DANIEL MORGAN: A PARADOX

Everything Daniel Morgan did, he did with passion. He was a doting grandfather, a man who commanded respect from his troops, he was also loyal, to a fault. And he could be ruthless with people he believed wronged him. He disliked hypocrisy and artifice in anyone. He spoke the truth and expected it from others.

Very little is known of Daniel Morgan’s early years. He never discussed his family. Therefore rumors made their way into different biographies. One of which is that he had a disagreement with his father and left home at 17. It is also not sure if he was born in New Jersey or Pennsylvania, although both states claim him as their own, as his family lived on both sides of the river. But his descendants place him in New Jersey. He headed south and worked odd jobs along the way, until he reached Charles Town, Virginia. He was a farmer and worked at odd jobs, and he eventually became a wagoner when he figured he could make more money. Within two years, he made enough money to buy his own wagon and teams. He liked to drink and brawl, often ending up in front of the judge on misdemeanor charges.

He met and started courting Abigail Curry. They were living together from 1763 until 1773 when they finally got married. They had two daughters, Nancy and Betsy. Abigail was a good influence on Daniel Morgan. She transformed him into a more refined and less boisterous man and opened his life to religion. He became a member of the Presbyterian Church in his later years. Morgan also had an illegitimate son named Willoughby who was raised in South Carolina.

Morgan had good business sense, his wagoner business was doing well, and he used his money wisely. In 1759, he bought a house in Winchester that he named “Soldier’s Rest.”

In 1782, he had another house built. He named it “Saratoga” after his success in New York. Also in 1782, he became partners with Col. Nathaniel Burwell, and together they built a grist-mill called the Burwell-Morgan Mill, in Millwood, Virginia. There is no account as to where they met, but it is easy to presume that they either met during the war as both were serving under George Washington or that they were long-time neighbors and acquaintances. Col. Burwell came from a very wealthy Virginia family, and he put up the money for the mill. Morgan oversaw the construction of the mill and managed the business. It was a wonder of sophisticated engineering for its time. Hessian prisoners built both the Mill and Saratoga that George Washington had assigned to Daniel Morgan since Congress didn’t have the money to house or feed them.

By 1785, the mill was operational and flourished thanks to Morgan’s energy and contacts. They were transporting grain along the east coast to Alexandria and later by boat through the Shenandoah and Potomac rivers, to the West Indies and Europe.

By 1795, he possessed over 250,000 acres of land. In his later years, he spent more of his time with his family, doting on his 19 grandchildren, and became a devout Presbyterian, even teaching religion.

Please contact Michele for more information.