Background
John Hazelwood was born in England in 1726.
John Hazelwood was born in England in 1726.
Hazelwood became a mariner early in life, and later emigrated to Pennsylvania. As early as 1753 he was in command of various merchant ships plying between Philadelphia and foreign ports, the Rebecca, in 1774, being one of the largest sailing at the time.
At the outbreak of the Revolution Pennsylvania sought his services as a naval leader. In July 1775 he assisted the Committee of Safety in the construction of warships, floating batteries, and fire rafts, and also in sinking chevaux-de-frise in the Delaware River. On December 28, 1775, he was named captain of ten fire rafts and temporarily superintendent over a fleet of rafts, an appointment made permanent the following June.
During 1776 he surveyed the Delaware at Philadelphia and in July went to Poughkeepsie, New York, to devise plans for obstructing the North River by fire vessels. For the latter services he received a three-hundred-dollar gift from the convention of New York and the praises of the Secret Committee of Congress.
Early in 1777 he was promoted commodore in the Pennsylvania navy, and on September 6, 1777, as Howe was approaching the city, the Pennsylvania Council placed him in full command of the naval forces of the state.
Shortly after entering Philadelphia Howe demanded the surrender of the Pennsylvania fleet. Hazelwood's curt reply that he would defend it to the last extremity so gratified Congress that on October 17 they commended him for his bravery.
When the British fleet attempted to pass up the river on October 22, Hazelwood drove them back, destroying two men-of-war and compelling four others to retire. Later, when Fort Mifflin fell, and the fleet was ordered up the river beyond Philadelphia, he succeeded in conveying thirteen galleys, twelve armed boats, the brig Convention, and some minor craft to a refuge above Burlington without having a shot fired at them. Throughout the campaign for the defense of Philadelphia Hazelwood gave ample evidence that he was a daring and brilliant naval officer, skilled in seamanship and naval affairs.
In the summer of 1778, with the British out of Philadelphia, the Assembly decided that a large navy was unnecessary and the fleet was disbanded. Hazelwood, however, retained his rank. Late in 1778, while on furlough, he visited the West Indies on private business. In 1779 he helped to raise money for the army by house-to-house canvass. On June 23, 1780, he was appointed commissioner of purchases for the Continental Army in Philadelphia and in December 1780 receiver of provisions for the Pennsylvania militia.
Little is known of his life after the war except that in 1785 he was a port warden in Philadelphia, and that he was owner or part owner of vessels engaged in the foreign trade.
The renowned patriot and artist Captain Charles Wilson Peale considered Hazelwood worthy of one of his portraits, which was later acquired by the city of Philadelphia and was hung in Independence Hall. John Hazelwood died in Philadelphia at age 74 on March 1, 1800. He was buried on March 3 in the graveyard of Saint Peter's Church.
Hazelwood was one of the most noted naval officers during the American Revolutionary War. He innovated many important naval tactics and played a major role in the development of riverine warfare for the American navies. For Hazelwood's role in the War for Independence, the Continental Congress awarded him a handsome silver and gold enameled sword, one of only fifteen awarded during the Revolution, all swords being identical in design. Hazelwood's sword now hangs in the collection of the Naval Historical Foundation. USS Hazelwood (DD-107) was named in his honor.
Hazelwood was twice married: on August 10, 1753, to Mary, the daughter of Charles Edgar, Philadelphia merchant, and after her death, to Esther, the widow of Samuel Leacock and daughter of Plunket Fleeson.
