Jedediah Huntington was an American Revolutionary soldier.
Background
Jedediah was born in Norwich, Connecticut, in 1743. He was the son of Gen. Jabez Huntington by his first wife, Elizabeth Backus. His father had accumulated a fortune in the West India trade, and the wealth and social rank of his family caused his name to be placed second on the list of his class in the Harvard College catalogue and above that of Josiah Quincy.
Education
He graduated from Harvard in 1763 and received a master's degree from Yale University in 1770.
Career
He settled in Norwich to assist his father in business. With the approach of the Revolution he became an active Son of Liberty. His military career began in October 1769, when the Connecticut Assembly appointed him ensign of the first Norwich company; in 1771 he became lieutenant, and in May 1774 he was appointed captain of the company. Five months later he was made colonel of the 20th Regiment of colonial militia.
In the spring of 1776 he marched to Boston and was in service in that vicinity until after the British evacuation. He then marched to New York, where his men fought with conspicuous bravery at the battle of Long Island. During this year he was engaged at King's Bridge, Northcastle, and Sidmun's Bridge. In April 1777, he cooperated with Arnold in harassing the British as they withdrew from Danbury to the sea. He was successively colonel of the 8th Connecticut Regiment (1775), of the 17th Regiment of Continental Infantry (1776), of the 16t Connecticut Regiment (1777), and in May 1777 he became a brigadier-general in the Continental Army. He joined General Putnam at Peekskill in the following July but returned to the main army near Philadelphia in the fall.
He was later stationed at various posts in the Hudson Valley. A member of the court-martial that tried Gen. Charles Lee in July 1778, he was also on the court of inquiry to investigate the case of Major André. He was one of a committee of four that drafted the constitution of the Society of the Cincinnati. At the close of the war he was brevetted major-general. After his retirement from the army he resumed his former business in Norwich but was drawn into many civic employments. He served as sheriff of New London county several months before he became treasurer of the state and a delegate to the state constitutional convention. In 1789 his friend President Washington appointed him collector of the customs at the port of New London and this post he retained until shortly before his death.
Achievements
Connections
His first wife was Faith Trumbull, daughter of Gov. Jonathan Trumbull of Connecticut. The scenes of war affected her sensitive mind and she became deranged and died November 24, 1775. His second wife was Ann Moore, daughter of a merchant of New York who had been impoverished by the Revolution. Jedediah and Anne had seven children.