David Wooster

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David Wooster (March 2, 1710 – May 2, 1777) was an American general in the American Revolutionary War. He fell during the Battle of Ridgefield, Connecticut. Cities, schools, and public places are named after him.

Contents

[edit] Early years

David Wooster was born in Stratford, Connecticut, on March 2, 1710. There are few details of Wooster's childhood that are known.[1] Ben Douglass, in his 1878 history of Wayne County, Ohio, characterized Wooster as "a man of prepossessing appearance, of rare intellectual culture and accomplished education."[2] Paul Locher, staff writer for the Wooster (Ohio) Daily Record, said that "David Wooster is a largely forgotten hero of the Revolution." He was graduated from Yale in 1738. Wooster married the daughter of Thomas Clapp, president of Yale College.[3]

[edit] War positions held

In 1739 Wooster was a lieutenant of the guard-a-costa[4] in the war between England and Spain. He commanded the regiment in Connecticut in 1745. Wooster was appointed colonel in the 3rd Connecticut regiment in 1755. He was later appointed brigadier general and served during the French War during 1756-1763. Wooster was commander of the American troops in Canada

[edit] War experiences

In 1745, Wooster was appointed to command a regiment in Connecticut formed by Colonel Andrew Burr, uncle of the Aaron Burr who was the Vice President under Jefferson. (Reference: http://burrcook.com/history/burrhisb.htm) The regiment went against Louisburg. Louisburg is a seaport village on the eastern coast of the island of Cape Breton, which is an insular colony of British North America.[5] Wooster reduced Louisburg's fortifications and forced them to surrender. After the capitulation, Wooster was ordered to take charge of the cartel. The cartel was sent to France to negotiate the exchange of prisoners from the war. Wooster was not permitted to land on French soil, so he conducted his negotiations aboard ship in neutral territory.[6] After negotiating for prisoners, Wooster traveled to Great Britain, where he was received by aristocrats and royalty. Wooster quickly became a favorite of King George, who presented Wooster with a captain's baton in the regiment of Sir William Pepperell, with half pay for life.[7] Wooster was appointed colonel in the 3rd Connecticut regiment in 1755. He was later appointed brigadier general and served during the French War during 1756–1763. Wooster was the mastermind for the capture of Fort Ticonderoga on Lake Champlain in New York on May 10, 1775. Although Wooster was the mastermind, Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold are credited with the capture of Fort Ticonderoga. Not a single life was lost in the attack of Fort Ticonderoga.[8] After the capture of Fort Ticonderoga, Wooster was sent to Canada where he served with General Montgomery in commanding American forces. Montgomery was killed in battle and Wooster became commander of the American troops in Canada.[9]

[edit] Death

In 1776, Wooster was appointed a Major General in the militia of Connecticut in the American Revolutionary War. Wooster had supervisory control of all military supplies that were stored in houses near the town of Danbury. General Tryon of the British army planned to attack Danbury in order to capture Wooster's supplies. On April 27, 1777, Wooster attempted to head off General Tryon's advance in the nearby town of Ridgefield, Connecticut which resulted in the Battle of Ridgefield.[10] Wooster attacked Tryon's forces with 700 new recruits but Wooster was forced to retreat. Wooster suffered a fatal wound when he attacked Tryon's forces. Wooster was taken to the Dibble House in Danbury where he died five days later on May 2, 1777. Wooster's finals words were, "I am dying, but with a strong hope and persuasion that my country will gain her independence."[11]

[edit] Remembering David Wooster

On June 17, 1777, Congress voted that a suitable monument should be erected in his memory, but measures were never inaugurated to execute the resolution. His grave was not identified until 1854, when Connecticut legislature laid the cornerstone of a monument. A sign and a monument on Route 116 (North Salem Road) just a few yards away from the intersection with Tackora Trail, marks the spot where General David Wooster fell, during the Battle of Ridgefield in 1777.[12] Today, a monument 30 feet (9.1 m) high marks his final resting place. General Wooster is buried in the Wooster cemetery on Mount Moriah, which dates from the middle of the nineteenth century. Wooster's monument is surrounded by a stone and iron railing. The monument is heavily carved with a variety of military and Masonic symbols, as well as classical Greek motifs. Among extensive information carved into the monument is this quote, "Of his country Wooster said, 'my life has ever been devoted to her services from my youth up, though never before in a cause like this—a cause for which I would most cheerfully risk and lay down my life'."[13]

In the 1820s, the city of New Haven converted a small pasture into a public square and named it Wooster Square after Wooster. Today, the entire neighborhood, as well as several streets, all carry Wooster's name. The neighborhood was the center of large-scale Italian immigration to the city in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and still retains a large Italian presence today.

Wooster School, a private day school, Wooster Mountain State Park and numerous streets are named after Wooster in Danbury, Connecticut and Ridgefield, Connecticut, as well as a public school in Stratford, Connecticut, a street in New York City, and the city of Wooster, Ohio.

[edit] References

Sources consulted
  • Douglass, Ben, History of Wayne County, Ohio, Robert Douglass: Indianapolis, 1878.
Endnotes
  1. ^ (Locher 1)
  2. ^ (Douglass 281)
  3. ^ (David 1)
  4. ^ The guard-a-costa was formed by the colony of Connecticut to protect against assault from Spanish cruisers. Shortly after Wooster was appointed captain (David 1).
  5. ^ (David 1)
  6. ^ (David 2)
  7. ^ (Locher 2)
  8. ^ (Locher 2)
  9. ^ (American 1)
  10. ^ (Locher 2)
  11. ^ (Locher 3)
  12. ^ (Locher 3)
  13. ^ (Locher 4)

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