The Old Wagoner

In my effort to highlight the important (and not-so-important) historical personalities in my fourth Yankee Doodle Spies novel, The North Spy, I must not neglect one who lived about an hour's drive from where I am living in Virginia. 

This larger-than-life figure, whose contributions are the stuff of legend, is the only senior American leader who played significant positive contributions in all theaters from Canada to the Carolinas and led troops in The Northern and  Southern Departments, as well as the main Continental Army. His role merits more than one blog post, so this edition will survey his background and actions leading up to and through the events in The North Spy. His further exploits will be the subject of a future post.

Daniel Morgan 

Daniel Morgan was born around 1736. He came from a family of  Welsh settlers in Pennsylvania, but young Dan Morgan was born in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, where his parents, James Morgan and Eleanor Lloyd, had resettled. He was five of seven siblings. When just a teenager, Morgan ran from his home in the Jerseys and settled in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley near Winchester, Virginia. Young Morgan spent these years cutting down trees, establishing a sawmill, and running wagons to haul goods. The latter proved quite lucrative. On the personal side, he soon garnered a reputation as a hard-drinking, quick-to-anger frontier brawler. Dan's six-foot, two-hundred-pound frame made him a powerful and muscular young man well-suited for the back-breaking work of life on the frontier. Due to his size and demeanor, Morgan seemed older than his years and was called "The Old Wagoner." 

18th-century frontier wagon

When the French and Indian War erupted, his wagons rolled west with General Edward Braddock in 1755 (See Blog, Road to Destruction). This offered a chance to serve his King while making money and having some excitement. His cousin Daniel Boone was also part of the campaign, as were two of his future commanders, Colonel  George Washington and Lieutenant Colonel Horatio Gates (See Blog, What Ho, Horatio).

Morgan's Cousin, Daniel Boone

The way to Fort Duquesne was rough, but Morgan was more than up to guiding wagons pulled by horse teams through heavily wooded mountains, streams, and rivers of northwestern Virginia (today's West Virginia)), western Maryland, and Pennsylvania. Braddock's column was annihilated at The Battle of the Monongahela, where a smaller force of French and Indians cut the redcoats to ribbons in the dense forests around what is today's Pittsburgh.

Battle of Monongahela

"The Old Wagoner" hated the strict regimen of the British regulars, which he resisted and mocked. For their part, Morgan was the kind of rustic American colonial they loathed and put down at every opportunity. 

In 1756, while Morgan was hauling supplies to Fort Chiswell, he had a run-in with a British lieutenant, who struck the "Old Wagoner" with the flat of his saber. Morgan exploded with a powerful blow to the subaltern's jaw, knocking him cold. A court-martial sentenced him to 500 lashes. He developed a hatred for the British Army. A properly used leather whip of the day could easily have a man near death or begging for it at ten well-placed stokes. He survived, and his joking about it only enhanced his tough-guy reputation, commenting that the British had miscounted and still owed him one more lash.

The lash did not deter Morgan's defiance of British authority

Morgan returned to Virginia and served as a rifleman in Virginia's militia assigned to protect the western settlements from the ravages of Indian raids. He led the relief column at Fort Edwards during its siege and took command of its defenses. In 1758, as Morgan was traveling home to Winchester from Fort Edward, a well-aimed ball from a musket-wielding brave near Hanging Rock passed through his cheek, shattering teeth, disfiguring his face, and contributing to an already fearsome demeanor. 

Fort Edwards

Despite the wounds and struggles with the military hierarchy, Morgan was drawn to campaigning and, in 1753, fought as a ranger in Pontiac's Indian rebellion. And in 1774, Morgan picked up his musket to serve in Lord Dunmore's War between the Colony of Virginia and the Shawnee and Mingo American Indian nations. 

Virginia militia and Shawnee and Mingo warriors

The Revolutionary War commenced in April 1775, and the Continental Congress authorized the creation of a 10-company regiment of riflemen. Morgan was selected as a captain of a Virginia company. He led it to Boston and joined the main army gathered under General George Washington.

