Moses Dunbar (3 June 1746 – March 19, 1777) was a Connecticut land-owner and officer in a Loyalist regiment during the American Revolutionary War. He was one of the few men in the state of Connecticut to be convicted of high treason and executed.[note 1]

Moses Dunbar
Born3 June 1746[1]
Wallingford, Connecticut, British America
Died19 March 1777(1777-03-19) (aged 30)
Hartford, Connecticut, United States
Cause of deathHanging
Buried
AllegianceGreat Britain
Years of service1776
Children7

Early life

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Moses Dunbar was born in Wallingford, Connecticut on June 3, 1746 to John and Temperance Dunbar,[2] the second of sixteen children. In 1764, Moses married Phebe Jerome of Farmington, Connecticut,[3] with whom he had seven children. Soon after marriage, Moses and Phebe joined the Church of England,[4] causing a rift with Moses' Congregationalist father.

Involvement in the American Revolution

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On May 26, 1776, Dunbar's wife Phebe died after months of illness.[5] Dunbar subsequently married Esther Adams.[6] In September, Dunbar traveled to Long Island and in October, he accepted a commission as a Captain in the King's American Regiment, a British provincial regiment which was raised for Loyalist service.[7] He then went back to Farmington, Connecticut, and was trying to persuade some other young men to enlist in the British army when he was arrested, and his royal commission and a list of Loyalist recruits was found in his pocket.[8]

He was indicted for high treason, tried in the superior court in Hartford, Connecticut, and on January 23, 1777, found guilty.[9] on March 19, he was executed on the gallows which stood near the present site of Trinity College.[10] Dunbar is buried in the Ancient Burying ground, in Hartford.[11]

Notes

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  1. ^ William Stone of Stamford and Robert Thomson of Newton were two others; they each also were hanged in 1777 [citation needed]

References

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Citations

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  1. ^ Anderson, Virginia DeJohn (2017). The martyr and the traitor : Nathan Hale, Moses Dunbar, and the American Revolution. Oxford University Press. p. 12. ISBN 9780199916863.
  2. ^ Anderson p.12
  3. ^ Anderson p.30
  4. ^ Anderson p.35
  5. ^ Anderson p.150
  6. ^ Anderson p.156
  7. ^ Anderson p.159
  8. ^ Anderson p.161,165
  9. ^ Anderson p.165
  10. ^ Anderson pgs.177-179
  11. ^ Ryan, J. Francis. "Chapter XVII." Plymouth Conn., 1776–1976. Plymouth, Conn.?: n.p., 1976. N. pag. Print.

Sources

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  • Anderson, Virginia DeJohn (2017). "The Martyr and the Traitor: Nathan Hale, Moses Dunbar, and the American Revolution", Oxford University Press
  • Pond, E. LeRoy (1909). "The Tories of Chippeny Hill, Connecticut", Grafton Press
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