Robert Sedgwick | |
|---|---|
 Sedgwick's coat of arms | |
| Born | 1611 |
| Died | 24 May 1656 (aged 43) |
Robert Sedgwick (1611 – 24 May 1656) was an English military officer, merchant and politician in New England.[1]
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He was the son of William Sedgwick of London, and brother of English priestWilliam Sedgwick. He has been identified with the Sedgwick who came over to New England in 1635, in the shipTruelove, aged 24, although in the record of the custom house his name is written 'Jo.' instead of 'Ro.' Sedgwick. He was made a freeman of Massachusetts on 9 March 1637.[2]
Sedgwick, who had some military training, and is said byEdward Johnson to have been "nurst up in London'sArtillery garden", was chosen captain of the Charlestowntrained band, and was, in 1638, one of the founders of theMilitary Company of Massachusetts. His name is the third in the company's foundation charter. He was commander of the Castle in Boston Harbour in 1641, and was major-general of the Massachusetts forces in 1652.[2] He ordered the building ofCastle William, the first fort atBoston.[2]
In 1653, Sedgwick was in England andOliver Cromwell selected him to command an expedition intended to drive the Dutch fromNew Netherland, giving him the rank of major in the army. He raised, in spite of various obstructions, a few hundred men in the New England colonies, and was about to set out against the Dutch (June 1654), when news of thepeace with Holland put a stop to his proceedings. On this, Sedgwick turned his forces against the French inAcadia during and launched theEnglish Invasion of Acadia (1654). During the campaign he captured the forts ofSt John's andPort Royal, and a settlement atPentagouet (nowCastine, Maine) and added Acadia to the British dominions.[2]
In the summer of 1655, after theinvasion of Jamaica, theLord Protector appointed Sedgwick one of the civil commissioners for the government of his new acquisition. The instructions describe him still merely as 'Major Sedgwick' but it is evident that Cromwell relied much on his experience of colonial life and his influence in New England. In October 1655, when Sedgwick arrived atJamaica, he found the troops dying fast, everything in disorder, and necessaries of every kind wanting. "You must in a manner begin the work over again" was his message to Cromwell; but, though inwardly desponding of the future of theColony of Jamaica, he kept a brave front to the public, and under his energetic and judicious administration things slowly mended. Cromwell rewarded his zeal by sending him a commission asmajor-general and commander-in-chief, which reached Jamaica early in May 1656.[2] But Sedgwick never took up the command, died on 24 May 1656, and was buried halfway up the canyon toSpanish Town fromOcho Rios in a smallChristopher Wren-style chapel.[3]
According to his secretary, the new responsibility imposed upon him aggravated his illness and brought him to his grave. "There is so much expected of me", said he, "and I, conscious of my own disabilities, having besides so untoward a people to deal with, am able to perform so little, that I shall never overcome it; it will break my heart." The secretary describes Sedgwick as being "generally beloved and esteemed by all sorts of people" and Carlyle characterises him as "a very brave, zealous, and pious man, whose letters inThurloe are, of all others, the best worth reading on this subject."[2]
Sedgwick left a widow, Joanna, and five children. The Lord Protector granted her a pension of £100 per annum, and ordered her husband's arrears to be paid to her.[2]
Sedgwick, Maine, was named in his honour.[4]
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Firth, Charles Harding (1901). "Sedgwick, Robert". InLee, Sidney (ed.).Dictionary of National Biography (1st supplement). London: Smith, Elder & Co.
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