Joining Washington's Army

In September 1775, Morgan marched with Colonel Benedict Arnold on his punishing expedition to seize Canada from British control. He endured many grueling weeks in the rugged and barren Maine wilderness. On December 3, 1775, Morgan and Arnold joined an army led by General Richard Montgomery (See Blog, First to Fall)  outside Quebec.

The Route through Maine

The Americans lacked artillery and supplies, so they launched a desperate attack on Governor Guy Carleton's (See Blog, The Governor General) garrison on December 31, 1775, during a blinding snowstorm. What could go wrong? Well, everything. Morgan took command of the surviving Americans after Arnold was wounded and Montgomery cut down in a torrent of grapeshot. The Americans were haggard, cold, tired, hungry, and unable to breach Carleton's defenses. Morgan surrendered.

Storming Quebec in a storm

Morgan was exchanged after eight months in captivity. He was soon appointed Colonel of the 11th Virginia Continental Infantry. But Washington, sensing the need for able light infantry sharpshooters, directed him to raise a battalion of riflemen. This new battalion would be made up of Virginians, Pennsylvanians, and Marylanders and be known as Morgan's Rifle Corps. 

Morgan's Rifle Corps

Although the Continental Army was busy watching General William Howe's forces in New York City, Congress pressured Washington to send part of his forces to reinforce the Northern Department near Albany, New York. Along with Henry Dearborn's Light Infantry and a few other regiments, Morgan joined General Horatio Gates's army and played a pivotal role in the Saratoga campaign against General John Burgoyne (See Blog, Gentleman Johnny). 

General John Burgoyne

Morgan's Riflemen were used to screen and patrol in the heaviest terrain, on the left flank of Gate's army, defending in farmland and rolling hills about thirty miles north of Albany. The sharpshooters of Morgan's Rifle Corps shot down droves of British officers at the pivotal battles of Freeman's Farm and Bemis Heights and pinned down the cream of Burgoyne's Army in the wooded hills. 

Morgan's Rifles holding the right line

On October 7, 1777, one rifleman, Timothy Murphy (See Blog, Patriot Sniper), fired three lead balls at General Simon Fraser (see Blog, Fighting Fraser)), with two striking and mortally wounding the best British leader on the field. Fraser's death demoralized the British, and Burgoyne later surrendered at Saratoga, New York, when Morgan's Rifles and American militia cut off his supply lines and threatened his line of retreat. 

Tim Murphy credited with shooting Simon Fraser

Usually reserving praise for himself and close confidants, Horatio Gates openly admired Morgan's qualities in his official report and gave him partial credit for Burgoyne's demise. Gates wanted Morgan's Rifle Corps to remain with his Department, but Morgan, who did not like the self-serving Gates, marched his Corps to join General Washington and the main Continental Army in New Jersey.

Morgan right front at Burgoyne's surrender

Patriot Sniper

The American War for Independence features many iconic warrior types such as the Minute Men and the Continental Line. However, the most distinctive warriors of the war were those who mastered the Pennsylvania long rifle—the one weapon that instilled fear in the hearts of British, Hessians, and their native allies. This edition offers another profile of a character from my upcoming novel, The North Spy. Our American rifleman is famed sniper Timothy Murphy. Though Timothy Murphy receives only a brief mention in the book, his role is crucial.

Frontier Youth

Born in 1751 in the Delaware Water Gap region near Minisink, New Jersey, Timothy Murphy was the son of Irish immigrants—most likely from Donegal. His parents moved with eight-year-old Tim to Shamokin Flats, now Sunbury, Pennsylvania, in 1759. The young Murphy apprenticed under a Mr. Van Campen and moved with him to the Wyoming Valley, Pennsylvania. The valley was a rugged wilderness filled with hard-scrabble backwoods farmers, hunters, trappers, and native tribes. Living among them, the short, dark-haired, but tough Murphy quickly became an expert woodsman and marksman. 

