Daniel Morgan, the Old Wagoner, rose from lowly origins to become a supreme field soldier, frontiersman and one of the foremost generals of the American Revolution.

Morgan was born in the winter of 1736 to James and Eleanor Morgan, who immigrated to the United States from Wales. There has been some controversy over his birthplace, but it is generally believed that he was born in Hunterdon County, New Jersey.

One of five children, Daniel worked with his father, who was an ironmaster. After the death of his mother, Morgan’s father remarried.

It is believed that a disagreement with his father and trouble with his stepmother resulted in Daniel Morgan leaving home in the winter of 1753, without the consent of his parents.

Morgan made his way through Pennsylvania and then went to Berkely County, which later became Jefferson County, West Virginia. At the age of 17, Morgan began working for a farmer and later became superintendent of a sawmill owned by the farmer. Morgan then became a wagoner, hauling supplies over the Alleghaney Mountains. Within two years he had saved up enough money to buy a wagon of his own.

A large man, Morgan was six feet, two inches tall and weighed over 200 pounds. He had a strong face with handsome features. A natural wit helped gloss over his lack of education.

In the spring of 1756, Morgan was sent with a wagon load of supplies to Fort Chiswell, a British military post along the Virginia frontier. At the fort he encountered the displeasure of a British lieutenant who ordered him to be quiet. When Morgan seemed reluctant, the officer drew his sword and struck Morgan across the back with the flat of it. Morgan knocked the officer unconscious. Military police placed Morgan under arrest. He was tried and sentenced to 500 lashes. The General was later quoted as saying that Morgan was given only 499 lashes, that the soldier miscounted.

The Old Wagoner’s first formal military assignment came during the Indian wars when volunteers were needed at Fort Loudon. He responded and marched with troops to Edward’s Fort. Morgan is said to have killed four Indians in the attack. This was the first time the general attracted wide attention as a military leader.

In 1758 Morgan was commissioned an ensign in the British army by Gov. Robert Dinwiddie. He served with the Virginia militia and was first stationed at Edward’s Fort. Morgan was wounded in a French-Indian attack while stationed there. A musket ball went through his left cheek, knocking out all teeth on the left side of his jaw. At 23 years of age, Morgan was near death. It took six months before he recovered from his first and only military wound.

The Virginia militia was disbanded and Morgan returned home to continue the rowdy lifestyle which he had begun before his military encounter. Morgan occasionally sought to hold his own against liquor and during this period of life, he was frequently hauled into court for such things as trespassing and assault.

In 1771, William Nelson, acting governor of Virginia, commissioned Morgan a captain in the militia of Frederick County. Morgan seemed to need a guiding hand to draw him to a sober way of living. This hand turned out to be feminine. In 1772, Morgan met Abigail Curry, an attractive, vivacious girl from Berkely County. They were married on March 30, 1773.

Like her husband, Abigail had very little education. As time went on and Morgan’s fortune grew, she improved in personal charm and accomplishments and she helped Morgan improve his reading, writing, and proficiency in arithmetic. 

The Morgan’s purchased a handsome, two-story home called “Soldier’s Rest.” They had two daughters, Nancy and Betsy. Morgan was considered to be a good and industrious husband, totally devoted to his family.

Mrs. Morgan was deeply religious and managed to pass such inclinations along to her husband.

Morgan’s stay with his family was interrupted on June 22, 1775 when he was commissioned as captain of a company of Virginians in the Revolution. It took him just 10 days to assemble his group of 96 riflemen.

The men wore buckskin trousers, leggins with fringes, and thick, wide belts which hung tomahawks and scalping knives. Hunting shirts of the time topped off the Virginia soldier’s uniform and across the breast of each were the words “Liberty or Death.” Each riflemen excelled in weaponry and tactics. Most had been shooting since they had learned to walk.

In three weeks Morgan’s raiders, ready for a fight, reached Cambridge, Mass. Before long the British outposts in the area began to feel the presence of Mogan’s Virginians. No Redcoat was safe at 200 yards and the British morning reports of the period were dotted with losses of officers, artillerymen, and pickets, all knocked off at long range.

Morgan accompanied the

 American force that was sent to Quebec. He was captured there and, after months of imprisonment, Morgan interceded with Britian’s Gen. Guy Carleton and wo

n parole for himself and a number of his men. What this meant was that Morgan and his men agreed not to rejoin the fighting unless the British acquiesced, and then generally in exchange for the services for British prisoners of war similarly released.

As soon as Morgan reached New York, Gen. George Washington, who had followed the Quebec campaign with interest, befriended him. He recommended that Congress acquiesce in the exchange for Morgan and that he be promoted to the rank of colonel and given command of a Virginia regiment.

Morgan returned to his wife and daughters at “Soldier’s Rest” to await the development. Before the end of 1776, Col. Morgan was exchanged and back in the field, again gathering another body of fighting men.

In the Battle of Saratoga, Morgan and his men were praised for their performance. Morgan was omitted from the official battle report. s Rest” to await the development. Before the end of 1776, Col. Morgan was exchanged and back in the field, again gathering another body of fighting men.

After Saratoga, the Old Wagoner went through a period of military inactivity. He was deeply offended that he was not given the infantry command which went to Mad Anthony Wayne. Upset over this development, Morgan drafted a letter of resignation on July 18, 1779. It was accepted and he returned to his family in Winchester, Va.

When Gates took command of the Southern army in June of 1780, Morgan was urged to enter the service again, but refused to serve as a colonel because he would be outranked by so many state militia commanders and his movements would be seriously impaired. Congress declined to promote him and he remained at home until after the great disaster at Camden. Morgan decided it was not the time to let personal considerations have any weight and decided to join Gates at Hilsboro in September.

Then on Oct. 13 of that year, he was promoted to brigadier general. Gates was later relieved of command of the Southern army. General Nathanael Greene assumed that position at Charlotte on Dec. 4, 1780. Morgan was ordered to cross the Catawba and threaten Cornwallis’ position at Winnsboro. He was given command of the area west of the Catawba. From there Morgan and his troops went to the Battle of Cowpens on January 17, 1781.

After the Battle of Cowpens, his movements seriously annoyed Cornwallis and aided in the final chain of events that defeated the British. 

He became ill and resigned the army a few months after the Cowpens. He returned to the Winchester area to build a new home which he called “Saratoga.”

In 1781, his oldest daughter, Nancy, married Col Presley Neville, an army captain who took part in the Battle of Yorktown. The Neville’s had 15 children. Morgan’s second daughter, Betsy, married james Heard of New Jersey. They had five children. For a time both daughters lived at the paternal home. After they left home, the Morgans decided to sell “Saratoga” and move back to their smaller home, “Soldier’s Rest.”

The war had put a financial drain on Morgan and his family. He was due two years back pay and a medal which Congress awarded him for his victory at Cowpens. On March 25, 1790, Washington wrote to Morgan enclosing the medal. 

He returned to the army briefly in 1794 as a major general to help crush the Whiskey Rebellion.

He subsequently ran for congress from Frederick and Berkely Counties, Virginia as a federalist. At the age of 60, he served in the fifth Congress from March 4, 1797 to March 3, 1799.

Then, the bad health, which had plagued Morgan during his military service, reoccurred. In fact, he became so ill, that reports of his death circulated prematurely. In 1800 he began a confinement to his bed for two years. Doctors had Morgan moved from Soldier’s Rest to a house on Amber Hill in Winchester.

Morgan died on July 6, 1802 at the age of 67. He was buried in the churchyard of the Old Stone Presbyterian Church in Winchester.