangling, cleaning, and intermixing fibers by hand. In addition to his farming and business interests, Strong was active in local politics and government. He was elected to the board of aldermen soon after his move to Vergennes. He represented Vergennes in the

Vermont House of Representatives The Vermont House of Representatives is the lower house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The House comprises 150 members, with each member representing around 4,100 citizens. Representatives ar ...

in 1804 and 1805. From 1805 to 1807 and 1813 to 1815 he served as assistant judge of the Addison County Court. From 1811 to 1815 he served as mayor of Vergennes.

Military career

Strong was a longtime member of the Vermont Militia, and advanced through the ranks to earn 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 ...

as commander of 1st Brigade, 3rd Division in 1797. He was promoted to

in 1804 and appointed as commander of the 3rd Division. He served in this position until 1810, when he resigned. In the summer of 1814, Strong received word that volunteers were needed to counter the advance of the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

near

Plattsburgh, New York Plattsburgh ( moh, Tsi ietsénhtha) is a city in, and the seat of, Clinton County, New York, United States, situated on the north-western shore of Lake Champlain. The population was 19,841 at the 2020 census. The population of the surrounding ...

. Strong immediately traveled to

Burlington, Vermont Burlington is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the seat of Chittenden County. It is located south of the Canada–United States border and south of Montreal. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 44,743. It ...

, where he was unanimously chosen to take the command of the Vermonters who had volunteered. During the September

, Strong's militia contingent took part in the successful American defense, which caused the British to retreat to Canada. After the battle, Strong was commended by Governor

Martin Chittenden Martin Chittenden (March 12, 1763September 5, 1840) was an American politician from Vermont. He served as a United States representative from 1803 to 1813 and as the seventh governor of Vermont from 1813 to 1815, during a crucial portion of the ...

and the

Vermont General Assembly The Vermont General Assembly is the legislative body of the state of Vermont, in the United States. The Legislature is formally known as the "General Assembly," but the style of "Legislature" is commonly used, including by the body itself. The G ...

. Strong was the 1816

Federalist The term ''federalist'' describes several political beliefs around the world. It may also refer to the concept of parties, whose members or supporters called themselves ''Federalists''. History Europe federation In Europe, proponents of de ...

nominee for governor, and lost to

Jonas Galusha Jonas Galusha (February 11, 1753September 24, 1834) was the sixth and eighth governor of Vermont for two terms in the early 19th century. Biography Galusha, born in Norwich in the Colony of Connecticut, moved with his siblings and his parents, ...

. In 1818, the

New York State Legislature The New York State Legislature consists of the two houses that act as the state legislature of the U.S. state of New York: The New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly. The Constitution of New York does not designate an official ...

presented Strong a commemorative sword as a token of their appreciation for his War of 1812 service.

Later life

In 1816, Strong traveled to

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 search of a warmer climate that would enable him to regain his health, which had been impaired as the result of wartime service. He remained for only a few months before deciding to return to Vergennes. Strong remained active in several business ventures, including a

Lake Champlain , native_name_lang = , image = Champlainmap.svg , caption = Lake Champlain-River Richelieu watershed , image_bathymetry = , caption_bathymetry = , location = New York/Vermont in the United States; and Quebec in Canada , coords = , type = , ...

ferry from

Ferrisburgh, Vermont Ferrisburgh is a town in Addison County, Vermont, United States. It was founded June 24, 1762. The population was 2,646 at the 2020 census. The town is sometimes spelled Ferrisburg. History The site that would eventually become Ferrisburgh was ...

Essex, New York Essex is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Essex County, New York, Essex County, New York (state), New York, United States overlooking Lake Champlain. The population was 621 at the 2020 census. The town is named after locations i ...

. He also constructed and managed a turnpike from Middlebury to Vergennes, and from Vergennes to Adams Ferry in

Panton, Vermont Panton is a town in Addison County, Vermont, United States. The population was 646 at the 2020 census. Geography Panton is located in northwestern Addison County, along the New York–Vermont border. The western side of the town extends into Lak ...

. In 1827, he was one of the original incorporators of the Vergennes Bank, He was selected as the bank's first president, and served in this position until his death. Strong died in Vergennes on December 5, 1832. He was buried at Vergennes Burying Ground in Vergennes. His home, the Gen. Samuel Strong House, still stands in Vergennes and 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 1973.

Family

In 1787, Strong married Mercy Bloomer (1763-1852) of

Dorset, Vermont Dorset is a town in Bennington County, Vermont, United States. The population was 2,133 at the 2020 census. Dorset is famous for being the location of Cephas Kent's Inn, where four meetings of the Convention that signed the Dorset Accords led to ...

. They were the parents of five children who lived to adulthood. *Mary, who was the wife of Roswell D. Hopkins and daughter-in-law of

Roswell Hopkins Roswell Hopkins (May 17, 1757—September 5, 1829) was a farmer, businessman, and government official in Vermont and New York. He served as Secretary of State of Vermont from 1788 to 1802, and was the founder of the town of Hopkinton, New York. ...

. *Clarissa, the wife of Enoch D. Woodbridge, daughter-in-law of

Enoch Woodbridge Enoch Woodbridge (December 25, 1750April 21, 1805) was a Vermont attorney, politician, and judge. A veteran of the American Revolution, he served as a justice of the Vermont Supreme Court from 1794 to 1800, and chief justice from 1798 to 1800. Bi ...

, and mother of

Frederick E. Woodbridge Frederick Enoch Woodbridge (August 29, 1818 – April 25, 1888) was a nineteenth-century politician and lawyer from Vermont. He served as a U.S. Representative from Vermont. Biography Woodbridge was born in Vergennes, Vermont, son of Enoch ...

. *Susan, who never married and lived with her mother in Vergennes. *Samuel Paddock, who took over management of his father's business interests and also served as a general in the state militia. *Electa, who was the wife of William Hunter Smith. Strong's siblings included attorney Moses Strong (1772-1842), who was the father of Wisconsin politician Moses M. Strong.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Strong, Samuel 1762 births 1832 deaths People from Addison, Vermont People from Vergennes, Vermont Vermont Federalists Mayors of places in Vermont Members of the Vermont House of Representatives category:Vermont state court judges Vermont sheriffs American militiamen in the War of 1812 Burials in Vermont