Daniel Roberdeau | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Delegate fromPennsylvania to theContinental Congress | |
| In office February 1777 – 1779 | |
| Brigadier General,Pennsylvania militia | |
| In office July 4 1776 – c. 1779 | |
| Founder ofFort Roberdeau | |
| In office 1778–1779 | |
| Member of thePennsylvania Provincial Assembly | |
| In office 1756–1760 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1727 (1727) |
| Died | January 5, 1795(1795-01-05) (aged 67–68) Winchester, Virginia, U.S. |
| Resting place | Mount Hebron Cemetery, Winchester, Virginia |
| Profession | Merchant, military officer, politician |
Daniel Roberdeau (1727 – January 5, 1795) was an AmericanFounding Father and merchant residing inPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, at the time of theAmerican War of Independence. He represented Pennsylvania from 1777 to 1779 in theContinental Congress, where he signed theArticles of Confederation. Roberdeau served as abrigadier general in the Pennsylvania statemilitia during the war.
Roberdeau was born in 1727 on theIsland of St. Christopher in theWest Indies.[1] His father was aHuguenot immigrant named Isaac Roberdeau; his mother, aScot, Mary Cunningham. After the death of his father, he immigrated to Philadelphia with his mother and sisters. Roberdeau became a timber merchant.[2]
Roberdeau was active in establishingFreemasonry in Philadelphia, which brought him to the attention ofBenjamin Franklin and other civic leaders. He served on the Board of Managers forPennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia in 1756-1757.[3] He was elected to thePennsylvania Colonial Assembly, serving from 1756 to 1760, but then declined further service.
When war neared, he joined theAssociators (as the Pennsylvania rebelmilitia was known) and was made colonel of his regiment. In May 1776 he presided at several public meetings calling for the existing Pennsylvania delegation to the Continental Congress to be replaced with members who supported aDeclaration of Independence. As a result, he was named to theCommittee of Safety, and on July 4, 1776 was named a brigadier general in the state militia.[4]
Roberdeau was first elected to the Continental Congress in February 1777 and served there until 1779. Later that year, when theContinental Army entered winter quarters atValley Forge, he worked with GeneralGeorge Washington to set up a militia support network known as theFlying Camp and served as its commander.
In April 1778, Roberdeau took a short leave from Congress. He had noted the shortage of powder and shot in the army and used the time off to establish a lead mine in what was then a part ofBedford County, now a part ofBlair County. To protect the mine and camp fromIndian attacks, he built a palisade,Fort Roberdeau, at his own expense. Historically, Roberdeau's fort was known as the "Lead Mine Fort". It has been reconstructed near its original site in Sinking Valley, near present-dayAltoona, Pennsylvania.[5]
After the war, he moved toAlexandria, Virginia, and eventually settled inWinchester, where he died in 1795. He is buried in theMt. Hebron Cemetery there.[6] His son, Isaac Roberdeau, became a civil engineer and U.S. Army officer, who helpedPierre L'Enfant lay out the plan forWashington, D.C.[citation needed]
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