View source for Thomas Gaddis

{{Short description|Continental Army officer}}
{{for|the author|Thomas E. Gaddis}}

'''Thomas Gaddis''' (1742–1834) was a militia officer in the [[American Revolutionary War]]. He was born December 28, 1742, in Winchester, [[Frederick County, Virginia]] and married Hannah Rice in 1764; the same year he built [[Fort Gaddis]], a refuge from the Indians, located on the [[Catawba Trail]].<ref>NSDAR, ''Lineage Book - National Society Daughters of the American Revolution'', Volumes 59-60 p. 253.</ref> In fact, Pennsylvania and Virginia had conflicting claims in the area Gaddis settled. Though he maintained his loyalty to Virginia, Gaddis also protected his investment by recording his [[Land patent|patent]] with Pennsylvania authorities. By 1773, both states created new geo-political boundaries in recognition of increased white settlement. Pennsylvania formed Westmoreland County out of the larger Bedford County, and Virginia established the [[District of West Augusta]]. In 1776, West Augusta was further divided into three counties: Ohio, Yohogania, and Monongalia, where Gaddis and his family resided.<ref>Wallace, ''Historic American Buildings Survey - America's Industrial Heritage Project'' p. 3.</ref>

[[File:Pennsylvania State Regiment (1777).jpg|thumb|Pennsylvania State Regiment Uniform (American Revolutionary War) (Note: Gaddis served in the Monongalia County Virginia militia, not the Pennsylvania State Regiment)]]

Thomas Gaddis was appointed [[Captain (land)|captain]] of the Monongalia County militia on August 23, 1776 and by September 9th had raised a company of militia and proceeded to build what was afterwards known as Fort Liberty in Monongalia County<ref>Gaddis, ''Pension Application of Thomas Gaddis (S4292)''</ref> (two miles south of present day Uniontown PA at [[Fort Gaddis]]), where they were stationed from September 1776 to January 1777.<ref> Wallace, ''Historic American Buildings Survey - America's Industrial Heritage Project'' p. 5.</ref> However, some historical texts have confused this fort with another Fort Liberty that was located along the Ohio River (present day [[West Liberty, West Virginia]])<ref> Callahan, ''History of West Virginia, Old and New'', Volume 1, p. 82.</ref> and a fort located at [[Beech Bottom, West Virginia]], about ten miles north of [[Fort Henry (West Virginia)]], which also was constructed by Gaddis and his militia company.<ref>Ashcraft, ''Pension Application of Amos Ashcraft (S16610)''</ref><ref>Davis, ''Pension Application of Richard Davis (W2438)''</ref><ref>Hustead, ''Pension Application of Robert Hustead (W2804)''</ref> On February 17, 1777, Gaddis was commissioned as [[lieutenant colonel]] of Monongalia County by [[Patrick Henry]], [[Governor of Virginia]], and took command of [[Prickett's Fort]], Fort Scott, Fort Stradler, Fort Jackson, and Fort Lindley. Shortly afterwards he was promoted to full colonel.<ref>Gaddis, ''Pension Application of Thomas Gaddis (S4292)''</ref><ref>NSDAR, ''Lineage Book - National Society Daughters of the American Revolution'', Volumes 59-60 p. 253.</ref><ref>Wallace, ''Historic American Buildings Survey - America's Industrial Heritage Project'' p. 3.</ref> 

In August 1777, Gaddis and Colonel [[Zackquill Morgan]] learned that a substantial number of settlers in the Redstone area, an region south of [[Pittsburgh]], had taken an oath of allegiance to the [[Monarchy of the United Kingdom]] and were plotting on Great Britain's behalf. Gaddis informed Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Brown at [[Redstone Old Fort]], on the [[Monongahela River]], requesting him to place an extra guard on the powder magazine. In a dispatch to Brown, he wrote:

{{quote|
''Dear Sir,''

''A certain person was at my house on Monday the 25th last, and he made oath to me that the [[Loyalist (American Revolution)|Tories]] have joined themselves together for to cut off the inhabitants, and we know not what hour they will rise. Therefore it would be proper that you would take a particular care and keep a strong guard over the Magazine for a few days, till we can use some means with them. This day I am starting with a party of men for to succor the people and suppress the Tories. I would desire that you would do your utmost endeavor and warn the friends of our country to be upon their watch.''