Young Rifleman

Some time after the start of the Revolutionary War, Murphy joined the Pennsylvania Battalion of Riflemen with his brother John and marched to join the main American Army at Boston. As part of this elite group of sharpshooters, he fought in the battles of Long Island, Harlem, and White Plains, and he was tested in numerous skirmishes along the way.

Rifleman of the 1st Penna. Battalion

Holding the Line

Murphy transferred to the 12th Pennsylvania Line, where he was promoted to sergeant. He led his unit during the critical battles of Trenton and Princeton, earning particular fame for his shooting and stalking abilities. By this point, Murphy was recognized as an expert marksman – capable of hitting a seven-inch target at 250 yards with his long rifle. Traditional smoothbore muskets could scarcely hit the target at less than half that distance.

Murphy served at Trenton

Morgan's Rifles

In July 1777, Murphy's skills earned him a transfer to Colonel Daniel Morgan's Rifle Corps, which consisted of 500 specially selected men known for their marksmanship. Equipped with the Pennsylvania long rifle and a tomahawk or knife, these riflemen fought from a distance, depending on firepower and avoiding close combat with bayonet-armed regular troops. Tim Murphy would prove to be their top sniper.

Daniel Morgan

War in the North

With a major British invasion from Canada threatening the Hudson Valley, Morgan's Rifles were quickly sent to support General Horatio Gates's Northern Department. The rugged hills and dense woods of northern New York resembled his home in the Wyoming Valley. Murphy's sharpshooting proved invaluable during the battles of Freeman's Farm and Bemis Heights against British forces led by General John Burgoyne. 

Morgan's Rifles played a pivotal role at Freeman's Farm

Battle Sniper

Murphy made history and became a legend among American riflemen on October 7, 1777, during the fight at Bemis Heights. General Benedict Arnold had called on Dan Morgan to find someone to take out the British officer rallying his men under heavy American fire. The best British officer on the field was General Simon Fraser, and Arnold believed he was worth a whole regiment. Morgan chose Murphy for this grim task. The area was thick with trees and heavy with smoke, so Murphy slung his Dickert rifle on his back and climbed a tree to get a better line of sight. He placed his rifle in a fork of the tree and took aim at the general from an extremely long range of 300 yards. Let's pause here to discuss the weapon used by the patriot sniper on that fateful day. 

Murphy was tasked with a grim mission at Bemis Heights

The Rifle

The Dickert rifle was nicknamed the widow-maker by the British because of its deadly use against officers. It was also called the long rifle, the American Rifle, the Dickert Rifle, and the Pennsylvania Rifle. However, it is strangely and widely known by a name given much later – the Kentucky Rifle. Based on a design by Moravian settler Jakob Dickert, the rifle measured about 42 inches long and fired a .50 caliber or larger bullet. 

Dickert Rifle

Fatal Shot

Murphy squeezed off his first shot but missed cleanly. Ramming home another bullet with his mallet, he adjusted his aim and fired again, grazing the general's horse. Most officers would have cleared the field with a near miss, but not Fraser, who refused the blandishments of his aides and kept steady, continuing to direct his men. Reluctantly, Murphy focused on the general, and his final shot struck the general's midsection, mortally wounding him.

Murphy's 3rd shot struck Fraser mortally

One of General John Burgoyne's aides, Sir Francis Carr Clerke, was shot dead during the battle. Murphy is also credited with killing him with a mortal shot as he galloped across the field with a message. 

Sniping from a tree

With the Continental Army

Morgan's Rifles soon marched south to join the main Continental Army. As a result, Murphy was at Valley Forge during that famous winter cantonment. When the British Army evacuated Philadelphia in June 1778, General Washington pursued their rear guard. Murphy was not present on the field during the June 28, 1778, Battle of Monmouth. However, the next day, David Elerson and two other riflemen captured the ornate coach of a retreating British general.

Battle of Monmouth

Frontier War

While things were improving for the Americans in the mid-Atlantic, the situation in the north had grown unstable. After Burgoyne's defeat, the British resorted to raiding the New York and Pennsylvania frontiers with bands of Loyalists and Mohawk Indians. The situation called for rugged frontier fighters to meet the threat. Murphy was assigned to one of the companies of riflemen dispatched to the region.

