Edward Hand
Edward Hand was an Irish-born American army officer and politician who served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. Rising to the rank of major general, Hand served as Adjutant General of the Continental Army under George Washington. After the war, Hand retired to farm his estate, Rock Ford, and served in the Pennsylvania General Assembly and Lancaster city government.
Early life and career
Hand was born in Clyduff, King's County, Kingdom of Ireland, on 31 December 1744, and was baptised in Shinrone. His father was John Hand.Education and British military service
Hand earned a medical certificate from Trinity College, Dublin. In 1767, Hand enlisted as a Surgeon's mate in the 18th (Royal Irish) Regiment of Foot. On May 20, 1767, he sailed with the regiment from Cobh, Cork, Ireland, arriving at Philadelphia on July 11. While serving in Pennsylvania, he befriended Colonel George Washington, becoming lifelong friends with the future President.In 1772, he was commissioned an ensign. He marched with the regiment to Fort Pitt, on the forks of the Ohio River. While stationed at Fort Pitt, Hand thrived as a merchant along the Ohio River, making lucrative land deals. Hand returned to Philadelphia in 1774, where he resigned and sold his commission for £400.
Arrival in Lancaster
In 1774, Hand moved to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where he practiced medicine. On March 13, 1775, he married Katherine Ewing. Katherine was the niece of Jasper Yeates, a prominent Lancaster attorney and later justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, who became Hand's political mentor.Establishing himself in the community, Hand was active in forming the Lancaster County Associators, a colonial militia. After arriving in Lancaster, Hand joined one the growing Freemasonry lodges in the frontiertown.
American Revolution
Hand entered the Continental Army in 1775 as a lieutenant colonel in the 1st Pennsylvania Regiment under Colonel William Thompson. He was promoted to colonel in 1776 and placed in command of the 1st Continental.Promoted to brigadier general in March 1777, he served as the commander of Fort Pitt, fighting British loyalists and their Indian allies. In early 1778, Hand led an expedition into the Ohio country to capture a small British magazine on the Cuyahoga River near Lake Erie, which could be used to supply Native American nations who had allied with the British, such as the Wyandot and the Shawnee. However, failing to distinguish among Native American groups, the unruly militiamen under Hand's command attacked the neutral Lenape village of Kuskusky, killing the mother, brother, and a child of Chief Hopocan, known as Captain Pipe. The expedition became derisively known as the Squaw Campaign. Hand was later recalled after serving over a year at Fort Pitt, to command a brigade in Major General La Fayette's division.
Planning for a campaign against the Iroquois was already under way, and Hand's frontier experience naturally recommended him as a participant. In the resulting Sullivan-Clinton Iroquois Expedition through the Southern Tier and Finger Lakes regions of New York, Edward Hand commanded the Third Brigade, composed of the Fourth and Eleventh Pennsylvania Regiments, the German Regiment, Proctor's Artillery, Captain James Parr's Riflemen, Captain Anthony Selin's Riflemen, and two Wyoming companies. The brigade composed the "Light Corps" of Sullivan's army and formed its vanguard. The journals kept by the officers on the expedition indicate that Hand played a major role in the success of the campaign. When he rejoined his family in Lancaster at the close of the year he was thirty-five years old, the youngest of the brigadiers.
Adjutant General of the Continental Army
After a few months, he was appointed Adjutant General of the Continental Army and served during the siege of Yorktown in that capacity. In recognition of his long and distinguished service, he was, in September 1783, promoted by brevet to major general. He resigned from active duty military service in November 1783.
After the Revolution
Hand returned to Lancaster and resumed the practice of medicine. Hand was an original member of the Society of the Cincinnati, with his membership card signed by George Washington. A Federalist, Hand was active in civil affairs, holding posts that included:- Chief Burgess of Lancaster
- Presidential elector
- Delegate to the convention for the 1790 Pennsylvania Constitution
- Member of the Congress of the Confederation, 1784–1785
- Member of the Pennsylvania Assembly, 1785–1786