Autographs
1791 American Revolutionary War Continental Army General Heman Swift Signed Connecticut Payment Receipt
GENERAL HEMAN SWIFT (1733-1814). American Revolutionary War hero, known as "General Washington's Colonel," the Commander of the 7th Regiment of the Continental Army's "Continental Line", friend of George Washington, Wintered at Valley Forge, at Brandywine Swift aided the wounded General Lafayette, appointed Brigadier-General in 1783.
May 3, 1791-Dated Federal Period, Partially-Printed Document Signed, "Heman Swift", Crisp New Mint. An original interest payment note made to Swift on clean crisp laid watermarked period paper boldly signed in deep brown ink at bottom right. A portion of a watermark can be seen and it appears to be seated Liberty. Issued at Hartford, CT. at the Comptroller's Office, this Document measures about 7.5" x 2.75" and records interest paid to the famed Heman Swift.
On March 27, 1758, Heman Swift was commissioned by Thomas Fitch, Governor of Connecticut, first Lieutenant, Ninth Company, under Col. David Worcester, for the invasion of Canada and served through the French and Indian War.
In 1777, the Continental Congress established a permanent army assigning each state, based on its size, a quota of regiments. During the Revolutionary War, 27 infantry regiments were assigned to the "Connecticut Line". These "lines" as a body formed the "Continental Line." In this new formation, Colonel Heman Swift of Cornwall, Connecticut, was given command of the Seventh Regiment.
Colonel Swift was a personal friend of General George Washington and was held by him in high esteem. He was a member of General Washington's staff and Wintered with him at Valley Forge.
Swift fought bravely throughout the war and was made a Brigadier-General on September 30, 1783, the year he retired from the military. After the close of the war, from 1789 to 1802, he served as a member of the upper house of the Connecticut State legislature.
Gen. Heman Swift, born in Wareham. Plymouth county, Mass., became an early settler of Cornwall, Litchfield county. Conn History records him as having married four wives, one of which, as Mrs. Sarah Jay) was the grandmother of Ruth Robinson Calhoun, while his daughter, Dennis Swift, by another wife, became the mother of Hon. Frederick Kellogg, the husband of Ruth R. Calhoun. In relation to General Swift we find the following beautiful tribute to his memory, on pp. 406 and 407, third volume of "Travels in New England and New York," by Timothy Dwight, S. T. D., LL.D., late president of Yale College, 1822:
"Cornwall is particularly distinguished for being the residence of Hon. Maj.-Gen. Heman Swift. This gentleman was born in Wareham, in the county of Plymouth, Mass. The only education which he received was that of a parochial school. Soon after his removal to Connecticut, when a young man, he was chosen a representative to the Legislature.
In the American army he rose to the rank of brigadier-general. After the Revolutionary war was ended he was elected a member of the council. He resigned his seat at this board in 1802. For many years he was judge of the court of common pleas, for the county of Litchfield.
He was distinguished for native strength of mind, regularly directed to practical and useful objects, and he solicitously sought improvement from the sources which were within his reach. In this manner he acquired extensively that knowledge which fits a man to be serviceable to his fellowmen. His affections were soft and gentle, his conversation mild, and unassuming. But his conceptions were bold and masculine, and his disposition invincibly firm.
When he was once assured of his duty, nothing could move him from his purpose. Hence he possessed an independence of mind, which all men reverenced, and all bad men dreaded. As an officer, though distitute of the brilliancy so coveted in that character, he was highly respected by his fellow officers, and loved by the soldiers, every one of whom approached him with a certainty of being justly and kindly treated. His bravery was that of Putnam, tempered with consummate prudence. As a judge, probably no man ever held a more equal balance. As a councillor, he was wise, he was humble, sincere, upright, generous, charitable, and eminently pious. The great inquiry of his life was, what was his duty? and his great purpose, to do it."
The biographer of General Swift relates of him that "he was a personal friend of General Washington, by whom he was held in high esteem, and who once paid him a visit at his home in Cornwall." He was an officer in the old French and Indian wars, serving likewise through the war of the Revolution. The archives of the state of Connecticut, under the official seal of the Adjutant-General Andrew H. Embler, relate that "General Heman Swift, of Cornwall, commanded the Seventh regiment Connecticut line, formation of 1777-1781, and the Second regiment Connecticut line, formation of 1781-1783."