John Sullivan

John Sullivan (February 17, 1740 – January 23, 1795) was an American general in the Revolutionary War winning several key battles most notably the Delaware crossing. He was a delegate in the Continental Congress where he signed the Continental Association, the third governor of New Hampshire, and a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire. Sullivan, the third son of American settlers, served as a major general in the Continental Army and as governor (or "president") of New Hampshire. He commanded the Sullivan Expedition in 1779, a scorched earth campaign against the Iroquois towns that had taken up arms against the American revolutionaries. As a member of Congress, Sullivan worked closely with the French ambassador to the United States, the Chevalier de la Luzerne. Early life and family Born in Somersworth in the Province of New Hampshire, British America, Sullivan was the third son of Irish settlers from the Beara Peninsula in County Cork, Ireland; his father was a schoolmaster. One of his brothers, James Sullivan, became governor of Massachusetts. Another brother, Benjamin, served in the Royal Navy and died before the American Revolution. A landing party from on February 14, 1781, kidnapped another brother, Captain David Sullivan, who later died of disease.