''Sir, I remain respectfully your friend,''

''Thos. Gaddis''<ref>Thwaites & Kellogg, ''Frontier Defense on the Upper Ohio, 1777-1778'' p. 51.</ref>
}}

The loyalists planned to seize the magazine at Redstone, but Brown mustered a guard of fifteen men, and a militia force of a hundred patriots under Gaddis and Captain Henry Enoch<ref>Thwaites & Kellogg, ''Frontier Defense on the Upper Ohio, 1777-1778'' p. 52.</ref> captured twelve tories and scattered the remainder. The prisoners were escorted to Virginia's capital in Williamsburg, took an oath of allegiance, and eventually returned home.<ref>Fulton, ''Fort Necessity and historic shrines of the Redstone country'' p. 140-144.</ref><ref>Wallace, ''Historic American Buildings Survey - America's Industrial Heritage Project'' p. 4.</ref><ref>Nelson, ''A Man of Distinction Among Them: Alexander Mckee and British-Indian Affairs Along the Ohio Country Frontier, 1754-1799'' p. 98.</ref>

With the hope of putting an end to Indian attacks on American settlers, Gaddis took part in General [[Lachlan McIntosh]]'s expedition into the [[Ohio Country]] in September to December 1778,<ref>Gaddis, ''Pension Application of Thomas Gaddis (S4292)''</ref> raising a company of militia to assist in the construction of [[Fort McIntosh (Pennsylvania)|Fort McIntosh]] and [[Fort Laurens]], but to no avail.<ref>Davis Smith, ''Davis Directory of Pennsylvania: Including Hezekiah Davies' Revolutionary War Pension & Philadelphia Burial Records'' p. 360,</ref> By the spring of 1782, however, he was a resident of [[Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania]], his home being in that part which in 1783 became [[Fayette County, Pennsylvania]]; about three miles south of [[Uniontown, Pennsylvania]].

Gaddis was elected a field major and third in command of the [[Sandusky Expedition]], seeing as he was well known to many of the volunteers as a good citizen and brave soldier. At the time of his volunteering for the campaign, he was an officer of the militia of Westmoreland County. The other majors of the expedition, committed to destroying Indian towns along the [[Sandusky River]], included [[David Williamson]], [[John B. McClelland]], and [[James Brenton (1740–1782)|James Brenton]].<ref>Butterfield, ''An historical Account of the Expedition against Sandusky under Col. William Crawford in 1782'' p. 123.</ref>

Regretfully, the Indians and their British allies had already learned of the expedition, and the Americans were forced to retreat. During the retreat, [[Colonel William Crawford]] and several of his men, including Major [[John B. McClelland]]; William Harrison, Colonel Crawford's son-in-law; and young William Crawford, the Colonel's nephew, were captured and tortured to death. Approximately seventy Americans were killed in the 1782 campaign on the western front.<ref>Butterfield, ''An historical Account of the Expedition against Sandusky under Col. William Crawford in 1782'' pp. 345-347.</ref> Gaddis returned safely from the engagement.

On June 14, 1782, the officers dispersed to their various places of residence. Gaddis returned to that part of Westmoreland, soon to become Fayette.<ref>Butterfield, ''An historical Account of the Expedition against Sandusky under Col. William Crawford in 1782'' p. 296.</ref> Afterward, he maintained his prominence in government affairs, filling honorable offices both civil and military. Aside from working as a cabinet maker, as well as owning a [[tavern]] and [[distillery]], Gaddis was actively involved in the establishment of the Fayette County court system, serving on the first Fayette County grand jury. He was Fayette [[County Commissioner]] from 1787 to 1789, and served as a delegate for Washington, Fayette, and [[Allegheny County, Pennsylvania]] during the [[Whisky Insurrection]].<ref>Butterfield, ''An historical Account of the Expedition against Sandusky under Col. William Crawford in 1782'' p. 123.</ref><ref>Ellis, ''History of Fayette County, Pennsylvania'' pp. 130-133, 569, 580.</ref>

In fact, Gaddis was the principal leader of the "Whiskey Boys," a group of citizens who were enraged that Congress had imposed a tax on whiskey in order to pay government bond holders. While smaller distilleries were to pay taxes by the gallon, larger distillers could take advantage of a flat fee, clearly putting the smaller distilleries at a disadvantage. Their dissatisfaction derived, at least in part, from the very same factors that characterized their experience leading up to the Revolutionary War; a sense of isolation and alienation from government authorities who failed to represent or consider their special needs and interests.

