John Laurens (1754 - 1782)

Born 28 Oct 1754 in South Carolina

Ancestors

Husband of Martha Weatherell (Manning) Laurens — married 26 Oct 1776 in St Andrew Undershaft with St Mary Axe, London, England

Descendants

Died 27 Aug 1782 at age 27 in Combahee River, South Carolina

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Biography

Colonel John Laurens served with South Carolina Line during the American Revolution.

John Laurens is a DAR Patriot Ancestor, A067022.

John Laurens is Notable.

John Laurens was an American soldier and statesman from South Carolina during the American Revolutionary War. He served as Aide-de-Camp to General George Washington.

Early Life

John Laurens was born October 28, 1754 in Charleston, South Carolina to Henry Laurens and Eleanor Ball.^[1] John spent the early years of his education in Charleston. In the fall of 1771, when John was about 17 years old, his father took him to Europe to complete his studies in London, England and Geneva, Switzerland.^[1] During his time in London he met Martha Manning, the daughter of John's father's friend, William Manning. John and Martha were married in October 1776. Although in England at the outbreak of the Revolutionary War, John Laurens left London with his father's consent and returned to South Carolina, arriving Spring 1777.^[1]

Military Service

John Laurens joined the Continental Army upon returning home and eventually became Aide-de-Camp to George Washington along with friends Alexander Hamilton and Marquis de La Fayette. Some historians have suggested he may have attained this position with help from his father who was President of the Continental Congress at the time.^[1] He served in numerous battles throughout the war including major battles at: Brandywine, Germantown, Monmouth, and Yorktown. John was known as a zealous soldier, he even had his horse shot out from underneath him in battle and also engaged in a duel with General Charles Lee.^[1]

He assisted in the revolution outside of battle as well, and was instrumental in obtaining 10,000,000 livres from the King of France and arguing for an end to slavery in Congress.^[1] After the battle of Yorktown, Laurens returned to South Carolina, which was still subject to British influence and troops.^[1]

On August 27, 1782 at the Battle of Combahee, John Laurens was shot from his horse and killed by British troops.^[1] He is buried in the Laurens Family Cemetery, Moncks Corner, Berkeley, South Carolina.^[2]

Much of John's life and involvement in the Continental Army that we know today comes from letters written by him that have been preserved (See sources section).

Legacy

• Laurens County, Georgia is named in his honor.
• John Laurens was portrayed by Anthony Ramos in the Broadway musical Hamilton.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7} Wallace, David Duncan. Life of Henry Laurens, With a Sketch of the Life of Lieutenant-Colonel John Laurens. Pg. 463-494. G.P. Putnam's Sons, New York, London, 1915.
2. ↑ John Laurens (1754-1782) on Find A Grave: Memorial #8087933 Retrieved 29 September 2020.

See also:

• John Laurens on Wikipedia
• John Laurens on Britannica
• John Laurens Bio from The National Park Service
• Excerpts from Correspondence between John & Henry Laurens
• The Army Correspondence of Colonel John Laurens 1777-1778
• Letter from John Laurens to Alexander Hamilton 1782
• Letter from Alexander Hamilton to John Laurens 1779
• Letter from Alexander Hamilton to John Laurens 1782

Acknowledgements

• Created by Laura Scott, Tuesday, March 10, 2015.