David Jackson, 1730 to 1811, my fifth great grandfather, emigrated to Pennsylvania in 1762. He and his wife Elizabeth Reed, came with their four children, one a newborn. They left Derry, Ireland, a place besieged with war and conflicts for years, and came to America, where he joined in war again to protect his new country! Courageous and brave was this Irishman! He actually fought in the Revolutionary War under George Washington and was wounded in the Battle of Trenton.
David was the half brother of Andrew Bennett Jackson who was the father of our Seventh President, Andrew Jackson, making that President my first cousin, six generations removed! David’s daughter Mary was my fourth great grandmother and married Robert Fulton Hogue/Hogg my fourth great grandfather. Robert Hogue had emigrated from Scotland with fighting for religious freedom a background in his own family.
 |
| Washington Crossing the Delaware is an 1851 oil-on-canvas painting by German American artist Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze. It commemorates General George Washington’s crossing of the Delaware River on the night of December 25–26, 1776, during the American Revolutionary War.
Our Grandfather David Jackson, must have been on one of those boats with George Washington, crossing the Delaware on Christmas night in 1776! Don’t you think he would rather have been at home with his wife and four children warm in front of a fire! Instead…look at this story I found on ancestry.com:
“In 1776 the Revolutionary War began, and ended in 1784.Some time during the first year of the war David Jackson entered the service of the Colonies under General Washington, and was in the battle of Trenton December 25, 1776, in which he lost a hand. The particulars are as follows :Washington and his army crossed the Delaware River in the night, when the river was running full of ice. The attack wasmade upon the British very early in the morning in the midst of a blinding snow storm. Quinton Anderson, James Ewing and David Jackson were comrades. In the midst of the battle, theywere standing together. James Ewing was very much down in spirit, and said, he felt that he would be shot before night. David Jackson and Q. Anderson were talking to him and trying to cheer him up. But, while they were talking, a cannon ball came along, killing James Ewing, and struck David Jackson’s gun and broke it in two pieces, and cut his wrist nearly off. He immediately wrapped his lacerated and bleeding wrist with his pocket handkerchief, picked up the barrel of his gun, and leaving the stock, he walked to an oxcart loaded with wounded men,,mounted it, and with one hand drove it three miles to a place of safety. This circumstance ended his soldier life, but he often held up the stump wrist to his grandsons and said: “Boys,never disgrace the flag of your country! Never!”—from “The Genealogy of the Jackson Family -1890” by Hugh Parks Jackson
As it turns out, There were two Battles of Trenton, and according to my cousin Andrew Kyle Galloway, “There were 2 battles. The one in which David Jackson lost his left hand was not on December 26, 1776, but rather the second battle of Trenton which occurred on January 2, 1777. Historical records show only a few casualties on December 26. There were a few that fell in the snow during the march from exposure to the cold and only a few others whose names are known. But the second battle had many more casualties, the number is disputed but David Jackson’s name and the fact that he lost his hand from a cannonball is listed in the History of Chester County Pennsylvania.” Thank you Andrew for this correction. |
Battle of Trenton by Charles McBarron from Wikipedia |
“The Battle of Trenton took place on December 26, 1776, during the American Revolutionary War, after General George Washington‘s crossing of the Delaware River north of Trenton, New Jersey. The hazardous crossing in adverse weather made it possible for Washington to lead the main body of the Continental Army against Hessian soldiers garrisoned at Trenton. After a brief battle, nearly the entire Hessian force was captured, with negligible losses to the Americans. The battle significantly boosted the Continental Army’s flagging morale, and inspired reenlistments.
The Continental Army had previously suffered several defeats in New York and had been forced to retreat through New Jersey to Pennsylvania. Morale in the army was low; to end the year on a positive note, George Washington—Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army—devised a plan to cross the Delaware River on Christmas night and surround the Hessian garrison.
Because the river was icy and the weather severe, the crossing proved dangerous. Two detachments were unable to cross the river, leaving Washington and the 2,400 men under his command alone in the assault. The army marched 9 miles (14 km) south to Trenton. The Hessians had lowered their guard, thinking they were safe from the American army, and had no long-distance outposts or patrols. After having a Christmas feast, they fell asleep. Washington’s forces caught them off guard and, after a short but fierce resistance, most of the Hessians surrendered. Almost two thirds of the 1,500-man garrison was captured, and only a few troops escaped across Assunpink Creek.
Despite the battle’s small numbers, the American victory inspired rebels in the colonies. With the success of the revolution in doubt a week earlier, the army had seemed on the verge of collapse. The dramatic victory inspired soldiers to serve longer and attracted new recruits to the rank” –from The Battle of Trenton, Wikipedia
Again, I stand amazed and humbled by the history in my own family, I would love to hear some of yours.
Until we meet again, I am wishing you always and only the best, Helen
