Moses Dunbar
Moses Dunbar (June 3, 1746 – March 19, 1777) was Connecticut land-owner and officer in a Loyalist regiment during the American Revolutionary War, who became one of the few men in the state of Connecticut to be convicted of high treason and executed.[note 1]
Moses Dunbar | |
---|---|
Born | [1] | June 3, 1746
Died | 19 March 1777 30) The gallows of Hartford, Connecticut | (aged
Resting place | East Church Cemetery, Plymouth, Connecticut |
Known for | Executed for treason during American Revolutionary War |
Military career | |
Allegiance | |
Rank | Captain |
Unit | King's American Regiment |
Early Life
Moses Dunbar was born in Wallingford, Connecticut on June 3, 1746 to John and Temperance Dunbar.[2] In 1764, Moses married Pheobe Jerome of Farmington, Connecticut.[3] Soon after marriage, Moses and Phoebe joined the Church of England.[4]
Involvement in the American Revolution
On May 26, 1776, Dunbar's wife Phoebe died after months of illness.[5] Dunbar subsequently married Esther Adams.[6] In September, Dunbar traveled to Long Island and, in October, he accepted a commission as a Captain in the King's American Regiment, a British provincial regiment which was raised for Loyalist service.[7] He then came back to Farmington, Connecticut, and was trying to persuade some other young men to enlist in the British army when he was arrested, and his royal commission and a list of Loyalist recruits was found in his pocket.[8]
He was indicted for high treason, tried in the superior court in Hartford, Connecticut, and on January 23, 1777, found guilty.[9] on March 19, he was executed on the gallows which stood near the present site of Trinity College.[10] Dunbar is interred at the Ancient Burying ground, in Hartford.[11]
Notes
- William Stone of Stamford and Robert Thomson of Newton were two others; they each also were hanged in 1777
References
- Anderson, Virginia DeJohn (2017). The martyr and the traitor : Nathan Hale, Moses Dunbar, and the American Revolution. Oxford University Press. p. 12. ISBN 9780199916863.
- Anderson p.12
- Anderson p.30
- Anderson p.35
- Anderson p.150
- Anderson p.156
- Anderson p.159
- Anderson p.161,165
- Anderson p.165
- Anderson pgs.177-179
- Ryan, J. Francis. "Chapter XVII." Plymouth Conn., 1776–1976. Plymouth, Conn.?: n.p., 1976. N. pag. Print.