Nathan Whiting
Encyclopedia
Nathan Whiting was a soldier
and merchant
in Colonial America
.
. Whiting would graduate from Yale
in 1743 while his uncle Thomas was president of the University.
In 1745 Ensign
Nathan Whiting joined the New England
army being raised to capture Fortress Louisbourg from the French
. After his service in King George's War
, he became a merchant in New Haven, Connecticut
. In 1750 Nathan married Mary Saltonstall. They would have eight children together.
At the start of the French and Indian War
, Whiting was appointed as Lieutenant Colonel of the 2nd Connecticut Militia Regiment. During the Battle of Lake George
on September 8, 1755, Col. Whiting's Regiment and the Massachusetts
regiment of Col. Ephraim Williams
were marching between Lake George
and Fort Edward
14 miles away, when their column was ambushed by an army of French and their Indian allies. With the death of Col. Williams, Col. Whiting led the survivors back to Sir William Johnson's camp at Lake George. There the Colonial army held off the French attacks until men from Joseph Blanchard
's New Hampshire Provincial Regiment
attacked the rear of the French army and captured the French commander Jean Erdman, Baron Dieskau
.
In 1756 Whiting was promoted to full Colonel
in the Connecticut militia
. In 1757 his regiment was at Fort at Number 4
on the Connecticut River
in New Hampshire
guarding the frontier.
After the war Col. Whiting served in the Connecticut General Assembly
until his death on 9 April 1771. He is buried at the Grove Street Cemetery, New Haven
.
Soldier
A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...
and merchant
Merchant
A merchant is a businessperson who trades in commodities that were produced by others, in order to earn a profit.Merchants can be one of two types:# A wholesale merchant operates in the chain between producer and retail merchant...
in Colonial America
Colonial America
The colonial history of the United States covers the history from the start of European settlement and especially the history of the thirteen colonies of Britain until they declared independence in 1776. In the late 16th century, England, France, Spain and the Netherlands launched major...
.
Biography
Whiting's parents died while he was a child, and he was raised by father's sister Mary and her husband, Reverend Thomas ClapThomas Clap
Thomas Clap, also spelled Thomas Clapp , was an American academic and educator, a Congregational Minister, and college administrator. He was both the fifth rector and the earliest to be called "president" of Yale College .He was born in Scituate, Massachusetts, and studied with Rev...
. Whiting would graduate from Yale
YALE
RapidMiner, formerly YALE , is an environment for machine learning, data mining, text mining, predictive analytics, and business analytics. It is used for research, education, training, rapid prototyping, application development, and industrial applications...
in 1743 while his uncle Thomas was president of the University.
In 1745 Ensign
Ensign (rank)
Ensign is a junior rank of a commissioned officer in the armed forces of some countries, normally in the infantry or navy. As the junior officer in an infantry regiment was traditionally the carrier of the ensign flag, the rank itself acquired the name....
Nathan Whiting joined the New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
army being raised to capture Fortress Louisbourg from the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. After his service in King George's War
King George's War
King George's War is the name given to the operations in North America that formed part of the War of the Austrian Succession . It was the third of the four French and Indian Wars. It took place primarily in the British provinces of New York, Massachusetts Bay, New Hampshire, and Nova Scotia...
, he became a merchant in New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
. In 1750 Nathan married Mary Saltonstall. They would have eight children together.
At the start of the French and Indian War
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...
, Whiting was appointed as Lieutenant Colonel of the 2nd Connecticut Militia Regiment. During the Battle of Lake George
Battle of Lake George
The Battle of Lake George was fought on 8 September 1755, in the north of the Province of New York. The battle was part of a campaign by the British to expel the French from North America in the French and Indian War....
on September 8, 1755, Col. Whiting's Regiment and the Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
regiment of Col. Ephraim Williams
Ephraim Williams
Ephraim Williams Jr. was a soldier from the Province of Massachusetts Bay who was killed in the French and Indian War. He was the benefactor of Williams College, located in northwestern Massachusetts.-Early life:...
were marching between Lake George
Lake George (New York)
Lake George, nicknamed the Queen of American Lakes, is a long, narrow oligotrophic lake draining northwards into Lake Champlain and the St. Lawrence River Drainage basin located at the southeast base of the Adirondack Mountains in northern New York, U.S.A.. It lies within the upper region of the...
and Fort Edward
Fort Edward
Fort Edward could refer to:* A historic site located in Windsor, Nova Scotia* A temporary fort in South Africa, ca. 1901. It was established in 1901 by British forces during the Boer War...
14 miles away, when their column was ambushed by an army of French and their Indian allies. With the death of Col. Williams, Col. Whiting led the survivors back to Sir William Johnson's camp at Lake George. There the Colonial army held off the French attacks until men from Joseph Blanchard
Joseph Blanchard
Joseph Blanchard was born in Dunstable, New Hampshire on February 11, 1704 to Capt. Joseph Blanchard and his wife Abiah Hassell. In 1724 he joined the New Hampshire Militia as a lieutenant and served in Capt. Eleazer Tyng's Company. On September 26, 1728 he married Rebecca Hubbard of Groton,...
's New Hampshire Provincial Regiment
New Hampshire Provincial Regiment
The New Hampshire Provincial Regiment was a composite regiment made up of units of the New Hampshire Militia during the French and Indian War for service with the British Army in North America. It was first formed in 1754 with the start of hostilities with France.-1755:In 1755 Col...
attacked the rear of the French army and captured the French commander Jean Erdman, Baron Dieskau
Jean Erdman, Baron Dieskau
Jean Erdman, Baron Dieskau or Jean-Armand Dieskau, Baron de Dieskau or Ludwig August von Dieskau was a German-born soldier remembered mostly as a French general and commander in America for a part of the French and Indian War.-Biography:He was aide-de-camp of Marshal Maurice de Saxe, and visited St...
.
In 1756 Whiting was promoted to full Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
in the Connecticut militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
. In 1757 his regiment was at Fort at Number 4
Fort at Number 4
The Fort at Number 4 was the northernmost British settlement along the Connecticut River in New Hampshire until after the French and Indian War. Now known as Charlestown, it was more than from the nearest other British settlement at Fort Dummer. Construction began in 1740 by brothers Stephen,...
on the Connecticut River
Connecticut River
The Connecticut River is the largest and longest river in New England, and also an American Heritage River. It flows roughly south, starting from the Fourth Connecticut Lake in New Hampshire. After flowing through the remaining Connecticut Lakes and Lake Francis, it defines the border between the...
in New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
guarding the frontier.
After the war Col. Whiting served in the Connecticut General Assembly
Connecticut General Assembly
The Connecticut General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is a bicameral body composed of the 151-member House of Representatives and the 36-member Senate. It meets in the state capital, Hartford. There are no term limits for either chamber.During...
until his death on 9 April 1771. He is buried at the Grove Street Cemetery, New Haven
Grove Street Cemetery, New Haven
Grove Street Cemetery or Grove Street Burial Ground in New Haven, Connecticut is located adjacent to the Yale University campus. It was organized in 1796 as the New Haven Burying Ground and incorporated in October 1797 to replace the crowded burial ground on the New Haven Green...
.