Allen McLane of Delaware was one of the most well-known, respected and determined partisan officers of the Continental Army. He performed resolute outpost duty throughout nearly the entire American Revolution.
Allen [or Allan] McLane was born in Philadelphia in 1746. His family had recently arrived from Scotland in 1738. His father was a merchant in Philadelphia, one of the numerous prosperous merchants of what I like to refer to as the “Scottish Mafia” in North America.
He moved to Delaware in 1774 to begin his own merchant business, but had barely established himself when the American Revolution broke out. He fought with the Virginia Militia as a volunteer at Great Bridge, Virginia in December of 1775. He then served in the New York Campaign of 1776, and in 1777 he raised a Company of Delaware Continentals. McLane distinguished himself in the battles of Long Island, White Plains, and Trenton. His gallantry at the battle of Princeton earned him promotion to captain in 1777.
The illustration is a painting done by Charles Wilson Peale: The Ambush of Captain Allan McLane (1803) shows McLane fending off an attack by two British dragoons, during one of his many fights around Philadelphia during the winter of 1777 and 1778. Peale prepared a number of preliminary sketches (at the American Philosophical Society, Philadelphia) for the painting that as far as I know has not been published. The original is at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts, University of Utah. There are actually two similar paintings- both depicting Captain McLane defeating a pair of British dragoons in hand-to-hand fighting at dawn on June 8, 1778 when McLane got cut off during a scout of Philadelphia. An excellent account of one of the many engagements that he participated in is: Edith McLane Edson, “Notes and Documents: A James Peale Puzzle: Captain Allen McLane’s Encounter with British Dragoons “The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 125, No. 4 (Oct., 2001), pp. 375-392.
McLane commanded Oneida warriors at the Barren Hill skirmish in May, 1778 and was the first American officer to enter Philadelphia as the British were evacuating the city one month later.
McLane operated with Dickinson’s New Jersey militia during the Monmouth Campaign of late June and was on duty with the main army later that summer. Washington put him in charge of the outposts around Philadelphia, and, in July 1779, McLane was promoted to Major in “Light-Horse Harry” Lee’s Legion.
The new Major subsequently took a prominent part in the battles of Paulus Hook, Stony Point, and the siege of Yorktown. By war’s end, he wore the rank of Colonel. As with many other forgotten heroes of the American Revolution that I have discussed, he served quite literally throughout the entire war.
McLane’s father died during the war, and he lost his father’s fortune because he could not adequately manage it from the Continental Army. Following the American Revolution, he returned to mercantile pursuits. He was a distinguished and proud member of the Order of Cincinnati. He was a staunch Federalist, and was a delegate to the ratifying convention and supported the ratification of the US Constitution by Delaware. In 1789 he was appointed a marshal of Delaware and became a collector for the port of Delaware in 1797. He held that post until his death in 1829. He was politically active in Delaware.
During the War of 1812, and at the age of 68, he commanded the defenses of Wilmington. His son, Louis McLane, served as the U.S. Secretary of State for President Andrew Jackson. Alexander Hamilton named one of his sons for Allen McLane (Allen McLane Hamilton).
His extensive papers are at the New York Historical Society. The Delaware Historical Society and the Historical Society of Pennsylvania also hold some of his papers. He was a devout Methodist, and he donated the land for the first Methodist Church in Delaware (old Asbury Methodist Church in Smyrna).
Captain McLane has received one excellent but brief biography in American Heritage.
Dear Mr. Cubbison:
I am always delighted to find evidence that other history buffs, both professional and amateur, are interested in the life and military career of Allen McLane.
I really enjoyed your entry about McLane. Howver, I have a few points to raise that may or may not be more accurate than what appears in your article. These are all minor and reflect the research that I have done since 2008.
Point 1. McLane moved to Delaware in 1769-70 and married local girl, Rebecca Wells, daughter to the Kent Co (DE) sheriff in 1770 or 71.Therefore he moved to DE before 1774.
Point 2. The painting done with McLane dispatching the two dragoons was by James Peale, not Charles Willson Peale.
Point 3. Because Geo Washington was angry at McLane for reporting Benedict Arnold for profiteering (with supplies left in Phila by the Brits), anger that persisted until 1780 when Arnold’s treason was uncovered, promotion to Major was denied four times by GW. Letters appear in Writings of Geo Washington.
Point 4. McLane did give land for the Asbury UM Church in Duck Creek Crossroads (became Smyrna in 1804), several other Methodist Churches preceded the Smyrna church.
These are minor points and I certainly do not want to discourage interested parties to research and report about McLane, I think we all are seeking the best sources of information available to us. I have been researching McLane extensively over the past three years and have several times had my stated theories about his life successfully challenged.
Keep up the good work.
Tom Welch
P
Great information, Tom, and many thanks for sharing it with us. I certainly do not claim to be an expert on Allen McClane. Most of these postings are relatively limited research, but they are intended to let my readers be introduced to some of our other American heroes of the American Revolution that are not recognized today. Captain McLane was a highly skilled and accomplished officer, and he is very much deserving of a full-length biography.
For Stone Fort Consulting’s readers, Tom Welch has researched Captain McLane extensively, and is working very hard to ensure that he is properly remembered in Delaware. We’re glad to hear from Tom, and want to thank him for his hard work and his efforts on behalf of our nation’s history and heritage.
http://de.newszap.com/blogs/post/6/546
http://www.scsuntimes.com/features/x1654954551/Smyrna-mans-Revolutionary-War-story-told-through-historical-interpreter