Background
He was born February 25, 1754 at Brookhaven, N. Y. , second of five surviving children of the Rev. Benjamin and Susannah (Smith) Tallmadge. He was descended from Thomas Talmadge who was an early settler of Southampton, Long Island.
( In 1776, at the age of twenty-one, Benjamin Tallmadge jo...)
In 1776, at the age of twenty-one, Benjamin Tallmadge joined the Continental Army as an officer in American Revolutionary War. By the end of that conflict he had risen to become one of George Washington’s chief intelligence officers, organizing the Culper Spy Ring out of New York City and Long Island. This is his remarkable account of that period. Tallmadge gives a year by year account of his experiences during the conflict from his joining the army and meeting English troops for the first time in 1776 through to Washington’s leaving the army and emotional final farewell to his officers at Fraunces’ Tavern. He was trusted greatly by Washington and other generals, rising through the ranks and given command of large numbers of troops. Tallmadge’s memoirs cover many of the important events that he personally witnessed during the seven years of conflict, including battles like Short Hills and Monmouth, expeditions against the British on Long Island that led to the Battle of Fort St. George as well as numerous skirmishes. This edition sheds more light upon his espionage activities than what is given in the original memoirs. Henry Phelps Johnston, a Professor of History at the College of the City of New York, draws upon Tallmadge’s own correspondence with Washington, Heath, Gates, Clinton and other officers to further explain the Colonel’s position in the American Revolutionary Wars. Of particular interest in the additional materials are those that relate to Tallmadge’s service between 1778 and 1783 as a spy master, the capture and trial of Major Andre and the betrayal of Arnold. After the war Tallmadge was elected as a member of the Federalist Party to the House of Representatives. This edition of his memoirs was published with the assistance of the Society of the Sons of the Revolution. He died in 1835 in Litchfield, Connecticut.
https://www.amazon.com/Memoir-Colonel-Benjamin-Tallmadge/dp/1519085990?SubscriptionId=AKIAJRRWTH346WSPOAFQ&tag=prabook-20&linkCode=sp1&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=1519085990
He was born February 25, 1754 at Brookhaven, N. Y. , second of five surviving children of the Rev. Benjamin and Susannah (Smith) Tallmadge. He was descended from Thomas Talmadge who was an early settler of Southampton, Long Island.
Tutored by his father, Benjamin entered Yale in 1769, although the authorities there would have permitted him to matriculate at an earlier date. He states in his autobiography that idleness and an attack of measles prevented his making a particularly brilliant record in college, but he also mentions the fact that when he received his degree in 1773 he spoke publicly at the commencement exercises.
Soon after his graduation he became superintendent of the high school in Wethersfield, Connecticut, a position which he held until the outbreak of the Revolution. On June 20, 1776, he was appointed lieutenant and adjutant in Chester's Connecticut State Regiment; he displayed superior military abilities and rose rapidly in rank, becoming captain December 14, 1776, major April 7, 1777, and brevet lieutenant-colonel September 30, 1783. He participated in the battles of Long Island, White Plains (October 28), Brandywine, Germantown (October 4), and Monmouth, besides many smaller engagements.
One of the most notable of his military achievements was the capture and destruction of Fort St. George, Long Island, November 22, 1780. For this service he received the thanks of Washington, and of Congress. During the years 1778-83 he was occupied largely with important secret service, carrying on a confidential correspondence with Washington. He had charge of Major André during the latter's imprisonment in 1780, and became deeply attached to the young English officer. "When I saw him swinging under the gibbet, " he wrote, "it seemed for a time as if I could not support it".
After the close of the Revolution, Tallmadge engaged successfully in commercial pursuits in Litchfield, Connecticut In 1800 he was elected as a Federalist to the United States House of Representatives, and was continued in that office for eight terms (1801 - 17), declining in 1816 to stand for reelection. As a member of Congress he served on numerous committees, and was for a time chairman of the committee on military affairs.
He died in Litchfield.
( In 1776, at the age of twenty-one, Benjamin Tallmadge jo...)
Since he was widely recognized as a devout Christian, many petitions involving religious interests were submitted to him to be presented to the House.
In person he was of more than average height, was well-proportioned, and retained his military bearing throughout his later life. His manners were those of the polished gentleman; in his charities he was noted for liberality.
Tallmadge married first, March 18, 1784, Mary Floyd of Mastic, L. I, daughter of William Floyd, a signer of the Declaration of Independence; she died June 3, 1805, leaving five sons and two daughters, and on May 3, 1808, he married Maria Hallett of New York City, who survived him.