Silas Talbot
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Silas Talbot
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 10th district |
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In office March 4, 1793 – June 5, 1794 |
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| Preceded by | none |
| Succeeded by | William Cooper |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
January 11, 1751 Dighton, Massachusetts |
| Died | June 30, 1813 (aged 62) New York City |
Silas Talbot (January 11, 1751 – June 30, 1813) was an officer in the Continental Army and in the Continental Navy during the American Revolution. Talbot is most famous for commanding the USS Constitution from 1799 to 1801.
Talbot was born in Dighton, Massachusetts and came from a poor family. He first took to seafaring at the age of twelve serving as cabin boy in a coasting vessel. Talbot's performance proved to be outstanding and in 1772 had saved up enough money to buy and settle a home in Providence, Rhode Island.
On June 28, 1775 Talbot received the commission of a captain in the 2nd Rhode Island Regiment. He was commissioned a captain in the Continental Army on July 1, 1775. After participating in the siege of Boston, Talbot and the American Army began their march to New York. Along the way they stopped at New London whose port had just received Esek Hopkins who had just landed from a sailing exposition in the Bahamas. After learning that Hopkins was going to petition General Washington for 200 volunteers needed to assist his squadron in reaching Providence, Talbot volunteered his services in this effort.
After Talbot made his way back to New York where he aiding in the transportation of troops, he obtained command of a fire ship and attempted to use it to set fire to the British warship HMS Asia on September 14, 1776. The attempt failed, but the daring it displayed, and that Talbot was severely burned during the effort, won him a promotion to major on October 10, 1777 retroactive to September 1.
After suffering a severe wound at Fort Mifflin, while fighting to defend Philadelphia, on October 23, 1777, Talbot returned to active service in the summer of 1778 and fought the Battle of Rhode Island on August 28, 1778.
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