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

Chapter 59: FRANCIS NASH.
By Mary Theresa Leiter
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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.

FRANCIS NASH.

Francis Nash, born in Prince George’s County, Virginia, on the 10th of March, 1720, was clerk of the Superior Court of Orange County, North Carolina, and holding a captain’s commission also under the crown, helped to defeat the Regulators at the battle of Alamance in 1771. These insurgents had banded together for the avowed purpose of shutting up the courts of justice, destroying all officers of law and all lawyers, and prostrating the Government itself. In August, 1775, he received a commission as colonel from the North Carolina Convention, and on the 5th of February, 1777, entered the Continental service as brigadier-general, joining the army under Washington. At the battle of Germantown, on the 4th of October of the same year, while at the head of his brigade, he was mortally wounded, dying a few days after. In November of that year, Congress passed a resolution to erect a monument to his memory at a cost of $500; but the resolution was never carried into effect.