He was born on June 21, 1736 at Andover, Massachussets, United States, the son of Thomas Poor, who served under Sir William Pepperrell, at the siege of Louisbourg in 1745, and Mary (Adams) Poor. Daniel Poor (or Poore), his great-grandfather, had come to America from England in 1636 to join his brothers, John and Samuel, who were already settled at Newbury, Massachussets. He was brought up on a farm with plenty of hard work.
He had little schooling, served as apprentice to a cabinet maker.
He enlisted in the provincial forces at the time of the French and Indian War, participating in the expedition to Nova Scotia under Col. John Winslow in 1755. About 1760 he removed from Andover to Exeter, New Hampshire, returned to his native town and settled permanently in Exeter to become a trader and ship-builder. In 1765, although disapproving of the Stamp Act, he combined with several other citizens to combat the lawlessness created by its enactment. In 1770 and 1774 he served on committees appointed by the town to restrict the consumption of English goods.
He was twice elected a member of the provincial congress of New Hampshire, and when that body at the outbreak of the Revolution voted to raise three regiments of foot soldiers he was chosen on May 24, 1775, colonel of the 2nd New Hampshire, the other two being assigned to the command of John Stark, and James Reed. His men were not present with the other New Hampshire forces at the battle of Bunker Hill, being engaged at that time in building fire-rafts for the protection of Exeter and in strengthening the coast defenses.
In the spring of 1776 his regiment proceeded to New York whence it was presently dispatched to Canada in order to succor the retiring American forces under Benedict Arnold. When it was proposed at a council of war to fall back from Crown Point to Ticonderoga, Poor joined several other regimental officers in earnest protest. His conduct as president of a court martial provoked a controversy with Arnold. In December 1776 he left Ticonderoga in order to join Washington on the Delaware, taking part in the battles of Trenton and Princeton.
Together with another officer he advocated the relinquishment of Ticonderoga to the British and as a result was ordered by Congress to report to headquarters for investigation. Washington, believing the evacuation inevitable, succeeded in getting the order suspended. In the two battles of Saratoga his men fought with effective courage and suffered heavy losses. He shared the miseries of Valley Forge during the winter of 1777-78, and participated in the battles of Barren Hill and Monmouth. In 1779 he accompanied Sullivan in his expedition against the Six Nations, and was commended in the dispatches for "intrepedity and soldierly conduct in the battle of Newtown. " In 1780 his brigade was incorporated in a division of light infantry under command of Lafayette.
He died at Paramus, New Jersey. The circumstances of his death are shrouded in uncertainty. One theory is that he was killed by a junior officer in a duel; another, more likely, is that he perished of a fever.
Quotes from others about the person
George Washington described him as "An officer of distinguished merit, who, as a citizen and a Soldier, had every claim to the esteem of his Country".
He married Martha, the daughter of Col. John Osgood.
