Richard Butler (general)
| Richard Butler | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
April 1, 1743 Dublin |
| Died | November 4, 1791 (aged 48) Fort Recovery, Ohio |
| Allegiance |
 United States
|
| Service/branch |
Continental Army United States Army |
| Years of service | 1776-1783, 1791 |
| Rank | Major General |
| Unit | Morgan's Riflemen |
| Battles/wars |
Battle of Saratoga; Battle of Monmouth; St. Clair's Defeat |
| Awards | Society of the Cincinnati |
Richard Butler (April 1, 1743 – November 4, 1791) was an officer in the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War, who later was killed while fighting Indians in Ohio.
Born in St. Bridget's Parish, Dublin, Ireland, Richard Butler was the oldest son of Thomas and Eleanor (Parker) Butler. Thomas Butler was an Irish aristocrat who served in the British army. In 1748 he opened a gun shop in Dublin, but that same year the family moved to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where Thomas learned to make the Pennsylvania long rifles used in the French and Indian War.
By 1760, the family had moved to the frontier at Carlisle, Pennsylvania, where Thomas and his sons manufactured long rifles and became friends with Daniel Morgan. The Butler gun shop still stands in Carlisle.
By the 1770s, Richard Butler and his brother William were important traders at Fort Pitt in Pennsylvania and in Ohio. A street in Pittsburgh, Butler Street, is named for them.
At the outset of the American Revolution, the Continental Congress named Richard Butler a commissioner in 1775 to negotiate with the Indians. He visited representatives of the Delaware, Shawnee, and other tribes to secure their support, or at least neutrality, in the war with Britain.
In 1776, Butler was commissioned a major in the Continental Army, serving first as second in command to his friend Daniel Morgan. He saw action at the Battle of Saratoga and the Battle of Monmouth. His four brothers also served, and were noted for their bravery as the "fighting Butlers."
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Wikipedia