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WINDHAM IN THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR - GENERAL GEORGE REID

4/30/2016

7 Comments

 
    George Reid was born in 1733 in Londonderry, NH; his parents, James and Mary Reid were among the earliest settlers of Londonderry. James Reid was a college graduate, likely one of just a handful of such educated men in the Nutfield region. Despite James' formal education, he operated a farm upon which George worked as a child. In 1765 George married Mary Woodburn, and the newly married couple settled in Londonderry. Mary was well regarded for her beauty as well as her homemaking skills; the latter proved to be invaluable when she ran the family farm and household for the duration of her husband's military service. General John Stark remarked once that if there was a woman fit to serve as the governor of New Hampshire, it would have to be Mary Reid. When the Battle of Bunker Hill broke out on June 17, 1775, George was captain of a company of minutemen, which included nine Windham men:
    Lieutenant Abraham Reid
    Alexander Brown
    James Gilmore
    Allen Hopkins
    John Hopkins
    Ebenezer McIlvain
    Thomas Wilson
    William Clyde
    David Gregg ​
Picture
Portrait of General George Reid - Courtesy of www.seacoastnh.com
    On that fateful summer day, these men, along with men from Londonderry, marched to Medford where they joined American colonial forces already fighting one of the first battles of the Revolutionary War. For his bravery in that particular battle, on January 1, 1776 Reid was appointed as a captain in the Fifth Regiment of Foot, which was under the command of General John Stark. Captain Reid's military tactics and skills paved the way for him to rapidly rise through the ranks. The following year he was appointed to the rank of lieutenant colonel, and was appointed as colonel of the second New Hampshire regiment in 1778. Reid participated in many of the most important battles of the Revolutionary War, including:
    Battle of Long Island
    Battle of White Plains
    Battle of Trenton
    Battle of Brandywine
    Battle of Germantown
    Battle of Saratoga
    Battle of Stillwater
During the harsh winter of 1777, Reid chose to stay with the troops at Valley Forge, even after several of the other officers left to return home. In 1779, he joined Sullivan's Expedition, a military campaign against the "Six Nations" of the Iroquois Confederacy that had sided with sided with the British. Reid also served as the commander of the First New Hampshire Regiment from April of 1783, until the unit was dissolved the same year following the end of the Revolutionary War. At the conclusion of the war, George Reid gained the notable distinction of being one of the longest serving officers in the Continental Army. In 1785, he received his final military appointment, being commissioned as brigadier-general in charge of New Hampshire's troops. The following year he was appointed as the justice of the peace of Rockingham County. When the Exeter Rebellion, also known as the "Paper Money Riot" broke out later that year, General Reid commanded a small company of soldiers sent to Exeter to put down the uprising. The lack of paper money in the region made repayment of debt difficult for many farmers and this was the source of the  rebellion. Following his brief service during the Exeter Rebellion, Reid received anonymous letters containing death threats, as well as threats to burn down his homestead, for his role in putting down the rebellion. The latter threat was almost carried out one night as a mob surrounded his house, threatening to burn it to the ground. However, Reid was able to calm the mob, and convinced them to let himself and his home be. In 1791, Reid was appointed as the sheriff of Rockingham County. Following this appointment, he permanently returned home to his wife and children. General George Reid died in 1815, at the age of 83. ​
Picture
1805 document signed by General George Reid as the town clerk of Londonderry
7 Comments
Lynette Dickey Scott
10/15/2017 06:36:14 pm

Very interesting article. I am quite interested in the Genealogy Of GEN Reid; I have Dickey lines on the same vicinity of Londonderry and I believe his sister, Margaret Reid, married an Adam or John Dickey. Any information you have would be most welcome.

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Derek link
10/18/2017 11:27:19 am

Thank you for the comment. One resource would be Morrison's "History of Windham," which contains a genealogy of a couple dozen of the the Dickeys (https://archive.org/stream/historyofwindham83morr#page/846/mode/2up). Another resource would be Parker's "History of Londonderry," which contains a genealogy of Samuel Dickey, and mentions several Dickeys (https://archive.org/stream/historyoflondond00park#page/266/mode/2up/search/Dickey). I haven't spent too much time looking through it, but possibly this 1898 volume on the genealogy of the Dickey family would be useful: https://archive.org/details/genealogyofdicke00dick

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Lynette Dickey Scott
1/16/2018 02:06:12 am

Thanks for the response. I have accessed the above recommended sites, and along with a couple of other researchers, I am still working at connecting genealogical ties. What I have learned in the process is that I knew very little regarding the history of this nation. I am developing a profound respect for all of my forbears and their contemporaries. I love to read the original histories, even though I have to put them aside at times in order to sort through the emotions I encounter. From the persecutions they came from, to the establishment of a new nation by the taking of lands and lives from the Native Americans, then to the continued wars and hardships they all faced.
I am astounded we still exist.
Thanks again for your scholarship.

Heidi Stevenson
10/20/2020 06:01:29 pm

It's 4 1/2 years after you wrote this article so I am hoping you are still a Windham historian. I was wondering if you'd like a photo of two pieces of furniture that belonged to Gen. Reid... a mahogany corner chair and drop-leaf table... for your research records. Sincerely,
Heidi Stevenson

Reply
Derek
10/26/2020 08:06:06 pm

Yes, that would be fantastic! Please send an email to me through the contact page.

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Gay Hotel Massachusetts link
1/27/2021 04:08:11 am

Great bblog post

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Charles E Frye link
10/24/2021 12:59:00 am

I've been researching the New Hampshire Continental Army Regiments for many years now. Neither the 1st NH regiment, nor the 2nd NH was in the battles of Long Island, White Plains, Germantown, or Brandywine. Thus, Reid was not likely in those battles. My sources are the muster rolls for the New Hampshire regiments (from fold3.com and the state papers), though Robert K. Wright's "The Continental Army" also succinctly shows the same.

During the timeframe of the Battle of Long Island, the 1st New Hampshire (Stark's) Regiment had just returned to Crown Point and then Fort Ticonderoga from Quebec. Reid was listed as a captain on the 1776 roll for that regiment.

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    Derek Saffie is an avid Windham historian who enjoys researching and sharing his collection with all those interested in the history of the New England town.
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