William Heath | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1737-03-02)March 2, 1737 |
| Died | January 24, 1814(1814-01-24) (aged 76) |
| Buried | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Service/branch | Continental Army |
| Rank | Major General |
| Commands | Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts |
| Conflicts | |
| Signature |  |
William Heath (March 2, 1737[1] – January 24, 1814) was an American farmer, soldier, and political leader fromMassachusetts who served as amajor general in theContinental Army during theAmerican Revolutionary War.
Heath made his home for his entire life at his family's farm inRoxbury, Massachusetts (present dayJamaica Plain, Massachusetts, part of the city of Boston). He was born on a farm that had been settled in 1636 by his ancestors. He became active in themilitia, and was acaptain of the Roxbury Company of theSuffolk County militia regiment in 1760. By 1770 he was the regiment'scolonel and its commanding officer.
In 1765 he was elected as a member of theAncient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts and was elected as the company's lieutenant in 1768 and as its captain in 1770.[2]
In December 1774 the revolutionary government in Massachusetts commissioned him as abrigadier general.[2] He commanded Massachusetts forces during the last stage of theBattle of Lexington and Concord in April 1775. As thesiege of Boston began, Heath devoted himself to training the militia involved in the siege. In June of that year, Massachusetts named him a major general in the state troops, and theContinental Congress commissioned him a brigadier general in the newly formed Continental Army.
In 1776 Heath participated in the defense ofNew York City, and was one of those who urgedGeneral Washington not to abandon the city. He saw action atLong Island,Harlem Heights, andWhite Plains. In August 1776 he was promoted to major general in the Continental Army, but Washington had doubts about Heath's abilities and posted him where no action was expected. In November he was placed in command of forces in the Hudson River Highlands. In January 1777, Washington instructed Heath to attack Fort Independence[2] in New York in support of Washington's actions atTrenton andPrinceton, but Heath's attack was botched and his troops were routed.[2] He was censured by Washington and thereafter was never given command of troops in combat.[2]
General Heath was placed in charge of theConvention Army ofJohn Burgoyne’s surrendered troops after theBattle of Saratoga. In 1780, he returned to command the fortifications atWest Point in theHighland Department afterBenedict Arnold's betrayal.
He was admitted as an original member of TheSociety of the Cincinnati in the state of Massachusetts when it was established in 1783.[3][4][5]
After the war, Heath was a member of the Massachusetts Convention that ratified theUnited States Constitution in 1788. He served in theMassachusetts Senate from 1791 to 1792, and as a probate court judge. He was also a candidate for Congress in 1792 and 1798,[6][7] and was the Democratic-Republican nominee in the1799 gubernatorial election.[8] In 1806 he was elected theLieutenant Governor of Massachusetts, but declined the office.[2]
He died at his home in Roxbury on January 24, 1814, and was buried nearby inForest Hills Cemetery. The town ofHeath, Massachusetts, is named in his honor.[9] A street in the west Bronx is named in his honor.[10]
