Ebenezer Denny
| Ebenezer Denny | |
|---|---|
Ebenezer Denny
|
|
| 1st Mayor of Pittsburgh | |
|
In office 1816–1817 |
|
| Preceded by |
William Steele, as Chief Burgess of Pittsburgh Borough |
| Succeeded by | John Darragh |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
March 11, 1761 Carlisle, Pennsylvania |
| Died | July 21, 1822 (aged 61) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |
 United States
|
| Service/branch |
 Continental Army United States Army
|
| Years of service | 1778–1783, 1784–1792, 1794 |
| Rank | Major |
| Battles/wars | American Revolutionary War, Northwest Indian War |
Ebenezer Denny (March 11, 1761 – July 21, 1822) was a soldier during the American Revolutionary War whose journal is one of the most frequently quoted accounts of the surrender of the British at the siege of Yorktown. Denny later served as the first Mayor of Pittsburgh, from 1816 to 1817.
Denny was born in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, on March 11, 1761, the eldest son of William and Agnes Parker Denny. At the age of 13 he was entrusted to carry dispatches across the Allegheny Mountains by the commandant at Fort Pitt. He crossed alone often; to conceal his presence he hid in the woods at night. At one point he was chased into Fort Loudon by the Indians. He then entered into employment for his father's shop in Carlisle. Upon learning that a letter of the marque, a privateer ship, was to sail from Philadelphia for the West Indies, he shipped as a volunteer. He was promoted to command the quarterdeck for his gallantry in numerous sea fights.
As he was readying to sail on his second voyage he received a commission as ensign in the 1st Pennsylvania Regiment of the Continental Army in 1778. In August 1780, he was transferred to the 7th Pennsylvania Regiment, and on May 23, 1781, he was promoted to lieutenant in the 4th Pennsylvania Regiment.
This transpired during 1781 as the Continental Army marched south to face Cornwallis at Yorktown, Virginia, at which time the end of the long war for independence drew close. Near Williamsburg, Virginia, the regiment had a successful encounter against British forces, the partisan Simcoe. Denny in his famous military journal [1] states, "Here for the first time saw wounded men; the sight sickened me."
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