The [[excise tax]], passed in July 1791, placed a burden on western farmers who converted excess grain into whiskey, which was easier to transport and much more marketable. Despite continued petitions from western counties, the [[United States Congress]] refused to repeal the excise act and westerners responded by ignoring the tax, harassing tax collectors, destroying property, and raising [[liberty pole]]s. In July 1794, 7,000 local militia men organized to march on the town of [[Pittsburgh]] whose citizens they believed supported the tax. The mob was appeased with the banishment of several of the most offensive townspeople, but news of the uprising prompted [[George Washington]] to call up a 15,000-man force to march on [[Western Pennsylvania]]. By the time the troops finally approached Pittsburgh, in October, the rebel army had already dispersed. Federal officers arrested 150 men they identified as being involved in the rebellion. Of these, twenty-four were taken to [[Philadelphia]] for trial, but only two were convicted and were then given presidential pardons.<ref>Slaughter, ''The Whiskey Rebellion: Frontier Epilogue to the American Revolution. Oxford University Press'' pp. 150-54, 163-68, 176-188, 192-220.</ref>

In the summer of 1794, Thomas Gaddis' [[Fort Gaddis|home]] was the site of a [[liberty pole]] raising, a public protest event usually attended by a crowd of insurgents who raised a pole carrying a banner inscribed with a slogan such as "Liberty and No Excise!" Liberty poles were raised each night, along the route followed by federal troops toward Pittsburgh. Gaddis was accused of a misdemeanor, in raising a liberty pole on his farm. Most likely, his offense was covered in the general pardon by President Washington and Pennsylvania Governor, [[Thomas Mifflin]] issued to those implicated in the insurrection and who had not subsequently been indicted or convicted. The excise tax remained virtually impossible to collect in Western Pennsylvania. It was repealed by [[Thomas Jefferson]] in 1800.<ref>Ellis, ''History of Fayette County, Pennsylvania'' pp. 161-167.</ref><ref>Wallace, ''Historic American Buildings Survey - America's Industrial Heritage Project'' pp. 6-7.</ref>

Thomas Gaddis lived in Fayette County for twenty years after the Rebellion. He and his wife, Hannah, joined the Great Bethel Baptist Church in [[Uniontown, Pennsylvania]] and contributed to the building of its first church, although Gaddis was excommunicated for differing with church doctrine before the building was completed.<ref>Wallace, ''Historic American Buildings Survey - America's Industrial Heritage Project'' p. 7.</ref> In 1814, Gaddis sold his [[Fort Gaddis|farm]], and relocated to Union Township, [[Clinton County, Ohio]], where he died, June 10, 1834. The original Gaddis [[Fort Gaddis|homestead]] is listed on the National Register of Historic Places in Fayette County, Pennsylvania.<ref>NSDAR, ''Lineage Book - National Society Daughters of the American Revolution'', Volumes 59-60 p. 253.</ref>

