John Pitcairn
BIRTH
Dec 28, 1722
Fife, Scotland
DEATH
June 17, 1755
Boston, Massachusetts
FAMILY
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Pitcairn, John
(1722-1755)
Major John Pitcairn was a Scottish military officer. Born in Dysart, Fife, he enlisted in the Marine Forces at the age of 23 and was stationed in North America during the French and Indian War, serving at the rank of captain. Arriving in Boston in 1774 as part of a British occupation of the city, he fought in the 1775 battles of Lexington and Concord during the outbreak of the American War of Independence. Two months later in June, Pitcairn was killed in action during the battle of Bunker Hill.
GRAVE:
MUSEUM
Old North Church
193 Salem St, Boston, MA 02113
8
WIFE
Elizabeth Dalrymple
(1724-1809)
Johanna Pitcairn
David Pitcairn
(1749-1809)
Janet Pitcairn
(1831-1922)
Catherine Pitcairn
Clerke Pitcairn
(1750-1780)
Robert Pitcairn
(1836-1909)
Alexander Pitcairn
(1622-1695)
Anne Pitcairn
(1819-1888)
Thomas Pitcairn
(1837-1854)
Places | Image | Address | GPS | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Minute Man National Historical Park | 210 N Great Rd, Lincoln, MA 01773 | MUSEUM | ||
Lexington Battle Green | 1625 Massachusetts Ave, Lexington, MA 02421 | MARKER | ||
Boston Common | 139 Tremont St, Boston, MA 02111 | PARK | ||
Buckman Tavern | 1 Bedford St, Lexington, MA 02420 | MUSEUM | ||
Colonel James Barrett House | 448 Barretts Mill Rd, Concord, MA 01742 | MUSEUM | ||
Concord Millpond Marker | Main Street, Concord, Massachusetts, 01742, USA | MARKER | ||
Spot Where the British Landed | 41 Second Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02141, USA | MARKER | ||
Wright Tavern Marker | 2 Lexington Rd, Concord, MA 01742 | MARKER |
DIED:
Boston, Massachusetts
Jun 17, 1755
Pitcairn was born in 1722 in Dysart, a port town in Fife, Scotland. His parents were the Reverend David Pitcairn and Katherine (Hamilton) Pitcairn. An older brother, was William Pitcairn, who later became a botanist, doctor and president of the Royal College of Physicians. John Pitcairn entered the Marines when he was twenty-three, was commissioned as a lieutenant in 1746, served in Canadaduring the French and Indian War as a captain, and was promoted to major in 1771. In 1774 he arrived in Boston, Massachusetts, in command of 600 Marines assigned to support the British forces in the increasingly resistive colony.
He was in command of the advance party that marched on Lexington and Concord on 19 April 1775, which began the American War of Independence. His horse was shot from under him, and he lost a pair of matched pistols when the column's baggage was abandoned. Patriot leader Israel Putnam would carry them through the rest of the war.
At the Battle of Bunker Hill two months later, Major Pitcairn commanded a reserve force of about 300 Marines. They landed at the south end of the Charlestown peninsula. When the first assaults failed, Pitcairn led his men up the hill toward the American position. Although already being wounded by two gunshots, he led his men through the rebel trenches. When he entered the trenches, he was shot four times. He toppled into the arms of his son, Thomas, also a Marine officer, who cried out, "I have lost my father!"