Description:

Webb Samuel



Samuel B. Webb Revolutionary War General ALS 1781


As Regiment Commander, this letter authorizes Elijah Hubbard, Connecticut "State Clothier" the requisition of "two shirts, one pr. stockings & one pr. shoes" for a soldier, Abraham Belring. The letter demonstrates the dire lack of supplies and basic essentials during latter stages of the Revolutionary War and the hands on involvement with his private regiment. 


The stepson of Continental Congressman and diplomat Silas Deane Webb served as his private secretary, which exposed him to the political events immediately preceding the start of the Revolution. Webb commanded a company of light infantry and took part in the Battle of Bunker Hill, receiving a wound and earning commendations for his bravery. He then became General Israel Putnam's aide de camp, serving until June 1776 when he joined the staff of General George Washington as his aide and private secretary with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. They were together as the ragtag American forces boldly crossed the Delaware River on that pivotal Christmas night in 1776. It was Webb who bore the order to begin the assault, and when told by General Sullivan that their muskets were wet, he replied, "in that case you will use your bayonets." With Colonel Joseph Reed, Webb established an important precedent for future communications with the British by refusing to accept a letter from British Admiral Lord Richard Howe because it was addressed not to General Washington, but to "George Washington, Esquire." Washington referred to Webb as "the most accomplished gentleman in the army."


Webb took part in the Battle of Long Island, and was wounded again at the Battle of White Plains and Trenton. After taking part in the Battle of Princeton, Webb returned to Connecticut and used his inheritance to raise and equip a regiment at his own expense, of which he was commander with the rank of Colonel. In late 1777, Webb whil on board the Sloop Schuyler was taken prisoner during a raid on Long Island and remained on parole until his exchange in 1781. In 1779, he married Eliza Bancker of New York City who died in 1782. After his exchange in 1781, Webb assumed command of one of the Continental Army's two newly organized light infantry regiments with the brevet rank of Brigadier General and served until the end of the war. After the war, Webb was one of the original thirteen founders of the Society of the Cincinnati on May 13, 1783 and resided in New York City until becoming a farmer in Claverack. In 1789, Webb officiated as Grand Marshal of the Day for Washington's inauguration as the first President of the United States and held the Bible when Washington took the oath of office. In 1882, General Webb's son James Watson Webb published "The Reminiscences of Gen'l Samuel B. Webb" a compilation of Revolutionary War correspondence, military records and journal entries that is a valuable primary reference about the Revolution. Webb's second wife was Catharine (Caty) Hogeboom (1768-1805). He was the father of newspaper publisher and diplomat James Watson Webb (1802-1884). Webb's grandson Alexander Watson was Chief of Staff to General Meade in the Civil War and breveted Major General in March 1865. 


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