Anthony Walton White
Encyclopedia
Anthony Walton White was a cavalry officer in the Continental Army
during the American Revolutionary War
.
, emigrated to Bermuda
and became connected with the government of the islands, of which his son, Anthony White II, and grandson, Leonard White, were chief justices. Anthony White III moved to the United States
from Bermuda
and married Elizabeth Morris, the daughter of Governor Lewis Morris
of New Jersey
.
White received his education under the immediate direction of his father. At the age of twenty-five, his time was employed in study and in assisting his father in the management of his large estates. In October 1775, he obtained a commission as major
and aide-de-camp
to General George Washington
.
as the lieutenant colonel
of the 3rd New Jersey Regiment
. He was actively engaged in the service in the North until 1780, being successively appointed Lieutenant Colonel of the 4th Continental Light Dragoons
in the Continental army, February 13, 1777, lieutenant colonel commandant of the 1st Continental Light Dragoons
, December 10, 1779, and colonel
, February 16, 1780. At that time, he was ordered by General Washington to take command of all the cavalry
in the southern army, and, upon his own personal credit, equipped two regiment
s with which to operate against Lord Cornwallis in South Carolina
.
On May 6, 1780, with the remnant of Maj.
Benjamin Huger
's cavalry, he crossed the Santee River
and captured a small party of British, but while waiting at Lanneau's Ferry to recross the river, he was surprised and defeated by Col. Banastre Tarleton
. White and many of his troops were taken prisoner. In 1781 he was ordered to join the army under Lafayette in Virginia, and on his march to that state had several successful encounters with Colonel Tarleton.
White was present with General Anthony Wayne
in the movement before Savannah
on May 21, 1782; and, on the evacuation of that place, returned to Charleston, South Carolina
, where he became security for the debts of the officers and men of his regiments, who were in want of almost all the necessaries of life. These debts he was subsequently obliged to pay at enormous sacrifices of his own property, and, on returning to the North at the close of the war, his financial ruin was completed by entering into speculation at the persuasion of military friends.
, serving under General Henry Lee.
General White died at a comparatively early age, and was buried in the grounds of Christ Church Episcopal Churchyard in New Brunswick, New Jersey
. His grandson was Anthony Walton White Evans
.
Continental Army
The Continental Army was formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen Colonies in...
during the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
.
Early life
Anthony W. White was the son of Anthony White. His great grandfather was Anthony White I, a royalist, who, after the execution of Charles ICharles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
, emigrated to Bermuda
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
and became connected with the government of the islands, of which his son, Anthony White II, and grandson, Leonard White, were chief justices. Anthony White III moved to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
from Bermuda
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
and married Elizabeth Morris, the daughter of Governor Lewis Morris
Lewis Morris (1671-1746)
Lewis Morris , chief justice of New York and British governor of New Jersey, was the first lord of the manor of Morrisania in New York .-Biography:...
of New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
.
White received his education under the immediate direction of his father. At the age of twenty-five, his time was employed in study and in assisting his father in the management of his large estates. In October 1775, he obtained a commission as major
Major (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, major is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel...
and aide-de-camp
Aide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
to General George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
.
American Revolution
On February 9, 1776, White was commissioned by the Continental CongressContinental Congress
The Continental Congress was a convention of delegates called together from the Thirteen Colonies that became the governing body of the United States during the American Revolution....
as the lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, a lieutenant colonel is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of major and just below the rank of colonel. It is equivalent to the naval rank of commander in the other uniformed services.The pay...
of the 3rd New Jersey Regiment
3rd New Jersey Regiment
The 3rd New Jersey Regiment was raised, on January 1, 1776, at Elizabethtown, New Jersey for service with the Continental Army. One of the captains of this regiment was Jonathan Dayton, the youngest signer of the Constitution...
