Biographical Sketches of the Generals of the Continental Army of the Revolution

Chapter 42: BARON DE WOEDTKE.

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About This Book

The work compiles concise biographical sketches of the senior officers who served in the Continental Army during the American Revolution, arranged with lists of major and brigadier generals and summaries of each officer's commissions, service, and notable engagements. It pairs these entries with an index of dates and a collection of portraits assembled for display, and includes a preface explaining the provenance of the engravings and the editorial methods and sources consulted. Intended as a compact reference for visitors and readers, the volume emphasizes factual data—appointments, service conclusions, and commemoration—while providing bibliographic notes and acknowledgments of contributors.

BARON DE WOEDTKE.

Frederick William, Baron de Woedtke, born in Prussia about 1740, was for many years an officer in the army of Frederick the Great, where he attained the rank of major. Coming to Philadelphia with strong letters of recommendation to Benjamin Franklin from friends of America in Paris, he received from Congress a commission as brigadier-general in the Continental army on the 16th of March, 1776, and was ordered to join the Northern army under Schuyler. About three weeks before his death he took part in a council of war which decided, against the advice of Stark, Poor, Maxwell, and eighteen inferior officers, to abandon Crown Point and to retire to the strong ground opposite Ticonderoga, afterward known as Mount Independence. He died near Lake George, New York, on the 31st of July, 1776, and was buried with the honors due to his rank.