Frontier fighters

Mohawk Valley

Moving north with three companies of Morgan's Riflemen to the Mohawk Valley, Murphy tracked down and killed the notorious Loyalist leader, Christopher Service. He also took part in the action at Unadilla in November 1778 in the pursuit of the Iroquois, Seneca, and Loyalist raiders under Chief Joseph Brant, who had sacked Cherry Valley. He partook in many bloody skirmishes – many of which remain enshrouded in myth and are thus difficult to verify – but Murphy excelled as a ruthless Indian fighter.

Chief Joseph Brant

Punitive Expedition

In response to the depredations by Loyalists and Iroquois on New York settlements, General Washington ordered a punitive expedition. In August 1779, General John Sullivan's army marched into the core of Iroquois territory. During this campaign, Murphy was part of a scout company commanded by Lieutenant Thomas Boyd. Many actions occurred as the riflemen patrolled, raided, and ambushed. On September 13, an Iroquois war party ambushed Boyd's company. The resourceful Murphy narrowly escaped death, but Boyd and 22 of Murphy's fellow riflemen were massacred.

General John Sullivan waged a war of reprisal 

against the Iroquois nation

Capture and Escape

But Murphy's luck ran out in 1780 when he and another rifleman fell into the hands of an Iroquois war party, which took their captives back to their village to be ritually tortured and killed. Desperate, Murphy used all his resourcefulness for a last chance to survive. That evening, he and his companion slipped from their bonds. They seized knives from their sleeping captors and silently killed eleven warriors before escaping. 

The resolute Murphy would escape his captors at dark

War in the Valley

The following September, Murphy was assigned to help defend Middle Fort in the Schoharie Valley. On October 16, the fort was besieged by a force of Loyalists and Indians led by Major John Johnson, Chief Joseph Brant, and Cornplanter. The fort's commander, Major Melanchthon Woolsey, decided to surrender, but Murphy—knowing the fate that awaited him at the hands of vengeful Indians—strongly refused to capitulate. He then fired on several flags of truce and threatened to shoot Woolsey if he raised the white flag. Eventually, Johnson withdrew and left the garrison intact. Murphy and the riflemen pursued and sniped at Johnson's force all the way back to Canada.

Virginia Sniper

In April 1781, Murphy joined the 3rd Pennsylvania Continental Infantry and fought under General "Mad" Anthony Wayne – himself a badass of the war. Murphy fought at the engagement at Green Springs on 16 July 1781 and was later present at the siege and Lord Cornwallis's surrender at Yorktown in October 1781. 

Mad Anthony Wayne

Skirmishing to the End

Six years carrying a rifle had come to an end. Or had it? Following Yorktown, Murphy mustered out of the Continental Army as it slowly disbanded in anticipation of a peace treaty. He returned to the Schoharie Valley but did not put down the gun. Instead, he spent the rest of the war skirmishing with hostile tribesmen allied to Britain. In recognition of his legendary feats and prowess, he was formally introduced to General Washington on 3 August 1783.

Frontier skirmishes continued until after the British departure

Yankee Farmer

After the war, Murphy returned to a life of relative obscurity while farming in upstate New York. Exchanging the gun for the plow, Murphy became a farmer and family man. He married twice. First, to Margaret (Peggy) Feek, daughter of a Dutch farmer. They had five sons and four daughters. After Peggy died in 1807, Murphy married Mary Roberston. The couple soon moved to Charlotteville, New York, and raised four more sons. Although he never learned to read or write, Tim acquired several farms, a grist mill, and became a local political leader.

A quiet and successful farm life followed years of warfare

Sniper's Legacy

On 27 June 1818, patriot sniper Tim Murphy died in Fultonham, New York, of throat cancer. Like his contemporaries Sam Brady and Daniel Boone, he was among the most legendary frontiersmen of the Revolutionary War.

Tim Murphy monument in Middleburgh, NY