Scotch Willie

The Winter Spy, the next book in the "Yankee Doodle Spies series" introduces some new characters, both historical and fictional. This post profiles one of those historical characters, an acerbic, two-fisted Scots-Irishman who seemed to tick off everyone, but was often summoned when there was fighting to be done and battles to be won.

Our subject is one William Maxwell who hailed from County Tyrone, Ireland. Born in 1733 young Maxwell came to the colonies with his parents in 1747, settling in what was Sussex County, New Jersey.  Little is known of his early life until he followed the drum and enlisted in the provincial forces when the French and Indian war erupted in 1754. 

The 21-year-old Maxwell was with Braddock's forces during the disastrous defeat at the Monongahela River in western Pennsylvania. But the doughty Maxwell survived the massacre and continued service to King and Country, first as an ensign in Col. John Johnson's New Jersey Regiment and later as a lieutenant in the Jersey Blues.  

Maxwell was under arms during the 1758 campaign and the British defeat by General Montcalm at the Battle of Carillon (Fort Ticonderoga). But two disasters did not lead to three. Third time's a charm - he was a participant in the decisive British victory on the Plains of Abraham and the fall of Quebec in 1759. 

French Victory at Fort Carillon

The drum and musket seemed to become our fiery Irishman. The end of the war saw him remain in the service of the crown. He was posted to the western frontier (Britain now had a larger empire to guard). Over time he rose to the post of commissary officer at Fort Michilimackinac. This speaks to Maxwell's administrative talent, as he was responsible for purchasing and delivering the army's supplies.

When tensions between the colonies and the crown worsened, Maxwell stood firmly with the rebellion. He resigned his commission and headed east. Seeking to join the cause, he returned to his now adopted colony of New Jersey and took an active role in its political activity. Maxwell was appointed to the provincial Congress and eventually named Chairman of the Committee of Safety. This leveraged his military experience as Committees of Safety were charged with arming and preparing the colonies for eventual war.

Shot Heard Round the world:
The firefight at Lexington turned insurgency into rebellion

 The shot heard round the world in April 1775 was heard loud and clear in the Jerseys and the call to arms was answered. Maxwell shed his political role for a military role, this time in defense of his adopted country. In November of that year, he was appointed colonel of the 2nd New Jersey Continental Line infantry. His field service would come fast and furious.  

Continental Line Infantry

A late 1775 campaign to win Canada to the American cause was struggling. So, in the spring of 1776, he joined General John Sullivan’s expedition to reinforce American forces in Canada. He fought under General William Thompson in the battle at Trois Rivieres on 6 June 1776.  Although he had another defeat on his record, he was by now a highly experienced field commander and there was more fighting to keep the shattered army from disintegrating on its retreat back to New York. 

General John Sullivan

Like so many of the military men of the war, Maxwell was quick to feel a slight, especially when it came to his achievement. When Colonel Arthur St. Clair was appointed a brigadier general ahead of him, he wrote bitterly to Congress. He was also outspoken against the commander of the Northern Department, General Philip Schuyler, and his plan to abandon the French fort at Crown Point, New York, to the advancing forces of General Guy Carleton. Crown Point is just north of Ticonderoga on Lake Champlain. Perhaps he felt some umbrage at watching another defeat on the lake.

Fort Ticonderoga

But Maxwell received good news, when on 23 October 1776, he too was appointed brigadier general. The promotion would land him back home in the Jerseys, this time serving under General George Washington at the very end of the New Jersey campaign. His knowledge of the Jerseys kept him in active service screening against British inroads after the successful one-two punch Washington inflicted at Trenton and Princeton. 

The American attack on Trenton

The Continental Army went into winter quarters at Morristown, New Jersey. Throughout the winter of 1777, he led mixes of continental and militia units in a series of forage fights. He demonstrated the ability to orchestrate quick strikes, use intelligence and terrain, and win.  The British suffered heavy casualties during a period it was supposed to rest and recuperate. 

Maxwell struck at British forays for food throughout th winter

Maxwell was proving a brave combat officer but there were some rumblings about his personality and habits.  His taciturn demeanor and thick Ulster burr resulted in the nickname, “ScotchWillie.” 

