Joseph McClellan
Joseph McClellan | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date Middletown Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | October 13, 1834 (aged 88) |
| Occupation(s) | Soldier, farmer, politician |
| Years active | 1776–1800 (military and political career) |
| Known for | Captain in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War; Pennsylvania State Senator |
Joseph McClellan (April 28, 1746 – October 13, 1834) was a Pennsylvania native who distinguished himself as a soldier, farmer, and political figure. During the American Revolutionary War, he held the rank of captain in the Continental Army. After sustaining injuries in the Yorktown campaign that led to his discharge, he pursued a political career in the Pennsylvania State Senate and attained the brevet rank of colonel within the militia.
Biography
Born on April 28, 1746, in Middletown Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, McClellan relocated with his family at age 13 to Sadsbury Township in Chester County.
Following the commencement of the Revolutionary War in 1775, McClellan received a commission as lieutenant of a musket company on July 15, 1776. He led a company within Samuel John Atlee's battalion and participated in the Battle of Long Island and Battle of Fort Washington. Subsequently promoted to captain in Anthony Wayne's brigade, he fought alongside the Marquis de Lafayette at the 1777 Battle of Brandywine. He remained with the 9th Pennsylvania Regiment until March 1781 before transferring to the 2nd Pennsylvania Regiment commanded by Walter Stewart. As leader of the York Rifle Company light infantry unit, McClellan was wounded during a skirmish amid the summer 1781 Yorktown campaign, prompting his resignation to recuperate. Lafayette commended his unit for exhibiting "strict military discipline and wonderful marksmanship."
In the post-war period, McClellan assumed several leadership roles locally: he was elected Chester County commissioner in 1784 and appointed lieutenant of the county militia with brevet colonel status by 1790. Serving as county sheriff from 1792 through 1795, he also held positions as captain of dragoons and major during the 1794 suppression of the Whiskey Rebellion. Between 1797 and 1800, he represented Bucks, Chester, and Montgomery counties in the Pennsylvania State Senate as a member of the Federalist Party. In 1814, he was elected burgess of West Chester and served two terms as inaugural president of the Bank of Chester County (1814–1816 and 1817–1819). During Lafayette's tour of Chester County in 1824–1825, McClellan chaired the welcoming committee.
Death and legacy
McClellan passed away at his farm in Chester County in 1834 at age 88. On September 11, 1895, a five-foot monument crafted from Brandywine granite—crowned with a polished granite sphere bearing an inscription honoring his Revolutionary War contributions—was dedicated at the Birmingham Friends Meetinghouse.
He wed Keziah Parke in 1786. Their granddaughter Keziah Ann Hemphill married Thomas S. Bell, with their lineage including notable descendant Thomas S. Bell Jr..