. He was actively engaged in the service in the North until 1780, being successively appointed Lieutenant Colonel of the 4th Continental Light Dragoons
4th Continental Light Dragoons
The 4th Continental Light Dragoons also known as Moylan's Horse was raised on January 5, 1777 at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for service with the Continental Army under Colonel Stephen Moylan...
in the Continental army, February 13, 1777, lieutenant colonel commandant of the 1st Continental Light Dragoons
1st Continental Light Dragoons
The 1st Continental Light Dragoons, also known as Bland's Horse, was a mounted regiment of the Continental Army organized between 13 June and 10 September 1776 in Williamsburg, Virginia from eastern and northern Virginia for service with the Continental Army.The regiment was first authorized 8 June...
, December 10, 1779, and colonel
Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, colonel is a senior field grade military officer rank just above the rank of lieutenant colonel and just below the rank of brigadier general...
, February 16, 1780. At that time, he was ordered by General Washington to take command of all the cavalry
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
in the southern army, and, upon his own personal credit, equipped two regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
s with which to operate against Lord Cornwallis in South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
.
On May 6, 1780, with the remnant of Maj.
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
Benjamin Huger
Benjamin Huger (American Revolution)
Benjamin Huger was one of five Huger brothers from South Carolina who served in the American Revolutionary War. Huger became a close friend of Lafayette, having met him upon his arrival near Georgetown in 1777, and his son Francis Kinloch Huger had a role in getting Lafayette temporarily released...
's cavalry, he crossed the Santee River
Santee River
The Santee River is a river in South Carolina in the United States, long. The Santee and its tributaries provide the principal drainage and navigation for the central coastal plain of South Carolina, emptying into the Atlantic Ocean approximately from its farthest headwater on the Catawba River...
and captured a small party of British, but while waiting at Lanneau's Ferry to recross the river, he was surprised and defeated by Col. Banastre Tarleton
Banastre Tarleton
General Sir Banastre Tarleton, 1st Baronet, GCB was a British soldier and politician.He is today probably best remembered for his military service during the American War of Independence. He became the focal point of a propaganda campaign claiming that he had fired upon surrendering Continental...
. White and many of his troops were taken prisoner. In 1781 he was ordered to join the army under Lafayette in Virginia, and on his march to that state had several successful encounters with Colonel Tarleton.
White was present with General Anthony Wayne
Anthony Wayne
Anthony Wayne was a United States Army general and statesman. Wayne adopted a military career at the outset of the American Revolutionary War, where his military exploits and fiery personality quickly earned him a promotion to the rank of brigadier general and the sobriquet of Mad Anthony.-Early...
in the movement before Savannah
Savannah, Georgia
Savannah is the largest city and the county seat of Chatham County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Established in 1733, the city of Savannah was the colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. Today Savannah is an industrial center and an important...
on May 21, 1782; and, on the evacuation of that place, returned to Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
, where he became security for the debts of the officers and men of his regiments, who were in want of almost all the necessaries of life. These debts he was subsequently obliged to pay at enormous sacrifices of his own property, and, on returning to the North at the close of the war, his financial ruin was completed by entering into speculation at the persuasion of military friends.
Later years
In 1793 White moved from New York, where he had resided for about ten years, to his native town. In the following year was appointed by President Washington as a brigadier general of cavalry in the expedition against the insurgents of the Whiskey RebellionWhiskey Rebellion
The Whiskey Rebellion, or Whiskey Insurrection, was a tax protest in the United States in the 1790s, during the presidency of George Washington. Farmers who sold their corn in the form of whiskey had to pay a new tax which they strongly resented...
, serving under General Henry Lee.
General White died at a comparatively early age, and was buried in the grounds of Christ Church Episcopal Churchyard in New Brunswick, New Jersey
New Brunswick, New Jersey
New Brunswick is a city in Middlesex County, New Jersey, USA. It is the county seat and the home of Rutgers University. The city is located on the Northeast Corridor rail line, southwest of Manhattan, on the southern bank of the Raritan River. At the 2010 United States Census, the population of...
. His grandson was Anthony Walton White Evans
Anthony Walton White Evans
Anthony Walton White Evans was an American civil engineer whose work included countless railroad and canal commissions in North and South America during the mid-nineteenth century.-Birth:...
.