Background
Seth Warner was born in Roxbury (then Woodbury), Connecticut, the fourth of ten children of Dr. Benjamin Warner and his wife, Silence Hurd, and a descendant of John Warner, an original settler of Farmington, Connecticut.
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Seth Warner
Edit ProfileEducation
He received a common-school education, but as a youth was better known for his skill in woodcraft than his acquaintance with books.
Career
In 1763 the family removed to Bennington. At that time Vermont was claimed by both New York and New Hampshire. Many of the settlers had received grants of land from Gov. Benning Wentworth of the latter province, but the courts of New York challenged the legality of the grants and sought to oust the occupants. Under the leadership of Warner, Ethan Allen, and others, the people of Vermont resisted, frequently resorting to violence in ejecting surveyors, settlers, and judicial officers representing the authority of New York. On March 9, 1774, Warner was outlawed by the General Assembly of New York and a reward was offered for his apprehension. These experiences, combined with the atmosphere of frontier life, bred in him a spirit of sturdy independence, and when the Revolution broke out, he ardently espoused the cause of the colonies. He aided Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold in the surprise of Ticonderoga on May 10, 1775, and himself captured Crown Point on the following day. At a council of officers held there in June, he and Allen were delegated to procure the incorporation of a contingent of the Vermont troops in the Continental service. After appearing in person before the Continental Congress and the legislature of New York, they obtained authorization for the creation of a regiment of Green Mountain Boys, of which Warner was elected lieutenant-colonel commandant on July 26, at a convention of delegates representing the towns in western Vermont. Later in the year he served on the Canadian border under Richard Montgomery, and, while the latter was besieging St. John's, he defeated (October 31) at Longueuil a relief expedition led by Sir Guy Carleton. After the death of Montgomery and during the retreat of the American forces from Canada in 1776, he was engaged in bringing up the rear and in collecting reenforcements in Vermont. In 1777, when the advance of Burgoyne up Lake Champlain forced the Americans to abandon Ticonderoga, he commanded the rear guard of St. Clair's army and fought a sharp action with the pursuing British at Hubbardton on July 7, as a result of which he retreated to Manchester, where he bent his efforts to rally troops for the defense of Vermont. On August 9, in company with John Stark, who had come from New Hampshire with a force to aid the Green Mountain Boys, he arrived in Bennington. In the meantime Burgoyne had dispatched an expedition under Colonel Baum to obtain horses and supplies in Vermont. On August 16 the Americans attacked the invaders about five miles northwest of Bennington. Although Warner's movements during the action have been much debated, it is generally agreed that the timely arrival of his regiment in the latter part of the battle turned the tide in favor of the yeomanry of New England. On March 20, 1778, he was appointed brigadier-general by the Vermont Assembly. While Warner remained in command of his regiment until 1781, he saw little more active service owing to failing health. In the hope of improvement he returned to Roxbury in 1782 where he died. In 1858 his body was transferred from the Old Burying Ground to the Centre Green where a granite shaft commemorates him.
Achievements
Personality
He was a man of commanding appearance, more than six feet in height, with kindly though strongly chiseled features. Modest and unassuming, he was not given to advertising his achievements, preferring to let them speak for themselves.
Connections
Seth was married to Hester Hurd. Three children were born to them.
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Born
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Died
February 26, 1784 (aged 40) -
Nationality
American