Brigadier General William Maxwell

In the spring, Maxwell received a choice command and assumed control of the Light Infantry Brigade. This elite unit comprised handpicked men from every regiment in the army. The brigade was meant to fill the void created when the riflemen of Colonel Daniel Morgan, were dispatched to northern New York.

Maxwell's Light Infantry Brigade was an elite corps

Not for the last time, Maxwell was thrust into the forefront. Charged with screening the British advance, he handled his men adroitly at Cooch's Bridge, Delaware, on 3 September 1777.  This was the opening skirmish of General William Howe's fateful campaign to seize the rebel capital; at Philadelphia. Maxwell's command fought well until outflanked by Hessian adversaries and forced to fall back by superior forces. This was reputedly waged under the new “Stars and Stripes” flag recently adopted by Congress. 

 Cooch's Bridge

Maxwell performed well at Brandywine and Germantown that fall, although he was brought up on charges of excessive drinking. A court of inquiry proved inconclusive, so he returned to Valley Forge that winter, leading a newly recruited New Jersey brigade. The following summer Maxwell’s troops were closely engaged ay Monmouth in August 1778, and he subsequently testified against General Charles Lee at his court-martial for abandoning his post.

At Monmouth Washington rallied the Army when
General Charles Lee mishandled the advance guard

In the summer of 1779, Maxwell again joined General Sullivan, this time on his controversial punitive expedition into the heart of Iroquois territory in central New York. Sullivan had specifically requested his services. His brigade was instrumental at the Battle of Newtown. Maxwell did not disappoint, and in August, when Sullivan got sick, he temporarily assumed control of the entire army. 

Battle of Newtown, Sullivan's Iriquois Campaign

That fall, Maxwell returned to the Jerseys with his brigade. In June 1780 he proved instrumental in organizing troops and militia. With his forces now deployed to screen the Continental Army base at Morristown, they would prove instrumental in blunting the advance of British and Hessian columns in battles at Connecticut Farms and then Springfield. 

At Connecticut Farms, on 7 June, his men successfully delayed the advance of General von Knyphausen's six thousand British and Hessian troops. Maxwell was able to harass and slow the enemy advance while inflicting about an even number of casualties. Frustrated, von Knyphausen ultimately withdrew. 

Maxwell delayed the British-Hessian forces at Connecticut Farms

A few weeks later, von Knyphausen tried another thrust, his column colliding with Maxwell’s brigade, once again screening the army. Maxwell fought another delaying action, giving the American commander, General Nathanael Greene, time to arrange his defenses around Springfield. With Maxwell then assuming command of one of the reserve wings, Greene repulsed von Knyphausen, who retreated back to Staten Island. These victories were some of the last actions in the north, as the British were now committed to a southern strategy.

Around this time Maxwell was beset by troubles. He was concerned with the shrinking size of his brigade through failed enlistments and the spate of mutinies in the Army. Friction with subordinate officers weighed on him as well. And he had grown discontented with the lack of recognition. He pressed General Washington to forward his resignation to Congress, possibly in the mistaken belief he could gain promotion. But the ploy backfired when it was accepted and command of the New Jersey troops consequently devolved upon Colonel Elias Dayton, who had supporters in and out of the army.

Elias Dayton succeeded Maxwell
as Brigadier General

In a petition to Washington, Maxwell tried and failed to achieve reinstatement. Politics had caught up with Scotch Willie. Dayton now occupied his general officer billet and Congress was not inclined to demote him.  His military life over, Maxwell resumed his interest in politics. In 1783, he served a term in the New Jersey state legislature but otherwise failed to distinguish himself and returned to his farm at the end of the term. The hard-drinking Maxwell died at Lansdowne, New Jersey on 4 November 1796.

ScotchWillie's Grave

  

Scotch Willie falls into an interesting group of Revolutionary War commanders: not brilliant, flawed, but competent, brave, and resolute. Sullivan himself and Lord Stirling fall into the same category. Yes, they are overshadowed by the likes of Nathanael Greene, Henry Knox, Anthony Wayne, and the Marquis de Lafayette. But they served in key posts, in key campaigns, and brought enough leadership and success to keep the cause viable in some of its worst moments.