Delaware’s revolutionaries extend far past Caesar Rodney

By Konner Metz
Posted 7/2/22

As delegates from other colonies waited, Delaware’s Caesar Rodney arrived from his famous nighttime, thunderstorm-ridden dash to Independence Hall to put his colony firmly in favor of …

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Delaware’s revolutionaries extend far past Caesar Rodney

Posted

As delegates from other colonies waited, Delaware’s Caesar Rodney arrived from his famous nighttime, thunderstorm-ridden dash to Independence Hall to put his colony firmly in favor of independence.

Siding with Thomas McKean and against George Read, Rodney paved the path for the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the start of revolution in modern-day America.

But Delaware was home to many more crucial figures in the Revolutionary War than just Rodney. Even if they are not as heralded today.

Thomas Rodney, the youngest brother to Caesar, was one of the many Delaware politicians who also served with the militia, acting as captain of the Dover Light Infantry in 1776 and 1777.

Another important Delawarean during the time was John Dickinson, a politician and resident of both Wilmington and Philadelphia. Not the most ardent patriot, Dickinson was practical in his support for organized revolution, becoming a “penman” for the colonies.

Dickinson lived in Poplar Hall in Dover and was a wealthy farmer and slaveholder. Unlike many of his time, he turned to abolitionism and released all his slaves before his death.

He also lobbied for the Great Compromise to benefit states such as Delaware in having equal representation. His practical writings on abolitionism and the revolution were felt throughout the colonies, not just his homes of Pennsylvania and Delaware.

Thomas Collins

While the Battle of Cooch’s Bridge in Newark and nearby military action makes northern Delaware a hotspot for revolutionary history, the rest of the state boasts its own history as well, including Historic Belmont Hall in Smyrna.

Perhaps one of the most involved revolutionaries in Kent County was Delaware’s eighth governor, Thomas Collins. In 1786, Collins was elected by the General Assembly to the governor’s seat, but even before, he played a crucial role in the state’s war efforts.

Collins purchased land in 1771 that would eventually turn into Belmont Hall. The house he built was a Georgian mansion that hosted both militia meetings and legislature gatherings.

He opened part of his property for members of the Delaware militia to live, along with some of their families. With British forces much more focused on the New Castle era, Collins’ residence was a safer place to stay, and it was the spot of the state legislature’s first meeting.

According to Susan Wolfe, an active member of The Friends of Belmont Hall, Collins received a boost in social standing by hosting legislators at his house. Moreover, he had no qualms about housing the men in the militia.

“He took care of his people, he was dedicated to the cause,” she said.

That attitude towards the fight for independence led to his selection as the militia’s brigadier general in 1776. He led hundreds of men in defending southern Delaware while providing them with lodging and food.

Family lore passed down to today holds that Collins hid on the third floor of Belmont Hall when a group of Tories, England supporters, demanded to search the house for its owner.

Caesar Rodney often wrote to Collins, warning of Tory movements in the lower counties. “You are hereby ordered immediately to furnish from your battalion, properly equipped 99 of the militia,” Rodney wrote in 1777 in an order that sent them down to Sussex County.

A few months later, Collins and his men fought at the Battle of Brandywine in September of 1777, and eventually Collins returned to southern Delaware before taking over as governor nine years later, which culminated in ratifying the Constitution.

John Haslet

An Irish-born soldier and farmer will be honored Monday by the Delaware Society of the Sons of the American Revolution (DESSAR) with a grave marking ceremony at Old Presbyterian Cemetery.

Col. John Haslet, the leader of 1st Delaware Regiment, spearheaded the state’s contributions to the Continental Army by leading one of the strongest regiments in the colonies.

Bill Rogers, state secretary of the DESSAR, said Col. Haslet arrived in America with “no love for the kingdom of England.” That led him to be one of the most important leaders in the Continental Army and close friends with Caesar Rodney.

“He was a natural-born leader, people looked up to him all the time,” Mr. Rogers said. “(Caesar) considered him the most fierce. He was a real patriot.”

Haslet served across the revolutionary campaign until January of 1777, when he died at the Battle of Princeton. Often regarded as one of the campaign’s best colonels, Haslet led the regiment also known as the “Delaware Blues” as one of the most successful.

The unrecognized

While landowners, politicians and battalion leaders often receive praise and honors today, many historians are focused on telling the stories of the everyday citizen during the revolutionary era.

Author and historian Kim Rogers Burdick is one of them.

In her book, “Revolutionary Delaware: Independence in the First State,” she shares several stories and anecdotes of Delawareans that are not necessarily recognizable by name. These help in broadcasting the lives of “ordinary people coping with extraordinary circumstances.”

Family members that took over for farmers who became soldiers, or women and children who helped war efforts at home and not on the battlefield, are those “ordinary people” that the revolution depended upon.

Documenting the lives of slaves during this era also comes as a challenge, due to a lack of written records from the 18th century and the amount of research that needs to be done today.

Sylvester Woolford, a member of the Delaware Heritage Commission, says the research needed to “add functionality to the lives of slaves” is more than “anyone in the state of Delaware has been able to come up with.”

“You have to go into these details, we are all challenged to do it,” Mr. Woolford said. “The heavy lift in terms of getting it done takes hours and hours and hours of research.”

Despite this gap in historical knowledge, there are no doubts that enslaved men, women and children were essential contributors to Delaware’s economy, even if they did not reap any benefits.

Mr. Woolford said that there is “renewed interest” as the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence is just a few years away. But it is no easy task, nonetheless.

“It’s tough to have access to enough information to be able to recreate the lives,” he said. “It takes a lot of historian savvy.”

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