George Rodgers Clark
| George Rogers Clark | |
|---|---|
1825 portrait by Matthew Harris Jouett
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| Nickname(s) | Conqueror of the Old Northwest Hannibal of the West Washington of the West Father of Louisville |
| Born |
November 19, 1752 Charlottesville, Virginia |
| Died | February 13, 1818 (aged 65) Louisville, Kentucky |
| Buried | Cave Hill Cemetery |
| Allegiance |
 United States of America
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| Service/branch | Virginia Militia |
| Years of service | 1776–1790 |
| Rank | Brigadier General |
| Unit | Illinois Regiment, Virginia State Forces |
| Commands held | Western Frontier |
| Battles/wars | Northwest Indian War |
| Relations | John Clark III (father) Ann Rogers Clark (mother) General Jonathan Clark (brother) Captain William Clark (brother) Ann Clark Gwatmey (sister) Captain John Clark (brother) Lieutenant Richard Clark (brother) Captain Edmund Clark (brother) Lucy Clark Croghan (sister) Elizabeth Clark Anderson (sister) Frances "Fanny" Clark O'Fallon Minn Fitzhugh (sister) |
| Signature |  |
George Rogers Clark (November 19, 1752 – February 13, 1818) was a surveyor, soldier, and militia officer from Virginia who became the highest ranking American military officer on the northwestern frontier during the American Revolutionary War. He served as leader of the militia in Kentucky (then part of Virginia) throughout much of the war. Clark is best known for his celebrated captures of Kaskaskia (1778) and Vincennes (1779) during the Illinois Campaign, which greatly weakened British influence in the Northwest Territory. Because the British ceded the entire Northwest Territory to the United States in the 1783 Treaty of Paris, Clark has often been hailed as the "Conqueror of the Old Northwest".
Clark's major military achievements occurred before his thirtieth birthday. Afterwards, he led militia in the opening engagements of the Northwest Indian War, but was accused of being drunk on duty. Despite his demand for a formal investigation into the accusations, he was disgraced and forced to resign. Clark left Kentucky to live on the Indiana frontier. Never fully reimbursed by Virginia for his wartime expenditures, Clark spent the final decades of his life evading creditors and living in increasing poverty and obscurity. He was involved in two failed attempts to open the Spanish-controlled Mississippi River to American traffic. After suffering a stroke and the amputation of his right leg, Clark became an invalid. He was aided in his final years by family members, including his younger brother William, one of the leaders of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. George Rogers Clark died of a stroke on February 13, 1818.
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