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==References==

*Boucher, John N. ''History of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania''. New York: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1906. Available [https://books.google.com/books?id=quEKAAAAYAAJ&dq=History+of+Westmoreland+County,+Pennsylvania+boucher+volume+1&pg=PR3 Online] from Google Books.
*Butterfield, Consul Willshire. ''An Historical Account of the Expedition Against Sandusky Under Col. William Crawford in 1782''. R. Clarke & Co, 1873. Available [https://books.google.com/books?id=EiTVAAAAMAAJ&q=An+Historical+Account+of+the+Expedition+Against+Sandusky+Under+Col.+William+Crawford+in+1782 Online] from Google Books.
*Callahan, James Morton. ''History of West Virginia, Old and New'', Volume 1. American Historical Society, 1923. Available [https://books.google.com/books?id=czQTAAAAYAAJ Online] from Google Books.
*Crumrine, Boyd. ''History of Washington County, Pennsylvania''. Philadelphia: L.H. Everts and Co., 1882. Available [http://digital.library.pitt.edu/cgi-bin/t/text/text-idx?idno=00hc17099m;view=toc;c=pitttext Online] from the [[University of Pittsburgh]] Digital Research Library.
*Davis Smith, Dorothy. ''Davis Directory of Pennsylvania: Including Hezekiah Davies Revolutionary War Pension & Philadelphia Burial Records''. Davis Clearing House, 1991.
*De Rosenthal, Gustavus. ''Journal of a Volunteer Expedition to Sandusky: From May 24 to June 13, 1782''. Ayer Co Pub, 1969.
*Dunn, Walter Scott. ''Choosing Sides on the Frontier in the American Revolution''. Praeger, 2007.
*Eckert, Allan. ''That Dark and Bloody River''. Bantam Books, 1996.
*Ellis, Franklin. ''History of Fayette County, Pennsylvania''. Philadelphia: L.H. Everts and Co., 1882. Available [http://digital.library.pitt.edu/cgi-bin/t/text/text-idx?idno=00aft2784m;view=toc;c=pitttext Online] from the [[University of Pittsburgh]] Digital Research Library.
*Egle, Consul Willshire. ''An Historical Account of the Expedition Against Sandusky Under Col. William Crawford in 1782''. Clarence M. Busch, 1896.
*Fulton, Ray T. Fort Gaddis in ''Fort Necessity and Historic Shrines of the Redstone country''. Fort Necessity Chapter of the Society of the Sons of the American Revolution (Uniontown, Pa), 1932. Available [https://digital.libraries.psu.edu/digital/collection/digitalbks2/id/18572/ Online] from PA's Past: Digital Bookshelf at Penn State.
*Gaddis, Thomas. ''Pension Application of Thomas Gaddis'' (S4292). Transcript available [http://revwarapps.org/s4292.pdf Online] from Southern Campaigns Revolutionary War Pension Statements & Rosters
*Hadden, James. ''A History of Uniontown: The County Seat of Fayette County, Pennsylvania''. New Werner Co., 1913.
*Hassler, Edgar Wakefield. ''Old Westmoreland: A History of Western Pennsylvania During the Revolution''. Kessinger Publishing LLC, 2009.
*Heitman, Francis Bernard. ''Historical Register of Officers of the Continental Army During the War of the Revolution''. Washington D.C.: The Rare Book Shop Publishing Co., Inc, 1914.
*Historical Society of Pennsylvania. ''The Constitutional Convention of 1776. Biographical Sketches of Its Members''. [[The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography]] Vol. IV. 1880.
*Klein, Philip S. ''A History of Pennsylvania''. Pennsylvania State University Press, 1976.
*Larkin, Jack. ''Where We Lived: Discovering the Places We Once Called Home''. Taunton Press, 2006.
*Montgomery, Thomas Lynch. ''Pennsylvania Archives''. Harrisburg: C.E. Aughinbaugh, Printer to the State of Pennsylvania, 1914.
*Nelson, Larry L. ''A Man of Distinction Among Them: Alexander Mckee and British-indian Affairs Along the Ohio Country Frontier, 1754-1799''. Kent State University Press, 1980.
*Slaughter, Thomas P. ''The Whiskey Rebellion: Frontier Epilogue to the American Revolution''. Oxford University Press, 1988.
*Thwaites & Kellogg. ''Frontier Defense on the Upper Ohio, 1777-1778''. State Historical Society of Wisconsin, 1912. Available [https://books.google.com/books?id=tLfhAAAAMAAJ Online] from Google Books.
*Thwaites & Kellogg. ''The Revolution on the Upper Ohio, 1775-1777''. State Historical Society of Wisconsin, 1908. Available [https://books.google.com/books?id=Ml09AAAAYAAJ Online] from Google Books.
*Veech, James. ''The Monongahela of Old (Historical Sketches of South-Western Pennsylvania to the Year 1800)''. Pittsburgh, 1858–1892. Available [https://books.google.com/books?id=iT3x4UQ8iisC Online] from Google Books
*Wallace, Kim E. ''Thomas Gaddis House (Fort Gaddis), Historic American Buildings Survey - America's Industrial Heritage Project'' HABS No. PA-5474. National Park Service, 1989. Available [https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/master/pnp/habshaer/pa/pa1900/pa1916/data/pa1916data.pdf Online] from the Library of Congress.
*Washington, Irvine, & Butterfield. ''Washington-Irvine Correspondence: The Official Letters Which Passed Between Washington And William Irvine''. David Atwood, 1882. Available [https://books.google.com/books?id=zudWkRIOe2cC Online] from Google Books
{{Whiskey Rebellion}}

==External links==
*[http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM4G5_Fort_Gaddis Fort Gaddis - Pennsylvania Historical Markers on Waymarking.com]
*[http://www.cup.edu/liberalarts/anthropology/index.jsp?pageId=1580830010421145385736751 Excavations at Fort Gaddis]{{Dead link|date=June 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=no }}, from the [[California University of Pennsylvania]]
*{{Find a Grave|9301895}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gaddis, Thomas}}
[[Category:1742 births]]
[[Category:1834 deaths]]
[[Category:People excommunicated by Baptist churches]]
[[Category:American people of Scotch-Irish descent]]
[[Category:Pennsylvania militiamen in the American Revolution]]
[[Category:People of the Whiskey Rebellion]]
[[Category:People from colonial Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:Continental Army officers from Pennsylvania]]